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Understanding APA Format
If you’re writing academically, chances are you’ve been tasked with writing a paper that follows APA style. Although there’s a learning curve involved with adhering to APA style, it’s possible to learn the basics so you can turn in your assignments.
What Is APA Style?
APA is the official academic style of the American Psychological Association. This style was created in 1929 when a group of professionals worked together to devise a set of style rules for scientific writing as a means of making these documents easier to read and understand.
If an assignment indicates APA style, you will need to adhere to these style rules. These guidelines ensure that your document is consistent and uniform with elements such as punctuation, headings and subheadings, abbreviations, numbers, tables and figures and citations.
Main Sections of a Document
APA style dictates the format of the main sections of a document.
The title page includes a running head, the author’s name and the school.
The abstract is a succinct summary of the document. APA style dictates that abstracts be no more than 250 words, although some instructors give leeway regarding the length.
The main body of the document is the text of the essay or report. Some reports are divided into separate sections.
Your reference section follows the body. It includes a list of references you cited in your document.
How to Reference APA Style
In-text citations appear within the text, identifying any information you cite. APA format for in-text citations includes the author’s name and the date of the publication.
The reference page always begins on a new page with the title “References” centered at the top. Include all entries in alphabetical order, and each entry’s first line begins at the left margin, and additional lines are indented. Place titles of newspapers, magazines, journals and books in italics, and double-space the reference section.
Double-check that all of your sources appear as both in-text citations and in the reference section.
Use an APA Sample Paper
An APA style example can be helpful if you’re learning this style and trying to apply it to a writing assignment. Many schools and universities maintain resource web pages with APA samples to show students how to follow this style.
More APA Tips
If you’re struggling with creating APA citations and references, use a citation machine to check your work. You simply fill in the citation and click a button, and the tool tells you if you made any errors.
Consider hiring an academic editor to check your work after you finish writing. The editor can find and correct errors to make sure your document adheres to APA.
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About APA Citation Online Tools
As anyone who has ever written a paper for a college class knows, there are certain style rules and guidelines to be followed depending on which discipline you are in. Such style rules ensure consistency in formatting and publishing and address details such as comma placement, capitalization, references and in-text citations. One of the most commonly used styles is the APA style, which is the style preferred by the American Psychological Association. APA style is style that is generally used for disciplines such as the social sciences, education and psychology.
Origins of APA Style
For many college students, learning APA style can be tricky. The specifics of the style often trip up even the best writers, since it is difficult to remember whether titles should be in italics or not, how references should be alphabetized and how to cite citations, which can vary depending upon where they appear.
According to the APA, the style originated in 1929, when a group of psychologists, anthropologists, and business managers decided to establish a simple set of procedures, or style rules, to bring uniformity to the elements of scientific writing to increase the ease of reading comprehension.
Some of the procedures they decided upon can be challenging. Plus, there are various online tools and style generators out there that can help. We’ve gathered a few of them here.
Online Citation Machines
It takes just a few clicks to find any number of reliable citation machines that help writers be sure their papers conform to APA style. In general, a citation machine website helps students and professionals properly credit the information that they use. As any good student knows, proper credits are essential to presenting a strong paper, because they cite the sources used, giving credit where credit is due and not plagiarizing.
Avoid Plagiarism at All Costs
In a reference paper, article, blog post or any other published work, writers must give credit to their sources. Failing to do so, even if you have completely reworded the information or summarized the information, is considered to be plagiarism. A good rule of thumb is to cite sources extensively, because even if you think you have an original thought, you may actually be paraphrasing something you’ve read elsewhere. It is safe to say that you cannot cite too many sources.
Citation Machine Ensures APA Conformity
Citation Machine is a free online tool that students, researchers, teachers and publishers can use to see how well their paper conforms to APA style guidelines.
The site is extremely clear about the two types of APA citations and provides a good summary. The first kind of citation is called an in-text or parenthetical citation. These citations must be included when you use information from someone else’s work in your own paper. They are used in the main body of your paper and must be placed immediately after the information you have borrowed.
The second kind of citation is a reference citation and is included with all other full citations at the end of your paper on the last page. They are alphabetical and listed one after the other. They’re the full citations for the in-text citations included in the body of your paper.
BibMe Details APA Style
BibMe is another free online citation generator for APA style. Along with citation guidelines, it spells out ways in which paper elements such as publication dates and titles should be structured. For example, publication dates should place the date that the source was published in parentheses, after the author’s name. If no date is available, you should write n.d. In parentheses, which stands for no date.
Book titles should capitalize just the first letter of the first word in the title. Do the same for the subtitle. The first letter of any proper nouns should be capitalized and italicized. Each should end with a period.
Check Every Last Detail
Learning APA style on your own can be daunting. Fortunately, you can learn more about it while making sure that paper is correct and that you properly cite each and every one of your sources by using online tools developed for this exact purpose.
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Writing: Essay Questions and APA Style
Introduction, example of formatting, writing strategy, questions within questions.
