Writing Using APA Style Graduate Research Papers Based on: Purdue Owl (6 th Ed.) Barbara Dautrich, Ed.D.. American International College Edits for Field Based Research by Thomas Witham

What is APA? The American Psychological Association (APA) is the international organization that sets standards for professional writing and publication.

General Layout for APA Your paper should be typed, double- spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11") with 1" margins on all sides. You should use a clear font that is highly readable. APA recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font

Running Head and Pagination Include a page header (also known as the "running head") at the top of every page. To create a page header/running head, insert page numbers flush right. Then type "TITLE OF YOUR PAPER" in the header flush left using all capital letters. The running head is a shortened version of your paper's title and cannot exceed 50 characters including spacing and punctuation.

Title Page and Pagination The title page should contain the title of the paper, the author's name, and the institutional affiliation centered on the upper half of the page. Title page should be doubled-spaced, no abbreviations in the title and no more than 2 lines long. Title page should have Running Head,flush left, and the page number flush right at the top of the page. Running Head: TITLE IN CAPS Pg# All the pages from Pg. 2 on should state the Title only (not include running head).

Title Page Example Running Head: VISUAL CUES INCREASE STORY SEQUENCING SKILLS 1 Using Visual Cues to Increase Story Sequencing Skills in Preschool Students Lauren M. American international College

Major Paper Sections Your paper should include four major sections: Title Page, Abstract, Main Body, (Introduction, Background, Method, Results, Discussion), References, Appendix (ices).

The Abstract Write a concise summary of the key points of your research. (Do not indent.) Your abstract should contain your research topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions. You may also include possible implications of your research and future work you see connected with your findings. Your abstract should be a single paragraph double-spaced. Your abstract should be between 150 and 250 words.

Abstract Sample

MAIN BODY OF THE PAPER Start main body on a new page. Start with the Title: It should be centered on the page, typed in 12-point Times New Roman Font. It should not be bolded, underlined, or italicized. Open with an introduction (NO label for the introduction).

Sample Introduction

Background This is your first (first level) HEADING in the paper. Background Suggested subheadings (second level): Literature Review Methodology Findings and Data Analysis Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations References

5 Levels of APA Headings There are 5 heading levels in APA. The format of each level is illustrated below: 1 Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Headings 2 Left-aligned, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading 3 Indented, boldface, lowercase heading with a period. Begin body text after the period. 4 Indented, boldface, italicized lowercase with a period. Begin body text after the period. 5 Indented, italicized, lowercase heading with a period. Begin body text after the period.

Example of 3- levels of headings

Text Citations The author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, for example, (Jones, 1998), with a complete reference in the reference list at the end of the paper. All sources that are cited in the text must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper. Note: APA style requires authors to use the past tense or present perfect tense when referring to research, for example, Jones (1998) found or Jones (1998) has found...

Quotations If you are directly quoting from a work, include the author, year of publication, and the page number(preceded by "p."). Introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author's last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses. According to Jones (1998), "Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199). OR Jones (1998) found "students often had difficulty using APA style" (p. 199); what implications does this have for teachers?

Figures in Text Displays, graphics, illustrations, diagrams: Figure Caption: "Figure 1." is typed flush left and italicized on the first line below the figure, immediately followed on the same line by the caption which should brief describe the display.

Figure in text (no title at the top)

Figure in Appendix (Title at the Top serves as title for Appendix page) Figure 8. Increased responses made by a student across the 7-week intervention period.

Tables Tables are made of Lines and show data. Heading: “Table 1” is typed flush left on the first line above the Table. Double-space and type the table title flush left (italicized in uppercase and lowercase letters).

Table 3. Comparison of Groups: Pretest and Posttest Mean Scores on Letter Recognition Group PretestPosttest Intervention Group N= Control Group N=

Examples of other tables Mean Age of Subjects Intervention Group N= 13 8 years 1 month Control Group N= 12 7 years 10 months Number of items correct (raw score) on pretest and posttest for Intervention Group Pretest Posttest Angie 14 Garth Nickki Jamal Tyrone Lisa 9 13 Molly Mean MCAS scores in ELA Open Response Intervention Group 7 Control Group 8

Method Subheadings: (level two) Setting Participants Instruments Instructional Procedures

Findings and Data Analysis Restate purpose of study. Briefly present your basic findings. Give pre-post scores, data, etc. Visuals and graphics are important to include in the text. Illustrate pre-post mean data of your groups using tables, bar graphs and/or charts. Additional graphics go into the Appendix

Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations Restate the purpose of the study Discuss the implications of your research using the subheadings below: Effectiveness of Instruction: What worked? Why? Discuss qualitative or observational data that adds to findings. Give examples of instructional effectiveness. Describe student response(s). Describe individual student growth, trends, etc. Cite key researchers from your Literature Review pointing out consistencies or inconsistencies in relation to your findings. Generalizations (Implications) Limitations: Discuss variables such as time, number of subjects, similarity of groups, unexpected teaching or student variables, etc.,) Future Study: Discuss what should follow next. What would you change in your research? How should it be extended?

References and Appendix References follow immediately at the end of the Main Body. Only those sources, and ALL the sources used in your paper should be listed. The Appendix (appendices) are lettered in order of how they are noted in your paper. Title each Appendix