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Research Paper Format – Types, Examples and Templates

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Research paper format is an essential aspect of academic writing that plays a crucial role in the communication of research findings . The format of a research paper depends on various factors such as the discipline, style guide, and purpose of the research. It includes guidelines for the structure, citation style, referencing , and other elements of the paper that contribute to its overall presentation and coherence. Adhering to the appropriate research paper format is vital for ensuring that the research is accurately and effectively communicated to the intended audience. In this era of information, it is essential to understand the different research paper formats and their guidelines to communicate research effectively, accurately, and with the required level of detail. This post aims to provide an overview of some of the common research paper formats used in academic writing.

Research Paper Formats

Research Paper Formats are as follows:

• APA (American Psychological Association) format
• MLA (Modern Language Association) format
• Chicago/Turabian style
• IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) format
• AMA (American Medical Association) style
• Harvard style
• Vancouver style
• ACS (American Chemical Society) style
• ASA (American Sociological Association) style
• APSA (American Political Science Association) style

APA (American Psychological Association) Format

Here is a general APA format for a research paper:

• Title Page: The title page should include the title of your paper, your name, and your institutional affiliation. It should also include a running head, which is a shortened version of the title, and a page number in the upper right-hand corner.
• Abstract : The abstract is a brief summary of your paper, typically 150-250 words. It should include the purpose of your research, the main findings, and any implications or conclusions that can be drawn.
• Introduction: The introduction should provide background information on your topic, state the purpose of your research, and present your research question or hypothesis. It should also include a brief literature review that discusses previous research on your topic.
• Methods: The methods section should describe the procedures you used to collect and analyze your data. It should include information on the participants, the materials and instruments used, and the statistical analyses performed.
• Results: The results section should present the findings of your research in a clear and concise manner. Use tables and figures to help illustrate your results.
• Discussion : The discussion section should interpret your results and relate them back to your research question or hypothesis. It should also discuss the implications of your findings and any limitations of your study.
• References : The references section should include a list of all sources cited in your paper. Follow APA formatting guidelines for your citations and references.

Some additional tips for formatting your APA research paper:

• Use 12-point Times New Roman font throughout the paper.
• Double-space all text, including the references.
• Use 1-inch margins on all sides of the page.
• Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches.
• Use a hanging indent for the references (the first line should be flush with the left margin, and all subsequent lines should be indented).
• Number all pages, including the title page and references page, in the upper right-hand corner.

APA Research Paper Format Template

APA Research Paper Format Template is as follows:

Title Page:

• Title of the paper
• Author’s name
• Institutional affiliation
• A brief summary of the main points of the paper, including the research question, methods, findings, and conclusions. The abstract should be no more than 250 words.

Introduction:

• Background information on the topic of the research paper
• Research question or hypothesis
• Significance of the study
• Overview of the research methods and design
• Brief summary of the main findings
• Participants: description of the sample population, including the number of participants and their characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, etc.)
• Materials: description of any materials used in the study (e.g., survey questions, experimental apparatus)
• Procedure: detailed description of the steps taken to conduct the study
• Presentation of the findings of the study, including statistical analyses if applicable
• Tables and figures may be included to illustrate the results

Discussion:

• Interpretation of the results in light of the research question and hypothesis
• Implications of the study for the field
• Limitations of the study
• Suggestions for future research

References:

• A list of all sources cited in the paper, in APA format

Formatting guidelines:

• Double-spaced
• 12-point font (Times New Roman or Arial)
• 1-inch margins on all sides
• Page numbers in the top right corner
• Headings and subheadings should be used to organize the paper
• The first line of each paragraph should be indented
• Quotations of 40 or more words should be set off in a block quote with no quotation marks
• In-text citations should include the author’s last name and year of publication (e.g., Smith, 2019)

APA Research Paper Format Example

APA Research Paper Format Example is as follows:

The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health

University of XYZ

This study examines the relationship between social media use and mental health among college students. Data was collected through a survey of 500 students at the University of XYZ. Results suggest that social media use is significantly related to symptoms of depression and anxiety, and that the negative effects of social media are greater among frequent users.

Social media has become an increasingly important aspect of modern life, especially among young adults. While social media can have many positive effects, such as connecting people across distances and sharing information, there is growing concern about its impact on mental health. This study aims to examine the relationship between social media use and mental health among college students.

Participants: Participants were 500 college students at the University of XYZ, recruited through online advertisements and flyers posted on campus. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 25, with a mean age of 20.5 years. The sample was 60% female, 40% male, and 5% identified as non-binary or gender non-conforming.

Data was collected through an online survey administered through Qualtrics. The survey consisted of several measures, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression symptoms, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety symptoms, and questions about social media use.

Procedure :

Participants were asked to complete the online survey at their convenience. The survey took approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple regression analysis.

Results indicated that social media use was significantly related to symptoms of depression (r = .32, p < .001) and anxiety (r = .29, p < .001). Regression analysis indicated that frequency of social media use was a significant predictor of both depression symptoms (β = .24, p < .001) and anxiety symptoms (β = .20, p < .001), even when controlling for age, gender, and other relevant factors.

The results of this study suggest that social media use is associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety among college students. The negative effects of social media are greater among frequent users. These findings have important implications for mental health professionals and educators, who should consider addressing the potential negative effects of social media use in their work with young adults.

References :

References should be listed in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name. For example:

• Chou, H. T. G., & Edge, N. (2012). “They are happier and having better lives than I am”: The impact of using Facebook on perceptions of others’ lives. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15(2), 117-121.
• Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G. N. (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3-17.

Note: This is just a sample Example do not use this in your assignment.

MLA (Modern Language Association) Format

MLA (Modern Language Association) Format is as follows:

• Page Layout : Use 8.5 x 11-inch white paper, with 1-inch margins on all sides. The font should be 12-point Times New Roman or a similar serif font.
• Heading and Title : The first page of your research paper should include a heading and a title. The heading should include your name, your instructor’s name, the course title, and the date. The title should be centered and in title case (capitalizing the first letter of each important word).
• In-Text Citations : Use parenthetical citations to indicate the source of your information. The citation should include the author’s last name and the page number(s) of the source. For example: (Smith 23).
• Works Cited Page : At the end of your paper, include a Works Cited page that lists all the sources you used in your research. Each entry should include the author’s name, the title of the work, the publication information, and the medium of publication.
• Formatting Quotations : Use double quotation marks for short quotations and block quotations for longer quotations. Indent the entire quotation five spaces from the left margin.
• Formatting the Body : Use a clear and readable font and double-space your text throughout. The first line of each paragraph should be indented one-half inch from the left margin.

MLA Research Paper Template

MLA Research Paper Format Template is as follows:

• Use 8.5 x 11 inch white paper.
• Use a 12-point font, such as Times New Roman.
• Use double-spacing throughout the entire paper, including the title page and works cited page.
• Set the margins to 1 inch on all sides.
• Use page numbers in the upper right corner, beginning with the first page of text.
• Include a centered title for the research paper, using title case (capitalizing the first letter of each important word).
• Include your name, instructor’s name, course name, and date in the upper left corner, double-spaced.

In-Text Citations

• When quoting or paraphrasing information from sources, include an in-text citation within the text of your paper.
• Use the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence, before the punctuation mark.
• If the author’s name is mentioned in the sentence, only include the page number in parentheses.

Works Cited Page

• List all sources cited in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.
• Each entry should include the author’s name, title of the work, publication information, and medium of publication.
• Use italics for book and journal titles, and quotation marks for article and chapter titles.
• For online sources, include the date of access and the URL.

Here is an example of how the first page of a research paper in MLA format should look:

Headings and Subheadings

• Use headings and subheadings to organize your paper and make it easier to read.
• Use numerals to number your headings and subheadings (e.g. 1, 2, 3), and capitalize the first letter of each word.
• The main heading should be centered and in boldface type, while subheadings should be left-aligned and in italics.
• Use only one space after each period or punctuation mark.
• Use quotation marks to indicate direct quotes from a source.
• If the quote is more than four lines, format it as a block quote, indented one inch from the left margin and without quotation marks.
• Use ellipses (…) to indicate omitted words from a quote, and brackets ([…]) to indicate added words.

Works Cited Examples

• Book: Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Year.
• Journal Article: Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, volume number, issue number, publication date, page numbers.
• Website: Last Name, First Name. “Title of Webpage.” Title of Website, publication date, URL. Accessed date.

Here is an example of how a works cited entry for a book should look:

Smith, John. The Art of Writing Research Papers. Penguin, 2021.

MLA Research Paper Example

MLA Research Paper Format Example is as follows:

Your Professor’s Name

Course Name and Number

Date (in Day Month Year format)

Word Count (not including title page or Works Cited)

Title: The Impact of Video Games on Aggression Levels

Video games have become a popular form of entertainment among people of all ages. However, the impact of video games on aggression levels has been a subject of debate among scholars and researchers. While some argue that video games promote aggression and violent behavior, others argue that there is no clear link between video games and aggression levels. This research paper aims to explore the impact of video games on aggression levels among young adults.

Background:

The debate on the impact of video games on aggression levels has been ongoing for several years. According to the American Psychological Association, exposure to violent media, including video games, can increase aggression levels in children and adolescents. However, some researchers argue that there is no clear evidence to support this claim. Several studies have been conducted to examine the impact of video games on aggression levels, but the results have been mixed.

Methodology:

This research paper used a quantitative research approach to examine the impact of video games on aggression levels among young adults. A sample of 100 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 was selected for the study. The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire that measured their aggression levels and their video game habits.

The results of the study showed that there was a significant correlation between video game habits and aggression levels among young adults. The participants who reported playing violent video games for more than 5 hours per week had higher aggression levels than those who played less than 5 hours per week. The study also found that male participants were more likely to play violent video games and had higher aggression levels than female participants.

The findings of this study support the claim that video games can increase aggression levels among young adults. However, it is important to note that the study only examined the impact of video games on aggression levels and did not take into account other factors that may contribute to aggressive behavior. It is also important to note that not all video games promote violence and aggression, and some games may have a positive impact on cognitive and social skills.

Conclusion :

In conclusion, this research paper provides evidence to support the claim that video games can increase aggression levels among young adults. However, it is important to conduct further research to examine the impact of video games on other aspects of behavior and to explore the potential benefits of video games. Parents and educators should be aware of the potential impact of video games on aggression levels and should encourage young adults to engage in a variety of activities that promote cognitive and social skills.

Works Cited:

• American Psychological Association. (2017). Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered Questions. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/08/violent-video-games
• Ferguson, C. J. (2015). Do Angry Birds make for angry children? A meta-analysis of video game influences on children’s and adolescents’ aggression, mental health, prosocial behavior, and academic performance. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(5), 646-666.
• Gentile, D. A., Swing, E. L., Lim, C. G., & Khoo, A. (2012). Video game playing, attention problems, and impulsiveness: Evidence of bidirectional causality. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 1(1), 62-70.
• Greitemeyer, T. (2014). Effects of prosocial video games on prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106(4), 530-548.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chicago/Turabian Formate is as follows:

• Margins : Use 1-inch margins on all sides of the paper.
• Font : Use a readable font such as Times New Roman or Arial, and use a 12-point font size.
• Page numbering : Number all pages in the upper right-hand corner, beginning with the first page of text. Use Arabic numerals.
• Title page: Include a title page with the title of the paper, your name, course title and number, instructor’s name, and the date. The title should be centered on the page and in title case (capitalize the first letter of each word).
• Headings: Use headings to organize your paper. The first level of headings should be centered and in boldface or italics. The second level of headings should be left-aligned and in boldface or italics. Use as many levels of headings as necessary to organize your paper.
• In-text citations : Use footnotes or endnotes to cite sources within the text of your paper. The first citation for each source should be a full citation, and subsequent citations can be shortened. Use superscript numbers to indicate footnotes or endnotes.
• Bibliography : Include a bibliography at the end of your paper, listing all sources cited in your paper. The bibliography should be in alphabetical order by the author’s last name, and each entry should include the author’s name, title of the work, publication information, and date of publication.
• Formatting of quotations: Use block quotations for quotations that are longer than four lines. Indent the entire quotation one inch from the left margin, and do not use quotation marks. Single-space the quotation, and double-space between paragraphs.
• Tables and figures: Use tables and figures to present data and illustrations. Number each table and figure sequentially, and provide a brief title for each. Place tables and figures as close as possible to the text that refers to them.
• Spelling and grammar : Use correct spelling and grammar throughout your paper. Proofread carefully for errors.

Chicago/Turabian Research Paper Template

Chicago/Turabian Research Paper Template is as folows:

Title of Paper

Name of Student

Professor’s Name

I. Introduction

A. Background Information

B. Research Question

C. Thesis Statement

II. Literature Review

A. Overview of Existing Literature

B. Analysis of Key Literature

C. Identification of Gaps in Literature

III. Methodology

A. Research Design

B. Data Collection

C. Data Analysis

IV. Results

A. Presentation of Findings

B. Analysis of Findings

C. Discussion of Implications

V. Conclusion

A. Summary of Findings

B. Implications for Future Research

C. Conclusion

VI. References

A. Bibliography

B. In-Text Citations

VII. Appendices (if necessary)

A. Data Tables

C. Additional Supporting Materials

Chicago/Turabian Research Paper Example

Title: The Impact of Social Media on Political Engagement

Name: John Smith

Class: POLS 101

Professor: Dr. Jane Doe

Date: April 8, 2023

I. Introduction:

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. People use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect with friends and family, share their opinions, and stay informed about current events. With the rise of social media, there has been a growing interest in understanding its impact on various aspects of society, including political engagement. In this paper, I will examine the relationship between social media use and political engagement, specifically focusing on how social media influences political participation and political attitudes.

II. Literature Review:

There is a growing body of literature on the impact of social media on political engagement. Some scholars argue that social media has a positive effect on political participation by providing new channels for political communication and mobilization (Delli Carpini & Keeter, 1996; Putnam, 2000). Others, however, suggest that social media can have a negative impact on political engagement by creating filter bubbles that reinforce existing beliefs and discourage political dialogue (Pariser, 2011; Sunstein, 2001).

III. Methodology:

To examine the relationship between social media use and political engagement, I conducted a survey of 500 college students. The survey included questions about social media use, political participation, and political attitudes. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis.

Iv. Results:

The results of the survey indicate that social media use is positively associated with political participation. Specifically, respondents who reported using social media to discuss politics were more likely to have participated in a political campaign, attended a political rally, or contacted a political representative. Additionally, social media use was found to be associated with more positive attitudes towards political engagement, such as increased trust in government and belief in the effectiveness of political action.

V. Conclusion:

The findings of this study suggest that social media has a positive impact on political engagement, by providing new opportunities for political communication and mobilization. However, there is also a need for caution, as social media can also create filter bubbles that reinforce existing beliefs and discourage political dialogue. Future research should continue to explore the complex relationship between social media and political engagement, and develop strategies to harness the potential benefits of social media while mitigating its potential negative effects.

Vii. References:

• Delli Carpini, M. X., & Keeter, S. (1996). What Americans know about politics and why it matters. Yale University Press.
• Pariser, E. (2011). The filter bubble: What the Internet is hiding from you. Penguin.
• Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster.
• Sunstein, C. R. (2001). Republic.com. Princeton University Press.

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Format

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Research Paper Format is as follows:

• Title : A concise and informative title that accurately reflects the content of the paper.
• Abstract : A brief summary of the paper, typically no more than 250 words, that includes the purpose of the study, the methods used, the key findings, and the main conclusions.
• Introduction : An overview of the background, context, and motivation for the research, including a clear statement of the problem being addressed and the objectives of the study.
• Literature review: A critical analysis of the relevant research and scholarship on the topic, including a discussion of any gaps or limitations in the existing literature.
• Methodology : A detailed description of the methods used to collect and analyze data, including any experiments or simulations, data collection instruments or procedures, and statistical analyses.
• Results : A clear and concise presentation of the findings, including any relevant tables, graphs, or figures.
• Discussion : A detailed interpretation of the results, including a comparison of the findings with previous research, a discussion of the implications of the results, and any recommendations for future research.
• Conclusion : A summary of the key findings and main conclusions of the study.
• References : A list of all sources cited in the paper, formatted according to IEEE guidelines.

In addition to these elements, an IEEE research paper should also follow certain formatting guidelines, including using 12-point font, double-spaced text, and numbered headings and subheadings. Additionally, any tables, figures, or equations should be clearly labeled and referenced in the text.

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

AMA (American Medical Association) Style Research Paper Format:

• Title Page: This page includes the title of the paper, the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and any acknowledgments or disclaimers.
• Abstract: The abstract is a brief summary of the paper that outlines the purpose, methods, results, and conclusions of the study. It is typically limited to 250 words or less.
• Introduction: The introduction provides a background of the research problem, defines the research question, and outlines the objectives and hypotheses of the study.
• Methods: The methods section describes the research design, participants, procedures, and instruments used to collect and analyze data.
• Results: The results section presents the findings of the study in a clear and concise manner, using graphs, tables, and charts where appropriate.
• Discussion: The discussion section interprets the results, explains their significance, and relates them to previous research in the field.
• Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the main points of the paper, discusses the implications of the findings, and suggests future research directions.
• References: The reference list includes all sources cited in the paper, listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name.

In addition to these sections, the AMA format requires that authors follow specific guidelines for citing sources in the text and formatting their references. The AMA style uses a superscript number system for in-text citations and provides specific formats for different types of sources, such as books, journal articles, and websites.

Harvard Style

Harvard Style Research Paper format is as follows:

• Title page: This should include the title of your paper, your name, the name of your institution, and the date of submission.
• Abstract : This is a brief summary of your paper, usually no more than 250 words. It should outline the main points of your research and highlight your findings.
• Introduction : This section should introduce your research topic, provide background information, and outline your research question or thesis statement.
• Literature review: This section should review the relevant literature on your topic, including previous research studies, academic articles, and other sources.
• Methodology : This section should describe the methods you used to conduct your research, including any data collection methods, research instruments, and sampling techniques.
• Results : This section should present your findings in a clear and concise manner, using tables, graphs, and other visual aids if necessary.
• Discussion : This section should interpret your findings and relate them to the broader research question or thesis statement. You should also discuss the implications of your research and suggest areas for future study.
• Conclusion : This section should summarize your main findings and provide a final statement on the significance of your research.
• References : This is a list of all the sources you cited in your paper, presented in alphabetical order by author name. Each citation should include the author’s name, the title of the source, the publication date, and other relevant information.

In addition to these sections, a Harvard Style research paper may also include a table of contents, appendices, and other supplementary materials as needed. It is important to follow the specific formatting guidelines provided by your instructor or academic institution when preparing your research paper in Harvard Style.

Vancouver Style

Vancouver Style Research Paper format is as follows:

The Vancouver citation style is commonly used in the biomedical sciences and is known for its use of numbered references. Here is a basic format for a research paper using the Vancouver citation style:

• Title page: Include the title of your paper, your name, the name of your institution, and the date.
• Abstract : This is a brief summary of your research paper, usually no more than 250 words.
• Introduction : Provide some background information on your topic and state the purpose of your research.
• Methods : Describe the methods you used to conduct your research, including the study design, data collection, and statistical analysis.
• Results : Present your findings in a clear and concise manner, using tables and figures as needed.
• Discussion : Interpret your results and explain their significance. Also, discuss any limitations of your study and suggest directions for future research.
• References : List all of the sources you cited in your paper in numerical order. Each reference should include the author’s name, the title of the article or book, the name of the journal or publisher, the year of publication, and the page numbers.

