writing research paper using apa format

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Before you begin researching and writing There are many different types of papers students may be asked to write for classes. Before researching and writing your paper, make sure you know what type of paper your professor wants you to write. Are you doing a research paper for a science class? Are you writing a persuasive essay? Are you doing a critical analysis of a piece of literature? Is your paper part of a presentation of an invention or experiment? Take the time at the beginning of the project to make sure you understand what is expected. Choosing a Topic Choose a topic which challenges and interests you. Your attitude towards the topic may determine the amount of effort you put into your research. Focus on a limited aspect of a major topic. For example, narrow the topic down from government to world government to democracy. But make sure your topic is broad enough that you can write an entire paper on it. Select a subject you can manage. Avoid subjects that are too specialized or technical. Avoid topics that have a narrow range of source materials. Ask your instructor what is expected before beginning a full-scale research project. Research your project As you gather resources for your paper, jot down the all the bibliographical information (author, title, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, page numbers, URLs, date of access to web pages) on your worksheet or enter the information on your computer for later retrieval. Remember that an article without bibliographical information is useless since you cannot cite its source. You might want to start your research by surfing the Internet to get a broad idea of what sort of resources are available and to find out general information about your topic. For general information, check out online encyclopedias -- such as Wikipedia, search engines and other Internet search tools as a starting point. Good.
Psych./Neuro. 201 View in PDF Format  An APA-style paper includes the following sections: title page, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and references. Your paper may also include one or more tables and/or figures. Different types of information about your study are addressed in each of the sections, as described below.  General formatting rules are as follows: Do not put page breaks in between the introduction, method, results, and discussion sections. The title page, abstract, references, table(s), and figure(s) should be on their own pages. The entire paper should be written in the past tense, in a 12-point font, double-spaced, and with one-inch margins all around. Title page (see sample on p. 41 of APA manual) Title should be between 10-12 words and should reflect content of paper (e.g., IV and DV). Title, your name, and Hamilton College are all double-spaced (no extra spaces) Create a page header using the View header function in MS Word. On the title page, the header should include the following: Flush left: Running head: THE RUNNING HEAD SHOULD BE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. The running head is a short title that appears at the top of pages of published articles. It should not exceed 50 characters, including punctuation and spacing. (Note: on the title page, you actually write the words Running head, but these words do not appear on subsequent pages; just the actual running head does. If you make a section break between the title page and the rest of the paper you can make the header different for those two parts of the manuscript). Flush right, on same line: page number. Use the toolbox to insert a page number, so it will automatically number each page.   Abstract (labeled, centered, not bold) No more than 120 words, one paragraph, block format (i.e., don’t indent), double-spaced. State topic, preferably in one sentence. Provide overview of.
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.