APA EXAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER 2019

The American Psychological Association (APA) style is commonly used when writing research papers and documenting sources in the social sciences field. Here is a full APA research paper example 2019 written following the basic guidelines:

Title Page
The title page should contain a running head, the title of the paper, the author’s name, and the institutional affiliation. The running head consists of the article title in all uppercase letters that is flush left at the top of the page.

The title should capture the main idea of the paper and be centered in the upper half of the page. The author’s name should be centered underneath. The institutional affiliation refers to the program or school where the author is enrolled and should be centered at the bottom of the page. See the title page example below:

Running head: EFFECTS OF SLEEP ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Effects of Sleep on Academic Performance

John Doe
Antelope Valley College

Abstract
The abstract should be a single paragraph, usually between 150-250 words, that provides a brief summary of the purpose, problem, method, results, and conclusions of the research paper. It appears on page two of the essay, flush left, and is labeled “Abstract.” The abstract should clearly describe what the paper is about and communicates the major aspects of the research study to the reader. See the sample abstract below:

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of sleep on academic performance in college students. Sleep is essential for optimal cognitive functioning, mood regulation, and learning capabilities. Prior research has found correlations between decreased sleep duration and poorer grades. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between sleep habits and GPA in college undergraduates. Through an online survey, data was collected from 100 students at a public university regarding their average nightly sleep, daytime sleepiness, and current cumulative GPA. Results showed that students averaging less than 6 hours of sleep per night had significantly lower GPAs than students getting more than 8 hours of sleep. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Introduction
The introduction serves as a context for the research problem. It establishes the importance of the topic, summarizes previous literature on the subject, and introduces the specific problem under study. The introduction ends with a clear thesis statement outlining the purpose and goals of the paper. See the sample introduction below:

Sleep plays a vital role in cognitive functioning and academic performance. Prior research has shown that college students often fail to obtain sufficient sleep (Hershner & Chervin, 2014). The National Sleep Foundation (2016) recommends young adults ages 18-25 get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. On average college students report sleeping less than 7 hours per night (American College Health Association, 2008; Buboltz et al., 2001). Lack of sleep has been linked with poorer academic outcomes such as lower GPAs and standardized test scores across multiple studies (Curcio, Ferrara, & De Gennaro, 2006; Gomes, Tavares, & de Azevedo, 2011; Singleton & Wolfson, 2009).

The purpose of this research study was to determine the association between hours of sleep and Grade Point Average (GPA) in undergraduate students. It was hypothesized that students obtaining less than 6 hours of sleep on average per night would have significantly lower GPAs compared to their peers getting more sleep. Investigating the relationship between sleep habits and academic success could provide valuable insight for developing sleep education and intervention programs on college campuses.

Method
The Method section should describe the procedures and methodology of the research study in enough detail that another researcher could replicate the study. Specific components include the research design, participants, measures, and procedures. See the sample Method section below:

Research Design
This was a non-experimental, correlational study examining the relationship between sleep habits and GPA.

Participants
The sample consisted of 100 undergraduate students attending a public university in California. Ages ranged from 18-24 years old with a mean age of 20.5. The majority of students were in their second or third year.

Measures
An online survey was used to collect self-reported data from participants. The survey included a demographic questionnaire to obtain age, year in college, and GPA. Participants also reported their average nightly sleep duration and rated their daytime sleepiness on a 5-point Likert scale.

Procedures
After obtaining Institutional Review Board approval, the survey was distributed via an online university portal. Participation was voluntary and took approximately 10 minutes to complete. Students provided informed consent before accessing the survey questions. Survey responses were anonymous and the data was kept confidential.

Results
The Results section summarizes the statistical analysis of data collected from the study. Present results using tables and figures when applicable, but describe them as well in paragraph form for readers. Discuss the statistical tests used and whether the results supported or did not support the research hypotheses. See the sample Results section below:

To examine the association between sleep quantity and GPA, a one-way between-groups analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted. The independent variable was average nightly sleep duration with three levels: less than 6 hours, 6-8 hours, and more than 8 hours. The dependent variable was cumulative GPA. There was a statistically significant difference between the three groups at the p < .05 level, F(2, 97) = 3.74, p = .027. Post-hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test revealed that the mean GPA for students reporting less than 6 hours of sleep (M = 3.1, SD = 0.59) was significantly lower than students averaging more than 8 hours of sleep (M = 3.5, SD = 0.42). There was no significant difference in GPA between students averaging 6-8 hours of sleep compared to the other groups. A one-way ANOVA was also conducted to examine the association between sleepiness levels and GPA. There was a significant difference between the five sleepiness groups at the p < .05 level, F(4, 95) = 2.65, p = .037. Post-hoc comparisons revealed students rating their sleepiness as a 4 or 5 on the Likert scale had significantly lower GPAs than students reporting very low daytime sleepiness levels of 1 or 2. Discussion The Discussion section interprets the results, compares them to prior research, acknowledges limitations of the study, and suggests implications and directions for future research. Conclusions should be supported by the findings but avoid introducing new information. See the sample Discussion section: The results supported the hypotheses that less sleep and higher daytime sleepiness correlate negatively with GPA among college students. Students who slept less than 6 hours per night on average had significantly poorer grades than their peers averaging more than 8 hours. Additionally, those reporting high daytime sleepiness levels of 4 or 5 out of 5 also had lower GPAs. These findings align with previous research demonstrating decreased cognitive functioning and academic performance related to inadequate sleep (Curcio et al., 2006; Gomes et al., 2011).