Hi Sarah, Just another follow-up suggestion for writing APA formatted papers. I was looking through Scrivener, and there seems to be a good APA template that comes with the application. The sample paper shown with this template is filled in with quite a lot of detail -- more than is given in Pages. It's a little tricky getting the project templates selected, though, because after you select the category for the template, such as "Non-Fiction", you don't hear them described if you try to interact with the scroll area and VO-Right, etc. However, there's a description text area, so that when you're positioned on a selection, like the default for "Non-Fiction", you'll read "Provides the project structure and compile for producing an essay using Chicago style formatting." If you turn off QuickNav and just use your arrow keys to move through the scroll area, and VO-J to jump back to the description text area, you'll be able to read the descriptions for each of the available templates and select them. (I just press "return" instead of leaving this area and navigating the "choose" button.) Among the template selections are ones for academic papers in APA format and MLA format, and the first template is for an essay in Chicago style format.
There's a very detailed description about how to use the (specific) template and a sample PDF paper. (Well, the actual text is gobbledy-gook, except for section headings, title page, and references, which are quite detailed.) I think that Scrivener's templates, combined with James' suggestion on using Braille for the citations, might be a good solution for you. I started looking at Scrivener in more detail because it has an interface with LaTeX. Dónal's suggestion about using LaTeX is workable -- but it's also likely to be a large learning curve for you. However, he's correct that there are specific standard apa style files in the MacTeX distribution that handle the formatting in either journal, manuscript, or draft mode. (The same is true for MLA, and Chicago styles). I even found a web page titled "Writing a research methods paper in APA style using LaTeX" by a professor who was teaching this "Because your writing should be more important than the specific technicalities of making the manuscript look 'nice' in printed form… The basic principle is that you should focus on the text, and the program should focus on the stylistic requirements. The program LaTeX with the associated apa.cls set of stylistic instructions allows you to do this fairly easily. (Easy is a strange term when it comes to LaTeX, it is easy one you spend the effort to get the program, download the associated class files, and learn how to use them.) I would have pointed you to this page and the associated sample files, but they were done using the APA style file in use in 2006. If your professor is a stickler, there was a revision of the APA style to version 6 about a year later, and so there is a slightly different apa6.cls style file now being used. James knows, better than most, about using LaTeX, since he learned it for doing his papers at university back in the days of VoiceOver with Tiger and Leopard. I will say that LaTeX (and BibTeX for references) is free, cross-platform, multi-lingual, and accessible -- even for tables and embedded lists! Collaborating with other people who use LaTeX in Windows or Linux is not a problem. However, it doesn't solve the problem of people who are working with others where Microsoft Office is the standard for the production and all documents must be in Word format. Scrivener might be a good compromise for you as another alternative to Pages or Nisus Writer Pro, mainly because you're writing for the final product, and not the requirement that this be produced in Word compatible format, and because the template description of how to use the APA style template (or MLA, or Chicago style) is fairly detailed. The developers (Literature and Latte) also have an educational discount of 15% on the regular list price of $45, and there is now even a Windows version (that is not yet as fully featured). I haven't done a lot with Scrivener yet, myself. Like Dónal, I'm a LaTeX user when I need really high-powered word processing capabilities. HTH. Cheers, Esther On Feb 2, 2013, at 12:15 PM, Sarah k Alawami wrote: > Well i already passed the class and I'm done with this professor. lol!All he > did was just show examples on the main APA website, but to tell you the truth > he was not very good. lol! > > I'm actually trying to myself think in the future when it comes time for me > to write my dissertation on my field of study. Hopefully by then pages and > the other one I can't spell will be verity much accessible, if we let apple > know in page's case, what's up and what needs to be fixed. > > Take care all. > On Feb 2, 2013, at 2:05 PM, JAMES AUSTIN <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Hi Sarah, >> >> Are you a Braillist? >> >> In my experience, Braille is the best way to get a handle on this sort of >> thing. As has probably been said here, different citation styles require >> very different things. Parenthetical citation versus footnotes for example. >> (I hate the former personally) Even within particular departments, different >> lecturers sometimes like slightly different twists on their preferred >> citation method. I'm sure you've done this, but why not ask your particular >> lecturers for an example of each type of citation that they want. That way, >> when you hand your paper in, they should mark you down if you have followed >> their examples. >> >> I have not yet tried creating a template, but yes, i believe that you can >> create just about any sort of template you want. >> >> Take care >> James <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> To reply to this post, please address your message to [email protected] You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at either the list's own dedicated web archive: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> or at the public Mail Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/>. Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> As the Mac Access Dot Net administrators, we do our very best to ensure that the Mac-Access E-Mal list remains malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free. However, this should in no way replace your own security strategy. 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