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Some courses may require you to write application papers that respond to prompts, similar to a question and answer format. In these cases, use the following formatting rules unless otherwise specified by your instructor:
To format questions and answers in APA format:
- Begin the question on a new line and type number 1 followed by a period.
- Type the discussion question in an approved font and size. Use the correct punctuation at the end -- a question mark if the prompt is a question; a period if it is a statement.
- Use double spacing and one inch margins.
- Separate the answer from the question by beginning the answer on a new line.
- Always answer in complete sentences. If your answer is lengthy, it is okay to start a new paragraph.
- Incorporate in-text citations as needed, with a references page at the end.
- Continue to use the same format for fonts and spacing for the whole document.
- Continue the list of questions on a new line and align the number 2 under the 1.
If the Instructor has specific instructions about bold type, follow their preference, but APA does not require it.
Use an academic tone; avoid "I" statements such as "I think" or "I believe" or "My opinion is..."
These types of papers are typically not essays that require an introduction and conclusion. However, you will still need to retain the usual APA components: proper formatting, a title page, a references page, and in-text citations.
When in doubt, ask your instructor!
1. Discuss the approaches psychologists have taken to understand human perception.
Psychologists have taken three main approaches in their efforts to understand human perception. First, is the computational approach. These psychologists try to determine the computations that a machine would have to perform to solve perceptual problems in an effort to help explain how complex computations within the human nervous system might turn raw sensory stimulation into a representation of the world. The computational approach owes much to two earlier approaches .... (and so on and so forth).
Imagine that you've been asked to respond to the following question:
A solid writing strategy for responding to essay questions is the following:
Answer the Question + At Least One Reason + Closing Statement
Keep your responses focused, structured, and prove your points with evidence.
Here's how to do it.
1) Begin with a direct answer to the question. The easiest way to do this is to restate the question in a way that incorporates your answer. If you will give more than one reason or address more than one topic in your response, pre-outline the topics/reasons you will discuss in order.
2) Address your reason(s) in order.
A. Use transitions to move smoothly between reasons.
B. Incorporate examples to amplify your reasoning.
C. Use signal phrases and in-text citations to identify your sources.
3. End with a closing statement that wraps up your response and reminds the reader of your position on the question.
Thanks to Texas State University for the example here.
Sometimes an instructor will prepare a prompt that is more than one question, and may require a response that tackles more than one topic. Here's an example:
This is actually two related questions -- a main question and then a subset of that main question.
Adjust your strategy as follows:
1) Prepare a direct response that focuses on the general main topic or question.
2) Respond to each question in the prompt as a separate paragraph under the restatement of the question. Use a transitional sentence to move smoothly from the first paragraph of response to the second.
3) Wrap it up with a concluding sentence at the end of the final paragraph.
Note: Latin "Lorem ipsum" text is used in lieu of real responses, as you may encounter this question in one of your courses!
- Answering the Short Answer Essay Exam From the University of Arkansas. Printable document that contains tips for writing effective answers to essay questions.
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- Last Updated: Dec 24, 2020 5:03 AM
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Our teacher has posted questions that need to be answered in APA format. Do we re-type the question above the answer?
To format questions and answers in APA format :
- Begin the question on a new line and type number 1.
- Times New Roman font, 12 point size
- Calibri font, 11 point size
- Arial font, 11 point size
- Georgia font, 11 point size
- Lucida Sans Unicode font, 10 point size
- Computer Modern font, 10 point size
- Use double spacing and one inch margins for the document.
- Separate the answer from the question by beginning the answer on a new line.
- Continue the list of questions on a new line and align the number 2 under the 1.
If the Instructor has specific instructions about bold type, follow their preference, but APA does not require it.
Example in APA format :
1. What year was slavery abolished in America?
Slavery was officially abolished in the United States in 1865 , although many states abolished slavery for themselves at various dates between 1777 and 1864 .
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How to Format Discussion Questions in APA Format
Rebecca renner, 15 aug 2018.
If you’re writing a paper for your psychology class, you will probably need to use APA format. APA stands for American Psychological Association, and APA formatting is primarily used for academic work in psychology and other social sciences, like sociology. Having to use APA format isn’t just an arbitrary rule to make your teacher happy. APA formatting makes communication among social science professionals easier because they’re all using a consistent style to share their ideas.
If your psychology teacher asks you to answer questions from the book, you will need to use APA question and answer format. You can do a Q and A format paper in the same way. However, longer assignments may need additional components, such as a title page or abstract. In APA format for discussion questions, you may also be required to cite your sources. Check with your teacher to make sure you understand the guidelines.
Explore this article
- How to Do APA Question and Answer Format in a Paper
- Q and A Format the Paper
- APA Format for Discussion Questions
1 How to Do APA Question and Answer Format in a Paper
To start using APA question and answer format, you will need to format your paper in APA style first. Start off by changing your font to black Times New Roman. Make sure you use size 12 font. Double space the text. This doesn’t mean you should hit the space key twice after every word. It means there should be twice as much space between the lines as usual. There should be a button in the top bar of your word processor that can toggle line and paragraph spacing. In this format, there is no need to hit enter twice after every paragraph. That would quadruple the space between them. Also, adjust the margins of your paper so that there is only one inch of space between the text and the edge.