ACS (American Chemical Society) Style

ACS (American Chemical Society) Style Research Paper format is as follows:

The American Chemical Society (ACS) Style is a citation style commonly used in chemistry and related fields. When formatting a research paper in ACS Style, here are some guidelines to follow:

• Paper Size and Margins : Use standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper with 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Font: Use a 12-point serif font (such as Times New Roman) for the main text. The title should be in bold and a larger font size.
• Title Page : The title page should include the title of the paper, the authors’ names and affiliations, and the date of submission. The title should be centered on the page and written in bold font. The authors’ names should be centered below the title, followed by their affiliations and the date.
• Abstract : The abstract should be a brief summary of the paper, no more than 250 words. It should be on a separate page and include the title of the paper, the authors’ names and affiliations, and the text of the abstract.
• Main Text : The main text should be organized into sections with headings that clearly indicate the content of each section. The introduction should provide background information and state the research question or hypothesis. The methods section should describe the procedures used in the study. The results section should present the findings of the study, and the discussion section should interpret the results and provide conclusions.
• References: Use the ACS Style guide to format the references cited in the paper. In-text citations should be numbered sequentially throughout the text and listed in numerical order at the end of the paper.
• Figures and Tables: Figures and tables should be numbered sequentially and referenced in the text. Each should have a descriptive caption that explains its content. Figures should be submitted in a high-quality electronic format.
• Supporting Information: Additional information such as data, graphs, and videos may be included as supporting information. This should be included in a separate file and referenced in the main text.
• Acknowledgments : Acknowledge any funding sources or individuals who contributed to the research.

ASA (American Sociological Association) Style

ASA (American Sociological Association) Style Research Paper format is as follows:

• Title Page: The title page of an ASA style research paper should include the title of the paper, the author’s name, and the institutional affiliation. The title should be centered and should be in title case (the first letter of each major word should be capitalized).
• Abstract: An abstract is a brief summary of the paper that should appear on a separate page immediately following the title page. The abstract should be no more than 200 words in length and should summarize the main points of the paper.
• Main Body: The main body of the paper should begin on a new page following the abstract page. The paper should be double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on all sides, and should be written in 12-point Times New Roman font. The main body of the paper should include an introduction, a literature review, a methodology section, results, and a discussion.
• References : The reference section should appear on a separate page at the end of the paper. All sources cited in the paper should be listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. Each reference should include the author’s name, the title of the work, the publication information, and the date of publication.
• Appendices : Appendices are optional and should only be included if they contain information that is relevant to the study but too lengthy to be included in the main body of the paper. If you include appendices, each one should be labeled with a letter (e.g., Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.) and should be referenced in the main body of the paper.

APSA (American Political Science Association) Style

APSA (American Political Science Association) Style Research Paper format is as follows:

• Title Page: The title page should include the title of the paper, the author’s name, the name of the course or instructor, and the date.
• Abstract : An abstract is typically not required in APSA style papers, but if one is included, it should be brief and summarize the main points of the paper.
• Introduction : The introduction should provide an overview of the research topic, the research question, and the main argument or thesis of the paper.
• Literature Review : The literature review should summarize the existing research on the topic and provide a context for the research question.
• Methods : The methods section should describe the research methods used in the paper, including data collection and analysis.
• Results : The results section should present the findings of the research.
• Discussion : The discussion section should interpret the results and connect them back to the research question and argument.
• Conclusion : The conclusion should summarize the main findings and implications of the research.
• References : The reference list should include all sources cited in the paper, formatted according to APSA style guidelines.

In-text citations in APSA style use parenthetical citation, which includes the author’s last name, publication year, and page number(s) if applicable. For example, (Smith 2010, 25).

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Paper Format

Consistency in the order, structure, and format of a paper allows readers to focus on a paper’s content rather than its presentation.

To format a paper in APA Style, writers can typically use the default settings and automatic formatting tools of their word-processing program or make only minor adjustments.

The guidelines for paper format apply to both student assignments and manuscripts being submitted for publication to a journal. If you are using APA Style to create another kind of work (e.g., a website, conference poster, or PowerPoint presentation), you may need to format your work differently in order to optimize its presentation, for example, by using different line spacing and font sizes. Follow the guidelines of your institution or publisher to adapt APA Style formatting guidelines as needed.

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Instructional Aids

Guides, checklists, webinars, tutorials, and sample papers for anyone looking to improve their knowledge of APA Style

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APA Format for Students & Researchers

In this guide, students and researchers can learn the basics of creating a properly formatted research paper according to APA guidelines.

It includes information on how to conceptualize, outline, and format the basic structure of your paper, as well as practical tips on spelling, abbreviation, punctuation, and more. The guide concludes with a complete sample paper as well as a final checklist that writers can use to prepare their work for submission.

APA Paper Formatting Basics

• All text should be double-spaced
• Use one-inch margins on all sides
• All paragraphs in the body are indented
• Make sure that the title is centered on the page with your name and school/institution underneath
• Use 12-point font throughout
• All pages should be numbered in the upper right hand corner
• The manual recommends using one space after most punctuation marks
• A shortened version of the title (“running head”) should be placed in the upper left hand corner

Table of Contents

Here’s a quick rundown of the contents of this guide on how to do APA format.

Information related to writing and organizing your paper:

• Paper and essay categories

General paper length

• Margin sizes
• Title pages
• Running Heads
• APA Outline
• APA Abstract
• The body of papers
• APA headings and subheadings
• Use of graphics (tables and figures)

Writing style tips:

Proper tone.

• Reducing bias and labels
• Abbreviation do’s and don’ts
• Punctuation
• Number rules

Citing Your Sources:

• Citing Sources
• In-text Citations
• Reference Page

Proofing Your Paper:

• Final checklist
• Submitting your project

APA Information:

• What is APA
• APA 7 Updates

What you won’t find in this guide: This guide provides information related to the formatting of your paper, as in guidelines related to spacing, margins, word choice, etc. While it provides a general overview of APA references, it does not provide instructions for how to cite in APA format.

For step-by-step instructions for citing books, journals, how to cite a website in APA format, information on an APA format bibliography, and more, refer to these other EasyBib guides:

• APA citation (general reference guide)
• APA In-text citation
• APA article citation
• APA book citation
• APA citation website

Or, you can use our automatic generator. Our APA formatter helps to build your references for you. Yep, you read that correctly.

Writing and Organizing Your APA Paper in an Effective Way

This section of our guide focuses on proper paper length, how to format headings, spacing, and more! This information can be found in Chapter 2 of the official manual (American Psychological Association, 2020, pp. 29-67).

Categories of papers

Before getting into the nitty-gritty details related to APA research paper format, first determine the type of paper you’re about to embark on creating:

Empirical studies

Empirical studies take data from observations and experiments to generate research reports. It is different from other types of studies in that it isn’t based on theories or ideas, but on actual data.

Literature reviews

These papers analyze another individual’s work or a group of works. The purpose is to gather information about a current issue or problem and to communicate where we are today. It sheds light on issues and attempts to fill those gaps with suggestions for future research and methods.

Theoretical articles

These papers are somewhat similar to a literature reviews in that the author collects, examines, and shares information about a current issue or problem, by using others’ research. It is different from literature reviews in that it attempts to explain or solve a problem by coming up with a new theory. This theory is justified with valid evidence.

Methodological articles

These articles showcase new advances, or modifications to an existing practice, in a scientific method or procedure. The author has data or documentation to prove that their new method, or improvement to a method, is valid. Plenty of evidence is included in this type of article. In addition, the author explains the current method being used in addition to their own findings, in order to allow the reader to understand and modify their own current practices.

Case studies

Case studies present information related an individual, group, or larger set of individuals. These subjects are analyzed for a specific reason and the author reports on the method and conclusions from their study. The author may also make suggestions for future research, create possible theories, and/or determine a solution to a problem.

Since APA style format is used often in science fields, the belief is “less is more.” Make sure you’re able to get your points across in a clear and brief way. Be direct, clear, and professional. Try not to add fluff and unnecessary details into your paper or writing.  This will keep the paper length shorter and more concise.

Margin sizes in APA Format

When it comes to margins, keep them consistent across the left, right, top, and bottom of the page. All four sides should be the same distance from the edge of the paper. It’s recommended to use at least one-inch margins around each side. It’s acceptable to use larger margins, but the margins should never be smaller than an inch.

Title pages in APA Format

The title page, or APA format cover page, is the first page of a paper or essay. Some teachers and professors do not require a title page, but some do. If you’re not sure if you should include one or not, ask your teacher. Some appreciate the page, which clearly displays the writer’s name and the title of the paper.

The APA format title page for student papers includes six main components:

• the title of the APA format paper
• names of all authors
• institutional affiliation
• course number and title
• instructor’s name

Title pages for professional papers  also require a running head; student papers do not.

Some instructors and professional publications also ask for an author’s note. If you’re required or would like to include an author’s note, place it below the institutional affiliation. Examples of information included in an author’s note include an ORCID iD number, a disclosure, and an acknowledgement.

Here are key guidelines to developing your title page:

• The title of the paper should capture the main idea of the essay, but should not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose. For example, instead of using the title “A Look at Amphibians From the Past,” title the paper “Amphibians From the Past.” Delete the unnecessary fluff!
• Center the title on the page and place it about 3-4 lines from the top.
• The title should be bolded, in title case, and the same font size as your other page text. Do not underline or italicize the title. Other text on the page should be plain (not bolded , underlined, or italicized ). 
• All text on the title page should be double-spaced. The APA format examples paper below displays proper spacing, so go take a look!
• Do not include any titles in the author’s name such as Dr. or Ms. In contrast, for your instructor’s name, use the form they prefer (e.g., Sagar Parekh, PhD; Dr. Minako Asato; Professor Nathan Ian Brown; etc.).
• The institutional affiliation is the school the author attends or the location where the author conducted the research.

In a hurry? Try the  EasyBib title page maker to easily create a title page for free.

Sample of an APA format title page for a student paper:

Sample of title page for a professional paper:

Running heads in APA Format

The 7th edition of the American Psychological Association Publication Manual (p. 37) states that running heads are not required for student papers unless requested by the instructor. Student papers still need a page number included in the upper right-hand corner of every page. The 6th edition required a running head for student papers, so be sure to confirm with your instructor which edition you should follow. Of note, this guide follows the 7th edition.

Running heads are required for professional papers (e.g., manuscripts submitted for publication). Read on for instructions on how to create them.

Are you wondering what is a “running head”? It’s basically a page header at the top of every page. To make this process easier, set your word processor to automatically add these components onto each page. You may want to look for “Header” in the features.

A running head/page header includes two pieces:

• the title of the paper
• page numbers.

Insert page numbers justified to the right-hand side of the APA format paper (do not put p. or pg. in front of the page numbers).

For all pages of the paper, including the APA format title page, include the “TITLE OF YOUR PAPER” justified to the left in capital letters (i.e., the running head). If your full title is long (over 50 characters), the running head title should be a shortened version.

Preparing outlines in APA Format

Outlines are extremely beneficial as they help writers stay organized, determine the scope of the research that needs to be included, and establish headings and subheadings.

There isn’t an official or recommended “APA format for outline” structure. It is up to the writer (if they choose to make use of an outline) to determine how to organize it and the characters to include. Some writers use a mix of roman numerals, numbers, and uppercase and lowercase letters.

Even though there isn’t a required or recommended APA format for an outline, we encourage writers to make use of one. Who wouldn’t want to put together a rough outline of their project? We promise you, an outline will help you stay on track.

Here’s our version of how APA format for outlines could look:

Don’t forget, if you’re looking for information on APA citation format and other related topics, check out our other comprehensive guides.

How to form an abstract in APA

An APA format abstract (p. 38) is a summary of a scholarly article or scientific study. Scholarly articles and studies are rather lengthy documents, and abstracts allow readers to first determine if they’d like to read an article in its entirety or not.

You may come across abstracts while researching a topic. Many databases display abstracts in the search results and often display them before showing the full text of an article or scientific study. It is important to create a high quality abstract that accurately communicates the purpose and goal of your paper, as readers will determine if it is worthy to continue reading or not.

Are you wondering if you need to create an abstract for your assignment? Usually, student papers do not require an abstract. Abstracts are not typically seen in class assignments, and are usually only included when submitting a paper for publication. Unless your teacher or professor asked for it, you probably don’t need to have one for your class assignment.

If you’re planning on submitting your paper to a journal for publication, first check the journal’s website to learn about abstract and APA paper format requirements.

Here are some helpful suggestions to create a dynamic abstract:

• Abstracts are found on their own page, directly after the title or cover page.
• Professional papers only (not student papers): Include the running head on the top of the page.
• On the first line of the page, center the word “Abstract” (but do not include quotation marks).
• On the following line, write a summary of the key points of your research. Your abstract summary is a way to introduce readers to your research topic, the questions that will be answered, the process you took, and any findings or conclusions you drew. Use concise, brief, informative language. You only have a few sentences to share the summary of your entire document, so be direct with your wording.
• This summary should not be indented, but should be double-spaced and less than 250 words.
• If applicable, help researchers find your work in databases by listing keywords from your paper after your summary. To do this, indent and type Keywords : in italics.  Then list your keywords that stand out in your research. You can also include keyword strings that you think readers will type into the search box.
• Active voice: The subjects reacted to the medication.
• Passive voice: There was a reaction from the subjects taking the medication.
• Instead of evaluating your project in the abstract, simply report what it contains.
• If a large portion of your work includes the extension of someone else’s research, share this in the abstract and include the author’s last name and the year their work was released.

APA format example page:

Here’s an example of an abstract:

Visual design is a critical aspect of any web page or user interface, and its impact on a user’s experience has been studied extensively. Research has shown a positive correlation between a user’s perceived usability and a user’s assessment of visual design. Additionally, perceived web quality, which encompasses visual design, has a positive relationship with both initial and continued consumer purchase intention. However, visual design is often assessed using self-report scale, which are vulnerable to a few pitfalls. Because self-report questionnaires are often reliant on introspection and honesty, it is difficult to confidently rely on self-report questionnaires to make important decisions. This study aims to ensure the validity of a visual design assessment instrument (Visual Aesthetics of Websites Inventory: Short version) by examining its relationship with biometric (variables), like galvanic skin response, pupillometry, and fixation information. Our study looked at participants assessment of a webpage’s visual design, and compared it to their biometric responses while viewing the webpage. Overall, we found that both average fixation duration and pupil dilation differed when participants viewed web pages with lower visual design ratings compared to web pages with a higher visual design rating.

Keywords : usability, visual design, websites, eye tracking, pupillometry, self-report, VisAWI

The body of an APA paper

On the page after the title page (if a student paper) or the abstract (if a professional paper), begin with the body of the paper.

Most papers follow this format:

• At the top of the page, add the page number in the upper right corner of all pages, including the title page.
• On the next line write the title in bold font and center it. Do not underline or italicize it.
• Begin with the introduction and indent the first line of the paragraph. All paragraphs in the body are indented.

Sample body for a student paper:

Most scientific or professional papers have additional sections and guidelines:

• Start with the running head (title + page number). The heading title should be in capital letters. The abstract page should be page 2.
• The introduction presents the problem and premise upon which the research was based. It goes into more detail about this problem than the abstract.
• Begin a new section with the Method and use this word as the subtitle. Bold and center this subtitle. The Method section shows how the study was run and conducted. Be sure to describe the methods through which data was collected.
• Begin a new section with the Results . Bold and center this subtitle. The Results section summarizes your data. Use charts and graphs to display this data.
• Draw conclusions and support how your data led to these conclusions.
• Discuss whether or not your hypothesis was confirmed or not supported by your results.
• Determine the limitations of the study and next steps to improve research for future studies.

Sample body for a professional paper:

Keep in mind, APA citation format is much easier than you think, thanks to EasyBib.com. Try our automatic generator and watch how we create APA citation format references for you in just a few clicks. While you’re at it, take a peek at our other helpful guides, such as our APA reference page guide, to make sure you’re on track with your research papers.

Proper usage of headings & subheadings in APA Format

Headings (p. 47) serve an important purpose in research papers — they organize your paper and make it simple to locate different pieces of information. In addition, headings provide readers with a glimpse to the main idea, or content, they are about to read.

In APA format, there are five levels of headings, each with a different formatting:

• This is the title of your paper
• The title should be centered in the middle of the page
• The title should be bolded
• Use uppercase and lowercase letters where necessary (called title capitalization)
• Place this heading against the left margin
• Use bold letters
• Use uppercase and lowercase letters where necessary
• Place this heading against the left side margin
• End the heading with a period
• Indented in from the left margin

Following general formatting rules, all headings are double spaced and there are no extra lines or spaces between sections.

Here is a visual APA format template for levels of headings:

Use of graphics (tables and figures) in APA Format

If you’re looking to jazz up your project with any charts, tables, drawings, or images, there are certain APA format rules (pp. 195-250) to follow.

First and foremost, the only reason why any graphics should be added is to provide the reader with an easier way to see or read information, rather than typing it all out in the text.

Lots of numbers to discuss? Try organizing your information into a chart or table. Pie charts, bar graphs, coordinate planes, and line graphs are just a few ways to show numerical data, relationships between numbers, and many other types of information.

Instead of typing out long, drawn out descriptions, create a drawing or image. Many visual learners would appreciate the ability to look at an image to make sense of information.

Before you go ahead and place that graphic in your paper, here are a few key guidelines:

• Follow them in the appropriate numerical order in which they appear in the text of your paper. Example : Figure 1, Figure 2, Table 1, Figure 3.
• Example: Figure 1, Figure 2, Table 1, Figure 3
• Only use graphics if they will supplement the material in your text. If they reinstate what you already have in your text, then it is not necessary to include a graphic.
• Include enough wording in the graphic so that the reader is able to understand its meaning, even if it is isolated from the corresponding text. However, do not go overboard with adding a ton of wording in your graphic.
• Left align tables and figures

In our APA format sample paper , you’ll find examples of tables after the references. You may also place tables and figures within the text just after it is mentioned.

Is there anything better than seeing a neatly organized data table? We think not! If you have tons of numbers or data to share, consider creating a table instead of typing out a wordy paragraph. Tables are pretty easy to whip up on Google Docs or Microsoft Word.

General format of a table should be:

• Table number
• Choose to type out your data OR create a table. As stated above, in APA format, you shouldn’t have the information typed out in your paper and also have a table showing the same exact information. Choose one or the other.
• If you choose to create a table, discuss it very briefly in the text. Say something along the lines of, “Table 1 displays the amount of money used towards fighting Malaria.” Or, “Stomach cancer rates are displayed in Table 4.”
• If you’re submitting your project for a class, place your table close to the text where it’s mentioned. If you’re submitting it to be published in a journal, most publishers prefer tables to be placed in the back. If you’re unsure where to place your tables, ask!
• Include the table number first and at the top. Table 1 is the first table discussed in the paper. Table 2 is the next table mentioned, and so on. This should be in bold.
• Add a title under the number. Create a brief, descriptive title. Capitalize the first letter for each important word. Italicize the title and place it under the table number.
• Only use horizontal lines.
• Limit use of cell shading.
• Keep the font at 12-point size and use single or double spacing. If you use single spacing in one table, make sure all of the others use single spaces as well. Keep it consistent.
• All headings should be centered.
• In the first column (called the stub), center the heading, left-align the information underneath it (indent 0.15 inches if info is more than one line).
• Information in other columns should be centered.
• General . Information about the whole table.
• Specific . Information targeted for a specific column, row, or cell.
• Probability . Explains what certain table symbols mean. For example, asterisks,  p values, etc.

Here’s an APA format example of a table:

We know putting together a table is pretty tricky. That’s why we’ve included not one, but a few tables on this page. Scroll down and look at the additional tables in the essay in APA format example found below.

