Writing A Simplified APA Paper
The following will allow you to remember the requirements of a standard APA 7 paper. As this will not be completely exhaustive of all the APA 7 requirements, you will be able to use this as a check list for the minimum critical areas of APA.
A General Paper Breakdown
General: The paper is doubles spaced, 12 font Times Roman Font. Page numbers must be included. You will need a cover page, abstract, content pages and a separate references page.
Page One- Cover Page
1. No running head
2. Page number upper right-hand corner
a. The following is centered in the page
i. Title: This should be descriptive and less than 12 words. The title should VERY descriptively explain to the reader what is expected and what the documents is going to show or prove. The title should be bolded – not the other words on the cover page. Title should be centered in the paper and all words should be title cased (capitalized). The title should start four lines down from the one-inch start location of a typical APA (APA pages are 245 words per page and start one inch from top and end one inch from bottom).
ii. Double space next after title and place the authors name (you). First name, middle initial, and last name.
iii. Next, course number/ class and semester
iv. Next, Middle Tennessee State University
v. Next, Assignment identification- “Final Course Paper”
vi. Date
3. Nothing else on the cover page- no word count, no other verbiage
Page Two- Abstract
1. No running head
2. Page number needed
3. The word is bolded at the top center of page
4. The main paragraph should not be indented on the abstract
5. The abstract should be less than 250 words and summarized the main point of the paper
a. Elements of the Abstract – This should be followed precisely
i. State the objective of the paper/study
ii. Concisely describe the methodology or method you employed in gathering the data, processing and analysis of the paper research. In other words, how did you find the information and what type of research was utilized, how was it analyzed in the journal and what was the researchers’ processes. – Research Significance- why did you do this paper and use the specific research.
iii. Methodology- what did you do and how did you do it
iv. Summarize the results of your findings, discussions and why the research was important to your paper. Methodology- what did you do and how did you do it. What did you find out after doing the research?
v. State the principal conclusion of your paper and what you showed or discussed. What did you find- what did you discuss and why is your research/paper important?
b. After the Abstract you will add Keywords at or near the bottom of the same page. The key words should be listed as Keywords: (ideas- Criminal justice, recidivism rates, prison reform) with the first word capitalized. The Keywords sentence should be indented. The key words are important ideas of subject in your paper. No period at the end of the keyword sentence.
Page Three- Body of Your Paper/Research
1. No running head
2. Page number needed
3. Bold list your title again before indenting your first sentence. The title is centered.
4. There should be No listing of a “Introduction” level one header.
a. During the course of writing, your paper, you will need to cite a journal/scholarly material. Peer reviewed research journals are always best.
b. If you paraphrase your material from the paper- a certain sentence but did not direct quote, you will not place quote marks or include a page number. A paraphrased sentence would be similar to this: Researchers argued that chocolate candy bars have limited health benefits (Jones, 2019). If you quoted the sentence then you would us (Jones, 2019 p.123). If you start your sentence with Jones (2019) found that chocolate candy bars have limited health benefit and it is not quoted, then you don’t need anything but a period at the end of the sentence. If you quote, Jones (2019) found that “chocolate candy bars are significantly beneficial” (p123)- end the sentence with the page number from the quote. If you start a sentence with – Researchers such as Jones (2019) discussed the key issues with the health benefits of chocolate. (if not, a direct quote you don’t need a page number at the end of sentence). With this style of citing, you have completed the necessary elements if it is not a direct quote.
c. Direct quotes need a page number in the cite – (Jones, 2019, p.123) or (p.123)
d. Do not use more than 40 word of direct quotes if you do, you will have to use block quotations indent the entire passage- see APA manual for details
e. Paraphrase sentences need a cite but not a page number (Jones, 2019)
f. Two authors- you will list the two – According to Smith and Jones (2019) the health benefits.
g. If you have three or more authors, it is acceptable to use Smith et. al (2019)
h. If the cite has no author but a government reference you would us (U.S. Department of Homeland Security) or whatever the material derive from
i. Headers – level one are identifiers which tell the reader what the paragraph will be discussion. Example- Chocolate and Health Benefits This would be bolded and centered.
j. Level two headers would be flush left of page and written in title case bolded. An example of the level two header would be something related to Health Benefits – such as: The Hearth Benefit of Chocolate and Cancer Reduction.
Page Four and Beyond
1. These pages will be the remainder of the paper and shall include headers as needed, page numbers, cites and all identified in page three directions.
2. You should finish your paper with an overview or discussion that is a conclusion of what you have talked about, what you have shown and what you have proven.
3. The last page should have a word count showing the words suppled in the main body of the paper. This word count should be a total of all the content pages. Do not include the Cover page, Abstract or Reference page in the word count. This is an exclusive in my courses and is used to show that you have fulfilled the minimum word count per page for APA format. APA format usually produces 250 words per page double spaced.
4. Last page of main body content- Word count to be listed.
Last page: Reference Page
1. The last page is the list of your references
2. The page should have page number listed
3. The word References should be bolded and center.
4. The reference are in alphabetic order
5. Hanging indents are used after the first line of every reference.
6. DOI should be used most often instead of a long URL
7. Refer to a sample and points in Purdue Owl
8. Example below:
References