2 Q and A Format the Paper
For a Q and A format paper, start your first question with the numeral “1” and then a period. This is the proper way to indicate the numerical position of the question, but if your teacher has designated a different way, follow those instructions.
Type the question and after you finish, hit enter. This will give you enough space to differentiate the question from the answer visually. After you finish writing your answer, hit enter again. Start your next question with the numeral “2” and then a period. There is no need to make your questions bold or to differentiate them from the answers in any other way, unless your teacher has requested that you do so.
3 APA Format for Discussion Questions
To use APA format for discussion questions, copy the question as described above. Always answer with complete sentences unless your teacher has informed you otherwise. For example:
1. Which scientist is known for his experiment with salivating dogs?
Ivan Pavlov is known for the experiment he performed with dogs. In the experiment, he conditioned them to salivate on the cue of a bell.
- 1 Purdue Online Writing Lab: In-Text Citations: The Basics
- 2 EasyBib: APA Paper Formatting
- 3 APA Style Blog: Lists, Part 4: Numbered Lists
- 4 Chron: How to Write an Interview in APA Format
About the Author
Rebecca Renner is a teacher and freelance writer from Daytona Beach, Florida. Her byline has appeared in the Washington Post, New York Magazine, Glamour and elsewhere.
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Questions on the Format of an APA Paper
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In the entries below, the relevant section of the APA publication manual is given in parentheses after each answer.
What are the main parts of an APA paper? There are four main parts of a standard APA paper: the title page, the abstract, the text of the paper, and the references. The title page is page 1, the abstract is page 2, and the text of the paper begins on page 3. The references begin on the first new page after the end of the body of the paper. Papers can also include tables and figures, which may be placed after the references or embedded in the text; and appendices, which are placed after the reference list. (Sections 2.1 and 2.2)
What goes on the title page? APA 7 gives examples of a title page for a professional paper (Figure 2.1) and a student paper (Figure 2.2). See examples here . A title page for a student paper will typically have, in this order, the title of your paper, your departmental affiliation (if any), your name, the course name, the instructor’s name, and the date—all on separate lines and centered on the page. (Section 2.3)
Does my paper really need an abstract? And what’s an abstract? An abstract is a brief (usually no more than 250-word) one-paragraph summary of your paper. A student paper does not always require an abstract (consult your instructor); a professional paper typically does. In APA style, the abstract is sole tenant of the second page of the paper. If you write an abstract, remember that it is not simply the introductory paragraph of your paper, but neither should it include information not to be found elsewhere in the paper. It is a summary of your paper’s content—its main purpose, methods, and conclusions. (See section 3.3 of the APA guide for detailed abstract-writing instructions for different types of papers). Many will write the abstract last, after the body of the paper is complete. (Sections 2.9 and 3.3)
Can I use headings to mark off sections of the body of my paper? Yes. APA style allows for many levels of headings. See a very helpful example paper . (Section 2.27)
Can I use footnotes in APA style? You can, if your instructor or the journal you are submitting to permits, but references and citations do not go in footnotes in an APA paper. APA is in this way distinct from MLA, Chicago, and many other styles. Citations go directly in the text. Footnotes are used only for supplementary information or asides. Most APA papers have no footnotes. (Section 2.13)
What font should I use? APA does not prescribe a font style or size, but recommends a font that is “accessible to all users.” Calibri 11-point or Times New Roman 12-point are examples of acceptable fonts. Zapf Dingbats is discouraged. A consistent font should be used throughout a paper. Your instructor may have more restrictive requirements. (Section 2.19)
What sized margins should I use? One-inch margins at top, bottom, left, and right. (Section 2.22)
Should my paper be double-spaced? Yes. Everything in an APA paper should be double-spaced, including block quotes, the abstract, and the reference list. Rare exceptions include text to accompany a figure (which may be single-spaced) and footnotes (also single-spaced). (Section 2.21)
When should I use block quotes? Block quotes, which are set off from the main text and indented half an inch, should be used for quotations longer than 40 words. Like all quotes, they should either be followed by a parenthetical citation (with a page number) or be introduced with a narrative citation and followed by a page number in parentheses. Do not put quotation marks around a block quote. Block quotes are double-spaced. See examples here . (Section 8.27)
Do I need to put a page number on every page of my paper? Yes. The page number, beginning with the title page as “1,” goes at the top right of each page. Use just the number; do not write the word “page.” Use your word processor to create a header that reproduces automatically on every page—don’t try to type in the page number on each page. (Section 2.18)
What’s a “running head”? Do I need one at the top of my paper? A running head is your paper title, or a shortened version of it, that traditionally goes at the top left of every page of your paper. APA no longer requires student papers (as opposed to professional papers) to have a running head, but its use is so longstanding that it may remain a de facto standard for some time. Consult your instructor.
If you use a running head, put it in ALL CAPS and ensure it is no longer than 50 characters long. It should be on the same line as your page number. You should create the running using the “header” function of your word processor so that it reproduces automatically on every page. (Section 2.8)
When do I need to put the words “Running head” at the top of my paper? Never—even if you are using a running head in your paper. This maddening rule, which bedeviled generations of students, has been done away with in APA 7.
