APA Essay Format at Ease
Any essay is aimed at analyzing some topic. It is a lengthy document, which follows specific requirements. Students new to this assignment will find it a challenging task. It is different from high school essay writing they have got used to. Besides, when you need to use your APA essay format skills, it becomes even more frustrating. APA format is rich in various rules on how to write a paper properly. The best way out of this situation is learning more about APA essay format. This knowledge will be useful for other tasks in the future.
APA Format Basics
The most common formats for writing theses are APA and Harvard. APA stands for American Psychological Association. This format is widely used for social sciences papers. Some peculiar elements make this style different from other. If you wish to write a perfect APA format essay, understanding basic principles of APA format is vital. That is why a number of students find this task beyond their capabilities. In this case they may receive aid with any type of writing, including a research paper, an application essay or a dissertation.
APA General Setup
The general outlook of APA essay format differs from other theses. In APA it is required to provide short details about the author of the cited material. But for the author of the source, the writer also has to include information like date of publication and page (paragraph) number. This info should be provided in parenthesis, following quoted or paraphrased material. Complete information on the sources used will appear in the reference list.
A typical APA paper is double-spaced. Student must use A4 paper with 1” margins. A typical font size is 10 to 12. APA requires students to pick from two fonts, namely Times New Roman and Ariel. But for these elements, there are certain rules for setting up the running head. It should be located in the top header of the page. It contains a clipped version of the title. In apa style, separate title page is required for a research paper or an essay.
Use APA essay example to receive a profound understanding. It is handy to have visuals, which will help you learn more about this format. APA format essay example may help you learn more about this format much faster.
Main Elements
There are standard sections required for each and every report performed in APA format. They are as follows: short abstract, introduction, methodology (hypothesis, experimental), results section and of course conclusion. All these sections have basic requirements for their content. Examine every section you need to include in your paper and it will help you to properly plan your research paper and be ready to report it in a correct manner.
Abstract Section
Abstract is meant to show what kind of research was conducted and give a short summary of the received results. APA formatting style required to provide a 150-250 word abstract and include at least one sentence for every section provided in the paper. Abstract is usually written to give a general description the whole work done in your report.
Introduction Section
Introduction is considered to be more extensive than abstract. Writer has to include a short review of the literature related to the topic and convey what has been known about the selected topic. In addition, introduction should explain the basics of discussed topic and give information on what will be done for its further investigation. Writer has to discuss the offered research taking into account what has already been known. Introduction section should conclude with the research hypothesis. Do not forget to use proper apa format in text citation.
Methodology Section
Methodology is often referred to the experimental section. Methodology is meant to describe not only the ways research work was conducted but what methods were used while doing the research. For instance, when a physical or chemical experiment is conducted, writer needs to describe the equipment used in it. All used hardware should be listed by its name, manufacturer and model number. Writer should provide enough details so that any other researcher has an opportunity to replicate the research results without any obstacles. Use correct in text citation APA style.
Results Section
Results section should contain the data analysis. Writer should evaluate the data compare them to already existing results. The comparison can be done with the obtained result using other measurement methods.
Discussion and Conclusion Sections
In the discussion section writer should state whether the above mentioned hypothesis can be supported by the conducted experiments. On the basis of results, comments should be made regarding the studies importance.
Reference page APA
All the references used in the research paper should be listed according to APA formatting style. follow the specific formats for each source. Make sure that you make right APA citation for all your sources. All the references should be listed in an alphabetical order.
Major Issues of APA Style
Remember that above mentioned tips are general for all APA research paper. However, you should take into account some specific things related to APA formatting style:
- Write your research paper using an impersonal style. Avoid using anecdotes or any personal statements.
- Remember that you report the work, which has been done previously. That is why you should use the past tense in your paper.
- Avoid using contractions (such as “don’t; isn’t, etc.”).
- When you need to cite a particular external source, you can use it in your sentence or simply reference it in the end of your statement by putting it in parentheses.
We hope that our writing tips will be of great use for you when you start writing your APA research paper. You can also find APA format template online in order to see how such papers look.
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Chicago Writing StyleTurabian Style MLA EssayEssay Formatting