Figures represent information in a visual way. They differ from tables in that they are visually appealing. Sure, tables, like the one above, can be visually appealing, but it’s the color, circles, arrows, boxes, or icons included that make a figure a “figure.”

There are many commonly used figures in papers. Examples APA Format:

• Photographs
• Hierarchy charts

General format of a figure is the same as tables. This means each should include:

• Figure number

Use the same formatting tables use for the number, title, and note.

Here are some pointers to keep in mind when it comes to APA format for figures:

• Only include a figure if it adds value to your paper. If it will truly help with understanding, include it!
• Either include a figure OR write it all out in the text. Do not include the same information twice.
• If a note is added, it should clearly explain the content of the figure. Include any reference information if it’s reproduced or adapted.

APA format sample of a figure:

Photographs:

We live in a world where we have tons of photographs available at our fingertips.

Photographs found through Google Images, social media, stock photos made available from subscription sites, and tons of other various online sources make obtaining photographs a breeze. We can even pull out our cell phones, and in just a few seconds, take pictures with our cameras.

Photographs are simple to find, and because of this, many students enjoy using them in their papers.

If you have a photograph you would like to include in your project, here are some guidelines from the American Psychological Association.

• Create a reference for the photograph. Follow the guidelines under the table and figure sections above.
• Do not use color photos. It is recommended to use black and white. Colors can change depending on the reader’s screen resolution. Using black and white ensures the reader will be able to view the image clearly. The only time it is recommended to use color photos is if you’re writing about color-specific things. For example, if you’re discussing the various shades of leaf coloration, you may want to include a few photographs of colorful leaves.
• If there are sections of the photograph that are not related to your work, it is acceptable to crop them out. Cropping is also beneficial in that it helps the reader focus on the main item you’re discussing.
• If you choose to include an image of a person you know, it would be respectful if you ask their permission before automatically including their photo in your paper.  Some schools and universities post research papers online and some people prefer that their photos and information stay off the Internet.

B. Writing Style Tips

Writing a paper for scientific topics is much different than writing for English, literature, and other composition classes. Science papers are much more direct, clear, and concise. This section includes key suggestions, explains how to write in APA format, and includes other tidbits to keep in mind while formulating your research paper.

Verb usage in APA

Research experiments and observations rely on the creation and analysis of data to test hypotheses and come to conclusions. While sharing and explaining the methods and results of studies, science writers often use verbs.

When using verbs in writing, make sure that you continue to use them in the same tense throughout the section you’re writing. Further details are in the publication manual (p. 117).

Here’s an APA format example:

We tested the solution to identify the possible contaminants.

It wouldn’t make sense to add this sentence after the one above:

We tested the solution to identify the possible contaminants. Researchers often test solutions by placing them under a microscope.

Notice that the first sentence is in the past tense while the second sentence is in the present tense. This can be confusing for readers.

For verbs in scientific papers, the APA manual recommends using:

• Past tense or present perfect tense for the explantation of the procedure
• Past tense for the explanation of the results
• Present tense for the explanation of the conclusion and future implications

If this is all a bit much, and you’re simply looking for help with your references, try the EasyBib.com APA format generator . Our APA formatter creates your references in just a few clicks. APA citation format is easier than you think thanks to our innovative, automatic tool.

Even though your writing will not have the same fluff and detail as other forms of writing, it should not be boring or dull to read. The Publication Manual suggests thinking about who will be the main reader of your work and to write in a way that educates them.

How to reduce bias & labels

The American Psychological Association strongly objects to any bias towards gender, racial groups, ages of individuals or subjects, disabilities, and sexual orientation (pp. 131-149). If you’re unsure whether your writing is free of bias and labels or not, have a few individuals read your work to determine if it’s acceptable.

Here are a few guidelines that the American Psychological Association suggests :

• Only include information about an individual’s orientation or characteristic if it is important to the topic or study. Do not include information about individuals or labels if it is not necessary.
• If writing about an individual’s characteristic or orientation, for essay APA format, make sure to put the person first. Instead of saying, “Diabetic patients,” say, “Patients who are diabetic.”
• Instead of using narrow terms such as, “adolescents,” or “the elderly,” try to use broader terms such as, “participants,” and “subjects.”
• “They” or “their” are acceptable gender-neutral pronouns to use.
• Be mindful when using terms that end with “man” or “men” if they involve subjects who are female. For example, instead of using “Firemen,” use the term, “Firefighter.” In general, avoid ambiguity.
• When referring to someone’s racial or ethnic identity, use the census category terms and capitalize the first letter. Also, avoid using the word, “minority,” as it can be interpreted as meaning less than or deficient. Instead, say “people of color” or “underrepresented groups.”
• When describing subjects in APA format, use the words “girls” and “boys” for children who are under the age of 12. The terms, “young woman,” “young man,” “female adolescent,” and “male adolescent” are appropriate for subjects between 13-17 years old; “Men,” and “women,” for those older than 18. Use the term, “older adults.” for individuals who are older. “Elderly,” and “senior,” are not acceptable if used only as nouns. It is acceptable to use these terms if they’re used as adjectives.

Read through our example essay in APA format, found in section D, to see how we’ve reduced bias and labels.

Spelling in APA Format

• In APA formatting, use the same spelling as words found in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (American English) (p. 161).
• If the word you’re trying to spell is not found in Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, a second resource is Webster’s Third New International Dictionary .
• If attempting to properly spell words in the psychology field, consult the American Psychological Association’s Dictionary of Psychology

Thanks to helpful tools and features, such as the spell checker, in word processing programs, most of us think we have everything we need right in our document. However, quite a few helpful features are found elsewhere.

Where can you find a full grammar editor? Right here, on EasyBib.com. The EasyBib Plus paper checker scans your paper for spelling, but also for any conjunction , determiner, or adverb out of place. Try it out and unlock the magic of an edited paper.

Abbreviation do’s and don’ts in APA Format

Abbreviations can be tricky. You may be asking yourself, “Do I include periods between the letters?” “Are all letters capitalized?” “Do I need to write out the full name each and every time?” Not to worry, we’re breaking down the publication manual’s abbreviations (p. 172) for you here.

First and foremost, use abbreviations sparingly.

Too many and you’re left with a paper littered with capital letters mashed together. Plus, they don’t lend themselves to smooth and easy reading. Readers need to pause and comprehend the meaning of abbreviations and quite often stumble over them.

• If the abbreviation is used less than three times in the paper, type it out each time. It would be pretty difficult to remember what an abbreviation or acronym stands for if you’re writing a lengthy paper.
• If you decide to sprinkle in abbreviations,  it is not necessary to include periods between the letters.
• Example: While it may not affect a patient’s short-term memory (STM), it may affect their ability to comprehend new terms. Patients who experience STM loss while using the medication should discuss it with their doctor.
• Example : AIDS
• The weight in pounds exceeded what we previously thought.

Punctuation in APA Format

One space after most punctuation marks.

The manual recommends using one space after most punctuation marks, including punctuation at the end of a sentence (p. 154). It doesn’t hurt to double check with your teacher or professor to ask their preference since this rule was changed recently (in 2020).

The official APA format book was primarily created to aid individuals with submitting their paper for publication in a professional journal. Many schools adopt certain parts of the handbook and modify sections to match their preference. To see an example of an APA format research paper, with the spacing we believe is most commonly and acceptable to use, scroll down and see section D.

For more information related to the handbook, including frequently asked questions, and more, here’s further reading on the style

It’s often a heated debate among writers whether or not to use an Oxford comma (p. 155), but for this style, always use an Oxford comma. This type of comma is placed before the words AND and OR or in a series of three items.

Example of APA format for commas: The medication caused drowsiness, upset stomach, and fatigue.

Here’s another example: The subjects chose between cold, room temperature, or warm water.

Apostrophes

When writing a possessive singular noun, you should place the apostrophe before the s. For possessive plural nouns, the apostrophe is placed after the s.

• Singular : Linda Morris’s jacket
• Plural : The Morris’ house

Em dashes (long dash) are used to bring focus to a particular point or an aside. There are no spaces after these dashes (p. 157).

Use en dashes (short dash) in compound adjectives. Do not place a space before or after the dash. Here are a few examples:

• custom-built
• 12-year-old

Number rules in APA Format

Science papers often include the use of numbers, usually displayed in data, tables, and experiment information. The golden rule to keep in mind is that numbers less than 10 are written out in text. If the number is more than 10, use numerals.

APA format examples:

• 14 kilograms
• seven individuals
• 83 years old
• Fourth grade

The golden rule for numbers has exceptions.

In APA formatting, use numerals if you are:

• Showing numbers in a table or graph
• 4 divided by 2
• 6-month-olds

Use numbers written out as words if you are:

• Ninety-two percent of teachers feel as though….
• Hundred Years’ War
• One-sixth of the students

Other APA formatting number rules to keep in mind:

• World War II
• Super Bowl LII
• It’s 1980s, not 1980’s!

Additional number rules can be found in the publication manual (p. 178)

Need help with other writing topics? Our plagiarism checker is a great resource for anyone looking for writing help. Say goodbye to an out of place noun , preposition , or adjective, and hello to a fully edited paper.

Overview of APA references

While writing a research paper, it is always important to give credit and cite your sources; this lets you acknowledge others’ ideas and research you’ve used in your own work. Not doing so can be considered plagiarism , possibly leading to a failed grade or loss of a job.

APA style is one of the most commonly used citation styles used to prevent plagiarism. Here’s more on crediting sources . Let’s get this statement out of the way before you become confused: An APA format reference and an APA format citation are two different things! We understand that many teachers and professors use the terms as if they’re synonyms, but according to this specific style, they are two separate things, with different purposes, and styled differently.

A reference displays all of the information about the source — the title, the author’s name, the year it was published, the URL, all of it! References are placed on the final page of a research project.

Here’s an example of a reference:

Wynne-Jones, T. (2015). The emperor of any place . Candlewick Press.

An APA format citation is an APA format in-text citation. These are found within your paper, anytime a quote or paraphrase is included. They usually only include the name of the author and the date the source was published.

Here’s an example of one:

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is even discussed in the book, The Emperor of Any Place . The main character, Evan, finds a mysterious diary on his father’s desk (the same desk his father died on, after suffering from a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy attack). Evan unlocks the truth to his father and grandfather’s past (Wynne-Jones, 2015).

Both of the ways to credit another individual’s work — in the text of a paper and also on the final page — are key to preventing plagiarism. A writer must use both types in a paper. If you cite something in the text, it must have a full reference on the final page of the project. Where there is one, there must be the other!

Now that you understand that, here’s some basic info regarding APA format references (pp. 281-309).

• Each reference is organized, or structured, differently. It all depends on the source type. A book reference is structured one way, an APA journal is structured a different way, a newspaper article is another way. Yes, it’s probably frustrating that not all references are created equal and set up the same way. MLA works cited pages are unique in that every source type is formatted the same way. Unfortunately, this style is quite different.
• Most references follow this general format:

Author’s Last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Year published). Title of source . URL.

Again, as stated in the above paragraph, you must look up the specific source type you’re using to find out the placement of the title, author’s name, year published, etc.

For more information on APA format for sources and how to reference specific types of sources, use the other guides on EasyBib.com. Here’s another useful site .

Looking for a full visual of a page of references? Scroll down and take a peek at our APA format essay example towards the bottom of this page. You’ll see a list of references and you can gain a sense of how they look.

Bonus: here’s a link to more about the fundamentals related to this particular style. If you want to brush up or catch up on the Modern Language Association’s style, here’s a great resource on how to cite websites in MLA .

In-text APA citation format

Did you find the perfect quote or piece of information to include in your project? Way to go! It’s always a nice feeling when we find that magical piece of data or info to include in our writing. You probably already know that you can’t just copy and paste it into your project, or type it in, without also providing credit to the original author.

Displaying where the original information came from is much easier than you think.Directly next to the quote or information you included, place the author’s name and the year nearby. This allows the reader of your work to see where the information originated.

APA allows for the use of two different forms of in-text citation, parenthetical and narrative Both forms of citation require two elements:

• author’s name
• year of publication

The only difference is the way that this information is presented to the reader.

Parenthetical citations are the more commonly seen form of in-text citations for academic work, in which both required reference elements are presented at the end of the sentence in parentheses. Example:

Harlem had many artists and musicians in the late 1920s (Belafonte, 2008).

Narrative citations allow the author to present one or both of the required reference elements inside of the running sentence, which prevents the text from being too repetitive or burdensome. When only one of the two reference elements is included in the sentence, the other is provided parenthetically. Example:

According to Belafonte (2008), Harlem was full of artists and musicians in the late 1920s.

If there are two authors listed in the source entry, then the parenthetical reference must list them both:

(Smith & Belafonte, 2008)

If there are three or more authors listed in the source entry, then the parenthetical reference can abbreviate with “et al.”, the latin abbreviation for “and others”:

(Smith et al., 2008)

The author’s names are structured differently if there is more than one author. Things will also look different if there isn’t an author at all (which is sometimes the case with website pages). For more information on APA citation format, check out this page on the topic: APA parenthetical citation and APA in-text citation . There is also more information in the official manual in chapter 8.

If it’s MLA in-text and parenthetical citations you’re looking for, we’ve got your covered there too! You might want to also check out his guide on parenthetical citing .

Would you benefit from having a tool that helps you easily generate citations that are in the text? Check out EasyBib Plus!

References page in APA Format

An APA format reference page is easier to create than you probably think. We go into detail on how to create this page on our APA reference page . We also have a guide for how to create an annotated bibliography in APA . But, if you’re simply looking for a brief overview of the reference page, we’ve got you covered here.

Here are some pointers to keep in mind when it comes to the references page in APA format:

• This VIP page has its very own page. Start on a fresh, clean document (p. 303).
• Center and bold the title “References” (do not include quotation marks, underline, or italicize this title).
• Alphabetize and double-space ALL entries.
• Use a readable font, such as Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, or Lucida (p. 44).
• Every quote or piece of outside information included in the paper should be referenced and have an entry.
• Even though it’s called a “reference page,” it can be longer than one page. If your references flow onto the next page, then that’s a-okay.
• Only include the running head if it is required by your teacher or you’re writing a professional paper.

Sample reference page for a student paper:

Here’s another friendly reminder to use the EasyBib APA format generator (that comes with EasyBib Plus) to quickly and easily develop every single one of your references for you. Try it out! Our APA formatter is easy to use and ready to use 24/7.

Final APA Format Checklist

Prior to submitting your paper, check to make sure you have everything you need and everything in its place:

• Did you credit all of the information and quotes you used in the body of your paper and show a matching full reference at the end of the paper? Remember, you need both! Need more information on how to credit other authors and sources? Check out our other guides, or use the EasyBib APA format generator to credit your sources quickly and easily. EasyBib.com also has more styles than just the one this page focuses on.
• 12-pt. Times New Roman
• 11-pt. Calibri, Arial, Georgia
• 10-pt. Lucida, Sans Unicode, Computer Modern
• If you created an abstract, is it directly after the title page? Some teachers and professors do not require an abstract, so before you go ahead and include it, make sure it’s something he or she is expecting.
• Professional paper — Did you include a running head on every single page of your project?
• Student paper — Did you include page numbers in the upper right-hand corner of all your pages?
• Are all headings, as in section or chapter titles, properly formatted? If you’re not sure, check section number 9.
• Are all tables and figures aligned properly? Did you include notes and other important information directly below the table or figure? Include any information that will help the reader completely understand everything in the table or figure if it were to stand alone.
• Are abbreviations used sparingly? Did you format them properly?
• Is the entire document double spaced?
• Are all numbers formatted properly? Check section 17, which is APA writing format for numbers.
• Did you glance at the sample paper? Is your assignment structured similarly? Are all of the margins uniform?

Submitting Your APA Paper

Congratulations for making it this far! You’ve put a lot of effort into writing your paper and making sure the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted. If you’re planning to submit your paper for a school assignment, make sure you review your teacher or professor’s procedures.

If you’re submitting your paper to a journal, you probably need to include a cover letter.

Most cover letters ask you to include:

• The author’s contact information.
• A statement to the editor that the paper is original.
• If a similar paper exists elsewhere, notify the editor in the cover letter.

Once again, review the specific journal’s website for exact specifications for submission.

Okay, so you’re probably thinking you’re ready to hit send or print and submit your assignment. Can we offer one last suggestion? We promise it will only take a minute.

Consider running your paper through our handy dandy paper checker. It’s pretty simple.

Copy and paste or upload your paper into our checker. Within a minute, we’ll provide feedback on your spelling and grammar. If there’s a pronoun , interjection , or verb out of place, we’ll highlight it and offer suggestions for improvement. We’ll even take it a step further and point out any instances of possible plagiarism.

If it sounds too good to be true, then head on over to our innovative tool and give it a whirl. We promise you won’t be disappointed.

What is APA Format?

APA stands for the American Psychological Association . In this guide, you’ll find information related to “What is APA format?” in relation to writing and organizing your paper according to the American Psychological Association’s standards. Information on how to cite sources can be found on our APA citation page. The official American Psychological Association handbook was used as a reference for our guide and we’ve included page numbers from the manual throughout. However, this page is not associated with the association.

You’ll most likely use APA format if your paper is on a scientific topic. Many behavioral and social sciences use this organization’s standards and guidelines.

What are behavioral sciences? Behavioral sciences study human and animal behavior. They can include:

• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience

What are social sciences? Social sciences focus on one specific aspect of human behavior, specifically social and cultural relationships. Social sciences can include:

• Anthropology
• Political Science
• Human Geography
• Archaeology
• Linguistics

What’s New in the 7th Edition?

This citation style was created by the American Psychological Association. Its rules and guidelines can be found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association . The information provided in the guide above follows the 6th edition (2009) of the manual. The 7th edition was published in 2020 and is the most recent version.

The 7th edition of the Publication Manual is in full color and includes 12 sections (compared to 8 sections in the 6th edition). In general, this new edition differentiates between professional and student papers, includes guidance with accessibility in mind, provides new examples to follow, and has updated guidelines.We’ve selected a few notable updates below, but for a full view of all of the 7th edition changes visit the style’s website linked here .

• Paper title
• Student name
• Affiliation (e.g., school, department, etc.)
• Course number and title
• Course instructor
• 6th edition – Running head: SMARTPHONE EFFECTS ON ADOLESCENT SOCIALIZATION
• 7th edition – SMARTPHONE EFFECTS ON ADOLESCENT SOCIALIZATION
• Pronouns . “They” can be used as a gender-neutral pronoun.
• Bias-free language guidelines . There are updated and new sections on guidelines for this section. New sections address participation in research, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality.
• Spacing after sentences. Add only a single space after end punctuation.
• Tables and figures . The citing format is now streamlined so that both tables and figures should include a name and number above the table/figure, and a note underneath the table/figure.
• 6th ed. – (Ikemoto, Richardson, Murphy, Yoshida 2016)
• 7th ed. – (Ikemoto et al., 2016)
• Citing books. The location of the publisher can be omitted. Also, e-books no longer need to mention the format (e.g., Kindle, etc.)
• Example: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-019-0153-5
• Using URLs. URLs no longer need to be prefaced by the words “Retrieved from.”

New citing information . There is new guidance on citing classroom or intranet resources, and oral traditions or traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples.

