One common approach to writing scientific papers is the APA style format. It is useful in avoiding mistakes when writing research work. This article aims to canvass critical aspects of APA style formatting to help you avoid inconveniences that may result from missteps.

What is APA formatting?

An acronym derived from American Physiological Association, APA style research paper format mostly gets deployed in citing sources in social sciences, education, and psychology. It would help if you took advantage of this formatting style in the research and publishing industry.

While the various formatting styles can often confuse, especially on what to use for research journals, it becomes imperative to understand the journal’s requirements before starting.

APA format guidelines

The APA formatting style differs from other writing styles like a creative or term paper. As a student, it becomes crucial to understand the basic guidelines when writing in this style. The guidelines include the following:

The page layout rules

All APA-style papers require double-spacing of the content on a standard-sized paper – commonly with one-inch margins. In addition, you need to indent the opening line of each paragraph at 0.5 inches. Further, every page needs a page numbering. Finally, break your content sections into appropriate APA headings.

Font

Some standard fonts you can use include Times New Roman, Georgia, or Arial, provided they prove accessible.

APA outline

Your APA research paper will have seven key sections: the title page, an abstract, an introduction, methods, a result, a discussion, and a reference section. In addition, the outline can help you know how the APA table of contents will appear. Here is the APA example for the outline.

APA title page

The APA research format stipulates the research title to contain between ten and twelve words. The title needs to reflect the contents of the paper. You start with the title on this page, then your name and that of your college or university. Also, you will have to do a page header and a running head to appear on every published article page.

The running head has to contain characters not exceeding fifty, including spacing and punctuation.

Abstract

It is a crucial section and needs to have at most a hundred and twenty words. Ensure that it comes as a paragraph and in a block format. You need to ensure a double-spacing of the words, up to two sentences of the topic sentence, besides providing an overview of the results, methods, and discussion.

Introduction

It is among the most complex sections of an APA research paper. An excellent introduction should critically assess the empirical knowledge. It should define the existing knowledge gap besides expressing your study objective. Remember, you need to keep your audience engaged in reading your write-up.

For an interesting introduction, introduce a logical concept flow that culminates into a research hypothesis. Additionally, while adding references to your introduction, only briefly describe some studies. Instead, summarize by paraphrasing critical findings and avoid quoting from the sources. All the other sections fall under the APA body format.

Methods

The methodology section is straightforward for an APA research paper. However, you need to mention the requirements and protocol precisely. Remember, the objective of this section entails a particular description of your experiments and study to avoid issues with results reproducibility.

The section should have the apparatus, materials, and protocols or procedures used. However, keep the procedures concise and accurate. Also, read through your work to ensure the absence of redundancy.

Results

The section describes how you have analyzed your data besides explaining your findings. However, break this part into subsections for every hypothesis in instances where your analyses prove complex. You then elaborate everything using statistical analysis, including figures and tables to present results visually. But remember not to discuss the interpretation of the results in this section.

Discussion

For a researcher, this section becomes pivotal in interpreting results. It helps to comprehend the study hypothesis better besides placing the results in a broader context. However, this section begins with the specifics and the topical explanations contrary to the introduction section.

You must begin with a concise summary of your findings, then explanations in support of your hypothesis. Also, you can explain why and how it supports existing literature within the subject area.

The discussion also contains the limitations of your research besides any other questions from your study. It is also where you can suggest what further studies can necessitate bridging knowledge gaps within the study area.

Conclusion in APA

This section summarizes what you have discussed in all the sections.

The APA Reference Page

You need to give an alphabetical list of references in this section. Avoid keeping extra spaces, and ensure you double-space all everything.

Mistakes to avoid in APA academic writing

• Limit the use of first-person when writing in APA format
• Avoid anecdotes and personal statements
• Always write in the past tense, though certain exceptions exist
• Avoid using contractions
• Not citing your sources
• Using biased language
• Quoting directly from sources

Final thoughts

This guideline will come in handy if you want to know how to cite a research paper APA. All you need to do entails lots of practice, especially after comprehending all the elements.

What is MLA format?

It is a system of structuring and referencing research papers. MLA, which represents Modern Language Association, intends to keep your research accurate by citing sources accurately. Understanding how to write your research paper using the MLA format guidelines helps avoid confusion. Such an understanding also helps with the formatting and structuring the bibliography references, especially for an essay or research paper. 

The MLA style format also assists your instructor or professor in quickly navigating your work. The available MLA standards also help cross-check your adherence to this writing style’s formatting guidelines. For instance, key aspects can include headers, font sizes, format, etc.

MLA format guidelines

Most students are familiar with different writing styles, at least one. For this reason, the MLA outline format guidelines become easier to digest. The MLA research paper structure follows similar rules as other styles, especially in structuring the page layout, citation rules, etc.  

The first aspect entails the MLA header, which you must place at the left corner of the initial page. Next, your name and the page number need to align on the top right of your page.    

Using the recommended font of Times New Roman, Verdana, or Arial in 121pt size is also crucial. The page’s margins in Microsoft Word need to be 1 inch with the main content double-spaced unless otherwise specified.

The MLA header needs to get included only on the initial research paper page. In addition, the title needs to get centered, with the paragraph having a hanging indent.

Another crucial feature of the MLA style entails the citation aspect, where you list the author’s last name, including the page number. At the same time, the bibliography page will have the cited work’s title at the page’s top center.

Crucial conventions to follow here include listing the sources cited in alphabetical order. You also need to avoid placing periods after the headers or titles. Also, avoid underlining words and only do so when necessary. Further, remember to use inclusive language.

The MLA research paper structure

A proper structure of your research paper will help you write and ensure the message gets home without obscurity. The MLA structure needs to have the following:

The Title Page

Mostly a title page contains your college or university’s name, your research paper’s title and your name, course, instructor’s name, and the study’s due date. Remember to center all the information on this page.

Section Headings

It should have your name, the instructor’s name, other important class details, and the delivery date of the paper. For instance:

Level Heading (First)

Text

Level Heading (Second)

Text

Level Heading (Third)

Text

Level Heading (Fourth)

Text, etc.

The outline of an MLA research paper

Title (needs to get centered)

Introduction

The section needs to contain information on the significance of your subject. Additionally, include a captivating topic sentence. Allocate 10% of your overall word count for this and the thesis statement section.

Thesis Statement

Body Paragraphs

The body paragraph needs to have the methodology, the justification of the research, and the research findings. You need to use in-text citations in this section to back your arguments. The best way to go about it includes introducing a subject, making a claim, and utilizing a relevant citation to support your claim.

Remember to provide sufficient information in the bibliography for the cited works. Further, such citations must conform to the MLA style formatting guide depending on the type of work cited.

Tips on writing research papers MLA

• Always begin with your sources and check for the included bibliography
• Only use verified sources like PubMed, Google Scholar, etc.
• Avoid overusing citations
• And always introduce the subject besides talking about its significance.

Parting shot

Writing research papers or essays becomes fun when you internalize the various formatting style guides, as you’ll only need to focus on the information. Using this guide for your MLA-style research paper will help you to successfully convey your message, besides receiving a better rating on your score.