Sponsored Research and Resource Projects

Fall 2025

Workshop Series: Building a Confident and Smooth Transition to APA-Style Writing
Researchers: Amy Nguyen, Department of Psychology, and Eva Chan, EOP Transfer Connect

In our experiences of working with transfer students (i.e., in the classroom and at advising sessions), many transfer students within disciplines that use APA-style writing feel pressure and fear when it comes to writing in APA. One potential challenge is the transition from using MLA for their prior coursework at community colleges to using APA-style writing at SJSU. This transition can be abrupt and confusing, especially if transfer students were not exposed to APA-style at their prior institutions. 

This four-series workshop will cover APA-style writing for transfer students (starting with the Fall 2025 cohort) in collaboration with the EOP Transfer Connect program at SJSU. Each session will address a specific topic for APA-style writing such as how to incorporate in-text citations, formatting reference citations, the difference between primary and secondary sources, as well as how to synthesize and analyze research while avoiding plagiarizing. Students will be given a pre- and post- test that measures writing apprehension before and after each workshop. The goal of this research project is to help transfer students achieve a smooth and confident transition to APA writing and to lessen their writing apprehension through engaging and interactive writing exercises and lessons throughout the workshop series.