Visit our EasyBib Twitter feed to discover more citing tips, fun grammar facts, and the latest product updates.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) (2020). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Published October 31, 2011. Updated May 14, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib.com. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• Multiple Authors
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Parenthetical Citations
• Sample Paper
• View APA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA Examples

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We should not use “et al.” in APA reference list entries. If the number of authors in the source is up to and including 20, list all author names and use an ampersand (&) before the final author’s name. If the number of authors is more than 20, list the first 19 authors’ names followed by an ellipsis (but no ampersand), and then add the final author’s name. An example of author names in a reference entry having more than 20 authors is given below:

Author Surname1, F. M., Author Surname2, F. M., Author Surname3, F. M., Author Surname4, F. M., Author Surname5, F. M., Author Surname6, F. M., Author Surname7, F. M., Author Surname8, F. M., Author Surname9, F. M., Author Surname10, F. M., Author Surname11, F. M., Author Surname12, F. M., Author Surname13, F. M., Author Surname14, F. M., Author Surname15, F. M., Author Surname16, F. M., Author Surname17, F. M., Author Surname18, F. M., Author Surname19, F. M., . . .  Last Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year).

Alvarez, L. D., Peach, J. L., Rodriguez, J. F., Donald, L., Thomas, M., Aruck, A., Samy, K., Anthony, K., Ajey, M., Rodriguez, K. L., Katherine, K., Vincent, A., Pater, F., Somu, P., Pander, L., Berd, R., Fox, L., Anders, A., Kamala, W., . . . Nicole Jones, K. (2019).

Note that, unlike references with 2 to 20 author names, the symbol “&” is not used here before the last author’s name.

APA 7, released in October 2019, has some new updates. Here is a brief description of the updates made in APA 7.

Different types of papers and best practices are given in detail in Chapter 1.

How to format a student title page is explained in Chapter 2. Examples of a professional paper and a student paper are included.

Chapter 3 provides additional information on qualitative and mixed methods of research.

An update on writing style is included in Chapter 4.

In chapter 5, some best practices for writing with bias-free language are included.

Chapter 6 gives some updates on style elements including using a single space after a period, including a citation with an abbreviation, the treatment of numbers in abstracts, treatment for different types of lists, and the formatting of gene and protein names.

In Chapter 7, additional examples are given for tables and figures for different types of publications.

In Chapter 8, how to format quotations and how to paraphrase text are covered with additional examples. A simplified version of in-text citations is clearly illustrated.

Chapter 9 has many updates: listing all author names up to 20 authors, standardizing DOIs and URLs, and the formatting of an annotated bibliography.

Chapter 10 includes many examples with templates for all reference types. New rules covering the inclusion of the issue number for journals and the omission of publisher location from book references are provided. Explanations of how to cite YouTube videos, power point slides, and TED talks are included.

Chapter 11 includes many legal references for easy understanding.

Chapter 12 provides advice for authors on how to promote their papers.

For more information on some of the changes found in APA 7, check out this EasyBib article .

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Demystifying the Research Paper Format: A Comprehensive Guide

Listen up, word nerds and academic overachievers—we’re about to take a deep dive into one of the most critically important, sanity-preserving elements of any successful research journey. I’m talking about Research Paper Format with a capital “RPF” (because it’s just that serious).

Whether you’re a bright-eyed student stressing over your first long-form assignment or a seasoned academic warrior well-acquainted with the emotional rigor of intensive scholarly writing, having an intimate understanding of proper research paper format is like owning the master architectural blueprints to constructing a rock-solid, structurally-sound castle of fact-based genius.

You can litter that literary construction site with all the impassioned rhetoric, bulletproof evidence, and avant-garde engineering concepts you want. But if the foundational formatting is compromised or out of compliance, your entire intellectual edifice runs a serious risk of crumbling faster than a misprinted tape measure can say “oops”.

So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and explore all the essential formatting ingredients for erecting a sturdy, up-to-code research paper that’ll leave your audience slack-jawed over not just your impeccable findings, but the professional polish you exhibited in packaging them.

Research Paper Format 101: It Starts with a Thesis

Okay, so while the nuts-and-bolts particulars like font size, margin widths, and heading structures are undoubtedly crucial for any by-the-book research paper format, they’re actually pretty straightforward logistical decisions compared to the true first format challenge – conceptualizing your central Thesis.

This thesis statement represents the raw intellectual materials you’ll be marshalling to construct your argument. It needs to accomplish a few key things:

• Introduce and crystallize your paper’s main premise or hypothesis
• Simultaneously preview the primary evidence/reasoning you intend to build upon
• Strike the perfect balance between specificity and flexibility

That final point is especially important. See, while your thesis absolutely should pack enough substance to clarify the “who, what, where, and why” behind your research trajectory, you’ll also want to leave yourself sufficient wiggle room to pivot or expound on potential new insights that emerge along the way.

Think of it like blueprinting a home’s floor plan. You’ll start with an established structural vision dictating the basic rooms, overall square footage, and general architectural style. But then you get to play interior decorator, rearranging feng shui and furnishings as inspiration strikes during each phase of the actual build.

If the thesis is too closed-ended and hyper-specific, you risk painting yourself into an intellectual corner before you’ve even started writing. But a statement that’s overly broad or hazy essentially leaves you wandering aimlessly through the academic wilderness without any sense of directional cohesion.

When formatted thoughtfully from the jump though, the thesis works in tandem with the rest of your research paper’s organizational framing to illuminate a clear path forward while still affording you flexibility to riff within its established parameters. Easy peasy!

Once you’ve got that powerful premise solidified, the next series of format considerations relate to properly sectioning your paper into an intuitive, digestible flow that shepherds readers through your core findings and analyses. Much like plotting the floorplan for constructing your dream crib, you’ll want to format these main sections to build upon each other in a natural progressive sequence.

The Quintessential Research Paper Format Template: An Investigative Tour

While there are certainly some stylistic variations out there depending on your specific academic discipline or personal penchants, the tried-and-true structural template for research paper format typically adheres to this sectional blueprint:

• Title Page (duh)
• Introduction
• Body/Methodology
• Results/Analysis
• Discussion/Conclusion
• References/Bibliography
• Appendices (if applicable)

Each of these sections plays a pivotal role in orienting readers, substantiating your credibility, walking through your actual findings step-by-step, and ultimately solidifying the real-world relevance behind why they should care about your insights in the first place.

Of course, the title page part barely needs explaining – it’s quite literally the face representing the sum total of your efforts. Make it direct yet gripping enough to command intrigue without resorting to showboating or undue hyperbole. After all, this Bad Boy is likely going to be one of the primarily-consumed pieces once your research is finally published.

From there, the abstract functions as sort of a thesis statement compression chamber. You’ll want to weaponize those 250 words or less to concisely encapsulate the essence of your entire paper . This includes the overarching context, fundamental research questions and methodology, core findings and takeaways, and high-level implications.

It’s your make-or-break chance to hook discerning readers with an appetizing amuse bouche that inspires them to devour every last page of your hard-earned feast.

After that tantalizing tease of an abstract, the intro properly kicks things off by reintroducing your comprehensive thesis – now with some added meat and context plastered onto those conceptual bones. Devote this section to broadly framing your subject’s history, identifying existing knowledge gaps and schools of thought, and telegraphing the specific original questions or hypotheses you intend to investigate. With some luck, you’ll leverage this stage-setting to cultivate a rabid sense of curiosity in readers about where your unique perspective is headed next.

Which brings us to probably the most pivotal diagrammed chambers in your research paper’s layout… the body and methodology wings. This is the lugar where you’ll get to labor over the granular minutiae of your painstakingly-conducted study protocols and hard-earned findings that underpin your novel assertions.

Proper formatting of these interconnected veins is Mission: Critical for establishing your work’s integrity, reproducibility, and longstanding scholarly value. Within the methodology room, you’ll need to meticulously document things like research design, experimental apparatus, participant recruitment, data collection, and analysis procedures with such transparency that anyone could theoretically replicate the exact same foundational framework moving forward. Make this baby airtight with no ambiguities, and you’ve already demonstrated way more disciplined credibility than most.

Then when chronicling your observed results and analyses through the adjoining body chamber, focus on formatting that gently guides your audience through all relevant data outputs, statistical interrogations, trend identifications, and deduced implications. Be sure to show your work at every Phase through liberal incorporation of figures, tables, code snippets, quotes and parenthetical sourcing. It’s all about laying that bulletproof, immaculately-cited empirical bedrock to scaffold your final conclusions upon.

With all the heavy scientific lifting out of the way at this point, the research paper enters its third-act resolution— the rezoned discussion/conclusion theatre where you can finally peel back the curtain to reveal all those profound, bigger-picture musings your study illuminated.

Reflecting back on the astounding results you documented leading up to now, milk this section for all its rhetorical worth by succinctly editorializing the broader impacts, downstream applications, and paradigm-shifting perspectives your findings might inspire. Don’t be afraid to close out with some rousing open-ended prompts or clarion calls for further exploration into particularly tantalizing mysteries you may have unearthed. Hype up that potential for legacy!

That visceral, forward-looking revelry is really just gravy on top of the reference section’s more studious play-by-play formatting, however. While not the flashiest ordering chamber in your blueprint, properly executing this references wing, complete with an exhaustively compiled bibliography of source materials, is one of your investigative edifice’s load-bearing support columns.

Every concept, datapoint, quote, study, or third-party assertion you cited throughout any previous segment needs to be satisfyingly catalogued and formatted to the last crossed T and dotted I according to whichever official referencing styleguide you adhere to— APA, AP, MLA …whatever your heart desires. This meticulous, standardized sourcing format is your preemptive vaccine against the academic reaper plagiarism ever trying to dismantle your fortress of ideas.

And finally, for those special ed corner cases demanding a bit of custom spatial formatting, you’ve got the option to tack on an appendices accessory dwelling unit as well. Think of these suckers as soulful architectural bonus rooms tailor-made for housing any additional source documentation, robust data tables, or other supplementary materials that enrich your work’s core observations while granting readers that fully-immersive supplemental reading experience.

Need to include full questionnaire transcripts from your survey respondents? Bam. Appendix. Raw datasheets that informed your canonical results but were too unwieldy for the main attraction? Sure, slide those tasty morsels right into the back pocket of this fully-decked outhouse.

With some careful advanced planning, this endcap flourish can transform your comprehensive research paper format from a reasonably thorough but standalone document into an entire multimedia suite of intellectual property. Because at the end of the day, isn’t having the formatting flexibility to house ALL your brilliant output what this whole exercise was about in the first place?

Perfecting Research Paper Formatting From Fonts to Folios

While establishing that high-level skeletal framework of sections is obviously fundamental to nailing research paper format, the proverbial make-or-break difference between apprentice and master class often comes down to your deft handling of the little things. I’m talking the granular stylistic details and standardization practices for elements like:

• Font Selection & Text Formatting
• Heading/Subheading Structures
• Page Numbering & Sections Organization
• In-Text and Reference Citations
• Visual Aids & Supporting Materials
• Styleguide Adherence

Taking each one of these nuanced format factors into account and executing them with precise, cohesive intentionality can be the deceptively difficulty hazing ritual separating the serious research savants from those who fritter away their potential on the mound of half-hearted rough drafts.

Font Choice and Text Styling – The Sweet Science of Reader Optimization

Let’s kick things off with one of the first subtle-yet-significant research format decisions you’ll face – achieving that ideal font selection and textual formatting zen spot between legibility and formality.

Sure, you could try going rogue and Wingdinging the heck out of your methodology section using custom hieroglyphic symbols just for the thrill of irritating your advisor’s eyeballs. But then your groundbreaking study on beet agriculture would end up looking like it was written by a dyslexic corporate attorney on acid.

Suffice to say, when operating within the sober professional constraints of serious research paper territory, you’ll want to stick to universally acceptable fonts that strike a diplomatic balance between crisp readability and academic elegance. Safe bets here include trusty classics like Times New Roman, Arial, and the king of plaintext primetime – Computer Modern. These typeface OGs are basically the LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant of making words look sharp AF on a page.

From there, it’s just a matter of applying some subtle stylistic gravy to ensure your paper consistently massages eyeballs rather than repelling them in protest. Sticking to a comfortable 11–12 pt size for your body copy is a good baseline, maybe kick things up a couple notches for headings and down a smidge for any dense parentheticals or footnote references that need to be incorporated along the way.

The key through all these text formatting decisions? Remaining exquisitely consistent across the entire document. Randomly uppercasing random words like a Mad Libs game and switching between six different, crazy ! new fonts every other paragraph is basically the equivalent of squatting over your masterpiece and just plain…you know: letting your research get soiled.

So save your disjointed mashup of arcane text mudpies for later SoundCloud poetry slam projects. When it comes to optimizing research paper format for maximum reader comprehension and scholarly palatability – simplicity, consistency, and unostentatious classiness are everything.

Headings Structure: Leading Readers Through Your Labyrinth

Having dialed in that elegant text formatting standard with the finesse of a true Henri Matisse, your next research paper format foray involves properly blueprinting a clear visual navigational system via deliberate heading structuring. In other words, it’s time to build some informational superhighways to usher your audience from point A to point ‘Z’ as seamlessly and intuitively as possible.

On the surface, this is pretty straightforward: just deploy a logical hierarchy of numbered or alphabetical section headers and nested subheads to delicately partition your content into tidy, self-contained portions while preserving coherent flow from analysis to takeaway. See:

1: The Thesis Introduction

1.2: Broccoli’s Criminally Overlooked Superpowers

1.2.B: The Anti-Oxidative Properties

1.2.C: Phytonutrient Density & Heart Health

i. Outlining the Lutein Advantage

1.3: Nodding to the Fiber Behemoth

1.3.A: The Fantastical Realm of Prebiotics

2: Research Methodology Breakdown

2.1: The Laboratory Origins…

And so on and so forth.

Just like any good construction blueprint, these sequential section signposts provide readers with a clear sense of exactly where they are within the grand intellectual schematic at any given point. They can choose to either serially absorb your magnum opus from header to header OR quickly jump between specific points of interest by scanning your formatting trailheads.

But formalized visual formattic isn’t just about getting all your precise numberings and indentation spacing down pat (although, yes absolutely get those nitty gritty particulars 100% squared away). It’s also about mastering the nuanced art of headline hierarchy by distilling every section’s crux down into uniquely compelling hook phrases that entice your audience to keep motoring ahead to the next chapter out of unbridled intrigue.

Like just glancing at those sample headers above, can’t you already feel your neurons tingling with a sudden voyeuristic fascination about broccoli’s unsung nutritional supremacy and heroic anti-carcinogenic exploits? Wouldn’t you absolutely have to read on to unravel the full scope of its phytochemical mythos at this point?? I sure as heck would.

That’s the true hallmark of cunningly formatted headline structuring: a deviously addicting breadcrumb trail of intrigue and plot-payoff whetting your audience’s palate to consume every last narrative morsel you’ve so painstakingly prepared. Next stop, singular academic fulfillment and clarity town.

Page Numbering, Running Heads, & Footers: The Map Ledgers to Your Kingdom

They may seem minor on the surface, but any battle-hardened researcher will tell you few formatting particulars have a greater propensity for kicking your kingdom’s crediblity straight into the moat than mishandling stuff like page numbering, headers/footers, and other hyper-basic document navigation logistics.

Sure, maybe it feels a bit pedestrian to seriously sweat things like consistent top/bottom margin application, running head pagination, and section break semantics after you just leveled up document structure and content flow to an absolute avant garde degree. But I promise you, half-baking these functional fundamentals is a quick way to shipwreck the immaculate experience you’ve worked so hard to construct for readers up to that point.

Think of it like this – you’ve just invested incalculable blood, sweat, and Adderall reserves into lovingly restoring a dilapidated 200-year old Italian villa back to its full renaissance architectural splendor. The gorgeous facade, intricately manicured interiors, and maze-like corridors are all finally repaired and open for public exploration…but there are zero directional signs or logical numbering systems to guide the way.

Within 10 minutes of unveiling your masterpiece, hapless visitors are getting hopelessly labyrinthine-d and soiling themselves amid panicked hunger for basic passage orientation. Dude. NOT an ideal scenario for showcasing such a monumentally researched accomplishment.

The moral of the story?

Formatting mechanisms like ordered page numbering, clear section-denoting running headers, and hyper-legible author/doc footers are way more than trite afterthoughts – they’re crucial survival compasses central to any robust research architecture. Get them synchronized in a cohesive document-wide system and you’re already 95% ahead of all those other messy amateur cartographers soiling priceless masterpieces left and right.

So study up on those scholastic style guides, people. Nothing should remain ambiguous in terms of basic navigational logistics if you want those immaculately cultivated insights of yours to land with maximum immersive clarity. With some fine-tuned formatting diligence, it really is that simple.

Visualizations & Supporting Materials: Your Intellectual Garnish

Okay, so we’ve mastered the big-picture structural cadences, high-level information mapping essentials, and even the most micro-detailed font preferences or numerological quirk bacon bits. All that’s left to fully round out our research paper format proficiency is nailing the final oral presentation…wait, my bad – wrong crusty handout.

What I mean is: bringing that formatting A-game to bear on all the supplementary visual aid and supporting material components you might want to spice up your central thesis with at any given point.

I’m talking charts, graphs, tables, images, code snippets—all those delicious computationally-rendered visual stimuli designed to tangibly capture abstract ideas or drive home legitimizing points of emphasis through more than just dense paragraphs of text.

The role visualizations and appended supporting materials play within your overall research paper format is akin to a masterful chef garnishing their signature entree with delicate aromatic bouquets, savory reductions, and palate-whetting amuse-bouches before presenting the full meal deal.

These multimedia flourishes not only enliven the sensory experience for audiences, they also reinforce your credibility and innovation as a masterful curator of immersive knowledge.

Of course, simply sauce-splattering your pages with an excessive amount of charts, figures, and photos all willy-nilly is a surefire way to cheapen your paper’s perceived authority faster than an uncited BuzzFeed data-visualization. Instead, you’ll want to selectively incorporate these bonus format elements in an impressively judicious manner that meaningfully augments your running narrative at precise intellectual designated pit stops.

For example, let’s say you’re documenting an in-depth analysis on the correlation between socioeconomic status and rates of recurring health complications. Sure, you could attempt to exposit all the intricate demographic and statistical nuances using paragraph after paragraph of glorified word veganism. But isn’t instantly illuminating with a boldly rendered heat map or stacked histogram array going to more persuasively punctuate your core observations through an unforgettable singularity?

Not only do thoughtfully embedded data visualizations like these make your paper’s implications viscerally resonate with readers, but they demonstrate an appreciable level of technical competence and progressive academic foresight. You’re not just reading words off an antiquated teleprompter, but actively iterating on more novel ways to galvanize complex research principles.

Which brings us to potentially an even greater realm of supportive layout opportunity – appending contextually relevant excerpts, extended formulas, or even entire supplemental sub-reports as official addendums backing up the intellectual behemoth you’ve already laid out.

Sure, meticulously cataloguing case study questionnaire transcripts or raw numerical datasets into a publications-grade appendix format is hardly the most titillating behind-the-scenes publishing homework. But think about it – you’re now democratizing your backend research workings in an accessibly transparent way that reinforces your credibility while inviting readers to retrace your methodology and replicate your successes for themselves. It’s selflessly planting seeds for the academic ripples of tomorrow.

More than just vainly checking off some archaic format requirement box, these supplemental artifacts represent your opportunity to transform a traditionally one-sided reading experience into a fully immersive, hyperlinked master class. One where folks can seamlessly hopscotch between your flowing narrative and any tangentially relevant polysyllabic McBosaNova they so desire like attendees in a scholarly choose-your-own-adventure.

And who knows – maybe all those obsessively curated appendices and interactive data branches eventually grow beyond their humble research roots to blossom into evolving digital learning ecosystems. Entire portals of future reference material and constantly refreshed insights for generations of your published work’s beneficiaries to come. Now that’s how you cement an enduring academic legacy far outliving whatever BIC you first scribbled that fateful provisional thesis down on.

