APA Style Thesis - Its All About the Formatting

A thesis paper is simply a paper that takes a certain stance on an issue, topic, subject or idea. Whether for or against the topic is completely up to the writer and the research they choose to engage in. Oftentimes college and graduate students are particularly perplexed by this style of citation and referencing. APA style tends to be the most technical citation style of the bunch, but is still a commonly used one. When it comes to using the APA Style it is all about the formatting. A properly formatted APA paper has an certain aesthetic quality that draws the reader to it.

What is APA Style

The American Psychology Association created its own signature citation style for the creation of psychology and psychiatry thesis papers. This style of citation is used for a wide variety of different scientific research. The formatting of APA style papers can become a little bit tricky for first time users, but over time it will become simpler. The first part of formatting a APA style paper is ensuring that the page layout is correct. APA style requires 8.5 x11" with 1 inch margins all around the page.

Aside from the page layout the content presented on a APA Style paper must be done so in the correct order. Every page of an APA style paper should have a running header(page number) located at the upper left corner of the page. Also, the page number should be followed by the running head which is a shortened version of the title. The running head should be less than fifty characters total and should give the reader some premise of the paper. The first page is the title page which contains the title, the author's name, the affiliated institution and the date in some cases.

A poorly formatted thesis paper may receive a lower mark. It is important that writers spend a little time reviewing the formatting for a APA paper. It may seem a bit complex at first, but will be well worth knowing for later projects. The major four parts of a APA style thesis paper will be the Title Page, Abstract, Body of Work and the Reference page. Also when referencing withing text it is important to have the author's last name and the page number. When done correctly your thesis paper will be both aesthetically pleasing to the eye and provide great content.