Buy APA Paper

Step 1: Tell the audience what the paper is and who wrote it

List the title and running head, author and affiliated organization in your title page

APA requires writers to include the research document’s title, author, affiliated organization, and running head on the title page. A page header is also required and should be inserted at the top left of the page with the page number at the top right of the page.

While the header will appear on all pages of your paper, the title page will include the words “Running head” before the title of your paper in all caps.

In the center of your title page, your title should appear in upper and lowercase letters. It is recommended that your title be no more than 12 words in length, though it may take up one or two lines. All text on the title page and throughout your paper should be double-spaced.

Sample title page

 

The title of an APA paper appears in the center of the title page and is no longer than 12 words in length.

Beneath the title, include your first name, middle initial(s), and last name followed by the organization you’re affiliated with or are writing the research. This tells the reader where the research was conducted.

Step 2: Provide your audience with a condensed outline

Summarize your key points and main ideas in the abstract, using clear and concise words

An abstract is a concise summary of the key points of your research and introduces the thesis statement. Abstracts are not always necessary but are recommended by APA guidelines. They provide the reader with a first look and gain understanding of what they are about to read.

The abstract should contain at least your research topic, research question(s), purpose, and conclusions. Experimental reports will also include the participants, methods, results, scope, and recommendations. Your abstract should be a single paragraph of 150-250 words, double-spaced, and should not be indented.

You may want to list keywords from your paper at the end of your abstract by indenting and typing “Keywords:” in italics followed by a list of your keywords. This will help researchers find your work if it ends up catalogues in a database.

Step 3: Introduce your hypothesis and main arguments

Use the introduction to familiarize audiences with the topic and purpose of your research

The introduction is the first paragraph of your paper and appears right below the title and does not need a heading of its own.

The title should be typed in upper and lowercase letters, centered, and in plain font. Don’t format the title with bold, underline, or italics. Indent and begin your introduction right below the title.

Introductions also provide a summary of the information and guides your audience in understanding what comes next. Answering these questions will help to ensure you have included all of the relevant information in your introduction:

These questions only help guide your structure and items to include in the introduction. When writing an experimental report, you will also want to include basic information about your participants, methods, results, and data analysis in the introduction.

Step 4: Divide the main ideas into easy-to-navigate sections

Structure the main body according to key points, evidence, and discussion on each point

The main body will begin on the next line right below the introduction. Use H1 heading tags. Be sure to label each section of your paper using the proper heading style. Don’t use alternate colors. Change the preset color value to black.

Below, you can see the correct format for APA style headings.

While the main body sections will vary depending on your assignment guidelines, most APA papers include a separate section for the methods and results in addition to the introduction and discussion/conclusion.

Step 5: Explain your research and methodology

Divide methods and results into separate sections to clarify your process and outcome

The methods section will discuss how you conducted your research. This is where you will walk your readers through the procedures and methodology as if they were part of the experiment. Include the participants, apparatus and materials, and the procedure. Explain your independent, dependent, and control variables.

The differences between methodology and results

 

Methodology discusses how the research was conducted, while the results section outlines the outcome of the experiment.

The results section outlines the outcome of your experiment in layman’s terms. Remind readers of your hypothesis and research questions. Explain the behaviors you measured and/or operations you performed. Provide statistics to support your results and elaborate or qualify the overall conclusion and your data analysis.

Step 6: Translate your research into layman terms

Discuss the results and importance, and summarize it in the conclusion paragraphs

Like the main body and earlier sections, your discussion and conclusion need an H2 heading.

How to narrow your introduction

 

You can narrow your introduction by evaluating the importance of the paper's topic, previous conclusions, areas of expertise and focus, and the primary findings of the research.

Use H3 headings for separate sections under the main header.

Do not use H4 headings in APA style unless you use them as headers for tables, graphs, images, etc.

Use the conclusion and discussion to interpret your findings, evaluate your hypotheses and research questions, explore unexpected results, and relate your findings to the prior literature on your topic.

A good conclusion section moves from specific to general.

It concludes your paper, tying your results together with the overall story your paper is trying to tell.

Revisit the questions in the introduction and answer them in more detail.

Step 7: Give credit for outside research

Organize all outside sources and quotations in the reference list

Every APA paper requires a list of references. Your references should appear on their own page. The page should be titled “References,” capitalized, and in plain font. Don’t format the reference title using italics, boldface, or underlining. Your reference list doesn’t need a header tag.

Each new reference will begin on a new line with the first line of text aligned to the left of the page and the subsequent lines indented. References are double-spaced and listed alphabetically by author’s last name. They also include the year of publication, title of work, publisher, and location.

This is only an example for hardcopy print books. APA also has specific reference requirements for electronic sources, poetry, periodicals, and other commonly used sources. Refer to the current APA style guide for more listings.

Step 8: Add supplemental information to the appendix

Include charts and graphs in the appendices to explain complicated data

Appendices are used to provide supplemental information, complex charts and tables, or explain difficult data. These may include mathematical proofs, lists of words, questionnaires, or a detailed description of an apparatus used in your research. Each distinct item has its own appendix and thus appears on its own page after the references.

If your paper only has one appendix, label it "Appendix.” All subsequent appendices should be ordered by letter (i.e. Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.). The running head and page numbers should continue on these pages.

Step 9: Make data more identifiable

Add tables and figures to graphically explain difficult concepts

Tables show data you collected in an easy-to-read format. You do not need to present all your data in tables. Only include use tables when dealing with large amounts of data that would be too complicated or distracting in the text.

Each table should appear on its own page and identified by a number. The first table is identified as “Table 1.” Each subsequent table follows the same numbering format. Use H4 headers for this information.

Step 10: Avoid plagiarism

Cite all outside information and quotes using APA in-paragraph author-date format

When quoting or referring to an outside source in the text of your paper use in-text citations. Include the author's last name and the year of the publication and be sure to list the source on the reference page at the end of your paper.

Page numbers are required for direct quotations, but not when paraphrasing or summarizing information.

If there are no page numbers, include a paragraph number.

Direct quotes of less than 40 words can appear within the normal flow of the text, but quotes longer than 40 words should be formatted using block quotes and no quotation marks.

Start the block quotation on a new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin.

The entire quotation should appear on the new margin, with subsequent paragraphs indented 1/2 inch from the new margin.

Jones's (1998) study found the following:

Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask their teacher for help. (p. 199)

Limit your use of block quotes. The point of the research isn’t to copy-paste quotes directly into your text. You want to show the audience you analyzed sources and made your own conclusions.