APA Style FAQs
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Writing in APA Style
Writing in APA style takes practice. What follows are some DOs and DO NOTs. Pay attention to these and your writing will be better and your instructors will get to make fewer comments in your papers—both good things. These are separated into items about:
Writing Style
Other links to writing in APA style include:
Purdue Writing Lab (APA link on the right hand navigation bar)
School of Education APA guidelines
University of Portland Library Citation Help
- Do not use rhetorical questions. Often writers use rhetorical questions as a device to lead to an explanation. This is a bad idea in research papers because the implication is that you will answer the questions that you ask with the research, even if they are rhetorical.
- Avoid ad homonym comments. In APA style the focus is the presentation of ideas. Authors’ names are used to give credit and to establish a path to the original sources. In most circumstances, attention should not be given to the author directly—only his or her ideas. So, authors’ first names, article or book titles, or any description of authors’ positions in life should not be used. Poor: John Taylor, a middle school principal and advocate of school reform, has presented a critique of site based councils in his book Unproductive Groupings. Better: Four difficulties in managing site based councils have appeared (Taylor, 1998).
- To introduce key terms, put them in italic. Italic is used for emphasis. Ironic, slang, or coined expressions are in quote marks. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference. Correct: Slavin (1980) first discusses jig-saw cooperative learning. When in doubt use italic. After a key term has been introduced do not italicize it again
- APA requires the use of the serial or Oxford comma. In a series of three or more, the final two items are separated with a comma and a conjunction. This is particularly important when the list items are more complex. Wrong: Bob, Sally and Anne attended the meeting. Correct: Bob, Sally, and Anne attended the meeting.
- Quotations should be used only when an author has used some magnificent turn of phase that you just absolutely need to pass on to the reader. Use them judiciously. Your job is to synthesize what you read, not repeat it. Use them only when the original statement is so well-written and compelling that the statement loses meaning with a summary or paraphrase. Too many direct quotations are hard to read and they leave the impression that you are not conveying original thought.
- A sudden break in the flow of a sentence is shown with an em dash. There are no spaces preceding or following an em dash. Correct: These two participants—one in the first group and one in the second—were tested separately. If you do notwant to learn the keyboard combinations for an em dash (option-shift-hyphen on a Mac), Word can be set in Tools/Auto Correct to convert double hyphens to an em dash. Caution! You can over use em dashes very quickly. If you find yourself inserting breaks in sentences frequently, stop.
- Because the introduction is clearly identified by its position in the manuscript, it does not carry a heading labeling it the introduction.
- Web addresses in the body of the paper or the references should not be active, blue, or underlined. Go to Tools/Auto Correct/AutoFormat as you type and remove the check mark from Internet and network paths with hyperlinks. Alternatively, when Word formats an active link, highlight the link and go to Insert Hyperlink. Click on the remove link check box which is toward the bottom of the dialog box.
- Do not use etc. If there are more components of a list, then list them.
- Try to avoid using parentheses except for citations. If something needs to be in parentheses it is usually because you are trying to add examples or clarification to what you are saying. That information can easily be constructed as a normal part of your paragraph. If it is important to say, say it in a sentence.
- No matter how many authors you read who are doing this, do not use indefinite pronouns. The phrase “one can never know…” should be rewritten in a form such as “the individuals involved in the process can never know…”.
- Do not forget page numbers. Page numbering starts on the first page even if it is a title page.
- Do not refer to yourself in the third person. “This researcher will explore…” Either use a personal pronoun or refer to the research. “This report is an investigation of …” Remember the part about APA being about the ideas and not the authors. This is in the same vein. Although APA dictates the use of personal pronouns instead of third person attribution, be cautious if you find yourself referring to yourself too often. In quantitative research researchers seldom refer to themselves. In qualitative there is an expectation that you will talk about your positionality in your study which requires references to yourself.
- Although it is difficult for us to accomplish much in our language without using metaphors, use them sparingly if at all. Heavy use of metaphors makes the work seem less well informed and trendy.
- Never use the phrase research says, or any version there of, unless it is immediately followed by the citations for the research to which you are referring. Additionally, you would only use the phrase research says if you are talking about multiple pieces of research. Otherwise directly discuss the research to which you are referring.
- Here is the link to a web version of the APA Citations Index .
- Each citation should have an author and date in close proximity. If the citation is done within parentheses, place a comma between the author and date. Multiple citations presented simultaneously are presented in alphabetical order and separated by a semicolon.
- Carefully match citations and references. The only references appearing on the reference list are those cited in the text. If something is cited in the text, then it must be on the reference list.
- ALL—notice I said ALL—quotations require a page number at the end of the quotation. See the style sheet for the rules for inserting page number references in quotations. Words given emphasis or are identified as slang do not require page number references.
- If a citation appears at the end of a sentence it is inserted before the period.
