How to Write a Paper in APA Format?

The uniformity of a paper’s sequence, structure, and the format allows readers to concentrate on the content rather than the presentation. Writers can often utilize their word-processing program’s default settings and automatic formatting capabilities to format a paper in APA Style or make just minor changes.

You can use APA style formatting in your paper as well as in websites, a poster, and a PowerPoint presentation. You need to format it differently to make it look better, such as using different line spacing and font sizes. To change APA Style formatting standards as suitable, follow the guidelines of your institution or publication.

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How to Format an APA Paper?

Throughout an empirical research report, utilize the past tense e.g., “was,” “said”, or the past perfect or present perfect tense e.g., “had been,” “had revealed” as a general rule. Also, avoid contractions e.g., it does not replace instead of it doesn’t replace. You should be aware of certain general guidelines. These are some of them:

• A white page is recommended.
• Set all page margins to one inch on all sides.
• Double-space your document after typing it. No extra space should be added before or after paragraphs.
• A wide range of accessible fonts is acceptable. Sans serif fonts (such as 11-point Calibri and 11-point Arial) and serif fonts are also acceptable options (such as 12-point Times New Roman).
• Every page of the publication has a page header that appears in the top margin. The page number, which is displayed in the top right corner of each page, is the only part of the page header for student papers. The page number and heading are included in professional paper headers (top left corner). The title of the heading should be written in capital letters.

How to Write a Paper in APA Format?

Depending on the type of paper you’ve been asked to write, the structure of your paper will differ slightly. A lab report, for example, maybe formatted differently from a case study or analysis report. It can be even more difficult to submit a paper for publication in a journal because each study type and journal has its unique format that you must follow. You should include five major elements in any APA paper: a title page, an abstract, a table of content, the main body of the paper, and a reference section.

1. The Title Page of an APA paper

The title page of your APA format document is the first page. The title page’s purpose is to convey the title, as the name implies. Without being too wordy, this is where you may inform and engage your reader.

The following elements should be included on the title page:

• The title of the paper
• All authors’ names
• Institutional affiliations
• Course number and name, teacher’s name, and assignment due date

2. How to Form an Abstract In APA?

An APA abstract is a concise description of your study in which you briefly discuss the research objectives, hypotheses, methodology, findings, and implications. The abstract is a short (150 to 250 words) summary of the work that helps the reader determine whether or not it is worth their time to read the remaining paper. It’s better to write the abstract once your work is ready.

An APA abstract appears on its own page, immediately following the title page. The following important components of your abstract are frequently included:

• Your paper’s overall objective
• Hypotheses statements
• Brief about the process and the participants
• The most important findings
• The conclusions
• The importance of your results

In your abstract, you might want to include a list of keywords from your paper. To do so, open a new paragraph, enter Keywords, and then list your keywords. If you include keywords in your paper, researchers will be able to find them in databases.

3. Table of Content of an APA Paper

The table of contents appears between the abstract and the introduction in a thesis or dissertation. It should use the same font and size as the rest of your document (usually 12 pt. Times New Roman). Contents should be centered and bold at the top of the page. You can utilize up to five levels of headings in APA Style, each with its unique formatting style. All level 1 and 2 headings should be left-aligned and formatted in the table of contents.

4. The Body of An APA Paper

All of the guidelines described in the above formatting heading should be followed in your main body. Your paper’s entire title should be at the top of the first page of the main body. It should be bold and capitalized. Between the title and the beginning of your paper, there should be no unnecessary spaces.

Introduction

The objective of the introduction is the same as it is for any research paper: briefly introduce and state the problem to be explored in one to two paragraphs. Always state in the introduction what you are trying to prove or disapprove of in the work.

The Body

The body of your paper should prove that your argument/critique/analysis is progressing in a specific direction (the direction mentioned in your introduction).

• Start a new section with the phrase Method and use it as the subtitle. This subtitle should be bolded and centered. The Method section describes how the study was conducted. Make sure to include a description of the data collection procedures.
• With the phrase Results, start a new section. This subtitle should be bolded and centered. Your data is summarized in the results section. To display this information, use charts and graphs.
• The Discussion should be the first heading of the last section of your paper. This subtitle should be bolded and centered. This part allows you to examine and interpret your findings. Examine whether your theory was proved or disproved by your findings.

Conclusion

In conclusion, explain how your study led you to these conclusions. Restate your primary points to give your writing more cohesiveness. Write a summary of your main points and sub-topics. Explain what was recommended in your paper’s body section. You should make an effort to demonstrate why your thesis is correct.

5. References

In the reference section, you provide detailed information about all of the references you used. This section should start on a fresh page, with the term “References” centered at the top.

• The first line of each reference should be close to the left, with the following lines indented.
• Double-spacing is required for all references.
• All references should be arranged alphabetically by the first author’s last name.
• List any books or resources by the same author (s) in chronological sequence, from oldest to most recent.
• Use the source’s capitalization and punctuation.
• Italicize book and magazine titles when available.