Writing a research paper requires following specific guidelines set forth by the American Psychological Association (APA Style). By following the standard structure and layout, you allow your reader to focus on your research and ideas instead of formatting details. This article provides a checklist of key elements to include in your APA format research paper to ensure it is well-structured and coherent.
Title Page
The title page introduces the core elements of your research and allows readers to easily understand what the paper is about. Be sure to include:
A concise title that indicates the main topic and scope of your research paper. The title should be centered on the page and not bolded or underlined.
Your name as the author. Provide your full name, do not use titles (Dr.) or degrees (PhD).
Institution affiliation which is usually your university or college name.
An author note if required by your instructor. This typically includes your school/department affiliation and acknowledges any funding sources.
A running head in all capital letters that is shortened from the actual title. The running head cannot exceed 50 characters including spaces.
Page number that should be aligned top right with the page number 1.
Abstract
The abstract is a single paragraph, usually 150-250 words, that provides a brief summary of your paper. Write the abstract after your paper is complete to ensure you capture the main elements. Be sure to include:
The purpose and problem statement that frames the goal and need for the research.
Methods used including participants, materials, variables, and analysis procedures. But do not go into excessive details.
The main results and conclusions that address the research question and hypotheses.
A few key words for indexing purposes that are not already in the title.
Headings
Use headings and subheadings to help organize your content and guide the reader. Headings clearly identify the structure and logical flow of ideas. Follow this standard APA format:
Center the word INTRODUCTION or METHODOLOGY in bold and title case for top-level headings
Left-align second-level headings in bold and title case
Indent third-level headings in bold sentence case followed by a period.
Fourth and higher level headings are indented, bold sentence case followed by a period, and end with a colon.
Body Paragraphs
For a strong research paper structure, each paragraph should focus on one main idea or aspect of your topic:
Start each new idea in a new paragraph for clarity and readable structure.
Use topic sentences to introduce the controlling idea of the paragraph.
Present ideas in a logical flow and order that build upon each other.
Integrate and quote research sources to support your perspectives and analyses.
Paraphrase others works to avoid plagiarism – no more than 3 direct quotes per paper.
Reference all sources in-text with the authors’ last names and year of publication in parentheses.
Provide page numbers for direct quotes using “(p. #)”.
References
References cite the sources that were discussed, quoted, or paraphrased within the body of the paper:
Start on a new page and center the title “References” without any formatting.
Arrange sources alphabetically by author’s last name. If no author, order by title, ignoring any A, An, or The.
Format references for different source types according to APA guidelines including spacing, indentation, font, etc.
Verify every in-text citation in the body matches a full reference entry at the end.
All references must be cited within the paper and only include sources that were directly used.
If sources are from the same author published in the same year, distinguish them with letters (e.g. 2014a, 2014b).
Appendices
Include any supplemental materials that are not essential to understanding your argument but provide useful additional details:
Center the title “Appendix” or “Appendices” if more than one.
Appendices come after the References page and restart page numbering with Roman numerals (I, II, etc).
Label each appendix with a descriptive title. Format headings the same as regular headings.
Common appendix materials include questionnaires, charts, figures, transcripts, raw data tables.
Proofreading
Set your paper aside for at least a day before proofreading for:
Errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation or inconsistent wording.
Formatting consistency – do all headings and citations match APA style guide?
Logical flow between paragraphs and sections that build upon each other.
Missing or incorrectly referenced citations and reference entries.
Following these key checkpoints will help ensure your APA format research paper meets publication standards and effectively communicates your ideas. Citations, headings and reference lists can be particularly error-prone so double check those elements carefully before submission. With practice and review, you’ll be able to produce high-quality research papers in APA style efficiently.