APA format is a style guide for writing and formatting research papers and other academic works. It is most commonly used in the social and behavioral sciences, and is established by the American Psychological Association (APA). The purpose of APA format is to provide a consistent and clear way of communicating research findings, and to credit the sources of any borrowed ideas or quoted material.
There are several key elements to APA format, including:
Title page: The title page should include the title of the paper, the author's name, and the institutional affiliation (if applicable).
Abstract: An abstract is a brief summary of the main points of the paper, typically around 150-250 words. It should be written in a single paragraph and should not contain any citations.
Introduction: The introduction should provide an overview of the research question or problem being addressed, and should introduce the main concepts and theories related to the topic.
Method: The method section should describe the research design, the participants, and the procedures used to collect and analyze the data.
Results: The results section should present the findings of the study, including any statistical analyses. It should be written in a clear and concise manner, and should not include any interpretation of the results.
Discussion: The discussion section should interpret the results of the study, and should provide context and implications for the findings. This is where the author can discuss the limitations of the study and suggest directions for future research.
Conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the main points of the paper, and should provide a final evaluation of the research question or problem being addressed.
References: The reference list should include a full citation for each source cited in the paper. APA format uses a specific style for citing sources, including in-text citations and reference list entries.
In addition to these main elements, APA format also has specific guidelines for formatting the paper, including margins, font and font size, and headings. It is important to follow these guidelines consistently to ensure that the paper is clear and easy to read.
Paper format
Educational Research and Reviews, 11 9 , 907-923. An update on writing style is included in Chapter 4. For newspapers, journals, magazines, and other periodicals, include the volume and issue number after the title. The incorrect phrasing is an instance of accidental plagiarism. Abstracts are common in scholarly journal articles and are not typically required for student papers unless advised by an instructor.
However, formatting should not be difficult if the content is correct. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL University of Amsterdam. The coronavirus pandemic has intensified systemic economic racism against black Americans. Here is a brief description of the updates made in APA 7. Over a decade of experience, APA formatting can be difficult, especially since formatting styles are constantly changing. Publisher information For books and reports, include the publisher name but not the location see Section 9. Your abstract should typically be no more than 250 words.
Student APA title page Title page for a professional paper in APA 7 style. Punctuation in APA Format One space after most punctuation marks The manual recommends using one space after most punctuation marks, including punctuation at the end of a sentence p. Examples: Wake up the nation: Public libraries, policy making, and political discourse. You can use tools like Google Scholar and Citation Machine to organize your APA reference pages in a flash. Keep the design of figures as simple as possible.
APA 7 Student Paper: APA 7 Professional Paper: Resources. In Google docs, you can change Paragraph settings under Spacing to 0 next to Before and 0 next to After by going into the double spacing tool and clicking Custom Settings. Photographs found through Google Images, social media, stock photos made available from subscription sites, and tons of other various online sources make obtaining photographs a breeze. The author has data or documentation to prove that their new method, or improvement to a method, is valid. In the First Page Header box at the top of page 1, type Running head: and then your abbreviated title. In-text should be written in the same format.
You can also include keyword strings that you think readers will type into the search box. General APA Guidelines Your essay should be typed and double-spaced on standard-sized paper 8. A study on the role of computers in adult education. If you have tons of numbers or data to share, consider creating a table instead of typing out a wordy paragraph. Each journal is different and some may request a different type of APA format cover page. The formatting associated with APA can be tedious and meticulous; however, it is my job to help make the process easy and rewarding.
Then list your keywords that stand out in your research. Updated May 14, 2020. You may feel tempted to make the title in a larger font size or add graphics to jazz it up a bit. For example: Smith, John, "The Light House," A Book of Poems, editing by Peter Roberts, Allworth Press, 2005, pp. Longer titles are Headings and subheadings APA headings have five possible levels. A Comprehensive Guide to APA Citations and Format Overview of this guide: This page provides you with an overview of APA format, 7th edition.
Sure, you can use part of the full quote or sentence, but if you decide to put quotation marks around any words, those words should match exactly what was found in the original source. Text begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style Media Files: This resource is enhanced by Acrobat PDF files. Yep, you read that correctly. Abstracts An abstract briefly but thoroughly summarizes dissertation contents.
Explanations of how to cite YouTube videos, power point slides, and TED talks are included. Follow the guidelines under the table and figure sections above. When simply referring to another piece of information from another source, also include a citation directly following it. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association 7th ed. A number of governing bodies have developed standards for paper submissions. When writing with an active voice, the subject performs the action. This allows the reader of your work to see where the information originated.