But for now, just get in the disciplined habit of meticulously (and intuitively) formatting every visual aid or supplementary addendum to organically augment your core written materials. Transform your research paper from a musty wad of courier new chicken scratchings into a rich, multidimensional, bloom of credible creativity blossoming off the page. Do that consistently enough, and soon you’ll be the highly-touted aesthetic savant every word gluttonous free-feeder rabidly craves.

Sticking The Landing With Research Paper Format: Meeting Stylistic Expectations

Look, we’d be lying to ourselves if we tried to gloss over the fact that research papers, in all their nuanced detail and roving scope, can feel like a bit of an intimidating uphill slog to master from a pure format compliance perspective.

Between the dizzying array of prescribed stylistic guidelines, the mandatory incorporation of every appendix from here to Azerbaijan, and that cold sweat-inducing terror of awkwardly fumbling some sort of dated academic sin like improper bibliography bullying – it’s enough to send even the most hardened logophiles screaming for the sweet release of a simple 4th-grade book report just to remember how to write again.

But here’s the twist, friends – that seemingly oppressive adherence to formatting orthodoxy is actually the key to unlocking credibility, reproducibility, and cross-discipline efficacy in your research efforts. These institutional templates and referee-d conventions exist for a reason beyond some mustache-twirling urge to curb your academic free expression, honest!

They’re carefully established systems for eliminating ambiguity, illuminating attribution provenance, and standardizing the universal construction language surrounding new knowledge discovery. So instead of grumbling through each formatting request like a petulant toddler, embrace the structural rigors with a sense of higher authorial purpose.

And these days, properly complying with even the most granular stylistic technicalities has never been easier thanks to the rise of dedicated formatting tools and workflow accelerators. We’re talking powerful style guide plugins for popular word processors, auto-pagination scripts, intuitive chart-rendering graphics suites, even AI-enabled bibliography tools for properly cross-checking all your sourcing with a single click.

The takeaway? While meticulous formatting standards are by no means optional niceties when it comes to stitching together a proper research paper, you don’t have to relentlessly toil away adhering to them by rote memorization alone anymore. Instead, employ that never-ending reserve of free technology aimed at streamlining the process while you focus on extracting insights and authoring immaculate compositions.

Just remember – failure to uphold institutional guidelines is still a cardinal sin on par with blatantly falsifying data or burying counter narratives under the postmodern rug. So don’t dilly-dally on that formatting quality control for a single second. Whether leaning on AI assistance or hiring a squad of human stylistic proofreaders, make sure your final draft abides by the highest governing regulations before hitting publish.

Your insightful ideas are already revolutionary enough on their own merit. They deserve to be packaged in a construction that fellow academics and stewards of human knowledge can seamlessly embrace without silly formatting foibles distracting from the main attraction. Do things right, and soon your pioneering perspectives will make the most prestigious of peer-reviewed journal rounds while making the tenure committee swoon. Trust me, it’ll be well worth the formatting grind.

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MLA General Format 

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MLA Style specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and citing research in writing. MLA Style also provides writers with a system for referencing their sources through parenthetical citation in their essays and Works Cited pages. 

Writers who properly use MLA also build their credibility by demonstrating accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism, which is the purposeful or accidental uncredited use of source material produced by other writers. 

If you are asked to use MLA format, be sure to consult the  MLA Handbook  (9th edition). Publishing scholars and graduate students should also consult the  MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing  (3rd edition). The  MLA Handbook  is available in most writing centers and reference libraries. It is also widely available in bookstores, libraries, and at the MLA web site. See the Additional Resources section of this page for a list of helpful books and sites about using MLA Style.

Paper Format

The preparation of papers and manuscripts in MLA Style is covered in part four of the  MLA Style Manual . Below are some basic guidelines for formatting a paper in  MLA Style :

General Guidelines

• Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
• Double-space the text of your paper and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are each distinct from one another. The font size should be 12 pt.
• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise prompted by your instructor).
• Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
• Indent the first line of each paragraph one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the “Tab” key as opposed to pushing the space bar five times.
• Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.)
• Use italics throughout your essay to indicate the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, provide emphasis.
• If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).

Formatting the First Page of Your Paper

• Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested or the paper is assigned as a group project. In the case of a group project, list all names of the contributors, giving each name its own line in the header, followed by the remaining MLA header requirements as described below. Format the remainder of the page as requested by the instructor.
• In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
• Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks. Write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.
• Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text. For example:  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas  as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"
• Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
• Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number. Number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit the last name/page number header on your first page. Always follow instructor guidelines.)

Here is a sample of the first page of a paper in MLA style:

The First Page of an MLA Paper

Section Headings

Writers sometimes use section headings to improve a document’s readability. These sections may include individual chapters or other named parts of a book or essay.

MLA recommends that when dividing an essay into sections you number those sections with an Arabic number and a period followed by a space and the section name.

MLA does not have a prescribed system of headings for books (for more information on headings, please see page 146 in the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing , 3rd edition). If you are only using one level of headings, meaning that all of the sections are distinct and parallel and have no additional sections that fit within them, MLA recommends that these sections resemble one another grammatically. For instance, if your headings are typically short phrases, make all of the headings short phrases (and not, for example, full sentences). Otherwise, the formatting is up to you. It should, however, be consistent throughout the document.

If you employ multiple levels of headings (some of your sections have sections within sections), you may want to provide a key of your chosen level headings and their formatting to your instructor or editor.

Sample Section Headings

The following sample headings are meant to be used only as a reference. You may employ whatever system of formatting that works best for you so long as it remains consistent throughout the document.

Formatted, unnumbered:

Level 1 Heading: bold, flush left

Level 2 Heading: italics, flush left

Level 3 Heading: centered, bold

Level 4 Heading: centered, italics

Level 5 Heading: underlined, flush left

Module 5: Writing the Research Paper and Acknowledging Your Sources

Formatting a research paper, learning objectives.

• Identify the major components of a research paper written using American Psychological Association (APA) style.
• Apply general APA style and formatting conventions in a research paper.

In this chapter, you will learn how to use APA style , the documentation and formatting style followed by the American Psychological Association, as well as MLA style , from the Modern Language Association. There are a few major formatting styles used in academic texts, including AMA, Chicago, and Turabian:

• AMA (American Medical Association) for medicine, health, and biological sciences
• APA (American Psychological Association) for education, psychology, and the social sciences
• Chicago—a common style used in everyday publications like magazines, newspapers, and books
• MLA (Modern Language Association) for English, literature, arts, and humanities
• Turabian—another common style designed for its universal application across all subjects and disciplines

While all the formatting and citation styles have their own use and applications, in this chapter we focus our attention on the two styles you are most likely to use in your academic studies: APA and MLA.

If you find that the rules of proper source documentation are difficult to keep straight, you are not alone. Writing a good research paper is, in and of itself, a major intellectual challenge. Having to follow detailed citation and formatting guidelines as well may seem like just one more task to add to an already-too-long list of requirements.

Following these guidelines, however, serves several important purposes. First, it signals to your readers that your paper should be taken seriously as a student’s contribution to a given academic or professional field; it is the literary equivalent of wearing a tailored suit to a job interview. Second, it shows that you respect other people’s work enough to give them proper credit for it. Finally, it helps your reader find additional materials if he or she wishes to learn more about your topic.

Furthermore, producing a letter-perfect APA-style paper need not be burdensome. Yes, it requires careful attention to detail. However, you can simplify the process if you keep these broad guidelines in mind:

• Work ahead whenever you can. Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” includes tips for keeping track of your sources early in the research process, which will save time later on.
• Get it right the first time. Apply APA guidelines as you write, so you will not have much to correct during the editing stage. Again, putting in a little extra time early on can save time later.
• Use the resources available to you. In addition to the guidelines provided in this chapter, you may wish to consult the APA website at http://www.apa.org or the Purdue University Online Writing lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu , which regularly updates its online style guidelines.

General Formatting Guidelines

This chapter provides detailed guidelines for using the citation and formatting conventions developed by the American Psychological Association, or APA. Writers in disciplines as diverse as astrophysics, biology, psychology, and education follow APA style. The major components of a paper written in APA style are listed in the following box.

These are the major components of an APA-style paper:

• Headings and, if necessary, subheadings to organize the content
• In-text citations of research sources
• References page

All these components must be saved in one document, not as separate documents.

The title page of your paper includes the following information:

• Title of the paper
• Author’s name
• Name of the institution with which the author is affiliated
• Header at the top of the page with the paper title (in capital letters) and the page number (If the title is lengthy, you may use a shortened form of it in the header.)

List the first three elements in the order given in the previous list, centered about one third of the way down from the top of the page. Use the headers and footers tool of your word-processing program to add the header, with the title text at the left and the page number in the upper-right corner. Your title page should look like the following example.

The next page of your paper provides an abstract , or brief summary of your findings. An abstract does not need to be provided in every paper, but an abstract should be used in papers that include a hypothesis. A good abstract is concise—about one hundred to one hundred fifty words—and is written in an objective, impersonal style. Your writing voice will not be as apparent here as in the body of your paper. When writing the abstract, take a just-the-facts approach, and summarize your research question and your findings in a few sentences.

In Chapter 12 “Writing a Research Paper”, you read a paper written by a student named Jorge, who researched the effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diets. Read Jorge’s abstract. Note how it sums up the major ideas in his paper without going into excessive detail.

Write an abstract summarizing your paper. Briefly introduce the topic, state your findings, and sum up what conclusions you can draw from your research. Use the word count feature of your word-processing program to make sure your abstract does not exceed one hundred fifty words.

Depending on your field of study, you may sometimes write research papers that present extensive primary research, such as your own experiment or survey. In your abstract, summarize your research question and your findings, and briefly indicate how your study relates to prior research in the field.

Margins, Pagination, and Headings

APA style requirements also address specific formatting concerns, such as margins, pagination, and heading styles, within the body of the paper. Review the following APA guidelines.

Use these general guidelines to format the paper:

• Set the top, bottom, and side margins of your paper at 1 inch.
• Use double-spaced text throughout your paper.
• Use a standard font, such as Times New Roman or Arial, in a legible size (10- to 12-point).
• Use continuous pagination throughout the paper, including the title page and the references section. Page numbers appear flush right within your header.
• Section headings and subsection headings within the body of your paper use different types of formatting depending on the level of information you are presenting. Additional details from Jorge’s paper are provided.

Begin formatting the final draft of your paper according to APA guidelines. You may work with an existing document or set up a new document if you choose. Include the following:

• Your title page
• The abstract you created in Note 13.8 “Exercise 1”
• Correct headers and page numbers for your title page and abstract

APA style uses section headings to organize information, making it easy for the reader to follow the writer’s train of thought and to know immediately what major topics are covered. Depending on the length and complexity of the paper, its major sections may also be divided into subsections, sub-subsections, and so on. These smaller sections, in turn, use different heading styles to indicate different levels of information. In essence, you are using headings to create a hierarchy of information.

The following heading styles used in APA formatting are listed in order of greatest to least importance:

• Section headings use centered, boldface type. Headings use title case, with important words in the heading capitalized.
• Subsection headings use left-aligned, boldface type. Headings use title case.
• The third level uses left-aligned, indented, boldface type. Headings use a capital letter only for the first word, and they end in a period.
• The fourth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are boldfaced and italicized.
• The fifth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are italicized and not boldfaced.

Visually, the hierarchy of information is organized as indicated in Table 13.1 “Section Headings”.

Table 13.1 Section Headings

A college research paper may not use all the heading levels shown in Table 13.1 “Section Headings”, but you are likely to encounter them in academic journal articles that use APA style. For a brief paper, you may find that level 1 headings suffice. Longer or more complex papers may need level 2 headings or other lower-level headings to organize information clearly. Use your outline to craft your major section headings and determine whether any subtopics are substantial enough to require additional levels of headings.

Working with the document you developed in Note 13.11 “Exercise 2”, begin setting up the heading structure of the final draft of your research paper according to APA guidelines. Include your title and at least two to three major section headings, and follow the formatting guidelines provided above. If your major sections should be broken into subsections, add those headings as well. Use your outline to help you.

Because Jorge used only level 1 headings, his Exercise 3 would look like the following:

Citation Guidelines

In-text citations.

Throughout the body of your paper, include a citation whenever you quote or paraphrase material from your research sources. As you learned in Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?”, the purpose of citations is twofold: to give credit to others for their ideas and to allow your reader to follow up and learn more about the topic if desired. Your in-text citations provide basic information about your source; each source you cite will have a longer entry in the references section that provides more detailed information.

In-text citations must provide the name of the author or authors and the year the source was published. (When a given source does not list an individual author, you may provide the source title or the name of the organization that published the material instead.) When directly quoting a source, it is also required that you include the page number where the quote appears in your citation.

This information may be included within the sentence or in a parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence, as in these examples.

Epstein (2010) points out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Here, the writer names the source author when introducing the quote and provides the publication date in parentheses after the author’s name. The page number appears in parentheses after the closing quotation marks and before the period that ends the sentence.

Addiction researchers caution that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (Epstein, 2010, p. 137).

Here, the writer provides a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence that includes the author’s name, the year of publication, and the page number separated by commas. Again, the parenthetical citation is placed after the closing quotation marks and before the period at the end of the sentence.

As noted in the book Junk Food, Junk Science (Epstein, 2010, p. 137), “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive.”

Here, the writer chose to mention the source title in the sentence (an optional piece of information to include) and followed the title with a parenthetical citation. Note that the parenthetical citation is placed before the comma that signals the end of the introductory phrase.

David Epstein’s book Junk Food, Junk Science (2010) pointed out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Another variation is to introduce the author and the source title in your sentence and include the publication date and page number in parentheses within the sentence or at the end of the sentence. As long as you have included the essential information, you can choose the option that works best for that particular sentence and source.

Citing a book with a single author is usually a straightforward task. Of course, your research may require that you cite many other types of sources, such as books or articles with more than one author or sources with no individual author listed. You may also need to cite sources available in both print and online and nonprint sources, such as websites and personal interviews. Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting”, Section 13.2 “Citing and Referencing Techniques” and Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provide extensive guidelines for citing a variety of source types.

Writing at Work

APA is just one of several different styles with its own guidelines for documentation, formatting, and language usage. Depending on your field of interest, you may be exposed to additional styles, such as the following:

• MLA style. Determined by the Modern Languages Association and used for papers in literature, languages, and other disciplines in the humanities.
• Chicago style. Outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style and sometimes used for papers in the humanities and the sciences; many professional organizations use this style for publications as well.
• Associated Press (AP) style. Used by professional journalists.

References List

The brief citations included in the body of your paper correspond to the more detailed citations provided at the end of the paper in the references section. In-text citations provide basic information—the author’s name, the publication date, and the page number if necessary—while the references section provides more extensive bibliographical information. Again, this information allows your reader to follow up on the sources you cited and do additional reading about the topic if desired.

The specific format of entries in the list of references varies slightly for different source types, but the entries generally include the following information:

• The name(s) of the author(s) or institution that wrote the source
• The year of publication and, where applicable, the exact date of publication
• The full title of the source
• For books, the city of publication
• For articles or essays, the name of the periodical or book in which the article or essay appears
• For magazine and journal articles, the volume number, issue number, and pages where the article appears
• For sources on the web, the URL where the source is located

The references page is double spaced and lists entries in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. If an entry continues for more than one line, the second line and each subsequent line are indented five spaces. Review the following example.

In APA style, book and article titles are formatted in sentence case, not title case. Sentence case means that only the first word is capitalized, along with any proper nouns.

Key Takeaways

• Following proper citation and formatting guidelines helps writers ensure that their work will be taken seriously, give proper credit to other authors for their work, and provide valuable information to readers.
• Working ahead and taking care to cite sources correctly the first time are ways writers can save time during the editing stage of writing a research paper.
• APA papers usually include an abstract that concisely summarizes the paper.
• APA papers use a specific headings structure to provide a clear hierarchy of information.
• In APA papers, in-text citations usually include the name(s) of the author(s) and the year of publication.
• In-text citations correspond to entries in the references section, which provide detailed bibliographical information about a source.
• Successful Writing Ch 13.1. Authored by : Anonymous . Located at : http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/successful-writing/ . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

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Formatting Research Papers: A Guide and Example

This article is aimed at providing an extensive overview of formatting research papers in a clear and organized manner. It includes a step-by-step guide for properly structuring and designing the format of research papers, as well as useful examples to further assist readers in grasping the presented information. The main goal is to give readers guidance on how they can effectively create aesthetically pleasing documents that adhere to various stylistic standards while meeting their individual requirements.

1. Introduction to Research Paper Formatting

Research paper formatting is essential in achieving a professional look for your work and helping it stand out from other papers. It allows you to demonstrate how well-versed you are in the subject matter and can help ensure that readers take your paper seriously. This introduction will cover the basics of research paper formatting, including font type, line spacing, margins, page numbers and headers/footers.

• Font Type: Most academic papers require use of Times New Roman or Arial fonts with a size of 12 pt.
• Line Spacing: Double spaced lines are used throughout the entire text body (including endnotes) to make reading easier.

The margin settings depend on where the document will be submitted; however most documents follow 1 inch on all sides as an acceptable standard. Page numbering should begin at one on each new page unless specified differently by instructions given. Headers/Footers typically include titles such as ‘Name’ or ‘Course Number’ which gives context when referenced outside its original source material (such as grade books). For example if there were two students named John Smith submitting similar assignments then having their names clearly visible could easily distinguish them apart. In addition to these core elements there are some additional features which may be required depending on instructor guidelines but generally accepted across research fields – such as using paragraph indentations when starting new ideas within same sections. For more detailed information about specific research paper formats please reference our provided “research paper format example” .

2. Understanding the Purpose of Proper Research Paper Formats

Research paper formats are essential for successful college writing, allowing readers to quickly understand the structure of a document and its purpose. The most common format is APA (American Psychological Association) style, which provides guidelines for organizing papers into sections including an abstract, introduction, literature review, methods section and conclusion.

• APA style requires that your paper include 1-inch margins on all sides; 12-point font size in Times New Roman typeface; double spacing throughout with no extra spaces between paragraphs; page numbers at the top right corner; and headings to separate content when appropriate.

In addition to these standard elements of formatting used across disciplines there are other considerations such as how references should be formatted in footnotes or endnotes. For example research paper format examples often dictate that authors must provide proper citations within their work itself by listing sources directly underneath where they have been quoted. Furthermore citing sources outside of the text can also help build credibility around one’s claims—it lends legitimacy to those points being made. Appropriate reference formatting , therefore, plays a crucial role both structurally in terms of helping organize material efficiently but it also helps strengthen your argumentation overall by illustrating evidence from others.

3. Preparing Your Text for a Successful Formatting Process

When you are formatting your text, the key is to plan ahead and prepare your document before starting a formal formatting process. By organizing your text into distinct sections with meaningful titles, it makes it easier for readers to follow along and understand the structure of your paper or project. To ensure success when formatting, consider the following tips:

• Create an outline or table of contents that accurately reflects what will be included in each section.
• Organize all headings by their numerical order (ex., 1., 2., 3.).

In terms of layout design, make sure there is consistent spacing between paragraphs. For example, use research paper format example as a guideline – indenting 5-7 spaces after each paragraph transition sets up neat separation points which help break up large blocks of text into more manageable chunks for readers. Additionally double check any tables, diagrams or images have been correctly inserted – they should fit within standard margins unless otherwise specified in academic guidelines such as research paper format example criteria . Finally add bold fonts where appropriate but limit its usage only when necessary; avoid using excessive italics or underlining since this could be perceived as making exaggerated claims about certain words’ importance levels within written context.

