The APA Style refers to the research and citation style developed by the American Psychological Association. It is one of the most widely used formats in psychology and other natural and social sciences for writing research papers and documenting sources. An informative research paper written in APA style has a very specific layout and structure. Here are the key elements of an APA-style informative research paper layout:
Title Page: The title page should contain a running head, the title of the paper, the author’s name, and the institutional affiliation. At the top of the page should be the running head written in all capital letters. The running head is a shortened version of the paper’s title no more than 50 characters long, including spacing and punctuation. Below the running head is the full title of the paper centered in the upper half of the page. The author’s name is centered directly below the title. The final line of the title page should contain the name of the institution or university the author is affiliated with.
Abstract: The abstract should be on a separate page directly after the title page. An abstract summarizes the key points of the research paper in 150-250 words. The heading “Abstract” should be centered at the top of the page without formatting (e.g. bold, italics, underlining). The abstract should briefly describe the topic, objectives or hypotheses, methodology, results, and conclusions. It allows readers to survey the paper quickly and decide whether to read it in depth.
Body Text: The body of the paper begins on a separate page after the abstract page and is laid out with double-spacing, 1-inch margins, and left-aligned text. Sections in the body are separated by headings. Sections should be organized with an introduction, method, results, and discussion sections for empirical papers or a literature review and conclusion for theoretical papers. The body should be written in clear and direct language with a concise, precise and logical progression of ideas.
Section Headings: Section headings distribute the overall content into clear and specific sections. Primary section headings (e.g. Introduction, Method, Results) are centered, boldface, with the first letter of major words in uppercase. Secondary headings are flush left, bold, with only the first letter of the first word in uppercase and a period at the end. Tertiary headings are indented, bold, italicized, with only the first letter of the first word in uppercase and a period at the end. Begin each section on a new page.
In-Text Citations: When supporting an argument with research or theory from other sources, provide an in-text citation in parentheses including the author(s) and date of publication. For direct quotes, also include the page number. Reference all sources cited. Paraphrases and summaries do not require page numbers.
Reference Page: On a separate page at the end of the paper, provide the full citations for all sources used in the paper in alphabetical order by author’s last name. All citations should link to in-text citations in the body. References are double-spaced and formatted according to APA style. For multiple works by the same author, chronological order by year of publication is used.
Visual Elements: Tables are numbered using Arabic numerals (Table 1, Table 2, etc.) centered above the table. Include a title describing the contents of the table before or after the table. Figures such as charts, graphs, and diagrams are also numbered with Arabic numerals but are titled below the graphic (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.). Visual elements appear as close as possible to their first in-text citation.
Cover Page: The cover page includes the paper title, name, course title, instructor’s name, and date. It is the first page bound to the report but not counted in the pagination. Page numbers begin from the title page in the header or footer of each page.
Length and Font: Unless instructed otherwise by the professor, papers should generally be 10-15 pages double-spaced, Times New Roman 12pt font. Some key sections like the abstract should be shorter while literature reviews or experimental papers may require additional length.
These are the key elements that define the structure and organization of a standard APA-style informative research paper layout. Following the APA format ensures consistency, readability and professional presentation. Well researched content, clarity of expression, logical flow and coherence between ideas are equally important. The specific structure adopted in an APA paper allows readers to easily locate key components and understand how sources support the ideas being presented.