Writing an APA Style Paper

• Title Page
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Method
• Results
• Discussion
• Reference List
• Appendix
• Tables and Figures

• • 12 point Times Roman or 12 point Courier
  • Paper should be double spaced
  • 1" margins are required on all four sides of the paper
  • All pages except for figures should be numbered
  • A running head should be included in the right-hand side of the document. The running head should include the first two or three word from your title and be followed by five spaces and then your page number

• • Indent the first line of every paragraph EXCEPT in the abstract

• Running head printed in all uppercase letters flush left on the top of the title page. The running head may not exceed 50 characters including punctuation and spaces.

• Title is centered and positioned in the upper half of the page. Title is recommended to be between 10 to 12 words.

• Byline and institutional affiliation should be centered and fall below the title.

Abstract

• Starts on a new page with the title "ABSTRACT" centered and typed on the top.

• Do not indent first line

• Abstract is used to provide a brief overview of the paper. You can use no more than 120 words in your abstract so be concise.

Introduction

• Starts on a new page.

• The title of the paper centered at the top of the page.

• This is where the literature review is discussed. In the introduction you are stating..

• • The topic under investigation
  • Why this topic is important
  • What previous research has found
  • How your research is related to previous research

• End the introduction by stating your hypothesis and you rationale for that hypothesis.

• Remember that in this section of your paper citations should be frequent.

Example of Citation in Text

Research conducted by Hoza, Pelham, Waschbusch, Kipp and Owens (2001) found that preteen ADHD boys were more likely to attribute success on an academic task to uncontrollable causes than control non-ADHD boys.

Research has shown that preteen ADHD boys were more likely to attribute success on an academic task to uncontrollable causes than non-ADHD boys (Hoza, Pelham, Waschbusch, Kipp & Owens, 2001).

Method

• The section title is centered.
• Under the section title there are three subsections. The three subsections are to have their titles written in italics and flushed left. The text should follow on the next line.

• Subjects Section
• • Describe who your subjects were.
  • • Age and gender breakdown.
    • Where you pulled subjects from.
    • Did subjects receive compensation?

• Material Section
• • Describe the materials used in your study.
  • • Instruments used.
    • Possible range of scores.

• Procedure Section
• • Describes how data was collected.
  • • Note timing of events.

Results

• Title of section is centered.

• Summarize the results of your data.
• • Frequencies (f)
  • Means (M)
  • Standard Deviations (SD)

• Refer to your tables and figures if appropriate.

• Title of section is centered.

• Evaluate and interpret results.
• Pay attention to your hypothesis. Was your hypothesis supported?
• Were there any limitations to your study?
• What would be the next step in evaluating your topic?

References

• Starts on separate page with title centered at the top.

• Lists only works cited in text.

Examples:

Hoza, B., Pelham, W. E., Waschbush, D. A., Kipp, H., & Owens, J. S. (2001). Academic task persistence of normally achieving ADHD and control boys: Performance self-evaluations, and attributions. Journal of counseling and Clinical Psychology, 69(2), 271-283.

Milich, R. (1994). The response of children with ADHD to failure: If at first you don’t succeed, do you try, try, again? School Psychology Review, 23(1), 11-28.

Appendix

• Label your appendix with a capital letter (Appendix A, Appendix B) in the order in which it is mentioned in the main text.

• Each appendix must have a title.

• Refer in the text to the appendixes by their labels.

Tables and Figures

• Tables and Figures are numbered in the order in which they appear in the text. (All tables before all figures)

• The title of the table (Table 1) is flush left at the top of the table.

• Each table or figure should be on a separate page.

• • Figure caption page must be in the paper immediately before the figures.

• • The "Figure Captions" title of the page is in the top center.

• • • Figure caption page will include all figure titles in sequential order.

Figure 1. Time criteria in the naming task.

Figure 2. Next figure description goes here.