4. Choosing an Appropriate Citation Style and Documentation System

The fourth step in the research paper writing process is . This will depend on the type of paper being written, as well as any requirements from your professor or publication. APA , MLA , and Chicago are among the most popular citation styles for academic papers, but it is important to verify which one you should use before beginning work on your research project.

To ensure that all sources used in a research paper are properly documented according to a given style guide, there must be consistency throughout. Each source should include full citations both within the body of text (in-text) and at its corresponding endnote/footnote location – also known as parenthetical references or notes.

For example, when using APA format for a scholarly article about digital literacy practices; you might cite Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of Oppression like this:

• (Freire 1970).

. Then list out more information regarding Freire’s book in either footnotes or endnotes such as:

• Freire, P., 1970. Pedagogy Of The Oppressed.

. Here again we see how referencing works with respect to different formats; while some require only name–date pairs others may demand additional details like page numbers or editions.. For further help understanding and implementing these rules correctly refer back to our original research paper format example .

It’s worth noting here too that each document type has unique conventions when it comes down referencing sources so be sure not double check against your assignment guidelines just incase they contain formatting specifics beyond what would normally come under universal standards such us those outlined by APSA , AMA etc… Also some disciplines such Economics prefer following Harvard Citation Guidelines instead . So do take time to review any relevant documents prior getting started . To make matters easier many online tools now exist for helping researchers create bibliographies formatted precisely according their own specific discipline particularities thus conforming perfectly with whatever university regulations have been set out . Furthermore several publishers offer handy templates authors can download along detailed instructions & tips making adhering demands even simpler than ever before ! All these resources combined provide great support aid anyone wishing remain compliant throughout entirety entire writing journey ensuring final results are aesthetically pleasing trouble free experience .. And remember don’t forget consult regularly against our original research paper format example right through until very last draft version completion …

5. Applying Layout Guidelines in Order to Achieve Professional Presentation Quality

Layout guidelines are essential to achieving professional presentation quality in any document, especially a research paper. First and foremost, the page margins should be one inch all around; using two inches on the left side can create an improved visual appearance for longer documents with multiple sections or subsections.

The font used for text is important too; Times New Roman 12 point size is standard across most disciplines due to its readability and classic style. Paragraphs should generally have no extra space between them beyond what may already exist from indenting; but if your professor suggests otherwise you must follow their instructions instead.

• Lists within paragraphs can use different fonts than those of normal body text

, such as Arial 11 point size. It’s also worth noting that lists appearing as part of a section heading will appear slightly larger – often 14-16 point sizes depending on the overall styling scheme employed by your instructor/professor.

To illustrate how these layout guidelines affect presentation quality, consider this “research paper format example”: . Title pages provide information about who wrote it (author name) and when it was written (date). The title itself should include keywords related to topic so readers understand what follows more quickly, plus there may be other requirements such as including course titles or numbers at institutions where needed for tracking purposes. Once inside the main body of content there might be headings separating each major idea which should match those mentioned in either an outline introduction or Table of Contents if applicable – again following whatever standards set forth by professors / instructors., Followed immediately below would then come descriptive paragraphs connecting ideas together into coherent sets -all spelled out according to established rules regarding grammar & punctuation usage along with specific reference formats required based upon chosen citation methodologies like APA or MLA.. And finally footnotes& citations showing sources consulted during development process complete entire look& feel desired finish product before final submission deadline imposed

6. Integrating Visual Aids within the Body of Your Document’s Content 7. Examining a Sample Completed Research Project as Demonstrative Example

Visual aids are a great way to bring more interest and focus to the body of your document’s content, as well as help illustrate complex concepts in an easier-to-understand manner. As such, it is important for any research paper writer to consider how best visual elements can be used within their own projects. In general, visuals should support the points being made by textual components but also should stand alone if necessary.

When integrating visual aids into a project, there are several key strategies that writers must take into account: Firstly, they need to identify what type of visuals will work best with their material; secondly they must ensure all visuals adhere to any formatting guidelines or style requirements set forth by teachers or professors; thirdly they have to integrate the chosen media effectively so that readers can easily understand its relevance and importance when reading through the rest of the text.

A helpful exercise for this task is examining research paper format example , which demonstrate effective use of various forms of multimedia integration within documents. This could include images integrated along side paragraphs discussing related topics; tables interspersed among statistical information; graphs included alongside results from experiments etc.

• In addition, once completed projects serve as excellent examples on how properly formatted visual materials can create additional aesthetic value throughout entire bodiesof work.
• Writers might want review sample research papers online using search engines like Google Scholar in order find demonstrative resources.

By considering these types of sources , authors get valuable insights about how different types visualization techniques may compliment particular writing styles . Also , taking time examine completed versions allows students gain better understanding on expectation level necessary achieve successful outcomes . Finally comparing research paper format example from multiple sources provides unique opportunity assess overall quality before beginning drafting process

. In conclusion, this guide provides a comprehensive overview of the essential elements required to format research papers properly. The example provided offers a clear illustration of how these components fit together in order to create an organized and structured paper that can easily be followed by readers. By following the tips outlined here, writers can increase their chances of producing effective and successful research papers which are both informative and well-structured.

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13.1 Formatting a Research Paper

Learning objectives.

• Identify the major components of a research paper written using American Psychological Association (APA) style.
• Apply general APA style and formatting conventions in a research paper.

In this chapter, you will learn how to use APA style , the documentation and formatting style followed by the American Psychological Association, as well as MLA style , from the Modern Language Association. There are a few major formatting styles used in academic texts, including AMA, Chicago, and Turabian:

• AMA (American Medical Association) for medicine, health, and biological sciences
• APA (American Psychological Association) for education, psychology, and the social sciences
• Chicago—a common style used in everyday publications like magazines, newspapers, and books
• MLA (Modern Language Association) for English, literature, arts, and humanities
• Turabian—another common style designed for its universal application across all subjects and disciplines

While all the formatting and citation styles have their own use and applications, in this chapter we focus our attention on the two styles you are most likely to use in your academic studies: APA and MLA.

If you find that the rules of proper source documentation are difficult to keep straight, you are not alone. Writing a good research paper is, in and of itself, a major intellectual challenge. Having to follow detailed citation and formatting guidelines as well may seem like just one more task to add to an already-too-long list of requirements.

Following these guidelines, however, serves several important purposes. First, it signals to your readers that your paper should be taken seriously as a student’s contribution to a given academic or professional field; it is the literary equivalent of wearing a tailored suit to a job interview. Second, it shows that you respect other people’s work enough to give them proper credit for it. Finally, it helps your reader find additional materials if he or she wishes to learn more about your topic.

Furthermore, producing a letter-perfect APA-style paper need not be burdensome. Yes, it requires careful attention to detail. However, you can simplify the process if you keep these broad guidelines in mind:

• Work ahead whenever you can. Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” includes tips for keeping track of your sources early in the research process, which will save time later on.
• Get it right the first time. Apply APA guidelines as you write, so you will not have much to correct during the editing stage. Again, putting in a little extra time early on can save time later.
• Use the resources available to you. In addition to the guidelines provided in this chapter, you may wish to consult the APA website at http://www.apa.org or the Purdue University Online Writing lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu , which regularly updates its online style guidelines.

General Formatting Guidelines

This chapter provides detailed guidelines for using the citation and formatting conventions developed by the American Psychological Association, or APA. Writers in disciplines as diverse as astrophysics, biology, psychology, and education follow APA style. The major components of a paper written in APA style are listed in the following box.

These are the major components of an APA-style paper:

Body, which includes the following:

• Headings and, if necessary, subheadings to organize the content
• In-text citations of research sources
• References page

All these components must be saved in one document, not as separate documents.

The title page of your paper includes the following information:

• Title of the paper
• Author’s name
• Name of the institution with which the author is affiliated
• Header at the top of the page with the paper title (in capital letters) and the page number (If the title is lengthy, you may use a shortened form of it in the header.)

List the first three elements in the order given in the previous list, centered about one third of the way down from the top of the page. Use the headers and footers tool of your word-processing program to add the header, with the title text at the left and the page number in the upper-right corner. Your title page should look like the following example.

The next page of your paper provides an abstract , or brief summary of your findings. An abstract does not need to be provided in every paper, but an abstract should be used in papers that include a hypothesis. A good abstract is concise—about one hundred fifty to two hundred fifty words—and is written in an objective, impersonal style. Your writing voice will not be as apparent here as in the body of your paper. When writing the abstract, take a just-the-facts approach, and summarize your research question and your findings in a few sentences.

In Chapter 12 “Writing a Research Paper” , you read a paper written by a student named Jorge, who researched the effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diets. Read Jorge’s abstract. Note how it sums up the major ideas in his paper without going into excessive detail.

Write an abstract summarizing your paper. Briefly introduce the topic, state your findings, and sum up what conclusions you can draw from your research. Use the word count feature of your word-processing program to make sure your abstract does not exceed one hundred fifty words.

Depending on your field of study, you may sometimes write research papers that present extensive primary research, such as your own experiment or survey. In your abstract, summarize your research question and your findings, and briefly indicate how your study relates to prior research in the field.

Margins, Pagination, and Headings

APA style requirements also address specific formatting concerns, such as margins, pagination, and heading styles, within the body of the paper. Review the following APA guidelines.

Use these general guidelines to format the paper:

• Set the top, bottom, and side margins of your paper at 1 inch.
• Use double-spaced text throughout your paper.
• Use a standard font, such as Times New Roman or Arial, in a legible size (10- to 12-point).
• Use continuous pagination throughout the paper, including the title page and the references section. Page numbers appear flush right within your header.
• Section headings and subsection headings within the body of your paper use different types of formatting depending on the level of information you are presenting. Additional details from Jorge’s paper are provided.

Begin formatting the final draft of your paper according to APA guidelines. You may work with an existing document or set up a new document if you choose. Include the following:

• Your title page
• The abstract you created in Note 13.8 “Exercise 1”
• Correct headers and page numbers for your title page and abstract

APA style uses section headings to organize information, making it easy for the reader to follow the writer’s train of thought and to know immediately what major topics are covered. Depending on the length and complexity of the paper, its major sections may also be divided into subsections, sub-subsections, and so on. These smaller sections, in turn, use different heading styles to indicate different levels of information. In essence, you are using headings to create a hierarchy of information.

The following heading styles used in APA formatting are listed in order of greatest to least importance:

• Section headings use centered, boldface type. Headings use title case, with important words in the heading capitalized.
• Subsection headings use left-aligned, boldface type. Headings use title case.
• The third level uses left-aligned, indented, boldface type. Headings use a capital letter only for the first word, and they end in a period.
• The fourth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are boldfaced and italicized.
• The fifth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are italicized and not boldfaced.

Visually, the hierarchy of information is organized as indicated in Table 13.1 “Section Headings” .

Table 13.1 Section Headings

A college research paper may not use all the heading levels shown in Table 13.1 “Section Headings” , but you are likely to encounter them in academic journal articles that use APA style. For a brief paper, you may find that level 1 headings suffice. Longer or more complex papers may need level 2 headings or other lower-level headings to organize information clearly. Use your outline to craft your major section headings and determine whether any subtopics are substantial enough to require additional levels of headings.

Working with the document you developed in Note 13.11 “Exercise 2” , begin setting up the heading structure of the final draft of your research paper according to APA guidelines. Include your title and at least two to three major section headings, and follow the formatting guidelines provided above. If your major sections should be broken into subsections, add those headings as well. Use your outline to help you.

Because Jorge used only level 1 headings, his Exercise 3 would look like the following:

Citation Guidelines

In-text citations.

Throughout the body of your paper, include a citation whenever you quote or paraphrase material from your research sources. As you learned in Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” , the purpose of citations is twofold: to give credit to others for their ideas and to allow your reader to follow up and learn more about the topic if desired. Your in-text citations provide basic information about your source; each source you cite will have a longer entry in the references section that provides more detailed information.

In-text citations must provide the name of the author or authors and the year the source was published. (When a given source does not list an individual author, you may provide the source title or the name of the organization that published the material instead.) When directly quoting a source, it is also required that you include the page number where the quote appears in your citation.

This information may be included within the sentence or in a parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence, as in these examples.

Epstein (2010) points out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Here, the writer names the source author when introducing the quote and provides the publication date in parentheses after the author’s name. The page number appears in parentheses after the closing quotation marks and before the period that ends the sentence.

Addiction researchers caution that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (Epstein, 2010, p. 137).

Here, the writer provides a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence that includes the author’s name, the year of publication, and the page number separated by commas. Again, the parenthetical citation is placed after the closing quotation marks and before the period at the end of the sentence.

As noted in the book Junk Food, Junk Science (Epstein, 2010, p. 137), “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive.”

Here, the writer chose to mention the source title in the sentence (an optional piece of information to include) and followed the title with a parenthetical citation. Note that the parenthetical citation is placed before the comma that signals the end of the introductory phrase.

David Epstein’s book Junk Food, Junk Science (2010) pointed out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Another variation is to introduce the author and the source title in your sentence and include the publication date and page number in parentheses within the sentence or at the end of the sentence. As long as you have included the essential information, you can choose the option that works best for that particular sentence and source.

Citing a book with a single author is usually a straightforward task. Of course, your research may require that you cite many other types of sources, such as books or articles with more than one author or sources with no individual author listed. You may also need to cite sources available in both print and online and nonprint sources, such as websites and personal interviews. Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , Section 13.2 “Citing and Referencing Techniques” and Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provide extensive guidelines for citing a variety of source types.

Writing at Work

APA is just one of several different styles with its own guidelines for documentation, formatting, and language usage. Depending on your field of interest, you may be exposed to additional styles, such as the following:

• MLA style. Determined by the Modern Languages Association and used for papers in literature, languages, and other disciplines in the humanities.
• Chicago style. Outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style and sometimes used for papers in the humanities and the sciences; many professional organizations use this style for publications as well.
• Associated Press (AP) style. Used by professional journalists.

References List

The brief citations included in the body of your paper correspond to the more detailed citations provided at the end of the paper in the references section. In-text citations provide basic information—the author’s name, the publication date, and the page number if necessary—while the references section provides more extensive bibliographical information. Again, this information allows your reader to follow up on the sources you cited and do additional reading about the topic if desired.

The specific format of entries in the list of references varies slightly for different source types, but the entries generally include the following information:

• The name(s) of the author(s) or institution that wrote the source
• The year of publication and, where applicable, the exact date of publication
• The full title of the source
• For books, the city of publication
• For articles or essays, the name of the periodical or book in which the article or essay appears
• For magazine and journal articles, the volume number, issue number, and pages where the article appears
• For sources on the web, the URL where the source is located

The references page is double spaced and lists entries in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. If an entry continues for more than one line, the second line and each subsequent line are indented five spaces. Review the following example. ( Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provides extensive guidelines for formatting reference entries for different types of sources.)

In APA style, book and article titles are formatted in sentence case, not title case. Sentence case means that only the first word is capitalized, along with any proper nouns.

Key Takeaways

• Following proper citation and formatting guidelines helps writers ensure that their work will be taken seriously, give proper credit to other authors for their work, and provide valuable information to readers.
• Working ahead and taking care to cite sources correctly the first time are ways writers can save time during the editing stage of writing a research paper.
• APA papers usually include an abstract that concisely summarizes the paper.
• APA papers use a specific headings structure to provide a clear hierarchy of information.
• In APA papers, in-text citations usually include the name(s) of the author(s) and the year of publication.
• In-text citations correspond to entries in the references section, which provide detailed bibliographical information about a source.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Important Things You Need To Know About APA Research Paper Format

The American Psychological Association (APA) research paper format is a writing style commonly used in the social sciences. This writing style is often used in research papers, journal articles, and book chapters. The APA research paper format differs from other writing styles, such as MLA and Chicago. The APA format is mostly used for writing on psychology research topics. However, it is wider than just people from other fields who also use this format.

Our writers, experts in  research writing services , have shared the best of their ideas on this for you to explore. 

Table of Contents

What is apa research paper format.

APA research paper format is a set of guidelines for scientific writing. It includes techniques related to drafting, layout, figures, tables, quotations, references, etc. The American Psychology Association issues these techniques and styles. As a method of standardizing scientific texts, the APA style offers clear, consistent recommendations for students and researchers. The purpose of writing this article is to help scholars and students apply APA standards to academic work . That includes any kind of academic work, like a thesis, a dissertation, or a research paper. It determines the standards for academic works (or, for researchers, by researchers in journals). Whatever  research paper topics  you are writing for, our guidelines are universal and will help you to the maximum.

Basic and Primary Guidelines To Write APA Paper Style

The APA style differs from other writing styles in several ways. For example, APA research papers typically use a different font than other writing styles. APA research papers also typically use a different margin size than other writing styles. These guidelines will do more than offer help with your thesis or student papers. You can also get some cool insights to improve your further research.

The APA style can be tricky to comprehend, but you can accomplish wonders once you have a handle. If you are writing a research paper in the APA research paper format, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. 

There are certain requirements for formatting your paper in APA style, and one of them is using a Letter page size with dimensions of 8.5 X 11 Inches. It ensures that your paper will be formatted correctly and easily read.

In APA format, you must leave indent space for a one-inch Margin on all sides of the paper. It ensures that your paper is formatted correctly and makes it easier to read. It is a common rule whether you’re writing a thesis for university or some high school student papers.

The title page of a research paper is an essential component of the paper, regardless of the format. Every format has different styles and design requirements for the title page. You must follow a specific sequence in APA format, which we will outline here.

• First, you have to mention the Title Of Your Paper
• After the title, you have to mention the names of all the contributing authors
• The next thing to mention here will be the institution involved
• Then you will write the title and the number of the course
• Mention the name of your instructor or your teacher
• The date of completion must be mentioned at the bottom

When writing a reference page in APA, remember to format references correctly. A reference list, which appears at the end of your paper, provides full citations for all of the sources you have used in your paper. These citations include all the necessary information for your readers to locate your sources. When using APA format, your reference section should include the author’s last name, first initial, the date of publication, the title of the work, the location of the publication, and the publisher. Your reference page forms the basis of your entire paper. Whether you’re writing a thesis, journal article or professional papers, it is necessary.

Choice Of Font

Several fonts are recommended for the APA research style. These fonts include Calibri, Arial, Georgia, and Roman. Each of these fonts has a unique style that can help make your paper stand out. When choosing a font for your paper, you must consider the overall tone and look you want.

In APA Paper format, you have to double-space the whole paper. It means that each line of text is spaced evenly, and there is a blank line between each line. It makes the text easier to read and makes it easier to find specific information.

The APA style requires that text be aligned to the left. That means that all text should be aligned evenly with the left margin, and there should be no gaps between words or lines. This format is typically used for research papers and other academic writing, and it is important to follow the format correctly to ensure that your paper is easy to read and understand.

When writing in APA format, leave an indent for 0.5 inches in the first line before the first word. It would make your paper look fascinating.

steps-to-write-in-apa-research-paper-format-like-a-pro

You need help. Aren’t you?  How to write a research paper  when you are writing in APA style? We know that it was curiosity that brought you here. You have so many questions. Today is your lucky day because we have all of them. 

Here are some pro tips shared by  our writers  and researchers.

If you include a table of contents in your APA formatted paper, use level 1 and 2 headings. This practice will make your table of contents clear and easy to follow. Also, follow the typical APA formatting style for the text of your table of contents. Doing so will ensure that your paper is formatted correctly and easily read. 

Also related:  How To Write A Research Paper Outline?

Introduction Of APA Research Paper Format

When writing a paper in the APA style paper, it is important to include a strong introduction. This introduction to your thesis or student papers should briefly explain the paper’s topic and why it is important. Additionally, the introduction should provide an overview of the paper’s main points and thesis statement. Finally, the introduction should lead into the body of the paper.

