APA Checklist for a Paper on an Empirical Study
General Format
_ double-spaced
_ 12-pt font
_ margins of at least 1 inch
Title page
_ Header
_ Running head
_ Title centered
_ author (first name, middle initial, last name)
_ institution
Abstract
_ not indented
_ defines all abbreviations, acronyms, unique terms
_ includes 4-5 of the most important findings
_ uses 3
rd person
_ doesn’t exceed 120 words
Should describe
_ the problem under investigation
_ participants
_ experimental method, including procedure
_ findings
_ conclusion, and implications/applications
The Introduction
_ the title of the paper is the heading
_ presents the problem and describes past research
_ discusses background
_ states the purpose and rationale of your paper
_ states hypotheses and defines variables
Method
_ the heading “Method” is centered
_ how the study was conducted
_ explain the manipulation
_ detailed enough to let someone else replicate the study
_ can identify subsections: participants, procedure, materials (left aligned, italicized)
_ participants: sex, age, race/ ethnicity
_ how the dependent variable is measured
Results
_ heading “Results” is centered
_ statistical data
_ all relevant results, even if they don’t support your hypotheses
_ mention Tables and Figures if appropriate (located in Appendix)
Discussion
_ heading “Discussion” is centered
_ in 1 st paragraph: statement of support/non-support of your hypotheses
_ discuss similarities/differences between your findings and past research
_ address alternative explanations for results
_ last paragraph: -why the problem is important?
-the larger issue that hinges on results?
-what real life phenomenon is modeled/explained by the results?
References
_ Reference list begins with a new page
_ the heading “References” is centered
_ in alphabetical order of the primary author’s last name
_ double-spaced
_ hanging indent
_ only first word in the title of a reference source is capitalized
_ all citations made in the paper must be in the reference list
_ all reference sources must be cited in the text
Appendix
_ each appendix starts on a new page
_ multiple appendices are labelled Appendix A, Appendix B, etc. in order that they appear
in the text