[OS X TeX] Getting students to use LaTeX (and apa.cls)

[Michael Kubovy]

Dear MacOSXTeXans,

On Aug 17, 2006, at 1:10 AM, John Vokey wrote:

> As Michael noted, there is apa.cls, but it needs apacite.bst or  
> apacitex.bst to produce apa-like references (either can be used  
> independently of apa.cls, although I recommend the combo: if you  
> use apa.cls, you do not have to call apacite with  
> \bibliogreaphystyle{}, as it does that for you).  apa.cls produces  
> virtually perfect APA documents in three modes: `jou': reproduces  
> the journal output in amazing JEP:X fidelity, `doc' produces your  
> document in a single-column format more useful for distributing to  
> colleagues and co-authors for commenting and editing, and `man'  
> format faithfully (well, better than anything else that I have  
> seen) reproduces every flipping stupid APA rule you can imagine,  
> and many you probably didn't even know for journal submission.   
> apacite sometimes, but rarely, requires some tweaking to get  
> obscure referencing types to type-set correctly, but these are all  
> well-documented in the manual.  I have a template for apa.cls that  
> sets out much of the format for you (read, you probably won't have  
> to read the manual to use it successfully).  Just drop it in your  
> TeXShop templates folder.  Write me if you are interested.  I don't  
> let my students use anything else (and, in the bargain, they don't  
> have to learn APA format: LaTeX takes care of that for them, as it  
> should).

I concur with John's assessment of apa.cls.

Your write "I don't let my students use anything else". Do you impose  
this on students working in your lab, or students in a course? If the  
latter, are these grad students? How do you persuade them to do  
what's best for them and abandon the deeply ingrained MSW habit?

It might be useful for people on the list to see your template. I for  
one would.
_____________________________
Professor Michael Kubovy
University of Virginia
Department of Psychology
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WWW:    http://www.people.virginia.edu/~mk9y/


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