How to Write a Paper in APA Format, apa dissertation template.

While writing an APA paper may seem difficult or confusing, start by breaking it down into more manageable steps.

If you need additional help with APA format, consider purchasing your own copy of the APA publication manual.

Most professional papers that are submitted for publication require an abstract, but abstracts are usually not required for student papers. If you are not sure, please ask your instructor if an abstract is required for your paper.

The publication manual provides writers with a consistent formula for acknowledging the works of others. It also provides fairly comprehensive guidelines for how to order, structure, and format a paper, as well as practical writing and grammar tips.

References

The title page is the cover page of your APA format paper. As its name suggests, the goal of the title page is to present the title. This is where you can inform and engage your reader without being too wordy.

If you’ve never written an APA paper before, the formatting rules and guidelines can seem daunting and difficult at first. You might be used to writing papers in another format such as MLA or Chicago style, so it might take some time to get the hang of writing in APA format. Familiarizing yourself with some of the basics is a great place to start.

According to the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association," if there is a citation in the body of the paper, it must also appear in the reference list and vice versa.

The exact structure of your paper will vary somewhat depending upon the type of paper you have been asked to write. For example, a lab report might be structured a bit differently than a case study or critique paper. Sometimes submitting a manuscript for publication in a journal can be even more complex because each study type and journal has its own format you must adhere to.

There are still a few other components to the title, which include:

1. Highlight any text that you have typed thus far (skip this step if you have not begun yet).
2. Click the Home tab.
3. In the Font section of this tab, click the arrow next to the name of the font you are currently using, and then scroll down to choose Times New Roman (or another easily readable font).
4. In the same section, click the arrow next to the size of the font, and choose 12.

• The full title
• The author(s)'s name(s)
• The institution the author(s) are from (usually a college or university)
• An optional author note

You may include subsequent subheadings that will usually be centered and in bold throughout the paper. To bold text, you will highlight the text that needs to be in bold, click the Home tab, and click the thick "B" in the Font section.

Step 3: Page Number for the Title Page

1. Begin on the first page, which will be the title page.
2. Click the Insert tab.
3. In the Header and Footer section, click on "Header," and choose the first option.
4. A special Header and Footer Toolbar will then appear. Within this Toolbar, go to the Options section, and check the box next to "Different First Page." This needs to be done because the header for the title page will be different than the header for the rest of the document.
5. Click inside of the brackets in the upper left-hand corner, and type the words "Running head" (without quotations), followed by a colon and a shortened or full version of the title of your paper (up to 50 characters in length). This abbreviated title should be written in all caps. The following is an example: Running head: OPENING UP SCIENCE
6. Remain in the the Header and Footer Toolbar for the next set of steps.

To create 1-inch margins, you will:

1. Click the Page Layout tab.
2. In the Page Setup section, click on "Margins." Choose the first option, which is to create 1-inch margins on all sides of the paper.

Some professors do not require an abstract page, especially for papers that do not describe an actual study. If they do require it, however, the abstract will be on its own separate page immediately after the title page. The title "Abstract" will be centered at the top and will be followed by a non-indented paragraph of 150-250 words. This paragraph will fully summarize your study or research paper, including any findings. Optionally, you can add a list of keywords immediately under the abstract. To do this, you will begin a new line under the abstract

Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines:

A running head is simply the paper’s title in all capital letters. It is left-aligned and can be up to 50 characters in length. Longer titles are abbreviated.

• Missing commas and periods
• Incorrect usage of “et al.”
• Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
• Missing reference entries

Student papers and professional papers have slightly different guidelines regarding the title page, abstract, and running head. Our template is available in Word and Google Docs format for both versions.

Table of contents

This article reflects the APA 7th edition guidelines. Click here for APA 6th edition guidelines.

The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

The title page is the first page of an APA Style paper. There are different guidelines for student and professional papers.

The abstract is the shortest part of your dissertation research. it should tell why you did the research? How did you do? what will others learn? etc.

Here are the basic structure and template of a proper dissertation research project outline.

This section should be nicely structured, and you should include all the references.

When it comes to any project, the title is the main thing, it should simply explain, what the project is all about. The title should be specific, representative and descriptive for the research.

Sample Quantitative Dissertation Outline Template

The content page will show the structure of the dissertation report. This is really important to break down the parts of the dissertation.

A good planning always requires structuring a dissertation report.Presenting it well narrating what the research is going to solve ?should be simple and structured well, that is why a good Dissertation Outline Template always requires to makes things easy.

The conclusion will come at the end and should be shorter than the discussion.it is the summary of your project.

Click on Table of Contents and select Custom Table of Contents… In the popup window, select how many levels of heading you wish to include (at least two) under Show levels, then click OK:

In APA Style, you can use up to five levels of heading, each with its own formatting style. In the table of contents, you should include all level 1 and 2 headings, left-aligned and formatted as plain text. Level 2 headings are indented.

First, go through your text making sure that each level of heading is in keeping with APA Style rules.

1. Highlight a level 1 heading
2. Right-click the Heading 1 style and select Update Heading 1 to match selection
3. Do the same for each level of heading

Generating the table of contents

This article reflects the APA 7th edition guidelines. Click here for APA 6th edition guidelines.

A table of contents is not required in an APA Style paper, but if you include one, follow these guidelines:

Next, update the heading styles listed in the Home tab at the top:

Now you can generate your table of contents. First write the title “Contents” (in the style of a level 1 heading). Then place your cursor two lines below this and go to the References tab.

Here's what your completed outline would look like in APA format:

If you need additional subheadings within the initial capitalized letter subheadings, start with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3), then lower case letters (a, b, c), then Arabic numerals inside parentheses [(1), (2), (3)]

The topic you choose should be one that you can build and develop a compelling paper around. Start by developing a strong thesis for your paper that is based on the topic you've chosen, then begin to research the topic. Here are some key points to keep in mind as you are researching:

Here's what the second step would look like formatted with APA style:

Update Your Final Outline

Writing a psychology paper can be an overwhelming task for students. From picking a good topic to finding high-quality sources to cite, each step in the process comes with its own challenges.

APA format is the official style of the American Psychological Association (APA). It can be used to style papers written for university courses as well as in professional psychology publications.  

If you are required to turn in your outline before you begin working on your paper, keep in mind that you may also need to include a list of references that you plan to use. Here is a step-by-step example of how to outline a paper using APA format.

1. Be sure to follow the structure that your instructor has specified
   Present your strongest points first
   Follow your arguments with research and examples that support your ideas
2. Organize your ideas logically and in order of strength
3. Be sure to keep track of your sources
   Present and debate possible counterarguments
   Present evidence that counters these opposing arguments