Learn How to Write a Research Paper in APA Format Style

This article will teach you how to write a research paper in APA style by following the standards of the APA 7th edition. You will learn the APA academic writing style and how to appropriately reference and structure your research paper to minimize plagiarism concerns and maintain your document accurately. If you cannot complete all of your assignments or you need Dissertation help online Dissertation sky is a paper writing service that can assist you.

What exactly is APA Formatting?

The APA style is a particular format used in academic, commercial, and research writing for source documentation and publication. Unless otherwise indicated, a research paper in APA format that you write must be provided in the most recent 7th edition. The current handbook, created by the American Psychological Association, hence the acronym, is what we will refer to in our APA recommendations to avoid misunderstanding. It implies you’ve come to the proper location if your college lecturer requests APA 7th edition. We provide the best hrm dissertation help at Dissertation sky.

The newest edition of the writing style handbook, issued in October 2019, maintains most previous standards, focusing on simplicity and publishing readiness. When it comes to research paper writing, most students that utilize the APA style format study Psychology, Sociology, Journalism, Education, Anthropology, Law, and Healthcare. It’s not difficult to master the fundamental principles because it’s simpler than Chicago, Harvard, or Turabian, as long as you remember the following:

• In-text citations must be used to offer a reference to a source cited in your work. The essential information comprises the author’s name and the date of publication. You should also provide the page number or section number from the newspaper if such information is available.
• After your final conclusion section, there is a page named “References” at the end of your work. This is where you submit information (references) that details all of the sources you used in your research paper.

When Should You Cite a Source in APA Format?

This is a frequently asked question. When you need to bring forth a summary of some data, paraphrase information you uncover, or cite anything from another source, the answer is fairly straightforward. These citations may comprise everything from print books, scientific journals, online publications, media stories, reports, surveys, statistical data, and so on. When using a reference, the APA 7th style format demands giving the author’s name and the year of publication, which will look like this for a single author:

What exactly is an APA References Page?

We are confident that you have viewed at least one references page when reading the last section of a research piece online. For a medium-sized research project, the References page must include all of your sources alphabetically and may contain up to 20 items. A typical APA sample from a research publication looks like this:

As you can see, the authors are listed alphabetically, with the year of publication followed by the title of the scientific study. The name of the journal is italicized to emphasize the significance of the source. It is followed by the volume of the journal and the number of pages that have been cited. Looking for Ph.D. dissertation help? contact us at Dissertation sky.

Remember that not all sources and references you come across are appropriate for a research project. Dissertation sky experts advise speaking with your course teacher first and double-checking items in terms of additional prerequisites and formatting. Our article will provide you with the basics on how to set things up so that your research paper meets formatting requirements.

Disclaimer for APA Page Layout

Before turning to various sections of our guide to learn how to write a research paper in APA format, it is important to note that if you are using a Word processor or Google Docs as your writing source, you must create a special page layout and the relevant headers that will be mentioned in our APA guide. While you may find APA-style templates online, they are not always precise, so double-check everything by paying attention to typefaces, headers, margins, indents, and other crucial details!

General Requirements for Writing a Research Paper in APA Style

1. Page Layout Guidelines

We’ll begin with the page layout, which must always be there because this aspect of the APA 7th edition remains consistent for all papers that you may encounter as a college student. What you must do when you learn how to style a research paper is as follows:

• Set your page margins to 1 inch on both sides of the page when creating a document in MS Word or any other word processor of your choosing.
• Your material, including APA headers, must be double-spaced.
• In the APA 7th edition, the first line of each paragraph is indented by 0.5 inches. Simply hit the TAB key once.
• Times New Roman (12 pt.), Arial (11 pt.), and Georgia are the preferred fonts for APA style format (11 pt.). Other typefaces may be used in some instances, but only after checking with your academic adviser.
• Unless otherwise specified, page numbers are inserted in the top right corner of every page of your document.

2. APA 7th Edition Page Headers

You must appropriately set your page header, according to the handbook. Headings in upper case are required in every APA format research paper. When creating your header, you must:

• In the MS Word toolbar, select the “Insert” tab.
• Select the Header & Footer tab, then Header and Blank.
• Your APA research paper’s initial (title) page must feature the left margin placement where you type: MY RESEARCH PAPER TITLE. Of course, this is only an example, and your actual title should be used instead.
• Now, tab once or twice to the right margin.
• Close the Header and Footer tabs.

3. Page Counting

When it comes to page numbering, use the auto-numbering tool in MS Word or any other program. Page numbers must be inserted in the upper right corner of all pages, including your references page. In APA 7th edition, the title page should begin on page 1.

4. APA Cover Page

The title of your article, the name of the student or authors of the research project, and the institutional affiliation must all be on your APA title page. All lines must be centered and begin in the center of the title page. You must also mention your course number, instructor’s name, and the deadline for your research paper. It will look like this:

Table of Contents 5

A table of contents is only required if you are writing a thesis or a dissertation. This section should come between your abstract and introduction. Use the same font and size as your other material. 

6. Create an outline

The outline in APA style follows the same principles and, in most situations, may be supplied as a separate document. The page margins stay the same, and page numbering begins on page one. A page’s format (typically one page only) should comprise an introduction that includes the important background points and your thesis, the main body with the elements that support your research thesis statement, and a brief conclusion that clarifies your final thoughts or viewpoint.

7. Synopsis

Your abstract must be on a separate page after the title page of your research paper. That is, it should be numbered as page 2. “Abstract” should be written in bold title case and centered at the top of your page. The abstract is the following text, with a 0.5-inch indent. You can write it in a single paragraph or in a different arrangement.

