The American Psychological Association (APA) style is commonly used for scientific writing in various fields, including psychology, education, and the social sciences. For students writing research papers in these disciplines, it’s important to know how to format papers in APA style. This article provides examples of how to format different sections of a science research paper based on APA style guidelines.
Title Page
The title page of a science research paper formatted in APA style includes several key elements:
Running head: This appears at the top of the page in all capital letters and is no more than 50 characters long, including spacing and punctuation. The running head is not included on the title page.
Title: The title captures the topic and focus of the paper concisely. It is centered on the page and typed in boldface.
Author name(s): The author’s name (and institutional affiliation, if desired) is centered below the title.
Page header: In the top right corner, include a shortened version of the paper’s title within the page header. This header is the same on every page.
Abstract
The abstract is a single paragraph, no more than 250 words, that provides a brief summary of the paper. It describes the problem or issue being addressed, the participants, methods, results, and conclusions of the study. The heading “Abstract” is centered at the top of the page without formatting (e.g. bold, italics). No citations or references are included in the abstract.
Introduction
The introduction summarizes relevant literature to establish the importance of the research problem and hypothesis. It includes background information necessary to understand the problem being investigated and closes with the study’s purpose stated clearly. The heading “Introduction” is centered at the top of the page in bold without underlining.
Method
The method section describes the research design and procedures of the study in sufficient detail that other researchers could replicate the study. This includes descriptions of the participants, materials, variables, and tasks. It also explains the methods used to analyze results. Procedures are described in the past tense. The heading “Method” is centered at the top of the page in bold without underlining.
Results
The results section concisely summarizes findings without opinions or interpretations. Results should be presented in logical sequence in the text, tables, and figures. No subheadings are used for different results. The heading “Results” is centered at the top of the page in bold without underlining.
Discussion
The discussion section interprets results and relates findings to previous research. It explains how results support or contradict prior studies and theories. This section also addresses limitations of the study and directions for future research. The heading “Discussion” is centered at the top of the page in bold without underlining.
References
References cited in the text include the name(s) of the author(s) followed by the publication year in parentheses on the first citation. For subsequent citations name(s) are omitted and only the year in parentheses is included. The references are double-spaced and listed alphabetically by surname of the first author. The References heading is centered, bold, and non-underlined.
The following are examples of common reference citations formatted in APA style:
Journal article:
Franklin, A. B., & Frank, D. G. (2021). Habitat use by multiple vertebrate species. Ecology, 82(12), 3177-3191.
Book:
Herzog, H. A. (2019). Some we love, some we hate, some we eat: Why it’s so hard to think straight about animals. HarperCollins.
Chapter in edited book:
Karen, R. (2018). Reptile intelligence. In L. Smith (Ed.), Animal cognition (3rd ed., pp. 182-208). Cambridge University Press.
Website:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, February 21). 2019 novel coronavirus, Wuhan, China. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html
Tables and Figures
Tables and figures are properly formatted and numbered consecutively as they appear in the text. Each table has a title above it while each figure has a label below it. Sources are cited in tables and figures using in-text citations or notes, depending on what information is provided.
Conclusions and Future Implications
The concluding section summarizes major findings, explains implications, identifies limitations or areas needing further research, and suggests possible applications or extensions of results. The paper ends with a clear takeaway message. The heading “Conclusions” is centered at the top of the page in bold without underlining.
This article has overviewed the key sections required in a science research paper using APA style guidelines, from the title page to conclusions. Including properly formatted examples of references and tables/figures provides a visual demonstration of APA style. Following these standard conventions will help students effectively communicate research for academic and professional audiences. Formatting papers consistently with APA requirements is essential across domains using this style.