Writing A Research Paper In APA Style: Organizational Plan

When you are writing a paper that has to be composed in APA style, there is a specific organization of the sections that you have to follow. In general, APA format requires that student present information in the following order of the sections:

  • Title Page
  • Abstract
  • Main Body
  • References

These sections must be presented in this order so that you are adhering to the proper format. However, each section has to contain very specific information.

  • In the title page you are required to include a running header, the title of your paper, your name, and the academic institution that you are writing the paper for
  • In the abstract of your paper, you are required to include the running header, and information regarding the most important information that your research paper is going to present. This is basically a very formal summary of the purpose and results of your paper.
  • In the main body of the research paper in APA format, you will include the running header, and the information that supports your research and what you found.
  • In the references section of the research paper, you are going to give credit to any sources that you used in order to support your argument or thesis for the paper.

All of these sections must be included in the paper in order for the paper to be written in APA style. Your teacher or professor will undoubtedly provide you with the instructions necessary to write the paper in the most professional and appropriate ways possible; however, if you are struggling with the organization of the information for your paper, then you can always reference a sample text.

As a part of your organization plan, it would help to reference a professionally written sample for the format of the paper. This will help you to better distinguish how the information should be presented. You will have a different topic and focus than the example; however, it is just for formatting and organizational purposes. Remember, as you are implementing a professional organizational plan, you are going to want to cite all of the information and the sources from which you gathered the information. This is important because you want to keep the documenting of your sources organized through out the entire process. This will help you in the long run so that you know exactly who to give credit to when you use specific information in your text.