Focus on the criteria that you want to attain scientifically as you write, and keep your target audience in mind while you explain your technique and the problem that you want to investigate. Describe your findings and offer a succinct conclusion to your study in the same way as a book review would.

8. Body Components

Whether you are writing an essay or a lengthy research paper, the APA style format does not specify any exact rules that must be followed. As a result, you should consult your paper type. The majority of research papers should comprise an introduction that includes a list of study objectives (see research paper introduction sample), three to five body paragraphs that explain and support your claims, and a conclusion that summarises everything.

The body sections should begin with the most crucial argument, which speaks to your thesis and gives analytical information.

In the second paragraph of the body of the APA research paper, statistical data should be used as a reference. Citations and references to specific articles might be used here. This method will assist you in avoiding plagiarism threats.

The final paragraph should include different viewpoints and counter-arguments, as well as supplementary citations, visuals, and multimedia sources.

9. Finally,

According to the APA handbook, your conclusion section should not include any reference components and should avoid presenting any new ideas. Remember this and make sure to provide ideas and an overall assessment of your research work.

Page 10: References

Place the term “References” at the top of the document’s layout to begin your References page. It should be centered and one inch down. Capitalization, strong typefaces, and italics are not permitted.

1. All of your citations (references) must be double-spaced with no extra lines in between.
2. If your reference extends beyond the first line, use tabulation to create a dangling indent.
3. In APA 7th edition style, your references are listed alphabetically.
4. According to ABC, if your reference does not begin with the author, it should be placed at the beginning of your work.

The APA 7th Citation Style Writing Guidelines

APA Citation Guidelines

Consider the following scenario: you need to reference a book in print for your APA-style research report. It will require the following details:

1. The book’s author or writers. The surname is always followed by the initials of the individual.
2. In round brackets, the year the book was published follows.
3. The book title is usually italicized.
4. The edition (if available) is also shown in round brackets. This section is optional if the book is the first edition.
5. DOI (Digital Object Identifier). It must be included (if available) in both the online and print versions.
6. In a References page, the second line of your citation must be indented by around 5 spaces.

Provide the following information for a journal article citation:

1. The article’s author or writers. The surname is always followed by the initials of the individual.
2. In round brackets, the year the journal was published follows.
3. The title of the journal must be in italics.
4. Provide journal volume (in italics).
5. In round brackets, enter the issue number of a journal (no italics are necessary here).
6. Article page range (if available).
7. Please include a DOI or URL.

Abbreviations

The rule of abbreviations in a research paper stipulates that an abbreviation should be used at least three times. If your abbreviation is only used once, you must supply a full spelling of your phrase each time you use it for your project. The use of abbreviations inside headers is not required when adopting the APA style for research purposes. Remember to include the shortened form in parenthesis the first time you use an abbreviation. According to the APA 7th edition manual, they should only be utilized when they aid in better communication with your intended audience.

Use of Numbers and Punctuation

According to section 6.32 of the most recent APA style format handbook, one must use numerals to indicate numbers 10 and higher as numbers (12, 34, 721, and so on). When using numbers up to 10, they are written in terms like “three positions,” “two writers,” “seven Chinese brothers,” and so on.

The guidelines also say that while working with figures, commas must be used between specified groupings of three numbers. As an example:

Because almost 2,000 individuals attended a meeting…

APA Graphics and Multimedia

When you go through the current research paper APA style sample, you will note that there are a lot of multimedia examples with images. It is acceptable to utilize graphics.

If you want to use a museum’s artwork in an online version, it looks like this: 

Last name of the artist, The first initial. The second initial. (Year). [Format] Title of the artwork The address.

Guidelines for Writing an APA Research Paper

When writing an APA-style research paper, you must recognize that it is not the same as writing a term paper or a basic essay for college. It’s also not the same as a reflection paper. You must present your study findings. It implies you should supply your writer’s voice, but only in a restricted way, by focusing on your approach and explaining what you uncover. Depending on your needs and the grading rubric, you may be required to submit 2-3 citations per page of your research to support your points as well as reference at least one major publication dealing with your subject.

Follow these basic academic writing recommendations while you write your research paper in the APA style format:

• A research tone is required. It implies that, unless specifically requested, your research paper should not be written in the first person. Instead, the basic APA writing style handbook suggests using terms like “This study was done by.”
• It is best to avoid using any personal details when describing your experience. Make sure the document does not sound like a personal statement. As you write, you must synthesize diverse articles by comparing, contrasting, and discovering commonalities.
• The APA 7th style guideline requires you to use the past tense, which means you should indicate that your research work has been demonstrated rather than “shown.” If you are working within a certain timeframe, there may be some exclusions.
• Contraction use should be minimized. It indicates you should state “it does not result in” rather than “it does not result in.”
• Your writing should be straightforward and free of bias. Your goal is to Dissertation sky the study without regard for race, sexual orientation, religion, or gender.
• The usage of sources must be done carefully so that your work does not become a collection of sources.

You will be able to keep inside the fundamental parameters and follow the norms of APA-style writing if you follow these easy criteria. As with every rule, there may be exceptions, which is why you should consult your teacher if you have any questions. The final decision will always be made by your institution or university.

Formatting in APA Style Bias-Free Language Is Important

When writing an APA paper, keep in mind the norms of bias-free language, which are also addressed in the APA 7th handbook for research writing. The goal is to utilize gender-neutral pronouns and to eliminate biased ideas or particular degrading elements that may emerge in your research work as a negative attitude. When dealing with a delicate issue, then, review your content twice and consult with your academic counselor before submitting your work. It will assist us all in doing serious and bias-free research that adheres to the principles of mutual respect, multiculturalism, and democracy.