- There is a temptation to present a series of ideas and then put the citation at the end. When this is happening there is a noticeable pattern of every paragraph ending with a citation. You should try to insert citations when the set of ideas is first introduced. Tell the reader whose ideas you are discussing as early as you can.
- When you insert a citation, the same citation should not be inserted again unless there may be some confusion over the person to whom you are referring. Once you cite someone, the reader assumes you are continuing to talk about that work until you give us some clue to the contrary.
- Only the first word in the title or subtitle and proper nouns are capitalized in a title.
- Volume numbers are italicized and issue numbers are not. Issue numbers are inside of parentheses and there is no space between the volume number and the issue number.
- In multiple author references, a comma is placed before the ampersand separating the last two authors. An ampersand is used and not the word and.
- Only initials are used for first and middle names.
- All references end in a period except for those that end with a DOI or a URL.
- The letters pp are not placed before the page numbers in a journal reference.
- If the numbering of a volume of a journal is continuous accross issues, then the issue number need not be included. When in doubt include the issue number.
- Web addresses in the body of the paper or the references should not be active, blue, or underlined. (See Writing Style 8 above)
- Use double line spacing between and within references. Use hanging indents for each reference.
- A bibliography is a list of possible resources for a topic. References refer to the citations in a paper. Therefore the reference section of an APA research paper is entitled References. Do not use Works Cited.
How to Write an APA Research Paper
Psychology/neuroscience 201, v iew 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.
(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 method, results, and discussion.
Introduction
(Do not label as “Introduction.” Title of paper goes at the top of the page—not bold)
The introduction of an APA-style paper is the most difficult to write. A good introduction will summarize, integrate, and critically evaluate the empirical knowledge in the relevant area(s) in a way that sets the stage for your study and why you conducted it. The introduction starts out broad (but not too broad!) and gets more focused toward the end. Here are some guidelines for constructing a good introduction:
- Don’t put your readers to sleep by beginning your paper with the time-worn sentence, “Past research has shown (blah blah blah)” They’ll be snoring within a paragraph! Try to draw your reader in by saying something interesting or thought-provoking right off the bat. Take a look at articles you’ve read. Which ones captured your attention right away? How did the authors accomplish this task? Which ones didn’t? Why not? See if you can use articles you liked as a model. One way to begin (but not the only way) is to provide an example or anecdote illustrative of your topic area.
- Although you won’t go into the details of your study and hypotheses until the end of the intro, you should foreshadow your study a bit at the end of the first paragraph by stating your purpose briefly, to give your reader a schema for all the information you will present next.
- Your intro should be a logical flow of ideas that leads up to your hypothesis. Try to organize it in terms of the ideas rather than who did what when. In other words, your intro shouldn’t read like a story of “Schmirdley did such-and-such in 1991. Then Gurglehoff did something-or-other in 1993. Then....(etc.)” First, brainstorm all of the ideas you think are necessary to include in your paper. Next, decide which ideas make sense to present first, second, third, and so forth, and think about how you want to transition between ideas. When an idea is complex, don’t be afraid to use a real-life example to clarify it for your reader. The introduction will end with a brief overview of your study and, finally, your specific hypotheses. The hypotheses should flow logically out of everything that’s been presented, so that the reader has the sense of, “Of course. This hypothesis makes complete sense, given all the other research that was presented.”
- When incorporating references into your intro, you do not necessarily need to describe every single study in complete detail, particularly if different studies use similar methodologies. Certainly you want to summarize briefly key articles, though, and point out differences in methods or findings of relevant studies when necessary. Don’t make one mistake typical of a novice APA-paper writer by stating overtly why you’re including a particular article (e.g., “This article is relevant to my study because…”). It should be obvious to the reader why you’re including a reference without your explicitly saying so. DO NOT quote from the articles, instead paraphrase by putting the information in your own words.
- Be careful about citing your sources (see APA manual). Make sure there is a one-to-one correspondence between the articles you’ve cited in your intro and the articles listed in your reference section.
- Remember that your audience is the broader scientific community, not the other students in your class or your professor. Therefore, you should assume they have a basic understanding of psychology, but you need to provide them with the complete information necessary for them to understand the research you are presenting.
Method (labeled, centered, bold)
The Method section of an APA-style paper is the most straightforward to write, but requires precision. Your goal is to describe the details of your study in such a way that another researcher could duplicate your methods exactly.
The Method section typically includes Participants, Materials and/or Apparatus, and Procedure sections. If the design is particularly complicated (multiple IVs in a factorial experiment, for example), you might also include a separate Design subsection or have a “Design and Procedure” section.
Note that in some studies (e.g., questionnaire studies in which there are many measures to describe but the procedure is brief), it may be more useful to present the Procedure section prior to the Materials section rather than after it.
Participants (labeled, flush left, bold)
Total number of participants (# women, # men), age range, mean and SD for age, racial/ethnic composition (if applicable), population type (e.g., college students). Remember to write numbers out when they begin a sentence.
- How were the participants recruited? (Don’t say “randomly” if it wasn’t random!) Were they compensated for their time in any way? (e.g., money, extra credit points)
- Write for a broad audience. Thus, do not write, “Students in Psych. 280...” Rather, write (for instance), “Students in a psychological statistics and research methods course at a small liberal arts college….”
