This guide will provide you with essential information on how to write a research paper in APA format by following the rules of APA 7th edition. You will learn the specifics of APA academic writing style and learn how to cite and format your research paper correctly to avoid plagiarism risks and keep your paper accurate. If you can't handle all the work, Edubirdie is a paper writing service that meets your needs Show
What is APA Formatting?The APA style is a special format used in academic, business, and research writing for documentation of sources and publishing purposes. A research paper in APA format that you create must be presented in the latest 7th edition unless specified otherwise. Created by the American Psychological Association, hence the abbreviation, the latest manual is what we are going to reference in our APA guidelines to avoid confusion. It means that if your college professor asks for APA 7th edition, you are in the right place! Published in October 2019, the latest edition of the writing style manual follows most rules that have been published before with a focus on simplification and readiness for publishing purposes. Speaking of research paper writing, the majority of students that use APA style format are majoring in subjects like Psychology, Sociology, Journalism, Education, Anthropology, Law, and Healthcare. Since it's relatively simple compared to Chicago, Harvard, or Turabian, it’s not hard to learn the basic rules as long as you remember the following:
When to Cite a Source in APA Format?This question often comes up. The answer is quite simple: when you need to bring out a summary of some data, paraphrase information that you discover, or quote something from another source. These citations may include it all from books in print, scientific journals, online books, articles in a newspaper, reports, surveys, statistical data, and so on. When you use a reference, the APA 7th style format requires mentioning the name of the author and the year of publication that will look this way for a single author: (Jones, 2005) It means that you are dealing with an author with the last name Jones and something that has been published in 2005. Alternatively, your in-text citation can look this way: Another important notion has been explained by the concept of mutual co-existence. According to Jones (2005), who believed that authoritarian leaders can exist in peace and mutual respect, we can conclude that... What is APA References Page?We are certain that you have seen at least one references page before as you were looking through the final part of a research article online. The References page must list all of your sources alphabetically and may include up to 20 entries for a middle-sized research assignment. A typical APA example coming from a research journal looks this way: Berry, B., Stipe, J. M., Wahlberg, R., and Zeldman, A. S. (2021). Social Interactions in Georgia State: A an overview of American South. Journal of Social Psychology, 34, 123-136. As you can see, we have listed the authors alphabetically and mentioned the year of publication that is followed by the name of the scientific article. The name of the journal is given in italics to specify the importance of the source. It is followed by the journal’s volume and the number of pages that have been referenced. Note: Remember that far not all sources and references that you may encounter are suitable for a research paper. EduBirdie experts recommend talking to your course instructor first and checking things twice regarding additional requirements and formatting. Our guide will provide you with the basic instructions on how to set things up to help your research paper meet the formatting standards. APA Page Layout DisclaimerBefore you learn how to write a research paper in APA format by turning to various sections of our guide, it must be mentioned that using a Word processor or Google Docs as your writing source, it is essential to create a special page layout and the relevant headers that will be mentioned in our APA guide. While you can find online templates in APA format, these are not always accurate, which is why you must check things twice by focusing on fonts, headers, margins, indents, and other important aspects! Writing a Research Paper in APA Style Format: General Requirements1. Page Layout Rules We'll start with the page layout that must be there all the time as this part of the APA 7th edition remains the same for all papers that you may encounter as a college student. Here is what you must do as you learn how to format a research paper:
2 . Page Headers in APA 7th Edition According to the manual, you must set your page header correctly. Every APA format research paper must provide headings that are written in upper case. Setting up your header, you must:
3. Page Numbering Speaking of page numbering, use the default feature in MS Word or any other software to do so automatically. The page numbers must be placed in the top right corner and be present on all pages, including your references page. The title page in APA 7th edition should start from page number 1. 4. APA Title Page Your title page in APA must start with the title of your paper, the name of the student or authors of the research project, and the institutional affiliation. All the lines must be centered and start in the middle of the title page. In addition to that, you must include your course number, instructor's name, and the due date of your research paper. It will look this way:
The General Electrics Sample Title Page: Following the Engineering Principles of Electrical Circuit
John Smith Department of Engineering, Georgia State University ENGN 222: Electrical Engineering Dr. Michael John Stipe October 11, 2008 5. Table of Contents A table of contents is only necessary if you are writing a thesis paper or working on a dissertation. This section must be placed between your abstract part and the introduction. Use the same font and size as the rest of your content. The text starts at the top of your page with the word "Contents". Every entry must be centered and in bold font. 6. Outline The outline in APA format follows the same rules and can be delivered as a separate document in most cases. The page margins remain the same with the page numbering starting from page one. The structure of a page (usually one page only) should include an introduction that mentions the main background points and your thesis, the main body with the elements that support your research thesis statement, and a short conclusion that makes your final take on things or your position clear. Note: There are no headers or anything specific for an outline. You may copy the main paper's header by adding the word "OUTLINE". 7. Abstract Your abstract must appear on a separate page after your research paper's title page. It means that it should be numbered as page 2. Write "Abstract" in bold title case and center it at the top of your page. The abstract itself comes as the next paragraph with the 0.5 inches indent. The length of your abstract should be no longer than 250 words. You may write it down in a single paragraph or use a different kind of structure. As you write, focus on the requirements that you want to achieve scientifically, consider your target audience as you explain your methodology and the problem that you are planning to explore. Describe your results and provide a brief conclusion to your work exactly as it would be done in a book’s review. 