Title page In APA

A title page in an APA style research paper includes the title of the paper, the names of the contributing authors, the name and location of the institution(s) involved, the faculty title and course number of the trainer, teacher, or instructor, and the date of completion or submission. This information helps to identify and credit the individuals who contributed to the research and provides a way to contact them if necessary. It also provides context for the research and clarifies the purpose or significance of the work. The chapter title and your research topic play a significant role in the first impression of your supervisor. The page number for the introduction is ideally 3-5, but it varies on the paper’s size and the research scope. Both the chapter title page and page header should have similar keywords.

Abstract In APA Style

An APA style paper abstract should provide a brief overview of your problem, hypotheses, methods, findings, and implications. This brief overview should be one paragraph at maximum and provide the reader with a basic understanding of your paper. Briefly describe your problem, hypotheses, methods, findings, and implications in your overview. Your overview should be concise and to the point and give the reader a general sense of your paper. The page number of an abstract of your student paper should be at most one.

Body of The Paper In APA Style

The main body of a research paper in APA format typically includes a section on defining the problem, followed by a section on establishing a research method, evaluating the results, and concluding with a discussion. This order may vary depending on the specific requirements of the paper, but in general, these are the main sections that you should. Writing in APA can often lead you to excel at exquisite writing skills.

In-text Citations

When using the APA style guide, in-text citations should always follow the author-date method for your research paper. That means you should include the author’s last name and publication date after every mention of a source in your paper. For example, you might write Smith (2020), or you can write it like (Smith, 2020). 

Reference List

All scholarly work represents the accumulated knowledge created by many researchers over time. Incorporating references in your research paper allows you to place your contribution in the context of existing scientific literature, acknowledging the authors who have influenced you. Referencing its references is an ethical act of scientific communication to verify compliance with this ethical principle and to prevent plagiarism. It is, therefore, important that you can master the art of quotation and that you credit your sources. Your references page or list must start with “Reference” written on the top in all bold, simple font. You should not put quotation marks around it, italicize it, or do fun stuff.

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Q. How should I format my research paper, research proposal or thesis?

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Answered By: APUS Librarians Last Updated: Nov 06, 2023     Views: 9770

There is no standard template for research papers at AMU or APU. When writing , you will rely on your degree program’s preferred style guide to help you format the body of your text: margins, headings, page numbers, references page, citations, etc. 

Graduate students will also refer to the End of Program Assessment Manual for formatting specifics (see more information below ).

Here are some helpful links to formatting recommendations for each style guide used at APUS:

• APUS APA Style Guide
• APA Style: Paper Format
• APA Style:  Style and Grammar Guidelines
• APA Style:  Instructional Aids
• APUS Legal Studies Program Writing Guide
• See Section 2 of the Chicago Manual of Style Online :  Manuscript Preparation, Manuscript Editing, and Proofreading
• APUS  MLA Style Guide
• MLA Style Center:  Formatting a Research Paper

Turabian 

• Turabian is based on the Chicago Manual of Style, so you can feel confident in referring to it for format guidelines. If you have the hard copy of Turabian, look at Appendixes A.1 General Format Requirements and A.2 Format Requirements for Specific Elements.

Graduate students:

If you are working on a research project proposal or thesis , the End of Program Assessment Manual for Graduate Studies (EOP Manual) will guide you in formatting aspects of your paper that may not be specified in your style guide. The current EOP Manual can be downloaded here .

• Chapter I:      Scholarly Research, Copyright, and Ethical Conduct
• Chapter II:     Responsible Conduct of Research
• Chapter III:    Master's Comprehensive Examination
• Chapter IV:   Master's Capstone: Thesis Option
• Chapter V:    Masters Capstone:  Creative/Applied Project
• Chapter VI:   Master's Capstone:  Practicum & Critical Reflection Paper
• Chapter VII:  Master's Capstone:  Portfolio & Critical Reflection Paper
• Chapter VIII: Program Director Role in the End of Program Assessment
• Chapter IX:   Faculty Role in the End of Program Assessment
• Chapter X:   University Declarations and Archiving
• Appendix 1:   (p. 42) Sample of Title / Cover Page
• Appendix 2:   Sample of Copyright Page
• Appendix 3:   Sample of Dedication Page (Optional)
• Appendix 4:   Sample of Acknowledgements Page (Optional)
• Appendix 5:   Sample of the Abstract
• Appendix 6:   Sample of the Table of Contents
• Appendix 7:   Sample of List of Tables
• Appendix 8:   Sample of List of Figures
• Appendix 9:   Sample of Permission to Quote or Reproduce Copyrighted Material Letter
• Appendix 10: Sample of IRB Approval Letter

If you have any questions about the policies or information provided in the EOP Manual, contact [email protected] .

• I am having problems formatting my paper in Word. Where can I find help?
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What Is Research Paper And Research Paper Format

Regardless of the nature of your research paper or whatever you are thinking about writing on if you are writing a paper then an outline will help you describe what you are writing and what are your thoughts on that topic. And it will help you describe your thoughts in just a few lines. Which will be helpful for many readers. An outline of your paper includes all the details about your research paper. And which is the best thing and there are many other things which you should follow to write a paper in a better way. So that your reader can get the best out of your paper just by reading it once.

There are many steps to follow which are going to help you with writing the research paper in the best way possible and that is what we are going to talk about here in this blog.

Initially, there are various components in which we divide the research paper so that it can be visually clear for The Reader to know about what’s going on in your research paper and those various components are introduction and then body and conclusion etc. 

Dividing your research paper in these various components will help you stay organised and reduce the risk of important information being forgotten by you basically if you will work and write your research paper in in such particular way then you will never forget any information that might be important for your research paper because you will be working in certain way and you will be following a particular path to write the knowledge. 

Which will lead you to write and specify every point you have in mind.

Now you know the importance of writing an outline for your research paper it’s time for you to know about that outlining how to follow it so that you can get the best out of your research paper

The structure of the outline of your research paper will be the same regardless what you are writing on whether it is a scientific paper or more journal paper Mathematics paper whatever it is the structure of your outline will always be similar

Basically the structure of the research outline is similar to the research paper template. Actually it’s not that simple but there’s a few things which are similar.

Saudi Arab main three components for an outline of any kind of research paper and those are:-

Table of Contents

• The introduction 
• The body 
• The conclusion  

As, we have discussed above that there were these three components

For an outline of a research paper and those are introduction then body and then the conclusion.

These are the main three components which you should follow in the same order so that the reader can get the best idea just by looking at your research paper and can get the best out of it. 

As the introduction is first important part of the outline of the research paper

So, it should be in the first and the intro of anything is always in the first of that thing.

First we need to introduce the research paper in the very start. What is it about?

So in the introduction you need to give a brief of the topic and you need to tell the most about it and that too in very less words.

And after the introduction comes the body of it. The body of the research paper is the heartiest part of it and it includes paragraphs and then some sub paragraphs and these paragraphs and subparagraphs will help build the thesis statement by providing different facts and by supporting your thinking and your argument. The body should always elaborate on the opening of a statement. Now the important thing is that this section should elaborate everything.

As you have already specified the introduction and the body. After this there should be a conclusion and which should cover up everything and Conclude your point of view. 

And which is the last part of writing and you should conclude everything and should clarify every aspect of your point of view.

Formatting a research paper

There are many things which you should take care of when you are working on a research paper and by taking care of these things you will be able to make your research paper better in every aspect.

So the point of things which you should take care of are as follows.

You should always use clear and good quality paper because good quality paper will put a  negative  image on your reader.

So you should always use a good quality white paper and the most important thing when you write a research paper is that you should always write on only one side of the paper. 

And  by writing on only one side of paper you will make your research paper look good and will put a positive effect on the reader or the evaluator If you are a student and by doing this you will get good grades for sure.

Margins 

Now when you are writing a research paper format you should always take care of the markings and margins on the paper.

You should always put neat and clean margins on the paper. So that it always looks neat and clean. You should always put a 2.5 cm margin on each side, top, bottom right and left.

Sometimes the exceptions are made when you need to put the page numbers. Then the bottom margin can be adjusted. But the standard margin is 2.5 cm on each side of the paper.

A title page is not very essential for your research paper but if your professor has asked for it then you should keep a title page in your research too. Title page tells everything about the research you have done in just one page. It is somewhat like the introduction. 

Numbering pages and paragraphs

Not as you already know about many points which you should keep in mind while writing a research paper. Not this point is also one of the most important points for writing a research paper. You should always keep this in mind. That is you should always number the pages of your research paper and that too in the upper hand right corner. 

Because using the numbers is always gonna help you when you design the context page for your research paper.

Because it is such an important thing to do. But one thing which you should always keep in mind is that you should always type the page number in the regular way.

Never ever write the page number with signs in it. Because that is going to put a negative image in the reader. And as per the mla writing format you should not do it. And you should always keep this in mind.

Spacing between the lines 

Whether you are writing an essay or you are typing it. You should always put regular spacing between the lines.

Because spacing between the lines is so much important that it differentiates between the topics and subtopics and the paragraphs and headings. 

So you should always keep the regular spacing between the lines, paragraphs and others.

Spacing between words

In general you should leave one space whenever you are writing anything.

You should always leave a single space after comma, semicolon or colon etc.

And traditionally  you should leave two spaces after the end of every sentence. 

And this is the way or writing and you should always follow it. There should not be any space in the form of a punctuation mark.Always keep these things in mind and you are gonna get the attention of your reader or teacher if you are a student and surely you are going to get good grades if you keep these things in mind while writing your research paper.

 So, these were the points which you should always keep in mind while you are writing a research paper. If you keep these points in mind then you are going to get the best out of your paper and if you are a student then you will be getting the best score ever if you are following these steps to write a research paper. And this was all about the research paper and the research paper format. Always keep this research paper format in mind and get the best out of your research paper. 

This blog explains what is a research paper and what is the research paper format . We have explained in detail the meaning of the research paper and research paper format in this blog.

We hope that with the help of this blog, all your problems will be solved. But if you still have any confusion related to the research paper, then you can take help from our experts through research paper help .

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Research Paper Outline – How to create a good one

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Inhaltsverzeichnis

• 1  Research Paper Outline: Definition
• 3  Structure
• 5 APA Outline
• 6 MLA Outline
• 7 In a Nutshell

 Research Paper Outline: Definition

A research paper outline is a simple structure of what you will include in each part of your research paper . The research paper structure should help to reduce the stress of writing the entire paper since you will only be tackling one section at a time. A good research paper structure should also help you avoid leaving out points or making mistakes in the paper.

Research paper outlines can make your work a lot easier since they show you what to include in every part of the research paper. After reading this guide, you will be able to create a research paper outline. We have included a sample of a research paper structure.

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What are the parts of the research paper outline?

A research paper outline should include all of the essential parts of a research paper . The essential parts are generally the introduction, the main section, and the conclusion. The introduction should contain a hook, a thesis statement, and it should define the research topic. The body should contain your arguments in support of the thesis. In the conclusion, you should summarize your arguments and add a call to action.

What is the format of the research paper outline?

For the research paper outline, there are many strategies that you can use. Which one you choose, depends on your research paper topic , and your lecturers’ instructions. The research paper outline is most commonly formatted with letters and (or) numbers. Usually, the format of a research paper outline starts with Roman numerals for the main topics (I., II., III., …). For subtopics, uppercase letters are often used (A., B., C., …). For detailed parts of your subtopics, use Arabic numbers (1., 2., 3., …). And if there are any subparts, you can use lowercase letters for them (a., b., c., …).

What should be included in a research paper outline?

Your research paper outline should simply show what you will include in each section of your research paper. For example, the introduction , body paragraphs and conclusion. You should show the main ideas that will be covered in each of the specific sections. The research paper outline should follow the layout of the actual study, and each part should contain points that are relevant to the corresponding section.

What's the difference between MLA and APA research paper outlines?

MLA stands for the Modern Language Association and APA stands for the American Psychological Association. They are both methods for formatting research papers. The main differences are in the referencing styles and the cover pages . Which method you are required to use, will depend on your area of research. Areas in humanities usually require you to use MLA, whereas scientific research usually requires APA formatting.

What are the steps before writing the research paper outline?

Before writing your research paper outline, you need to have completed the research phase. This means that you should have decided on your research topic and your research question . You need to have already written at least a draft thesis statement. You can’t create a research paper outline, if you don’t know which areas within your research topic are going to be covered.

A research paper outline should have the following parts:

Your research paper outline should be well divided. First, you will determine what you will include in the abstract . This part basically works as a brief summary of your entire paper, and in the research paper outline, you should include the key points to include in this section.

Thesis statement

The next part of your research paper outline will be the introduction . This part hooks the reader to the paper and should contain some key details. As you create your research paper outline, make sure you include the thesis statement , the core terms in the paper, and major points tackled in the paper.

Major arguments

The body part of your research paper outline should have the most information. This part of the research paper outline should contain different sections. Immediately after the introduction, you should show what you will include in your methodology. You should make notes on the methods used to carry out the research. You should then note the literature you used as a backup to your hypothesis and theories. In the research paper outline, you should mention the main theme of your study, along with how you intend to expand on the chosen literature.

Supporting points for each argument

After this part, your research paper outline should show the data and analysis section of the study. Note your results and other variables that you got in the study and indicate your preferred method of presenting the data. This could be with tables, graphs, etc.

A summary of the research findings and conclusions should also be included in this part of the research paper structure. Determine whether the findings make a difference to existing studies. Also, note the drawbacks of the research and its advantages.

To make your work easier, you can use this format and add the details of your own research paper structure. Note that this format may need to be changed depending on the type of research and the writing style requested. The following is an example of a research paper outline:

APA Outline

When writing the research paper with the APA format, you should consider the particularities of this style. First, remember that the papers include separate cover pages, and the cover page includes the title, author’s name, school name, and running head. The header on every next page has a number and title. With this format, the abstract has to be followed by keywords. The list of cited sources is titled as ‘References’. You should note these items in the research paper outline to make sure you don’t get anything wrong.

MLA Outline

As you complete your research paper outline for an MLA paper, you should remember that the citation styles differ based on the type of source. For example, a book will be cited differently from a video or magazine article. With MLA format, you will also not need to worry about title pages, unless your instructors indicate that they need a title page. In the research paper outline, the titles and emphasis points should all be written in italics. Before writing your cited works, you should consider making a list of the endnotes. The subheadings should be marked with Arabic numbers.

In a Nutshell

• Research paper outlines can make your work easier and will ensure that you don’t miss anything out of your paper.
• Research paper outlines differ based on the formating style used. APA research paper outlines will be slightly different from the MLA research paper outlines.
• A research paper outline should have an introduction, body, and conclusion.
• You should make brief notes on your main points and arguments in the research paper structure and refer to them when writing the paper itself.

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Get science-backed answers as you write with Paperpal's Research feature

How to Write the First Draft of a Research Paper with Paperpal? 

Do you encounter writer’s block during the first draft of a research paper? Crafting a clear outline from your initial ideas and notes can feel like a daunting first hurdle. Many researchers and students struggle with the initial stages of research paper writing. Uncertainties about content structure, information selection, and weaving complex findings into a cohesive narrative can lead to staring at a blank page. 

Table of Contents

• AI-generated outlines with a personalized approach 
• Identify gaps to strengthen your research paper 
• Step 1: Creating a research paper outline  
• Step 2: Breaking down the outline into sections  
• Step 3: Drafting the research paper  

A glimpse into academic forums and social media gives a clear picture that many researchers across the world go through similar problems while writing the first draft of a research paper. Where to begin? What should I write? How to begin? How to compile 2-3+ years of research into a 2500 or 5000-word research paper? If you’re grappling with these concerns, do not worry. You’re not alone.   

Researchers face a mountain of work when it comes to writing papers. Paperpal decided to tackle this challenge and, in the process, discovered some fascinating writing habits: 

• Start verbally: Some researchers find their flow by talking through their ideas first. They record themselves or brainstorm with a friend, then use these spoken notes as a springboard for their draft. 
• Write on the go: Others prioritize keeping their thoughts flowing freely. They write in bursts, leaving the structuring and editing for later. 
• Divide and Conquer: For some, especially new researchers, a structured approach works best. They break the paper into sections, focusing on building each one in detail before assembling the final draft. 
• Outlines: Many researchers swear by outlines. Outlines provide a roadmap, complete with headings, subheadings, and key points. This saves time in the long run by eliminating the need for major restructuring later. You can focus on polishing the language and adding academic vocabulary during the final edit . 

Inspired by the outline method, Paperpal set out to create a tool that would give researchers a head start. This led to the development of Paperpal’s AI-generated outlines, which build a rough skeleton for your draft, allowing you to flesh out each section with confidence. 

How do Paperpal’s AI-generated outlines help you write the first draft 2x faster?   

Unlike traditional outlining methods, Paperpal doesn’t just provide a generic structure. Paperpal’s AI-generated outlines identify the key topics that form the backbone of your draft, providing a clear structure without sacrificing crucial elements. 

AI-generated outlines with a personalized approach

Paperpal goes beyond just suggesting topics. It seamlessly integrates your input, including notes, ideas, and research findings. This ensures the generated outline reflects your unique perspective and aligns perfectly with your project goals. This personalized approach not only streamlines the drafting process but also fosters a sense of ownership, keeping you engaged and motivated. 

Identify gaps to strengthen your research paper

After creating an outline based on your notes, Paperpal takes things a step further by helping you flesh out each section with content suggestions. Let’s say you’re working on the introduction of your research paper . Paperpal not only analyzes your notes to generate an outline, but it also identifies potential gaps in your research. It can then suggest content additions like knowledge gaps, research questions, and rationale statements to address those weaknesses. This comprehensive support streamlines the writing process for your first draft, making it smoother and more effortless. 

Researchers who have incorporated Paperpal into their workflow, have achieved higher levels of academic writing productivity . The result? Producing the first draft of a research paper in a shorter time frame, without making it completely AI-driven. 

How to write the first draft of a research paper with Paperpal?  

Paperpal redefines the way researchers approach academic writing, transforming the once-daunting task of drafting into a breeze. Here’s a walkthrough of writing the first draft of a research paper with Paperpal.  

Step 1: Creating a research paper outline

• Sign- up to Paperpal and open a new or existing document.  
• Navigate to Templates , select Outlines and choose Research Article to begin.  
• Fill out the necessary details in the required fields according to your needs. Add your research notes to the Brief Description section and click on Generate .  

Paperpal gets you started on the right foot by analyzing your information and generating a comprehensive outline. This roadmap for your draft breaks down the content into clear, logical sections: 

• Background: Sets the context for your research. 
• Topic Importance: Highlights the significance of your research area. 
• Existing Knowledge: Summarizes what’s already known about the topic. 
• Knowledge Gap: Identifies areas where further research is needed. 
• Rationale: Explains why your research is important to address the gap. 
• Research Question: Formulates the specific question your research aims to answer. 
• Aim/Objective: Defines the overall goals and desired outcomes of your research. 
• Hypothesis: Makes a prediction about the expected results of your study (optional, not all research papers require a hypothesis). 

Paperpal’s outline provides a head-start to structure and write your research paper. This process helps in laying a strong foundation for your writing and refining it effortlessly.  

Step 2: Breaking down the outline into sections

Once you have the initial outline, you can further refine it by dividing it into subsections. This helps you explore each aspect of your research in detail, ensuring thorough coverage of your topic. You can choose from pre-built sections like Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion and start developing one by one.  

