Running head: APA CRASH COURSE
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APA Crash Course: How to Format Your PJAS
Research Paper in APA Format
Todd A. Gunther
Berwick Area Senior High School
APA CRASH COURSE
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Abstract
This paper will both demonstrate for those who are completing a literature review in preparation
for their Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) project how to format a research paper
in APA format, as well as provide examples and an assignment to help you practice creating a
proper Reference page.
Keywords: APA format, Purdue OWL, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science
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APA Crash Course: How to Format Your PJAS
Research Paper in APA Format
Communicating information through research using a standard research format or “style”
can be a challenge for students, yet is important in order to ensure that research information is
communicated efficiently and accurately. Eiesel (2012) notes that students often “struggle” with
maintaining the format. He suggests that students create an initial Word template file, in order to
maintain the format through multiple papers.
Seas and Brizee (2012) describe APA style as “establishing standards for the organization
of content, writing style, citing references and how to prepare a manuscript for publication in
certain disciplines.” Following the standardization of these elements provides benefits by
providing cues for readers to efficiently find information, and allow the author to establish
credibility and avoid distracting the reader with unfamiliar formatting. This paper will convey
some of the work of Seas and Brizee in describing the APA format on the Purdue Online Writing
Lab (OWL) website.
Literature Review
Seas and Brizee (2012) cite two main types of APA papers: the Literature Review, which
this will serve as an example – and which you will be assigned to create in preparation for PJAS
– and the experimental report – which you will complete after you have created your research
plan, have your research plan approved, and have followed your research plan to conduct your
experiments. Students are encouraged to visit and revisit the Purdue OWL APA Style Workshop
and the APA Formatting and Style Guide, which provides numerous examples for how to create
proper citations for your “References” page.
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Another useful avenue both for finding information about proper techniques in using
APA Style and for finding how to implement the style using Word 2007, is to search videos on
the website Youtube.com. While many videos purport to demonstrate proper techniques, they
also include errors in proper style, and should be viewed with some caution. For example, Eisel
(2012) demonstrates proper techniques for spacing and font style, but neglects the proper
changes in the running head associated with the 6th Edition of APA format. The Purdue OWL,
however, is up to its usual authoritative standards, and has produced a vidcast, highlighting
critical elements. Jones and Hurley (2012) in the vidcast demonstrate general Word 2007 set-up
for APA Format from the Purdue University OWL at http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=pdAfIqRt60c , and reference page format at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpAOi8WUY4 . Students are encouraged to watch these videos, and use them to set up their own APA
Style Template in Word 2007, or in another word-processing application of their choice.
Discussion
The use of headings in APA Style is also important, and allows for clear organization of
thoughts in the research paper. Paiz et al., (2011) describe five different levels of headings that
are recognized in APA Style.
Types of Headings
When continuing a thought in a sub-heading, Paiz et al., (2011) indicate that a bolded
Level 2 subheading is left-justified and placed on its own line
Level 3 headings. Should you need to further categorize a topic inside of a subheading,
level 3 information is headed with an in-line bolded heading that is followed by a period. (Paiz et
al., 2011)
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Lower-level headings. Further subdivisions are indicated, though not demonstrated here,
using bolded and italicized headings, and then by italicized headings containing no bolded
information. (Paiz et al., 2011)
Inclusion of Figures
Along with the use of headings, APA format has clear and specific guidelines for the
inclusion of tables, charts, and data to ensure a consistent presentation. A table listing
information about the references used to create the “Crash Course” document is listed in an
appendix – your job will be to collect them into a proper References page. You may use an
online resource, such as NoodleTools, to help you in creating the citation, but please check with
an APA resource, such as Seas and Brizee’s APA Style Workshop, to determine whether or not
you are including the correct information. Also, be sure that when pasting in information from a
web citation resource, that your final bibliography is formatted correctly – including line spacing,
correct hanging indents, and alphabetizing of sources.
Conclusion
Practicing correct usage of APA format as a high school student will provide future
benefits. It allows for greater ease and stronger focus on the content of your research in college,
rather than focusing on the more tedious aspects of correct formatting. Correct adherence to APA
format will improve your professional appearance and aid in having both professional
researchers and peers view your research (Seas and Brizee, 2012). Research paper writing, in
general, is a skill that requires discipline and a long-term focus to achieve, but the long-term
benefits of adopting this skill can lead to a potentially rewarding future career.
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Appendix
This appendix is included in lieu of a proper reference page to give you an opportunity to
create a bibliography page on your own. Note that the reference page would ordinarily be
included before any appendices, which would be lettered “A,” “B,” etc. if there were more than
one, as in Angeli (2009).
Table 1
Sources Included in the Creation of this Document
Author
Erik Eisel
Date
April
2012
Kristen Seas and
Allen Brizee
July
2012
Title
How to Create
an APA Format
Template in
Word 2007
APA Style
Workshop
Joshua M. Paiz,
Elizabeth Angeli,
Jodi Wagner, Elena
Lawrick, Kristen
Moore, Michael
Anderson, Lars
Soderlund, Allen
Brizee, Russell Keck
Beth Jones and Gina
Hurley
May
2010
APA Formatting
and Style Guide
May
2012
APA Formatting:
The Basics
Beth Jones and Gina
Hurley
Sept.
2012
Angeli, Elizabeth
2009
American
Psychological
Association
July
2009
APA Formatting:
Reference List
Basics
APA Sample
Paper: Varying
Definitions of
Online
Communication
Publication
Manual of the
American
Psychological
Association, 6th
Edition
Source
Video file from
Youtube
Type of Source and URL
Electronic Videoclip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOJh
JxAb-GQ
Section of Purdue
Online Writing
Lab Website
Section of Purdue
Online Writing
Lab Website
Electronic Webpage
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resou
rce/664/1/
Electronic Webpage
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resou
rce/560/1/
Video file from
Youtube produced
by Purdue OWL
Video file from
Youtube produced
by Purdue OWL
Document from
Purdue Online
Writing Lab
Website
Electronic Videoclip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdA
fIqRt60c
Electronic Videoclip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpA
Oi8-WUY4
Electronic Digital File
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf
/20090212013008_560.pdf
American
Psychological
Association
Book (note no author)
Published in Washington, DC by the
American Psychological Association
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References
Angeli, E. (2009, February). APA Sample Paper: Varying Definitions of Online Communication
[PDF]. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/
20090212013008_560.pdf
Eisel, E. (2012, April). How to Create an APA Format Template in Word 2007 [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOJhJxAb-GQ
Jones, B., & Hurley, G. (2012, May). APA Formatting: The Basics [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdAfIqRt60c
Jones, B., & Hurley, G. (2012, September). APA Formatting: Reference List Basics [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpAOi8-WUY4
Paiz, J. M., Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderland, L., ... Keck, R. (2010,).
APA Formatting and Style Guide. Retrieved November 5, 2014, from Purdue OWL
website: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/1/
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). (2009). Washington,
DC: American Psychological Association.
Seas, K., & Brizee, A. (2012, July). APA Style Workshop. Retrieved November 5, 2014, from
Purdue OWL website: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/664/1