A Sample Psychology Research Paper
This paper should serve as a sample of how to create a college-level research paper in psychology. It is meant to help students understand the basic formatting and structural elements of an APA style research paper. While elements of this sample paper, such as the content, specific in-text citations, and other details may differ from your specific assignment, it demonstrates generally how to write and organize a paper meeting APA requirements.
Title Page:
The title page of an APA style research paper should include the title of the work, running head, author’s name, school affiliation, and author’s note. The title, running head, and author’s note are centered on separate lines. The author’s name and school affiliation are aligned to the right margin. Page numbers are placed at the top right corner of each page.
Abstract:
The abstract is a short summary of the entire paper, typically between 150-250 words. It includes the keywords from the paper to aid Internet database searches. The purpose of the abstract is to provide a brief yet thorough overview of the paper. It discusses the research problem or issue, methods, results, and conclusions of the study in one single paragraph.
Introduction:
The goal of the introduction is to introduce the topic being discussed and provide background information to establish context. It states the main problem or issue being examined and explains why the topic is important and interesting. The introduction should conclude with your thesis statement, a one sentence summary of your main argument or conclusion.
Literature Review:
The literature review summarizes and synthesizes the key literature related to the research problem. It highlights seminal works and major findings from studies that have already taken place. The purpose is to show how your research builds on and extends prior research discussed. Make sure to incorporate and cite sources as per APA formatting.
Methods:
The methods section provides details on how the study was conducted including participants, materials used, procedure, and type of design. It should describe the participants and sampling procedures, instruments or tests used to collect data, experimental manipulations or interventions, and data analysis methods. Ethical considerations are also addressed.
Results:
The results section objectively reports the analysis of the data collected. Present tables and figures and discuss key findings based on statistical tests or qualitative analysis. Limit discussion and do not relate results to prior research at this stage. Numerically report means, standard deviations, t-values, degrees of freedom, p-values, effect sizes etc. as applicable.
Discussion:
The discussion section integrates the results and relates them back to prior research by comparing, contrasting, and explaining results. Discuss whether hypotheses were supported or not and theoretical or practical implications. Address limitations and directions for future research. Conclude by reiterating the key findings and their significance.
References:
References are listed alphabetically by author’s last name. Each reference should include all author names, date of publication in parentheses, title of work, source, and page numbers. For journal articles also include DOIs or URLs if retrieved online. Articles, books, websites, etc. are formatted slightly differently as per APA style.
Manuscript Format and Style:
APA specifies manuscript formatting including page layout, font specifications, margins, tables, figures, citations, and references. Use a 12-point font such as Times New Roman with double spacing throughout the paper. Indent the first line of each paragraph and use section headings to organize content.
In-text Citations (APA format):
Cite references in the text by author’s last name and date of publication in parentheses. For direct quotes also include page numbers. Paraphrased content does not need page numbers. Use “and” for two authors and “&” for three or more authors in citations. Two or more works cited sequentially should be listed with semicolons and the second year moved to the end of the citation.