Step 3: Drafting the research paper

Start your research paper’s draft based on the outline and custom section enhancements. During the writing phase, Paperpal also offers insights into using its features:   

• Incorporating references and additional content as required  
• Rephrasing, shortening sentences, and refining language and structure using Paperpal’s Edit and Rewrite options  
• Refining your draft by adding citations and specific information relevant to the topic via Paperpal Research. This ensures originality, and clarity, and adds value to your writing.  

By streamlining the journey from raw research to a polished draft, Paperpal helps students, researchers, and academics overcome common writing hurdles and achieve greater productivity. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or a student, Paperpal serves as a trusted companion, guiding you through each stage of the drafting process. Unlock academic writing potential with Paperpal. Get your free Paperpal account today!  

Paperpal is a comprehensive AI writing toolkit that helps students and researchers achieve 2x the writing in half the time. It leverages 21+ years of STM experience and insights from millions of research articles to provide in-depth academic writing, language editing, and submission readiness support to help you write better, faster.  

Get accurate academic translations, rewriting support, grammar checks, vocabulary suggestions, and generative AI assistance that delivers human precision at machine speed. Try for free or upgrade to Paperpal Prime starting at US$19 a month to access premium features, including consistency, plagiarism, and 30+ submission readiness checks to help you succeed.  

Experience the future of academic writing – Sign up to Paperpal and start writing for free!  

Related Reads:

• 7 Ways to Improve Your Academic Writing Process
• How to Paraphrase Research Papers Effectively
• How Long Should a Chapter Be?
• How to Use Paperpal to Generate Emails & Cover Letters?

MLA Works Cited Page: Format, Template & Examples

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• Research paper

How to Write a Research Paper | A Beginner's Guide

A research paper is a piece of academic writing that provides analysis, interpretation, and argument based on in-depth independent research.

Research papers are similar to academic essays , but they are usually longer and more detailed assignments, designed to assess not only your writing skills but also your skills in scholarly research. Writing a research paper requires you to demonstrate a strong knowledge of your topic, engage with a variety of sources, and make an original contribution to the debate.

This step-by-step guide takes you through the entire writing process, from understanding your assignment to proofreading your final draft.

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Table of contents

Understand the assignment, choose a research paper topic, conduct preliminary research, develop a thesis statement, create a research paper outline, write a first draft of the research paper, write the introduction, write a compelling body of text, write the conclusion, the second draft, the revision process, research paper checklist, free lecture slides.

Completing a research paper successfully means accomplishing the specific tasks set out for you. Before you start, make sure you thoroughly understanding the assignment task sheet:

• Read it carefully, looking for anything confusing you might need to clarify with your professor.
• Identify the assignment goal, deadline, length specifications, formatting, and submission method.
• Make a bulleted list of the key points, then go back and cross completed items off as you’re writing.

Carefully consider your timeframe and word limit: be realistic, and plan enough time to research, write, and edit.

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There are many ways to generate an idea for a research paper, from brainstorming with pen and paper to talking it through with a fellow student or professor.

You can try free writing, which involves taking a broad topic and writing continuously for two or three minutes to identify absolutely anything relevant that could be interesting.

You can also gain inspiration from other research. The discussion or recommendations sections of research papers often include ideas for other specific topics that require further examination.

Once you have a broad subject area, narrow it down to choose a topic that interests you, m eets the criteria of your assignment, and i s possible to research. Aim for ideas that are both original and specific:

• A paper following the chronology of World War II would not be original or specific enough.
• A paper on the experience of Danish citizens living close to the German border during World War II would be specific and could be original enough.

Note any discussions that seem important to the topic, and try to find an issue that you can focus your paper around. Use a variety of sources , including journals, books, and reliable websites, to ensure you do not miss anything glaring.

Do not only verify the ideas you have in mind, but look for sources that contradict your point of view.

• Is there anything people seem to overlook in the sources you research?
• Are there any heated debates you can address?
• Do you have a unique take on your topic?
• Have there been some recent developments that build on the extant research?

In this stage, you might find it helpful to formulate some research questions to help guide you. To write research questions, try to finish the following sentence: “I want to know how/what/why…”

A thesis statement is a statement of your central argument — it establishes the purpose and position of your paper. If you started with a research question, the thesis statement should answer it. It should also show what evidence and reasoning you’ll use to support that answer.

The thesis statement should be concise, contentious, and coherent. That means it should briefly summarize your argument in a sentence or two, make a claim that requires further evidence or analysis, and make a coherent point that relates to every part of the paper.

You will probably revise and refine the thesis statement as you do more research, but it can serve as a guide throughout the writing process. Every paragraph should aim to support and develop this central claim.

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A research paper outline is essentially a list of the key topics, arguments, and evidence you want to include, divided into sections with headings so that you know roughly what the paper will look like before you start writing.

A structure outline can help make the writing process much more efficient, so it’s worth dedicating some time to create one.

Your first draft won’t be perfect — you can polish later on. Your priorities at this stage are as follows:

• Maintaining forward momentum — write now, perfect later.
• Paying attention to clear organization and logical ordering of paragraphs and sentences, which will help when you come to the second draft.
• Expressing your ideas as clearly as possible, so you know what you were trying to say when you come back to the text.

You do not need to start by writing the introduction. Begin where it feels most natural for you — some prefer to finish the most difficult sections first, while others choose to start with the easiest part. If you created an outline, use it as a map while you work.

Do not delete large sections of text. If you begin to dislike something you have written or find it doesn’t quite fit, move it to a different document, but don’t lose it completely — you never know if it might come in useful later.

Paragraph structure

Paragraphs are the basic building blocks of research papers. Each one should focus on a single claim or idea that helps to establish the overall argument or purpose of the paper.

Example paragraph

George Orwell’s 1946 essay “Politics and the English Language” has had an enduring impact on thought about the relationship between politics and language. This impact is particularly obvious in light of the various critical review articles that have recently referenced the essay. For example, consider Mark Falcoff’s 2009 article in The National Review Online, “The Perversion of Language; or, Orwell Revisited,” in which he analyzes several common words (“activist,” “civil-rights leader,” “diversity,” and more). Falcoff’s close analysis of the ambiguity built into political language intentionally mirrors Orwell’s own point-by-point analysis of the political language of his day. Even 63 years after its publication, Orwell’s essay is emulated by contemporary thinkers.

Citing sources

It’s also important to keep track of citations at this stage to avoid accidental plagiarism . Each time you use a source, make sure to take note of where the information came from.

You can use our free citation generators to automatically create citations and save your reference list as you go.

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The research paper introduction should address three questions: What, why, and how? After finishing the introduction, the reader should know what the paper is about, why it is worth reading, and how you’ll build your arguments.

What? Be specific about the topic of the paper, introduce the background, and define key terms or concepts.

Why? This is the most important, but also the most difficult, part of the introduction. Try to provide brief answers to the following questions: What new material or insight are you offering? What important issues does your essay help define or answer?

How? To let the reader know what to expect from the rest of the paper, the introduction should include a “map” of what will be discussed, briefly presenting the key elements of the paper in chronological order.

The major struggle faced by most writers is how to organize the information presented in the paper, which is one reason an outline is so useful. However, remember that the outline is only a guide and, when writing, you can be flexible with the order in which the information and arguments are presented.

One way to stay on track is to use your thesis statement and topic sentences . Check:

• topic sentences against the thesis statement;
• topic sentences against each other, for similarities and logical ordering;
• and each sentence against the topic sentence of that paragraph.

Be aware of paragraphs that seem to cover the same things. If two paragraphs discuss something similar, they must approach that topic in different ways. Aim to create smooth transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and sections.

The research paper conclusion is designed to help your reader out of the paper’s argument, giving them a sense of finality.

Trace the course of the paper, emphasizing how it all comes together to prove your thesis statement. Give the paper a sense of finality by making sure the reader understands how you’ve settled the issues raised in the introduction.

You might also discuss the more general consequences of the argument, outline what the paper offers to future students of the topic, and suggest any questions the paper’s argument raises but cannot or does not try to answer.

You should not :

• Offer new arguments or essential information
• Take up any more space than necessary
• Begin with stock phrases that signal you are ending the paper (e.g. “In conclusion”)

There are four main considerations when it comes to the second draft.

• Check how your vision of the paper lines up with the first draft and, more importantly, that your paper still answers the assignment.
• Identify any assumptions that might require (more substantial) justification, keeping your reader’s perspective foremost in mind. Remove these points if you cannot substantiate them further.
• Be open to rearranging your ideas. Check whether any sections feel out of place and whether your ideas could be better organized.
• If you find that old ideas do not fit as well as you anticipated, you should cut them out or condense them. You might also find that new and well-suited ideas occurred to you during the writing of the first draft — now is the time to make them part of the paper.

The goal during the revision and proofreading process is to ensure you have completed all the necessary tasks and that the paper is as well-articulated as possible. You can speed up the proofreading process by using the AI proofreader .

Global concerns

• Confirm that your paper completes every task specified in your assignment sheet.
• Check for logical organization and flow of paragraphs.
• Check paragraphs against the introduction and thesis statement.

Fine-grained details

Check the content of each paragraph, making sure that:

• each sentence helps support the topic sentence.
• no unnecessary or irrelevant information is present.
• all technical terms your audience might not know are identified.

Next, think about sentence structure , grammatical errors, and formatting . Check that you have correctly used transition words and phrases to show the connections between your ideas. Look for typos, cut unnecessary words, and check for consistency in aspects such as heading formatting and spellings .

Finally, you need to make sure your paper is correctly formatted according to the rules of the citation style you are using. For example, you might need to include an MLA heading  or create an APA title page .

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Checklist: Research paper

I have followed all instructions in the assignment sheet.

My introduction presents my topic in an engaging way and provides necessary background information.

My introduction presents a clear, focused research problem and/or thesis statement .

My paper is logically organized using paragraphs and (if relevant) section headings .

Each paragraph is clearly focused on one central idea, expressed in a clear topic sentence .

Each paragraph is relevant to my research problem or thesis statement.

I have used appropriate transitions  to clarify the connections between sections, paragraphs, and sentences.

My conclusion provides a concise answer to the research question or emphasizes how the thesis has been supported.

My conclusion shows how my research has contributed to knowledge or understanding of my topic.

My conclusion does not present any new points or information essential to my argument.

I have provided an in-text citation every time I refer to ideas or information from a source.

I have included a reference list at the end of my paper, consistently formatted according to a specific citation style .

I have thoroughly revised my paper and addressed any feedback from my professor or supervisor.

I have followed all formatting guidelines (page numbers, headers, spacing, etc.).

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College & Research Libraries News  ( C&RL News ) is the official newsmagazine and publication of record of the Association of College & Research Libraries,  providing articles on the latest trends and practices affecting academic and research libraries.

C&RL News  became an online-only publication beginning with the January 2022 issue.

Nancy Shore is STEM librarian at Columbus State University, email: [email protected] .

Kristina Clement is outreach librarian at Kennesaw State University, email: [email protected] .

Katherine Rose Adams is associate professor at the University of North Georgia, email: [email protected] .

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Academic Library Workers in Conversation

Nancy Shore, Kristina Clement, and Katherine Rose Adams

Librarians and Degree Seeking

The “Paper Ceiling” and Advancement in Academic Libraries

Nancy Shore is STEM librarian at Columbus State University, email: [email protected] . Kristina Clement is outreach librarian at Kennesaw State University, email: [email protected] . Katherine Rose Adams is associate professor at the University of North Georgia, email: [email protected] .

© 2024 Nancy Shore, Kristina Clement, and Katherine Rose Adams

A cademic Library Workers in Conversation is a C&RL News series focused on elevating the everyday conversations of library professionals. The wisdom of the watercooler has long been heralded, but this series hopes to go further by minimizing barriers to traditional publishing with an accessible format. Each of the topics in the series were proposed by the authors and they were given space to explore. This issue’s conversation focuses on the “paper ceiling” and why some library workers continue their educational journey after an MLS/MLIS. The experience of these authors highlights one path that might serve many other academic library professionals. —Dustin Fife, series editor

Nancy Shore : My career path to librarianship has not been linear, but everything I’ve done up to this point has prepared me for what came next. And so, when I took an academic librarian job at Columbus State University (CSU) in 2022, I did not expect to pursue another degree, much less an EdD, but thanks to the University System of Georgia’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), I will graduate debt-free. And when I investigated my options, the EdD program at the University of North Georgia (UNG) was the best fit for me, both in its asynchronous delivery and its cohort model. I knew graduate school at this level would be a lot of work, but I didn’t want doctoral studies to take up all my time. My theory is that if you’re going to get a “free” degree, it might as well be a big one!

Kristina Clement : I agree, Nancy, there’s nothing quite like a free degree! Ever since I became a professional librarian, I’ve wanted to pursue a doctorate. When I came to Kennesaw State University, I learned that several librarians here had either just finished or were in the process of going through the EdD in Higher Education Leadership and Practice at UNG using TAP. Like you, Nancy, the cohort model appealed to me, as did the asynchronous learning, and I really liked that I could complete the EdD in just three years. My colleagues had great things to say about the program, so I applied and started with the fall 2023 cohort.

Katherine Rose Adams : Well, I can jump on this wagon too! I earned three degrees through the TAP program, including a Masters in Human Resources/Occupational Development and a PhD in Adult Education, all of which I earned at the University of Georgia (UGA) while working in graduate advising roles at UGA. I joined UNG in 2018 as the only faculty member of the Higher Education Leadership and Practice EdD program, and with it being a new program, I was fortunate enough to get to shape and develop a great experience to meet the needs of the adult learners and higher education professionals. I consider the work of myself and my two fellow faculty members, Drs. Lanford and Long, to be some of the proudest accomplishments of my life.

Kristina : Since joining this EdD program, I’ve been reflecting on why librarians, including myself, are increasingly pursuing doctorates. My goal is to climb the academic library ranks, ideally to a deanship or beyond, and I’ve noticed many higher-level job listings now require or strongly recommend a doctorate. Starting my doctorate seemed like a proactive move to overcome future hurdles. I think this trend highlights a broader issue: the “paper ceiling,” where the ability to obtain a doctoral degree creates a barrier between middle management and upper administration. I think we see a similar phenomenon in librarianship where the terminal degree for our field acts as a gatekeeper and sidelines those without the means or desire for specific education. Despite learning valuable leadership skills in my program, I do question the growing need for a doctoral title to qualify for top positions, especially when many essential skills are learned on the job. But I will say, the desire to be “Dr. Clement” is quite strong!

Nancy : I recently read a paper that discussed the “paper ceiling” created in some professions, and it hit home, personally and professionally. When I was in library school, one of my professors explained that the library degree isn’t one where you build new skills, but where you hone and expand on ones you already have. Like you, Kristina, I’m pursuing an EdD so that I have a “piece of paper” from an institution that will certify I “know stuff” about leadership. I am learning a great deal about the institution of higher education as a whole, as well as the many moving parts involved in advancing the institutional mission.

Katherine : I started noticing a fairly significant number of academic librarians in the program during the 2020 cohort. In the Higher Education Law course during the ethics module, students are asked to share their field’s code of ethics, and I realized that half of the cohort were academic librarians, so I was able to incorporate more library science material in modules. In one module, we ended up having an extensive discussion thread about “the why” behind their attendance in the program. The first was personal leadership advancement outside of the library science field, so those looking into higher education institution (HEI)–wide leadership positions or at the system level. But the second reason was the one that has remained with me, and I’m using my language now to express the idea that the terminal nature of the MLIS degree conflicts with how higher education navigates academic titles and status, such as assuming a doctoral degree is needed to lead an academic program.

I was hearing that HEIs are wanting their academic library deans to have doctoral degrees, which in my opinion is directly related to how higher education can be shortsighted in making generalizations related to academic titles. If I understand correctly, one important aspect of note is that I think there are less than 15 PhD programs in library or information science in the country, which also may be telling of the terminal nature of the MLIS, but then academic librarians need other pathways to their doctorate. The continuation of what is next for a librarian after the MLIS does not appear to have a clear seriation to the next step. Now Kristina and Nancy, just to also be absolutely clear, I’m thrilled that you all are here! I just find that part of why I wanted to engage in our discussion was around what skills could we be complementing into our program that are not repetitive to the MLIS terminal degree, and if we are continuing to see such a population growth, how can we best serve our academic librarian students?

Kristina : One enjoyable aspect of this program is the emphasis on leadership within higher education, which is enhanced by learning from classmates with diverse experiences across different university sectors. A recurring sentiment is the feeling of being isolated within our specific departments, a challenge not unfamiliar to academic libraries. We, in libraries, often discuss our internal divisions, yet seldom address how we’re perceived as an odd unit in the university structure. Academic libraries often straddle the line between an academic affairs unit and a student affairs or student success unit. With a foot in each space, our existence is liminal and murky, so it’s no wonder that academic libraries often have a difficult time communicating our value and purpose to the rest of our institutions. I really hope that what I am learning in my EdD program, both through course content, my dissertation, and from my peers, will help me be an academic library leader that can see both the forest and the trees.

Katherine : I hope a benefit of a program like ours is that students gain direct insight that sets one up for success in leadership positions within higher education. In our program, you’ll learn how to draft a budget by doing one, to conduct research by completing a dissertation, and to direct a program assessment by doing one. And Kristina, following along what you mentioned as feeling siloed in academic spaces, we bring in a tremendous number of guest speakers, which is more than just hearing from experts but in realizing the value of connecting with other leaders on campus. For example, can we demystify reaching out to general counsel or HR directors so that we are moving forward abiding by policies we may not be fully aware of, which then saves everyone time if we mistakenly move forward without them!

Nancy : I think the liminal space that academic libraries and librarians occupy is a blessing and a curse at the same time. We can operate as faculty while not experiencing the full pressure of a traditional teaching load, but sometimes we get left out of important conversations because we’re not viewed as “real” faculty. Librarians are very good at reinventing themselves and adapting to the needs of our users, and I feel like a doctoral degree will help me be better positioned for the next evolution of library services.

Kristina : Librarians are incredibly adaptable. I’m thrilled to see more librarians pursuing doctorates, aiming beyond roles like library dean or director to higher roles such as university provost or president. Like you said, Nancy, our ability to adapt could make us excellent—but overlooked—candidates for these positions. Librarians have a unique view of the university, and if we start seeing librarians ascend to top university roles, it could give a stronger voice to a traditionally under-voiced unit. Despite the library being a very important part of the university, we still endeavor to properly articulate our value and worth to our communities. Perhaps EdD programs will help librarians not only become more skilled leaders, but also better advocates for our libraries with a more nuanced vocabulary about the complexities of higher education. Advocacy isn’t about yelling louder than the next person; it’s about finding better words to express our importance and resonate with our communities.

Nancy : I like that you’re talking about advocacy, and I agree with you, Kristina, that librarians are not always assertive advocates for ourselves or our departments. Because of our generalist background, librarian skills are easily transferable to many departments, but it’s not always easy to communicate how they transfer depending on the audience. One reason I accept placement on so many different university and departmental committees is to be a voice for the library in a variety of spaces. I look forward to using my EdD as an admission ticket to discussions above the paper ceiling and being able to use my place in those discussions to advocate for my less-degreed peers and colleagues.

Katherine : Nancy, when you speak of being a voice, I very much appreciate how academic librarians in our program are advocating for our program. While we have not made any designated efforts to recruit librarians into the program, we have had an academic librarian in every cohort. So, big thank you to the librarians for promoting our program! I wonder if someone within library science is not seeing this huge flux of a population of potential students, as I also have librarian friends that are attending other EdD programs around the country and realizing that there is an opportunity here to re-envision the library and information science doctoral degree and take advantage of the unique higher education librarian population. Wait . . . maybe we should end our discussion here as I do not want to create any more competition!

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