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APA Fact of the Week: Colons & Semicolons
APA Fact of the Week: Colons & Semicolons
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APA Editing
Many writers are lost regarding the differences between using a colon and a semicolon, often using these punctuations incorrectly. The following details use of each punctuation according to APA 6 (pp. 89–90).
Semicolon:
Use a semicolon
- To separate two independent clauses that are not joined by a conjunction.
- The participants in the first study were paid; those in the second were unpaid.
- To separate elements in a study that already contains commas
- The color order was red, yellow, blue; yellow, blue, red; or blue, red, yellow.
- (Smith, 1999; Thomas, 1998).
Colon:
Use a colon
- Between a grammatically complete introductory clause (one that could stand as a sentence) and a final phrase or clause that illustrates, extends, or amplifies the preceding thought. If the clause following the colon is a complete sentence, it begins with a capital letter.
- For example, Freud (1930) wrote of two urges: an urge toward union with others and an egotistic urge toward happiness.
- They have agreed on the outcome: Informed participants perform better than do uninformed participants.
- In ratios and proportions
- In references between place of publication and publisher
Do NOT use a colon
- After an introduction that is not an independent clause or complete sentence
- The formula is y = mx + b
- The instructions for the task were
Your group’s task is to rank the 15 items in terms of their importance for the crew’s survival.