Contents andFormatofAPA Papers

Who is your audience?

Your audience is a group of colleagues. Write your paper so that it could be

understood by students in a research methods class at another university.

They will not have the exact background information that you do.

But, with sufficient explanation, they should be able to understand what you did and why.

Basics

12 pt Times Roman OR 12 pt Courier

Double-space everything

1” margins on all sides

Do not justify lines

“Content” sections

•Abstract

• Introduction

•Methods

•Results

•Discussion

•Title Page

•CONTENT SECTIONS

•References

•Tables, if any

•Figures, if any

Order of Sections

Example: Title Page 1

Deterrence of Marijuana Use 1

Running head: DETERRENCE OF ADOLESCENT MARIJUANA USE

Legal and Social Factors in the Deterrence

of Adolescent Marijuana Use

David G. Peck

Shippensburg State College

What goes on the Title Page Title Name(s) of author(s) Affiliation - e.g. North Seattle

Community College Running head Short Title/Page # (in header, on all

pages)

Title of the Paper

10 to 12 words needs to summarize main idea

of paper (3 types)DESCRIPTIVE: Effect of Alcohol on Decision

MakingNATURE OF QUESTION: Does Alcohol Affect

Decision Making?INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS: The

Interfering Effect of Alcohol on Decision Making

Other Title Page Items Running head: abbreviated title, no more

than 50 characters, CAPITALIZEDThe words “Running head:” must precede and

are NOT capitalized

Short Title: 2-3 words, shorter than running head, appears in header of each page (except figures)

Page number in upper right, 5 spaces from short title, appears in header of each page

Example: Title Page 2

Memory Impairment 1

Running head: RESISTANCE TO MEMORY IMPAIRMENT

Similarity of Encoding Context and Resistance to Memory Impairment Following Misinformation

Laura L. Bowman and Maria S. Zaragoza

Kent State University

Example: Abstract

Mode and Misinformation 2

Abstract

Information presented after an event is often remembered as part of that event. Several theories

involving processes such as encoding, storage, and retrieval have been proposed to explain this

phenomenon. Paivio (1986) has hypothesized that linguistic and sensory information are

processed in separate sub-systems. Thus, whether or not the post-event information is processed

by the same subsystem as the original information might determine whether the post-event

information is remembered as part of the original event. In this experiment the mode (either

verbal or pictorial) of presentation of both the original and post-event information was varied.

The post-event information was more likely to be remembered as part of the original event

when the post-event information was presented in the same mode as the original event than

when the modes were different.

Abstract Gets its very own page Is not indented Does not need to be very long (no more than

150 words) Should include summary of:

Goal of studyMethod ResultTie into theory

The Body of the Paper

Broad general statements

Progressively narrows to specifics of study

Broadens out to general considerations

…can be described as an hourglass

Introduction answers the following questions:

What is the point of the study? What are the theoretical hypotheses, and how

were they derived? What are the theoretical implications of the

study, and how does the study relate to previous work in the area?

How do the hypothesis and the experimental design relate to the problem?

Example: Introduction

Misinformation and Event Form 3

Memory of Original Event and Post-Event Information

Presented in Verbal or Pictorial Form

Information about events often comes from sources other than the events themselves.

When remembering an event, people will often combine memories from the original event

with memories from other sources. This is useful because it allows information from

various sources to be used to form a more complete description of the event. However, it

can also lead to confusion and inaccurate memories. For example, if there are two sources

of memories of the same event, then one source may contribute information about a

particular episode in the event that conflicts with information from the other source. Several

effects of conflicting information from different sources on the recall of an event are

possible. One possibility is that newly encoded information may replace the older memories

causing the old information to be lost. If that were the case, then the person would

remember the new information only and could not recall the original information. Another

possibility is that information from both sources is stored in memory, and either may be

recalled. If this is the case, then whether one or the other of the memories is recalled could

depend on

Introduction- Mechanics & Style Begins on a new page (page 3) The word “Introduction” never appears Title appears on top of first page

(centered) Remember to summarize, be careful not

to PLAGIARIZE Cite relevant research Create transitions between topics of

research.

Example: Method

Misinformation Effect 14

the person would remember the new information only and could not recall the original

information.

Method

Participants

Thirty University of Washington students participated as a course requirement. The mean

participant height was 177 cm, four participants were over 185 cm tall, and the maximum

participant height was 194 cm. All participants were responsive to a 30 volt electric shock.

Materials

Words and clues were chosen at random from the New York Times crossword puzzle. The

mask consisted of a row of ‘X’s the same size as the word they mask. All words were

presented in white with a black background. Clues were given on a typed page. There was

one clue per page.

