APA-American Psychological Association
Research PaperBrought to you by:
Georgina ArmendarizRG Writing Center
Cover Page: Header-(0.5” margin)Header: (appears on every page)
Purpose: To identify the manuscript without the author’s name
Note: Double-spaced throughout manuscript 12 inch sepia font Page number
Title page is page 1 Flush Right
Running Head (yes, you write “Running Head”) An abbreviated version of the title Max 50 words (does not include “Running Head”) Avoid commas ALL CAPS Flush Left
Cover Page-(1” margins all around) Mid-Section (centered)
Title Review main idea of your paper First letter of each main word is capitalized 10-12 words
Author’s Name That’s you!
School El Paso Community College
Last Section (centered) Instructor Class Date
Abstract Center the word “Abstract”Don’t indent paragraphUse one paragraph (150-250 words) Review/ summarize your paperWrite conciselyState thesis statement
*Ask your instructor if an Abstract is required.
ThesisOne sentence that says what your trying to prove,
your convictionTips for creating your thesis
What is the purpose of your paper?Be specific to your topic you are discussingYour thesis statement should be at the end of your
first paragraph (introduction). Ex:
“The life of a typical college student is characterized by the time spent studying, attending classes, and socializing.
The paper should then explain how the students spend their time studying, attending classes, and socializing.
BodyTitle
Repeat the title (centered)
Experiment Research paper sections : Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, References. All Headers in the paper.
Essay style research paper: sections not identified by headers, but rather by topic sentence. Headers can be used but not necessary.
What format are we using in this class?
Body-HeadersThere are five ways to do proper APA headings: Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase
HeadingFlush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and
Lowercase Heading Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph
heading ending with a period. Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase
paragraph heading ending with a period. Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph
heading ending with a period.
In-Text CitationsAuthor-date method of citation
(author’s last name, date of publication)
Two basic ways to cite:1) According to Smith (2009), humans have one less chromosomes than animals. 2) Chimpanzees are the closest ancestors that humans
have to another species (Smith, 2009).
In-Text Citations Two Authors
Smith and Foster (2009) (Smith & Foster, 2009)
Three Authors Smith, Foster, and Ross (2009)
Smith et al. (2009) (Smith, Foster, & Ross, 2009)
(Smith et al., 2009) Et al. subsequent times
Five Authors Smith, Foster, Ross, Butler, and Xavier (2009)
Smith et al. (2009) (Smith, Foster, Ross, Butler, & Xavier, 2009)
(Smith et al., 2009) Et al. subsequent times
Six Authors or more Smith et al. (2009) (Smith et al., 2009)
Et al. Initially and subsequent times
Paraphrase vs. QuotationQuote: word for word/ verbatim
“Chimpanzees carry the SIV virus that mutates into the HIV virus in humans” (Smith et al., 2009).
Paraphrase: Summarize author’s idea in your own words/ interpret the text
According to Smith et al. (2009), he states that Kaprowski was guilty of accidentally infecting the human population with AIDS.
Documents show that chimpanzee kidneys were kept in Kaprowski’s facility even though he refutes such claims (Smith et al., 2009).
Should I favor one over the other?
Number RulesGeneral Rule:
Numbers 10 and above are expressed as numerals. Nine or below are written as words
Basic exceptions to the rule: 1. Measurements are always numerals 2. Statistical functions are always numerals 3. Numbers that represent time, dates, ages, scores and
point scales, exact sums of money are numerals. However, approximations are represented by words
4. If a sentence starts with a number, it is always a word. Use % symbol when preceded by a number. Use “percent” when you begin with a written number or
when number is undetermined.
ReferencesPurpose: To provide the complete reference for every
citation mentioned in the manuscript
Centered headingAlphabetical orderFirst line of each reference is flush left and the
subsequent lines are indented 1/2 inch.
Basic Format:Author, A.A. (year). Title of article. Source, volume (ed.),
page numbers.Smith, J.R. (2009). Chimpanzees: Nature’s driving force.
Scientific American, 14(5), 73-91.