GCU Announces New Writing Style for Lower and Upper Division Courses

GCU will be implementing a progressive approach to the use of APA writing style for the benefit of all students. Lower-division courses will use a modified set of APA requirements called “GCU Style” that enables students to focus their attention on content development and proper citations. Upper-division courses will incorporate additional elements to support the more advanced work that is reflective of the discipline and will generally follow the 5^th edition of APA style, eventually transitioning to the 6^th. Upper division English courses will use MLA style. 

Both the APA and MLA manuals have recently updated. GCU will be transitioning its resources to the new materials in Fall of 2010. Until then, GCU will be using:

GCU has provided students and faculty with electronic resources for these styles in the Student Success Center tab of ANGEL.

Purchase of the APA or MLA manuals is optional. However, students in the doctoral programs and students entering the graduate Nursing programs as of 2010 will need the level of detail presented in the APA manual and should purchase the 6^th edition. These programs will be using the 6^th edition immediately.

For reference, the tutorials and templates available to students and faculty in the Writing Center are as follows:

For Lower Division Students:

For Upper Division and Graduate Students:

For Upper Division English Students

For Doctoral and New Master’s Nursing Students:

For Faculty:

The new requirements will be increasingly reflected in the rubrics. More weight is given to the content of an assignment and less given to the mechanics of style.