An APA paper, or a paper written in the American Psychological Association (APA) style, has specific formatting guidelines that must be followed. These guidelines ensure that all papers written in the APA style are clear, concise, and easy to read.
The first thing that an APA paper should include is a title page, which should include the title of the paper, the author's name, and the institutional affiliation (e.g., the name of the university or organization where the research was conducted). The title page should also include a running head, which is a shortened version of the title (usually no more than 50 characters) that appears at the top of every page.
Following the title page, the next section of an APA paper is the abstract, which is a brief summary of the main points of the paper. The abstract should be no more than 250 words and should provide an overview of the research question, the methods used to conduct the research, the results, and the conclusions.
After the abstract, the main body of the paper should begin. The main body should be divided into sections with headings that reflect the content of each section. Each section should be clearly labeled and organized, with subheadings used to further divide the content as needed.
Within the main body of the paper, it is important to use in-text citations to acknowledge the sources of any ideas or information that are not original to the author. In APA style, in-text citations consist of the author's last name and the year of publication. For example, if you were citing a paper written by John Smith in 2018, your in-text citation would be (Smith, 2018).
At the end of the main body of the paper, there should be a conclusion section that summarizes the main points of the paper and discusses any implications or limitations of the research. The conclusion should also provide suggestions for future research on the topic.
Finally, the last section of an APA paper is the reference list, which should include a complete list of all the sources cited in the paper. The reference list should be organized alphabetically by the last name of the first author and should follow the formatting guidelines specified in the APA style manual.
In summary, an APA paper should include a title page, an abstract, the main body of the paper, a conclusion, and a reference list. It should also follow specific formatting guidelines and use in-text citations to acknowledge sources. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your APA paper is clear, concise, and easy to read.
