Apa Writing

Abstract

This paper explores the standards of a written work as described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. The APA guidelines were developed in order to make communication in academic writing clearly formatted and easy to read. This paper will be based off the most recent edition of the APA manual, the Sixth edition.

Writing an APA Style Paper

In 1929, a group of psychologists, anthropologists, and business people set out to create a simple set of rules that would clarify scientific writing and make reading a scientific paper simpler (American Military University [AMU], 2013). This group, the American Psychological Association (APA), developed a manual that is used by many in the scientific and academic community, including the American Military University, as a reference point for submitting written assignments. Using a prearranged format and set of rules such as the APA rules when writing can help a writer avoid common pitfalls such as inconsistent format, lack of clear sources, and plagiarism. This paper will describe in detail the sections and format of an APA style paper based on the 6th Edition of the APA Publication Manual.

Title Page and Abstract

The first section of an APA style paper is the title page. This page contains the title that the writer has given his paper, the name of the writer, and lastly their institutional affiliation (Angeli, Wagner, Lawrick, Moore, Anderson, Soderlund, & Brizee, 2012). A page header should be included which will be flush left, and then the page number flush right at the top of the page. According to APA recommendations, a title should not contain more than 12 words. A title should also not contain abbreviations or extraneous words (Angeli et al, 2012). A carefully and thoughtfully worded title can "hook" readers before they have even begun reading a paper (AMU, 2013).

A brief summary of the key points of a paper is called an abstract. At a minimum, an abstract should contain the topic and key questions posed or answered in the paper. In the case of a research paper, the participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions can also be included (Angeli et al, 2012). A research paper may also lead to the writer including implications of their research, or possibilities of future research. An abstract should be limited to 150-250 words and is always on the second page of an APA style paper. An option suggested by the APA is to include a list of keywords which can assist other researchers in finding your work should they search for it in their databases. Another feature that distinguishes an abstract in APA format is that this is the only paragraph in the paper that will not be indented.

Thesis

When writing a paper, the writer must make clear to the reader what is it that they are writing about. A clear purpose allows the writer to organize their paper in reference to their central idea, and also assists the reader to organize their thoughts in the same manner. A paper written in APA format contains a thesis statement that helps the writer state the main purpose of their paper and summarize what the reader will know when they reach the end of the paper. Normally this thesis statement will appear as a sentence, or possibly two, at the end of the first paragraph of a paper (AMU, 2013).

A writer must do some research before writing their thesis statement. Research is important because you cannot develop an argument without collecting and analyzing evidence to look for a relationship between known facts (AMU, 2013). The different kinds of theses apply to different approaches that can be taken in a paper. The first kind of thesis statement compares and contrasts two different ideas or items. Another thesis statement simply analyzes a topic. Demonstrating cause and