- Try to avoid short, choppy sentences. Combine information into a longer sentence when possible.
Materials (labeled, flush left, bold)
Carefully describe any stimuli, questionnaires, and so forth. It is unnecessary to mention things such as the paper and pencil used to record the responses, the data recording sheet, the computer that ran the data analysis, the color of the computer, and so forth.
- If you included a questionnaire, you should describe it in detail. For instance, note how many items were on the questionnaire, what the response format was (e.g., a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)), how many items were reverse-scored, whether the measure had subscales, and so forth. Provide a sample item or two for your reader.
- If you have created a new instrument, you should attach it as an Appendix.
- If you presented participants with various word lists to remember or stimuli to judge, you should describe those in detail here. Use subheadings to separate different types of stimuli if needed. If you are only describing questionnaires, you may call this section “Measures.”
Apparatus (labeled, flush left, bold)
Include an apparatus section if you used specialized equipment for your study (e.g., the eye tracking machine) and need to describe it in detail.
Procedure (labeled, flush left, bold)
What did participants do, and in what order? When you list a control variable (e.g., “Participants all sat two feet from the experimenter.”), explain WHY you did what you did. In other words, what nuisance variable were you controlling for? Your procedure should be as brief and concise as possible. Read through it. Did you repeat yourself anywhere? If so, how can you rearrange things to avoid redundancy? You may either write the instructions to the participants verbatim or paraphrase, whichever you deem more appropriate. Don’t forget to include brief statements about informed consent and debriefing.
Results (labeled, centered, bold)
In this section, describe how you analyzed the data and what you found. If your data analyses were complex, feel free to break this section down into labeled subsections, perhaps one section for each hypothesis.
- Include a section for descriptive statistics
- List what type of analysis or test you conducted to test each hypothesis.
- Refer to your Statistics textbook for the proper way to report results in APA style. A t-test, for example, is reported in the following format: t (18) = 3.57, p < .001, where 18 is the number of degrees of freedom (N – 2 for an independent-groups t test). For a correlation: r (32) = -.52, p < .001, where 32 is the number of degrees of freedom (N – 2 for a correlation). For a one-way ANOVA: F (2, 18) = 7.00, p < .001, where 2 represents the between and 18 represents df within Remember that if a finding has a p value greater than .05, it is “nonsignificant,” not “insignificant.” For nonsignificant findings, still provide the exact p values. For correlations, be sure to report the r 2 value as an assessment of the strength of the finding, to show what proportion of variability is shared by the two variables you’re correlating. For t- tests and ANOVAs, report eta 2 .
- Report exact p values to two or three decimal places (e.g., p = .042; see p. 114 of APA manual). However, for p-values less than .001, simply put p < .001.
- Following the presentation of all the statistics and numbers, be sure to state the nature of your finding(s) in words and whether or not they support your hypothesis (e.g., “As predicted …”). This information can typically be presented in a sentence or two following the numbers (within the same paragraph). Also, be sure to include the relevant means and SDs.
- It may be useful to include a table or figure to represent your results visually. Be sure to refer to these in your paper (e.g., “As illustrated in Figure 1…”). Remember that you may present a set of findings either as a table or as a figure, but not as both. Make sure that your text is not redundant with your tables/figures. For instance, if you present a table of means and standard deviations, you do not need to also report these in the text. However, if you use a figure to represent your results, you may wish to report means and standard deviations in the text, as these may not always be precisely ascertained by examining the figure. Do describe the trends shown in the figure.
- Do not spend any time interpreting or explaining the results; save that for the Discussion section.
Discussion (labeled, centered, bold)
The goal of the discussion section is to interpret your findings and place them in the broader context of the literature in the area. A discussion section is like the reverse of the introduction, in that you begin with the specifics and work toward the more general (funnel out). Some points to consider:
- Begin with a brief restatement of your main findings (using words, not numbers). Did they support the hypothesis or not? If not, why not, do you think? Were there any surprising or interesting findings? How do your findings tie into the existing literature on the topic, or extend previous research? What do the results say about the broader behavior under investigation? Bring back some of the literature you discussed in the Introduction, and show how your results fit in (or don’t fit in, as the case may be). If you have surprising findings, you might discuss other theories that can help to explain the findings. Begin with the assumption that your results are valid, and explain why they might differ from others in the literature.
- What are the limitations of the study? If your findings differ from those of other researchers, or if you did not get statistically significant results, don’t spend pages and pages detailing what might have gone wrong with your study, but do provide one or two suggestions. Perhaps these could be incorporated into the future research section, below.
- What additional questions were generated from this study? What further research should be conducted on the topic? What gaps are there in the current body of research? Whenever you present an idea for a future research study, be sure to explain why you think that particular study should be conducted. What new knowledge would be gained from it? Don’t just say, “I think it would be interesting to re-run the study on a different college campus” or “It would be better to run the study again with more participants.” Really put some thought into what extensions of the research might be interesting/informative, and why.
