The following sentence contains an error. Which sentence correctly revises this error?
Wansink and Chandon found that “low-fat” labels on food affected how guilty people felt about eating that food.
Wansink and Chandon found that “low-fat” labels on food affected how guilty people felt about eating that food (2006).
Wansink & Chandon (2006) found that “low-fat” labels on food affected how guilty people felt about eating that food.
Wansink and Chandon (2006) found that “low-fat” labels on food affected how guilty people felt about eating that food.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct sentence is:
“Wansink and Chandon (2006) found that ‘low-fat’ labels on food affected how guilty people felt about eating that food.”
Explanation:
This sentence is the correct revision because it adheres to the standard citation format required by academic writing styles like APA. Let’s break down why it is the most appropriate option:
- Proper Citation Placement: In academic writing, particularly when following the APA (American Psychological Association) citation style, the citation (author(s) and year of publication) is typically placed at the point in the sentence where the information from the source is introduced. In this case, placing “(2006)” immediately after the authors’ names ensures that the reader knows which study the statement is referencing.
- Correct Use of “and” vs “&”: In APA style, when citing authors within the sentence (as part of the narrative), you should use the word “and” instead of the ampersand (“&”). For example, “Wansink and Chandon” is correct when their names are part of the sentence. The ampersand (“&”) is used only when the citation appears in parentheses, such as in “(Wansink & Chandon, 2006)”.
- Inclusion of the Year: The year of publication, “2006,” is crucial in academic citations because it allows readers to locate the source. The year is placed in parentheses directly following the authors’ names in narrative citations, as in the correct sentence.
Why the other options are incorrect:
- Option 1: “Wansink and Chandon found that ‘low-fat’ labels on food affected how guilty people felt about eating that food.”
This sentence is missing the citation of the year (2006), which is necessary in academic writing. - Option 2: “Wansink and Chandon found that ‘low-fat’ labels on food affected how guilty people felt about eating that food (2006).”
The year citation is incorrectly placed in parentheses at the end of the sentence. In APA style, the year should come immediately after the authors’ names, not at the end. - Option 3: “Wansink & Chandon (2006) found that ‘low-fat’ labels on food affected how guilty people felt about eating that food.”
This is only partially correct. While the year citation is properly placed, the use of the ampersand (“&”) between authors’ names is incorrect in a narrative citation. The correct form would be “Wansink and Chandon.”
The correct sentence follows the APA style for in-text citations and ensures clarity and accuracy for readers.
Here is the visual representation of the correct sentence in an academic journal format. It illustrates the proper citation style with the authors’ names and the year placed correctly.