Owl Purdue is a trusted source for formatting guidelines and research paper examples using the APA (American Psychological Association) style. On the Owl Purdue website, they provide detailed guidelines on how to format and write research papers according to the APA style as well as examples to help students better understand the style. Let’s take a closer look at an annotated research paper example provided on Owl Purdue to see how to write an APA style paper step-by-step.
The example paper they provide is on the topic of attitudes toward mental health services. It is a literature review that discusses research on public attitudes toward seeking mental health services. The paper is set up with the standard APA formatting guidelines including a title page, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and references section.
On the title page, all required information is included – the title of the paper centered halfway down the page, author name, and institutional affiliation. The abstract follows on a new page and is a concise 150-250 word overview of the key points in the paper including the research topic, importance of studying this topic, participants, methods, results, and conclusions. This allows readers to quickly understand what the paper is about.
The introduction section starts on a new page and provides necessary background information and context for the research topic. It acknowledges the prevalence of mental illness and lack of treatment due to public stigma and negative attitudes toward mental health services. Research showing impact of such attitudes is presented to emphasize importance of studying this issue. The purpose of the literature review and research questions are clearly stated at the end.
The method section provides a meta-analysis research method overview. It states the specific search criteria and databases used to locate relevant research studies for review. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for selecting which studies will be reviewed are defined. The methodology allows for replication of the research.
In the results section, the key findings from the reviewed studies are summarized but not individually discussed. Tables and figures can be used to visualize results. For this literature review, results focus on reporting research showing certain groups hold more negative or positive attitudes than others. Statistics, effect sizes, or p-values are included where available from the original research.
The discussion section interprets the results, relates them back to earlier research, acknowledges limitations, and suggests future research directions. Practical implications and how the findings advance knowledge in the field are addressed. Contrary or inconsistent findings across studies may also be explored.
The References page lists all in-text citations in APA format alphabetically by author’s last name. All necessary publication details are provided for each source. The Owl Purdue example uses fictitious study citations to demonstrate the reference formatting.
This annotated example research paper demonstrates how to write an APA style literature review. It clearly adheres to all APA formatting guidelines regarding paper sections, in-text citations, and references list. Students can use this example as a template to follow for their own APA literature reviews or research papers. The level of detail provided assists understanding of how to set up each section and incorporate source material per APA style.
Owl Purdue provides additional examples for various paper types beyond the literature review. Examples for an empirical research report, case study, and meta-analysis further explore APA styles and structures. The examples serve as references but are not meant as templates to directly copy or paraphrase from due to plagiarism concerns.
Students, researchers, and academics can rely on Owl Purdue’s annotated research paper examples as trusted models to follow when learning and applying APA style. The examples aim to illustrate correct formatting, logical flow of information, and synthesis of research sources, which allows readers to familiarize themselves with writing papers to graduate level standards.
Owl Purdue serves as the premier online source for guidance on APA style formatting and research writing. Their annotated examples for literature reviews and other paper types are exceptionally helpful learning tools for students new to academic writing. Learning proper style at the onset assists in developing strong scholarly writing skills to succeed at higher levels of study. By reviewing and analyzing example APA papers on Owl Purdue, students grasp a full understanding of how to write quality research projects meeting the rigorous requirements of the APA style. Their examples provide a clear pathway to proper style and structure mastery that will benefit academic writing throughout an individual’s educational journey. The depth and quality of information on Owl Purdue makes it a go-to resource for any writer or researcher in need of APA style assistance at any skill level.