- What are the theoretical and/or practical implications of your findings? How do these results relate to larger issues of human thoughts, feelings, and behavior? Give your readers “the big picture.” Try to answer the question, “So what?
Final paragraph: Be sure to sum up your paper with a final concluding statement. Don’t just trail off with an idea for a future study. End on a positive note by reminding your reader why your study was important and what it added to the literature.
References (labeled, centered, not bold)
Provide an alphabetical listing of the references (alphabetize by last name of first author). Double-space all, with no extra spaces between references. The second line of each reference should be indented (this is called a hanging indent and is easily accomplished using the ruler in Microsoft Word). See the APA manual for how to format references correctly.
Examples of references to journal articles start on p. 198 of the manual, and examples of references to books and book chapters start on pp. 202. Digital object identifiers (DOIs) are now included for electronic sources (see pp. 187-192 of APA manual to learn more).
Journal article example: [Note that only the first letter of the first word of the article title is capitalized; the journal name and volume are italicized. If the journal name had multiple words, each of the major words would be capitalized.]
Ebner-Priemer, U. W., & Trull, T. J. (2009). Ecological momentary assessment of mood disorders and mood dysregulation. Psychological Assessment, 21, 463-475. doi:10.1037/a0017075
Book chapter example: [Note that only the first letter of the first word of both the chapter title and book title are capitalized.]
Stephan, W. G. (1985). Intergroup relations. In G. Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (3 rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 599-658). New York: Random House.
Book example: Gray, P. (2010). Psychology (6 th ed.). New York: Worth
Table There are various formats for tables, depending upon the information you wish to include. See the APA manual. Be sure to provide a table number and table title (the latter is italicized). Tables can be single or double-spaced.
Figure If you have more than one figure, each one gets its own page. Use a sans serif font, such as Helvetica, for any text within your figure. Be sure to label your x- and y-axes clearly, and make sure you’ve noted the units of measurement of the DV. Underneath the figure provide a label and brief caption (e.g., “Figure 1. Mean evaluation of job applicant qualifications as a function of applicant attractiveness level”). The figure caption typically includes the IVs/predictor variables and the DV. Include error bars in your bar graphs, and note what the bars represent in the figure caption: Error bars represent one standard error above and below the mean.
In-Text Citations: (see pp. 174-179 of APA manual) When citing sources in your paper, you need to include the authors’ names and publication date.
You should use the following formats:
- When including the citation as part of the sentence, use AND: “According to Jones and Smith (2003), the…”
- When the citation appears in parentheses, use “&”: “Studies have shown that priming can affect actual motor behavior (Jones & Smith, 2003; Klein, Bailey, & Hammer, 1999).” The studies appearing in parentheses should be ordered alphabetically by the first author’s last name, and should be separated by semicolons.
- If you are quoting directly (which you should avoid), you also need to include the page number.
- For sources with three or more authors, once you have listed all the authors’ names, you may write “et al.” on subsequent mentions. For example: “Klein et al. (1999) found that….” For sources with two authors, both authors must be included every time the source is cited. When a source has six or more authors, the first author’s last name and “et al.” are used every time the source is cited (including the first time).
Secondary Sources
“Secondary source” is the term used to describe material that is cited in another source. If in his article entitled “Behavioral Study of Obedience” (1963), Stanley Milgram makes reference to the ideas of Snow (presented above), Snow (1961) is the primary source, and Milgram (1963) is the secondary source.
Try to avoid using secondary sources in your papers; in other words, try to find the primary source and read it before citing it in your own work. If you must use a secondary source, however, you should cite it in the following way:
Snow (as cited in Milgram, 1963) argued that, historically, the cause of most criminal acts... The reference for the Milgram article (but not the Snow reference) should then appear in the reference list at the end of your paper.
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How to Answer Essay Questions Using APA Format
APA, which stands for American Psychological Association, is a format or editorial style created to standardize scientific writing. It is often used as a format when you are writing reviews, articles, reports and term papers. When writing the answer to essay questions for an exam or assignment, you may be asked to follow a certain writing style guideline, including APA. These guidelines generally refer to style, page formatting and citations.
When typing out the answer to an essay question, follow the general APA guidelines for formatting your page.
Use 1-inch margins on all sides and a 12-point font -- preferably Times New Roman.
Double-space your document and omit a title page, unless you are specifically requested to include it. Instead, place your title at the top of your paper, centered, followed by your name and the course name.
Double-space and begin your essay question answer on the same page, indenting every paragraph.
Style and Voice
APA allows the use of first person point-of-view when discussing research steps. For example, when discussing any conclusion reached, it is appropriate to say, "I found that...”
Answer your essay question in a straightforward manner and avoid using poetic language and devices. For example, try not to use metaphors or analogies in your answer. Precise, clear language that is absent of any bias is preferred.
In-text Citations
When discussing any research via a summary or paraphrase, include an in-text citation following the author-date citation system. Include the last name of the author and year of publication from your research.
You can do this in your sentence or following your sentence in parentheses.
For example:
Brown (2012) states that….
Research suggests that… (Brown, 2012)
Add page numbers any time you include a direct quotation.
