How Do I Write A Research Paper: In the APA Format

APA style papers are often written in math, social studies, and science classes. The style is different than a MLA style paper. There are many rules and many requirements for writing an APA format paper. As you write the paper, you can use this guideline. You might also want to purchase an APA handbook or bookmark on your computer a site on the format. If these additional guides are handy, then you can do a quick look-up when you have questions or you have concerns about the style. Some tips are:

Title Page

Have a title page for the paper. On the title page, include your name, the title of the paper, your teacher’s name, and your school’s name. Center all of these things and also include a header and a page number. Use a size 12 font that is a plain font such as Arial.

Abstract

Next you will write and include a one to two page abstract. The abstract will discuss the paper’s goals in general terms. You should mention what you are trying to prove in the paper and why you think the expected result will occur. Do not get into too many details in the abstract. Make sure to include a header and page number.

Body of the Paper

The paper of the body will include the main ideas and the support or research for your main ideas. If you conducted experiments or case studies, your teacher may want you to put graphs and photos in this section. Ask your teacher if this is what they want. Always carefully read your rules and instructions from your teacher.

References

You will need to put together a reference section that includes all the references you used in the paper. Some teachers want a bibliography that includes every source you looked at while researching the topic. Other teachers will want you to use a Works Cited page. This page will only include the sources you actually used when writing the paper.

You will additionally, want to have in-text citations within the paper. The standard citation has the author name and year of publication in parentheses. This parenthetical comes right after the information you want to cite.

Have a handbook ready when you write your APA paper. Also use this guide to help you as you compose your research paper in APA style.