WRITING RESEARCH REPORT: APA FORMAT

Objectives

Create better awareness of general APA 5th edition guidelines and formats

Provide examples and practice in the use of APA guidelines and formats from actual student theses

What is the APA? American Psychological Association

Publication Manual of the APA

What is APA? A style guide for manuscripts submitted by authors to scholarly journals published on psychology, behavioral sciences, nursing, personnel administration and other fields.

Abstract

Brief not more than 120 words Comprehensive Summary of Contents

Abstract

Accurate: correctly reflects purpose and content

Self-contained: abbreviations & unique terms are defined

Abstract

Paraphrases rather than quotes

Concise & specific: does not wastefully repeat title; includes 4 or 5 important concepts, findings, or implications at most

Abstract

Uses digits and common abbreviations Uses the active voice without using the personal 1st person pronouns

Abstract

Nonevaluative: reports without evaluation or judgment

Coherent & readable

Uses 3rd person

Introduction

Introduces the problem

Develops the background; discusses the literature but is not a historical review.

States purpose and rationale; defines variables and formally states hypothesis

Introduction

Usually contains a conceptual framework to show relationships of variables and concepts in the study

Method
Detailed description of how the study was conducted

Subsections: Participants of the Study Procedure: Summary of each step executed and how

Method

Purpose of this section is so readers can replicate the study, hence, great and accurate detail is necessary

Results
Summarizes collected data and statistical or analytical treatment used.

Must justify conclusion

Mention all relevant results

Results Do not include individual scores or raw data except in single-case designs or illustrative examples

Tables and Figures -Do not use tables or figures when text will suffice -Use tables and figures to supplement text -All graphs, pictures, drawings are referred to as figures

Results

Tables and figures -All tabular material are referred to as tables -Always provide explanations for tables; indicate what must be noted or what the reader should look for

Results

Statistical presentation -Inferential statistics (e.g. t-tests, F-tests, chi-square) must be reported with information about the magnitude or value of the test statistic, degrees of freedom, chances of extreme results and direction of effect.

Results

Statistical presentation -Include descriptive statistics (e.g. sample sizes, means, correlations, standard deviations) -Use confidence intervals whenever possible (expressed in percentages) -Assume the reader is familiar with statistics

Results
Statistical levels of significance must be clearly defined

Magnitude of effect and strength of relationship must be discussed

Discussion
Examines, interprets, and qualifies results

Draws inferences

Emphasizes theoretical consequences of results and validity of conclusions

Often combines with previous section; Results and Discussions or Results and Conclusions

Discussion Opens with a statement of support or nonsupport for original hypothesis

Does not merely restate or repeat points already made

Answers to the problem statements must be clear, unambiguous, and direct.

End Notes
Additional information on terminologies mentioned in the text

Additional information about the author/s

Written after the discussion

References
Document statements made about the literature

All in-text citations must appear in the reference list

All reference entries must be cited in text

Appendix Contains detailed descriptions of material the detracts from the body of the paper or is inappropriate to the body of the paper

May also contain raw data if it helps the readers understand the study better

Tables

Use two-level table headings: the first level to indicate the table number, in regular font and size; and the second level to indicate the table heading or title, in title caps, italicized.

Tables
Table x Marital Status of Participants Male Female Single Married Single Married

Employed
Unemployed

14
26

27
20

16
22

34
38

Self-employed

14

Figures Label figures with captions rather than headings

Figure captions are place directly below the figure

Reference Citations in Text

One work by one author:

Dent (1999) broached that the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) Dent also suggested

One work by multiple authors

Example: Brown, Lusch, Muelling, and Stern (1979) and Brown, Lusch, Rosenberg, and Cadotte (1979) both shorten to: Brown et al. (1979)

One Work of Multiple Authors

In parenthetical material, tables, captions, and the reference list, multiple authors are joined by an ampersand (&)

as was explained (Erez, Rim, & Keiden, 1998).

Groups as Authors Names of groups as authors are spelled out each time they appear in text citations.

Abbreviate subsequent mention of groups as authors only if they fall under the following exceptions:

Groups as Authors Exceptions: -The name is long and cumbersome -The abbreviation is familiar -The abbreviation is readily understandable Example: known group with a long name National Institute of Mental Health (1999). [reference list entry] (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 1999) [first text citation] (NIMH, 1999) [subsequent text citations]

Groups as authors Examples: group with short name and unfamiliar or confusable abbreviation

University of the Philippines. (1994) [reference list entry] (University of the Philippines, 1994) [all text citations]

No Author or Anonymous Author When a work has no author, cite the first few words [shortened title] of the reference list entry and the year.

Use double quotation marks for titles of articles or chapters

Italicize titles of periodicals, books, brochures, or reports

No Author or Anonymous Author

Examples: Eurostat catalogue: Publications and electronic services: (2003). [book reference entry] According to the Eurostat Catalogue (2003) [in-text citation]

No Author or Anonymous Author

Examples: Working on site. (1996, April 26). Marketing Week, p. 51. [article reference only] work ethics. (Working on Site, 1996) [in-text citation]

No Author or Anonymous Author Use Anonymous only when the works author is designated as Anonymous.

(Anonymous, 1998) [in-text citation]

Anonymous. (1998). [reference citation]

Work with no date

Use n.d. (no date) for works without dates of publication

(Chaucer, n.d.)

Specific Parts of a Source

Indicate the page (p.), chapter (chap.), figure, table, or equation when citing specific parts of a source

(Bates, 1996, chap. 2)

(Brooks & Smith, 1993, p. 342)

Website or Webpage - Reference List

Online periodical -Authors name (date of publication). Title of article. Title of Periodical. Volume number, Retrieved month day, year from full URL

Online document -Authors name (date of publication). Title of Work. Retrieved from month day, year, from full URL.

Electronic Sources (In-text citation If possible, cite an electronic document the same as any other document by using the authordate style. Kenneth (2000) explained
Unknown

author and unknown

date Another study of students and research decisions discovered that students succeeded with tutoring (Tutoring and APA, n.d.).

Manuscript Format
Paper -Standard letter-sized (81/2 x 11 in.[22 x 28 cm]) -Heavy white bond paper (at least book 20) -From the same ream, if possible to ensure same size for all pages of paper

Examples: Devitt, T. (2001, August 2). Lightning injures four at music festival.The Why? Files. Retrieved January 23, 2002, from http://whyfiles.org/ 137lightning/index.html Dove, R. (1998). Lady freedom among us. The Electronic Text Center. Retrieved June 19, 1998, from Alderman Library,University of Virgnia website: http://etext.lib.edu/subjects/ afam.html

Manuscript Format

Typeface (fonts) -12-pt. Times New Roman

-12-pt. Courier or Courier New

- Any other typeface similar to the two samples, with serif

Spacing Double-space the whole paper (i.e., Leave one full blank line between each line of type). Never use one-and-a-half spacing

Pages All pages are numbered consecutively, title page included All page numbers are in arabic numerals

Manuscript Format All page numbers are located in the upper right-hand corner of each page

Page numbers at least 1 in. from the right margin

Paragraphs & Indentation Indent all paragraphs in the first line Indent the first line of every endnote Use the tab key for indentations, set at in. or 5 to 7 spaces