Brown (2012) states, "There was a direct correlation between both studies" (p.12).
Following your essay question, include a reference or citation that gives further information about your sources. Include the author's last name, his first initial, the date and the title of the book (in italics) and publication information.
Brown, A. (2012). History of animal kingdoms. New York, NY: Perennial Publishers
If you are using a journal article as a reference, include the journal title (in italics), volume number and page number information.
Smith, B. (2001). Bird species of the Amazon. Birding Monthly. 34 (1): 54-57
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APA: Step by Step for Newcomers to the Style
How to Set up a Paper
Basic Rules:
1) Set the margins of your paper to be 1 inch on all sides (go to Margins under Page Layout )
2) Use the font: Times New Roman
3) The font size should be 12 point .
4) Make sure your paper is double-spaced and that the Before and After boxes both read 0 (go to Paragraph and then look under Spacing .)
5) You text should be aligned left (also go to Paragraph and look under General .)
6) Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. (Use Tab key).
APA (American Psychological Association) Style is generally used for disciplines such as Psychology, Sociology, Education, Nursing, Communication, and other social sciences.
General format guidelines:
1) Follow all basic rules mentioned above.
2) Your essay should include four major sections: Title Page, Abstract, Main Body, and Reference Page.
3) Set up a Title Page : include the page header flush left with the page number flush right at the top of the page.
· Go to Insert → Header → Edit Header → Design → Choose Different First Page
· Go to Insert → Page Number → Top of Page → Plain Number 3 → Click. (Number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) → Type your page header and click Tab key twice to separate from the page number. (Please note that on the title page, your page header should look like this:
Running head: TITLE OF YOUR PAPER
Pages after the title page should have a running head that looks like this:
TITLE OF YOUR PAPER
4) The Title Page should include:
· The title of you paper: type your title in upper and lowercase letters centered in the upper half of the page. All text on the title page, and throughout your paper, should be double-spaced.
· The author’s name (your name) : beneath the title, type the author’s name: first name, middle initial(s), and last name. Do not use titles (Dr.) or degrees (Ph.D).
· The institutional affiliation : beneath the author’s name, type the institutional affiliation, which should indicate the location where the author(s) conducted the research, such as Mississippi College.
5) Set up an Abstract Page :
· Begin a new page.
· Set up a page header flush left with the page number flush right at the top of the page.
Ø Go to Insert → Page Number → Top of Page → Plain Number 3 → type your page header and click Tab key twice to separate from the page number.
Ø Make sure all pages after the title page should have a running head that looks like this:
TITLE OF YOUR PAPER
· On the first line of the abstract page, center the word Abstract (no bold, formatting, italics, underlining, or quotation marks.)
· Beginning with the next line, write a concise summary of the key points of your research. (Do not indent.)
6) The Body of your paper:
· It should start from the third page of your paper.
· You should already include the page header (described above)
· Type your title in upper and lowercase letters centered on the first line.
· Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. (Use Tab key)
7) Reference Page :
· This page begins on a new page.
· This page should be double-spaced as well.
· This page should have a running head, too.
· Center the word References without underlining, bolding, or italicizing it. If there is only one entry, title this page Reference .
· Create a hanging indention for this page:
Ø Go to Paragraph and select Special under Indention
Ø Then select Hanging
Video on Formatting an Essay with APA Sixth Edition
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If you’re writing academically, chances are you’ve been tasked with writing a paper that follows APA style. Although there’s a learning curve involved with adhering to APA style, it’s possible to learn the basics so you can turn in your ass...
Writing an outline in APA style involves formatting the lines properly, using 12-point Times New Roman font and creating detailed headings. Each point of the outline starts with a header, which is marked by a Roman numeral.
As anyone who has ever written a paper for a college class knows, there are certain style rules and guidelines to be followed depending on which discipline you are in. For many college students, learning APA style can be tricky.
Type the discussion question in an approved font and size. Use the correct punctuation at the end -- a question mark if the prompt is a question
Answer · Begin the question on a new line and type number 1 followed by a period. · Use double spacing and one inch margins. · Separate the answer from the
Answer · Begin the question on a new line and type number 1. · Use double spacing and one inch margins for the document. · Separate the answer from
Beginning with the next line, write a concise summary of the key points of your research. (Do not indent.) An abstract should summarize your research topic
To start using APA question and answer format, you will need to format your paper in APA style first. Start off by changing your font to
The references begin on the first new page after the end of the body of the paper. Papers can also include tables and figures, which may be
Do not use rhetorical questions. Often writers use rhetorical questions as a device to lead to an explanation. This is a bad idea in research papers because the
1. Set up your document · 2. Create the title page · 3. Begin the main body · 4. Explain the purpose of the interview · 5. Introduce your sources
Don't put your readers to sleep by beginning your paper with the time-worn sentence, “Past research has shown (blah blah blah)” They'll be snoring within a
Answer your essay question in a straightforward manner and avoid using poetic language and devices. For example, try not to use metaphors or analogies in your
On the first line of the abstract page, center the word Abstract (no bold, formatting, italics, underlining, or quotation marks.) · Beginning