8. Body Parts It does not matter if you are working on an essay or a complex research paper, APA style format does not mention any specific rules that must be used. Therefore, you should refer to your paper type. The majority of research papers should include an introduction with the list of research objectives (see research paper introduction example), three to five body paragraphs that explain and support your arguments, and the conclusion part where you sum things up. The body parts should start with the most important argument that speaks of your thesis and provides analytical information. The second paragraph of the body in the APA research paper should implement statistical data, which is also considered as a reference. This is where you can use citations and refer to certain publications. Such an approach will help you to avoid plagiarism risks. 9. Conclusion The APA manual mentions that your conclusion part should not use any citation elements in the final section and avoid introducing any new ideas. Keep this fact in mind and make sure that you leave suggestions and an overall review of your research paper. Note: If you have any additional information that you refer to in your previous paragraphs, certain recommendations can be added as an appendix section after your references page, yet always ask your academic advisor to ensure that it is applicable. 10. References Page
The Writing Guides to Follow in APA 7th Citation StyleBasic Citation Rules in APALet us imagine a situation when you need to cite a book in print for your research paper in APA style format. It will require the following information:
For example: Fisher, J.V. (2006). Teenage Violence: How do video games affect the modern youth?. Penguin Books. For a journal article citation, provide the following information:
For example: Braxton, T. (2005). Asian Cuisine: A study of health benefits. Modern Health Care, 11(4), 34-36. https://doi.org/ AbbreviationsThe rule of abbreviations in a research paper states that there should be at least three times when a certain abbreviation is used. If your abbreviation is only met once, it’s necessary to provide a complete spelling of your phrase each time you implement it for your assignment. When using APA style for research purposes, the use of abbreviation within headings is not necessary. Remember to provide a full term the first time you use an abbreviation by adding the abbreviated form in parentheses. APA 7th edition manual states that these must be used only when they help to provide a better kind of communication with your target audience. The Use of Numbers & PunctuationTurning to section 6.32 in the latest APA style format manual, we can learn that one must use numerals to express numbers going from ten and above as numbers (12, 34, 721, and so on). When you have to use numbers up to ten, these are written in words such as "three positions", "two authors", "seven Chinese brothers", etc. The rules also state that one must use commas between certain groups of three digits as you work with the figures. For example: As over 2,000 people have participated in a meeting... Speaking of punctuation rules, the use of commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation cases must be put inside your quote marks. As for the rest of the punctuation marks, they go beyond your quotation. Note: When you are planning to use a direct quote that is more than forty words, the block quotations are used with the indent. Graphics & Multimedia in APALooking through the modern research paper APA format example, you will notice that there are frequent multimedia examples with the use of graphics. The use of graphics is permissible. If you are planning to use artwork from a museum in an online form, it looks this way: Artist Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year). Title of the artwork [Format]. Location. URL If there is a stock image: Author. (Year). Title of image [format]. Website. URL An image with no author or date would be resolved to this: [Subject and type of work]. (n.d.). Your image's URL. Tips On How to Write a Research Paper in APA FormatComposing APA style research paper correctly, you must understand that such type of writing is not the same thing as the term paper or a simple essay that you do for college. It's not the same as a reflection paper either. You must provide research findings. It means that you should provide your writer's voice but do so in a limited way by focusing on methodology and an explanation of what you discover. Depending on your requirements and the grading rubric, you may have to provide 2-3 citations per page of your research as a way to support your arguments and reference at least one important publication that is dealing with your subject. As you compose your research paper in the APA style format, make sure that you follow these simple academic writing tips:
Following these simple rules, you will be able to stay within the basic guidelines and follow the rules of APA-style writing. As always, there may be exceptions to every rule, which is why you must talk to your instructor in case of any doubts. Your college or university will always have a final say. APA Style Format Bias-Free Language MattersWriting a paper in APA format, one must remember the rules of bias-free language that are also mentioned in the APA 7th manual for research writing. The purpose is to use gender-neutral pronouns and strive for the avoidance of prejudicial beliefs or specific demeaning aspects that may appear as a negative attitude in your research writing. Therefore, when dealing with a sensitive subject, proofread your text twice and talk to your academic advisor before submitting your work. It will help us all create sincere and bias-free research works that follow the rules of mutual respect, multiculturalism, and democracy. What is APA format step by step?Unless instructed otherwise, students should use the student title page format and include the following elements, in the order listed, on the title page:. Paper title.. Name of each author (also known as the byline).. Affiliation for each author.. Course number and name.. Instructor name.. Assignment due date.. What is the easiest way to write an APA paper?For an APA-style essay, the text will include the actual essay itself: The introduction, body, and conclusion. There should be uniform margins of at least one inch at the top, bottom, left, and right sides of your essay. The text should be in Times New Roman size 12 font. Your paper should be double-spaced.
How do you write a research paper in APA 7th edition?Writing Your Paper: APA 7th Edition. Font & Font Size: Be sure to use the same font throughout your entire paper. ... . Margins: 1 inch on all sides.. Paragraphs: All paragraphs (except in the Abstract) should be indented.. Spacing: All of the text in your paper should be double-spaced (title page included). |