Apparatus

A Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-11/23 computer controlled the presentation of all

computer generated displays. The CRT was a Hewlett Packard 1310A with a fast white P4

phosphor. Electric shocks were generated using a model 1994 Orwell 1000

Method Starts right after Introduction (not on a new

page) Uses appropriate details so that others can

replicate and evaluate the experiment. 6 possible sub-sections: Participants,

Materials, Stimuli, Apparatus, Design, & Procedures

Sometimes sub-sections can be combined e.g. Stimuli & Apparatus

only use sub-headings relevant to your study

Results Continues right after Method (not on own page) Overall

If any data were removed and why Descriptive Statistics (TREND)

comparison of means to show trends in dataUse at least one figure/table, refer to it here

Inferential Statistics (RELIABILITY)Tell the reader which test you usedGive BOTH the test value and EXACT p-value

rounded to the nearest thousandth (when possible)

Results Section...

summarizes results in English includes descriptive statistics uses figures and tables to get information

across starts with central findings and then moves on to

peripheral findings

Example: Statistics

the difference was significant, t(28) = 4.1, p < .001.

no difference was found, F(1, 28) = 4.3, p = .318.

Tables and Figures Mention Figures and Tables in consecutive

order in text (Table 1, Table 2, Figure 1, etc) NOTE: Always capitalize them.

‘Figure 1 shows the means for…’, ‘Mean RT was higher in the masked condition (see Table 1)..’

All the figures and tables should be attached AFTER the REFERENCES

all figures and tables NEED to be on SEPARATE pages (will be at end of paper)

Give titles, label & mark axes, indicate units

Example: Figures

Figure 1Mean percent correct by conditionand ISI.

ISI

Mean Percent Correct0102030405060708090

100

100 200 300 400 500 600 700

ControlShock

Example: Tables

Table 3

Proportion of items recognized by source, conflict condition, and type of presentation (slide or questions).

___________________________________________________________

Recognized

_____________________

Items presented First Second Both Average

___________________________________________________________

Slides

First Only .72 -- -- .72

Second Only -- .68 .49* .68

Both First and Second .64 .63 . 37 .63

Questions

First Only .72 -- -- .72

Second Only -- .59 .42* .59

Both First and Second .57 .34 .05 .46

___________________________________________________________

* Values that appear in the 'Second Only' row and the 'Both' column are estimates of mean number of cases in

which both the first and the second items would be recognized using first and second only conditions as

estimators and assuming independence.

Discussion Continues after Results (not on own page) Refer back to your results and give evaluations

such as:“the results are consistent with the hypothesis

that….”“there was a trend in the direction of” - if the

differences were not significant and this is true Connections between your results and your

hypotheses: What do the results tell you?Does your theory best fit the data?Do other people’s theory fit best?/Other related

findings?Do you have a new theory?

Discussion can include suggestions and improvements What should be done to get further

support for your theory? What could be changed to improve your

experiment?improve your materialschange conditions (e.g. within to between

subjects)

Future directions of inquiry? Use your artistic license

References

Alphabetical order by first author Chronological order for different papers

from one author Same author & same year: use a,b,c...

after year

Example: References

Don’t Forget 45

References

Bekerian, D. A., & Bowers, J. M. (1983). Eyewitness testimony: Were we misled?

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 9, 139-

145.

Belli, R. F. (1989). Influences of misleading postevent information: Misinformation

interference and acceptance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 118,

72-85.

Christiaansen, R. E., & Ochalek, K. (1983). Editing misleading information from

memory: Evidence for the coexistence of the original and postevent information.

Memory & Cognition, 11, 467-475.

Gibling, F., & Davies, G. (1988). Reinstatement of context following exposure to

post-event information. British Journal of Psychology, 79(1), 129-141.

Lindsay, S. D. (1990). Misleading suggestions can impair eyewitnesses' ability to

remember event details. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning,

Memory, and Cognition, 16, 1077-1083.

In Text Citations

These cite the source of information in the body of your paper and are a reference for the reader to your References Page

The standard journal format permits you to cite authors in two ways.

Citations: Format 1Enclose their last names and the year of publication in parentheses

Example:

Consent to perform a small favor increases a respondent’s susceptibility to perform a relatively large favor (Freedman & Fraser, 1966).

Citations: Format 2

By using their names in the sentence itself

Example:Despite empirical evidence suggesting other dimensions, Brown and Levinson (1984) persist in their claim that power, social distance, and imposition are the only dimensions affecting politeness

Don’t just randomly alternate between them.

In general, the first format is the most

common and appropriate. The second

format is used when you want to focus

specifically on the authors or researcher, or

go into more detail on their study.

Citations: When to use which format?

Citations

After citing authors in one paragraph, you don’t need to give the date again in the same paragraph

More than 6 authors cite first author ‘et al.’

3-5 authors, cite all first, then subsequently can cite first author ‘et al.’

Final Individual Paper is due Friday, March 20 at the beginning of class.