APA Formatting and Style Guide

APA style research paper refers to a printed document written using the APA format. The said manuscript is commonly required in social science courses such as Psychology and Sociology. APA stands for the American Psychological Association and focuses on citing sources either as in text citations, endnotes, or footnotes, which all appears eventually on the reference page or bibliography. Considering the nature of the reports written, it is very important to cite the sources used to add to the credibility and reliability of the printed result.No matter what the subject the article is for or what topic it is about, the format must follow standard rules and guidelines. The essay must be typed using a clearly legible font such as Times New Roman or Courier. It must be double spaced on a standard sized paper that measures 8.5 by 11 inches with each side having a 1-inch margin. Each page must also include a running head which contains a short version of the title, usually in one to three words. The pages must also be numbered accordingly in the upper right hand corner of each page.

Depending on the requirements asked for, the research paper must also include a title page that contains the running head, the title, a short byline, and if applicable, the writer’s affiliation. An abstract which briefly describes the work in seventy five to one hundred words is also commonly required. The said abstract can be found immediately after the title word and must provide an easy to understand overview of APA style research papers. Headings are also extremely helpful to guide the readers through the thesis, and are commonly found at each chapter or part.

In the event that tables, graphs, charts, drawings, and photographs are needed, the specific writing style allows such but must follow the standard format. That is, each figure must be labelled properly and must include a title found above the figure. Below the figure, the corresponding source must also be included, which should also be properly cited on the reference list. A separate page or pages that lists down all the references used in the entire piece must be found at the end of the text. The sources must be alphabetized by the author’s last name, followed by the title of the source, its publisher, and the city or country where the work was published.

Writers must remember that the specific writing technique entails the use of the past tense or the present perfect tense when citing or describing past researches. This is plausible in in-text citations, which must be followed by the author’s last name, followed by the year of publication, both information enclosed in parentheses

APA style research paper must conform strictly to the set standards determined by the association itself. There are a number of resources such as books, manuals, and even websites that writers can use to help them format their study properly. Aside from the page layout and citation method, writers must also follow the grammatical style that the writing format calls for.