How would you handle this instructor?

I would only fight it if you were on the borderline between two grades.

If you were going to fight it, it wouldn't hurt to scan the page from the APA manual that shows the correct way and include it as an attachment when you email her.

 

Yes there is a clear stated APA rule that states if you are coping a source word for word you write it entirely as it is written from that source. Which is what I did.

 

The more I think about it the madder I get. I have an essay final exam due in that class and I am going to wait until I turn it in tomorrow and get my grade before I send this email After that there is not grade she can adjust if I piss her off...

 

My only real worry is that she will say all the points that were deducted were deducted for a table I made that she commented on..

I will send the email and ask and she what she says and go from there. As for impacting my grade I currently have a 92.5 in the class with a final left to be graded. That final could take me down so we shall see..

Thanks to everyone who responded! I appreciate your comments and suggestions

 

Was it written in quotes? I would start the request with, "Hey dummy..." both that probably will not get to far

 

Does this tactic work with your dissertation committee?

 

No but I have used it on my advisor (no joke) and it kind of worked to get her attention.

 

Woah, from what you have said in the past, it seems you got a lame one.

 

Yep It was.. Here is the quote copied out of my paper..

“Although the validity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a diagnosis has long been established for children, just two decades ago adult ADHD was still virtually unrecognized” (Biederman, 2007).

Apparently she did not like that he used attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and then later in the sentence ADHD. Her preference is to use one term... Well okay that would be mine as well but when I am copying a source I do not get to choose I get to write what was written..

Now I am questioning her response to my the table I used in my paper as well because I copied it exactly how it was in my source and she replied that it was not APA style. I replied the same as above (thought I had to copy it exactly, she replied not when its not an APA source... I thought if I WAS THE ONE WRITING IN APA style then no matter what I had to follow APA rules on using material... UGHHHHHH

 

Shouldn't the page number be included when citing a direct quote?

 

Not when there is not one and it comes from an article

 

If you want to be a real stickler on APA, in a direct quote, when there is no page number, you are supposed to reference the paragraph number and sub-heading of the article. How do I know this? I just got dinged on it at NCU. It seems dumb to me, but it cost me some points. The rule is, anytime you use a direct quote, you must included exactly where you found it in the article.

 

Ellia, here's a really great APA resource. I'm not saying you don't know APA, because you obviously do, but this thing has been really helpful to me, maybe to you too. I have the 6th edition book but it's a pain to read. NCU required us to go through this tutorial and I'm glad they did.

APA Exposed

 

True but for some reason none of my instructors have ever cared

 

So I take it you have experience with APA? Maybe you can help me then because I have been searching the freaking web and the 6th edition for almost 2 days now..

When you cite/copy/quote a table that is in an article do you copy it exactly as shown and then give proper reference? One of her comments was that my table with not proper APA style but I copied the table from another article and gave credit telling exactly where I got it. I asked her about this and see below for question and her answer in red...

Also in my table usage you stated incorrect table format. Again I used the tabled provide in my sources directly therefore I copied the table exactly how it was in my source. I would appreciate your feedback on this as I was not aware we could change source material copied exactly. Do not doubt that you took it from your source, but the source was not APA. See the publication for table format

I was under the impression that it did not matter what format your source used that if the current author(me) was supposed to use APA format I went by their guidelines...

I am seriously confused!

 

Thanks MC I will keep that in mind for the future!

 

It sucks that they are not consistent. But they don't seem to be at an school I've attended. You would think that a really together school would have formalized exact standards. Unfortunately, I've had to adopt the "test paper" method I described above to mitigate it as much as possible.

 

I agree. I do the same thing. I am on pins and needles until I get that first grade back but even then it is often hard to judge. What I hate more is instructors who change the directions for a paper 3-4 weeks after you have gotten the assignment! I had this happen this term and let me tell you I was not very happy because I had been working on the paper for 3 weeks.

Allie

 

If it helps any, I think you are correct. If you change a direct quote, it is no longer a quote; it becomes a paraphrase. It's just common sense, but I have never read anything that addressed that in the manual. Look through that tutorial in the link I gave you, maybe you can find something there.

Will you win this battle? I doubt it. Maybe if you take it to the dean. If you want to play hard-ball with her, you could mention that you will be taking this to the dean. Most online teachers are not all that secure in their job. Bad student reviews can hurt them.