apa abstract sample research paper

Summary: APA (American Psychological Association) style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6th edition, second printing of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page. For more information, please consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (6th ed., 2nd printing). Contributors:Joshua M. Paiz, Elizabeth Angeli, Jodi Wagner, Elena Lawrick, Kristen Moore, Michael Anderson, Lars Soderlund, Allen Brizee, Russell KeckLast Edited: 2013-03-01 08:28:59 Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the Purdue OWL in APA. To see a side-by-side comparison of the three most widely used citation styles, including a chart of all APA citation guidelines, see the Citation Style Chart. You can also watch our APA vidcast series on the Purdue OWL YouTube Channel. General APA Guidelines Your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5 x 11 ) with 1 margins on all sides. You should use a clear font that is highly readable. APA recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font. Include a page header (also known as the running head ) at the top of every page. To create a page header/running head, insert page numbers flush right. Then type TITLE OF YOUR PAPER in the header flush left using all capital letters. The running head is a shortened version of your paper's title and cannot exceed 50 characters including spacing and punctuation. Major Paper Sections Your essay should include four major sections: the Title Page, Abstract, Main Body, and References. Title Page The title page should contain the title of the paper, the author's name, and the institutional affiliation. Include the page header (described above) flush left with the page number flush right at the top.
Part 1 Basic Format[1] Make sure you have a page header. The page header, also known as the running head, should be included at the top of every page. A shortened version of your paper's title should be aligned to the top left of the page. The character count should not exceed 50 characters, including spaces and punctuation. Every letter in the page header should be capitalized. The page number should appear in the top right of the page. An APA abstract should be the second page of your paper, so the number 2 should appear in the corner. Use standard font. Unless your instructor states otherwise, you should use 12-point Times New Roman font. Some professors will also accept Arial font in 10-point or 12-point, but you should check with your professor before deciding to choose it. Double-space the text. All the text on your abstract should be double-spaced. Double-spaced means that lines of texts are separated by a blank line. Aside from the abstract, the entire paper should also be double-spaced. Center the word Abstract at the top of the page. The word comes below the page header, as the first line of normal text. The first letter of the word is capitalized, but the rest of the word is in lower-case. Do not bold, italicize, or underline the word, and do not use quotation marks. The word should stand alone and in normal font. Begin the text of your abstract below. On the line immediately following the word Abstract, the first line of your actual summary should appear. Do not indent the paragraph. Keep it short. A standard APA abstract is 150 to 250 words long and contained in a single paragraph. Include keywords below the abstract text.[2] If requested, place a list of keywords on your abstract page on the line immediately following the actual text of your abstract. Indent as though starting a new paragraph. Type the word Keywords in italics. Capitalize the K and.