Your Research Paper Guidelines Spectra of Science

Basic APA Guidelines Type 12 font Times New Roman Double-spaced 1 inch margins all around

Parts of the Paper Title Page Table of Contents Abstract Introduction Background Experiment Resources Experiment Procedures Data Analysis Conclusions Appendix References

Title Page Title of Paper Your Full Name Period Date Submitted Running Head  All Centered in center of page  In header;

Table of Contents Includes the names of all sections of your paper Page number on which the section begins

Abstract This is a brief, one paragraph description of your overall project and findings. It should include a brief summary of your hypothesis, procedures, and conclusions. No more than 250 words.

Introduction This is a brief introduction to your project. It should contain a description of your problem, purpose, and experiment. Be sure to explain why your project and its findings might be important to you or others. 2-3 paragraphs

Background Discuss your research findings. What did you need to learn more about to better understand your project and what did you find? (I.e. What is an electrolyte? What is the structure of a horse’s eye?) This is also the section where you will do most of your citations. Minimum of 2 pages

In-Text Citation Plagiarism is illegal!

What do I have to cite? TO CITE: ALL Quotations MUST be cited Any information, thought, idea, or opinion gathered from a source must be cite NOT TO CITE Common knowledge does NOT need to be cited Your own opinion does NOT need to be cite Either quote the text verbatim and put the quote in quotation marks Completely paraphrase the information It’s better to overcite than undercite. (Jackson, 2011)

How do I cite it? Place in parenthesis at the end of the sentence, in this order, separated by commas: –Author(s) last name –Year of publication (if known) –Page number (if known) If any of these is unknown (not given), leave it off If any of these pieces are included in the sentence itself, you do not need to cite it at the end in parenthesis

Example 1 She stated, "Students often had difficulty using APA style" (Jones, 1998, p. 199). ("Owl purdue online," 2011)

Example 2 She stated, "Students often had difficulty using APA style" (Jones, 1998, p. 199), but she did not offer an explanation as to why. ("Owl purdue online," 2011)

Example 3 According to Jones (1998), "Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199). ("Owl purdue online," 2011)

Example 4 Jones's (1998) study found the following: Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask their teacher for help. (p. 199) ("Owl purdue online," 2011)

APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners (Jones, 1998). Example 5 ("Owl purdue online," 2011)

Experimental Resources List the materials you needed to gather in order to complete your experiment. It may be appropriate in some cases to explain where certain unfamiliar items can be obtained. This may be a bulleted list.

Experimental Procedures Explain the procedures of your project step by step. Give a detailed set of instructions on how you carried out your experiment. Include how you built all involved mechanisms and contraptions. Be Detailed and Specific!

Data Analysis Explain and discuss the data you collected. What trends or patterns did you notice? You will want to refer to your charts and graphs that appear in the Appendix. –See Figure 1 in the Appendix.

Conclusions Discuss your results and findings. Return to your hypothesis and explain if you were correct or not. Why? Make conjectures about why the experiment resulted in the way that it did. (Support with your data.) Address any errors that occurred. Discuss what you might do differently next time or what might be interesting to investigate next.

Do you have any new questions your experimentation results may have unfolded? What might your results mean to others? How are your findings useful? Return to your problem question and try to supply some answer. (even if the answer is: “I still do not have an answer.”) Conclusions Cont’d

Summarize findings Explain why your findings are important. How might they help others? Minimum of 2 pages Conclusions Cont’d

This where you place all your charts, diagrams, graphs, and/or pictures. (Label each as Figure 1, 2, 3, etc.) Minimum of 2 Appendix

In MLA it is called a “Bibliography” Cite all your sources where you found information presented in your paper using correct APA format. References

Citing References Plagiarism is illegal!

Reference Page Alphabetized Indent second line of same citation Use Citation Maker website: –Go to XHS library –Click research –Click Works cited –Click “Bibme” –Select APA format

(Lester, 2009)

For More Help… Visit the OWL Writing Lab: 1.Go to our library page 2.Click the research tab 3.Click works cited 4.Click on OWL Writing Lab

References Jackson, J. (2011, 10 04). Apa style workshop. Retrieved from PowerPoint Lester, S. (2009). Sample reference page. In APA Style Sample Reference Page (p. 2). Saint Joseph College, Center for Academic Excellence. Retrieved from Owl purdue online writing lab. (2011). Retrieved from