Preview

Basic Structure of an APA Style Paper

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1213 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Basic Structure of an APA Style Paper
Basic Structure of an APA Style Paper

Abstract
APA (American Psychological Association) Style writing is widely used across all fields of study and is regularly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This paper details the basic structure of an APA paper, provides resources and tips to assist authors during the writing process. As stated by the Publication Manual of the APA, an abstract is “a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the article; it allows readers to survey the contents of an article quickly and, like a title, it enables persons interested in the document to retrieve it from abstracting and indexing databases” (2010, p. 25). Applying and understanding the method of APA Style writing and its usage requirements and by referencing resources properly with in-text citations and reference entries, you will undoubtedly connect with your readers.

Basic Structure of an APA Style Paper
The American Psychological Association (APA) is commonly accepted as a standard for academic and professional writing. APA Style is intended to provide writers specific guidelines for the formatting of papers and offer detailed instructions for citing any work that directly impacted their writing. APA style is structured around three components: page formats, text rules, and documentation. Page formatting is made up of not only margins, indents, and spacing, but also the appearance of tables and figures, as well as how the paper is organized. There are various rules with APA writing. Some of these rules address how abbreviations are used, when to write numbers as words, and using of quotations appropriately. Grammar and punctuation are essentially conservative in APA style writing. When formatting an APA paper, the writer will use one inch margins on all sides of the paper. The text of the paper is double-spaced throughout and the paper will consist of a title page, abstract, body of the



References: American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A. (2010, May 5). General format. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ Purdue OWL. (2009). Commas: Quick rules. Retrieved from Purdue University Online Writing Lab website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_commaproof.html American Psychological Association Retrieved from http://www.apastyle.org/

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    How to Write an APA Comparative Analysis Your university English Language teacher has asked you to write a comparative analysis paper. This paper, also known as a compare and contrast, allows the writer to analyze two different things or ideas. She wants you to write the paper in APA format. APA is an acronym for American Psychological Association. The APA’s format is popular in education, social sciences and behavioral sciences. This article will help you format a comparative analysis paper. The first step in your thesis is to conduct research in books, articles, and scholarly journals. . Make notes of important concepts found in the book or article. Paraphrase the notes on note cards or on a separate sheet of paper. Be sure to write down the source where you received the information, in order to put on your reference page. When you have completely finished researching for your PhD. thesis paper, begin writing for your rough draft. The paper you should use for your rough draft is 8.5” by 11” with 1” margins on all sides. The paper needs to be double spaced. Type in 12-point Times New Roman or Courier (serif typeface). Figure labels are typed in 12-point Arial, Helvetica, or any sans serif typeface. Number each page, beginning with the title page. Figures and artwork are not numbered. Page numbers need to be located in the upper right corner of the thesis. The title’s first words should be in the right corner of every page, except for pages with figures and artwork. Located at the top of every page is the running header. The running header should be 50 characters and in all capital letters. Order your comparative analysis paper in this way: Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Comparative Analysis Paper, and References. Your comparative analysis’s title should be short, and not more than ten to twelve words. Center the title on the top of the page and put the title in sentence case. On the new line, center your first name, middle initial, and last name. If you have…

    • 784 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Graduate Success

    • 1572 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Expectations are higher when writing at a graduate level. Papers are required to be written in the style promoted by the American Psychological Association (APA). This style is referred to as APA style. It is described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2010) (Dunn, 2011, p. 7).…

    • 1572 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The American Psychological Association (APA) offers a set of guidelines about how to cite sources in text and how to organize papers. This handout summarizes the recommendations the APA makes about how to organize research papers. If you are asked to organize a paper in APA style, you should check with your instructor about how closely he or she would like you to follow this format. If you also need to document sources in the text of your paper using APA format, please see the writing center’s handout, “APA Documentation.” Abstract (75-120 words) What it is: • A brief comprehensive summary of the paper which allows the reader to survey the contents of the paper quickly. The abstract will be: • Accurate: correctly reflect the purpose and content of the manuscript • Self-contained: stand on its own to reflect the contents of the paper. o Make sure to define all abbreviations, acronyms, and unique terms; spell out names of tests and drugs; include names of authors and dates of publication etc. • Concise and Specific: make sentences as informative and as brief as possible. • Non-evaluative: report information objectively. Introduction • Introduce the problem: present the specific problem under study and describe the research strategy. • Develop the background: discuss previous research completed on the subject but in most cases do not give a complete presentation of it. Assume that the audience already has some general knowledge of the field of study. • State the purpose and rationale: state the hypothesis and explain the purpose and rationale behind the hypothesis.…

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    WZT 1 Task 2

    • 1988 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Hooton, T., Bradley, S., Cardenas, D., Colgan, R., Geerlings, S., Rice, J., Nicolle, L. (2010).…

    • 1988 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    References: American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.…

    • 1139 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Apa Format Cheat Sheet

    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages

    | 1. Indent the first line of every paragraph 5-7 spaces (1/2 inch) 2. Space twice after periods in the body of the paper 3. Space once after periods on the reference list…

    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    African American Progression

    • 2432 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Davidson, J. W., DeLay, B, Heyrman, C. L., Lytle, M. H., & Stoff, M. B. (2008). Nation…

    • 2432 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Apa Style Summary

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages

    APA is a abbreviation for American Psychological Association. The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA was founded 1933 in Tacoma, Washington as the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Any APA style paper should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11") with 1" margins on all sides. You have to have a page header which is known as "running head" at the top of every page. The running head should be a shortened version of your paper 's title and cannot be over 50 characters including spacing and punctuation. If you are wondering about a footnote , APA dose not recommend you using a footnote because they are often expensive for publishers to reproduce. However, if explanatory notes still prove necessary to your document, APA details the use of two types of footnotes: content and copyright. Your essay should have four major sections: the Title Page, Abstract, Main Body, and References. The title page should include a title of the paper, the author 's name, and the institutional affiliation. Next you should include your abstract witch should include summary of the key points of your research. (Do not indent.) Your abstract should contain at least your research topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions. Next is the Main Body should include the key points about your essay. Then finally, the Reference page, the page itself should include internet sites that you got most of your info from. Remember the copy rights rule, if you have copied more than 500 words then you have violated the copy rights law. If you need to use an authors words make sure you remember to ask for permission. Follow the same formatting rules as with Content Notes for noting copyright permissions. Then attach a copy of the…

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Apa Guidelines

    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The APA approach covers all aspects of writing. It guides the structural and stylistic writing. It guides the structural and stylistic components of all papers. The scientific paper attempts to show something that has already been verified true. Using the actual APA style makes documents and letters more presentable and professional. From the one inch margins to the double spaced sentences.…

    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    [The body of your paper uses a half-inch first line indent and is double-spaced. APA style provides for up to five heading levels, shown in the paragraphs that follow. Note that the word Introduction should not be used as an initial heading, as it’s assumed that your paper begins with an introduction.]…

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Quality writing is considered a very important aspect of an academic setting, particularly when completing a graduate program. It is necessary to develop writing skills beyond the basic elements of writing that are considered acceptable in an undergraduate program. There are many aspects of writing that have the potential for development. Aside from the quality of writing regarding content and mechanics, it is also important to understand the elements of effective communication. Appropriate use of vocabulary, proper organization of information, and the tone in which the information is presented to the audience are very important aspect of effective written communication. Understanding the proper APA format for citations and references is…

    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sample Apa Paper

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages

    APA means American Psychological Association and often refers to the style of documentation adopted by that professional group, a style that features the date of publication more prominently than other forms of documentation. See the Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook (pp. 652-679***) and the PowerPoint presentation on APA under the Research Writing Resources in the Web Resources section of the ENC 1135 on-line syllabus for details.…

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Observing People

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages

    When writing a research paper, there are two main patterns that we can choose. The first style, MLA (Modern Language Association), is widely used in conducting papers and citing sources within the humanities range and it should be double-spaced. When paraphrasing, quoting or summarizing, MLA requires citation of the author’s last name, the source’s title, and the page number. In addition to that, the paper must include one’s own name, the instructor’s name, and course title with the date all inserted in the upper left hand corner. However, in general, APA (American Psychological Association) style is used mostly in natural sciences, and it includes title page, abstract, main body and references. Unlike the MLA style, APA emphasizes on the date of publication by writing it near the beginning of the entry. Also APA style usually uses tables and graph to support the content and it capitalizes the names of journals and magazines but not necessary all words in the books and articles.…

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    History Of APA Format

    • 910 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The formation of APA was created when a quarrel between Edward B. Tichener, head of Cornell University’s psychology laboratory, and James McKeen Cattell, editor of monthly Scientific and Psychological Review took place. Their arguments were about the tension in the field between the editor’s desire for a neat, dependable, standard product and idealist desire for particular expression and creativity among individuals. The first set of standards were the result of a historically specific phenomenon that psychologists described as “information overload” by Blair around the year of 2003. Due to this explosion in research being produced. For psychology, it was only in the 1920s, the APA Format was experiencing the “growing pains” of professionalization.…

    • 910 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Interpreting APA Style

    • 240 Words
    • 1 Page

    The second aspect of which I had not heard before and which did not know anything is APA style. The first day that the teacher mentioned this style and explained briefly, I did not know what he was talking about. As I deepened more of this theme in the class I gradually understood and it was at that moment that I began to realize how impotent this was, which made me more interested in understanding more about it. As we went deeper into this topic, I understood more, and if I am honest it started to draw a lot of my attention. At that point, I realized that it was important to know everything about APA style since it is going to serve for my future in college and professional life. APA format, more officially known as American Psychological…

    • 240 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays