University of phoenix apa sample paper

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Center for Writing Excellence

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Writing Style and Mechanics

Student Name

Course/Number

Date

Instructor Name

An APA running head is not needed for undergraduate or

master’s courses per the University Writing and Style

Guidelines. If you are a student in a doctoral program, or

otherwise require a running head in your paper, consult the doctoral APA Sample

Paper in the CWE>Tutorials and Guides>Doctoral Writing

Resources.

Pagination: Use the header feature in

Microsoft® Word to set the page number (see

Appendix A).

The title: Use upper and lower case letters, centered between the left and right margins, and positioned on the

upper half of the page. Use black, 12- point Times New Roman font

throughout. Arial and Courier font types are acceptable.

All lines are double-spaced throughout the entire document. Use black, 12-point Times New Roman font throughout the document. Arial and Courier font types

are acceptable.

This APA Sample Paper is intended for undergraduate and master’s level students. The University of Phoenix APA sample papers represent the consensus of key academic officials within the University. This particular sample reflects expectations outlined in the University of Phoenix Writing and Style Guidelines for undergraduate and master’s courses, which correspond with the University’s preferred style guide for most programs: The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition. If your course materials direct you to follow MLA style, please see the MLA Sample Paper in the Center for Writing Excellence (CWE)>Tutorials and Guides>MLA Information. This sample paper is offered as a concise tool to help students with style, but it is not a definitive or binding representation of format for all courses. The CWE provides many tools to help students write and format effective papers; however, the faculty member determines the assignment grade in the course.

Abstract: Typically, an abstract is required only for publication. If your assignment instructions indicate a requirement to use an abstract, a sample can be found in the CWE>Tutorials and Guides.

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Indent the first line of

each paragraph using the tab key,

set at five to seven

spaces or one-half

inch.

Direct quotations require a

page number or paragraph number.

Writing Style and Mechanics

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) began as a

journal article in 1929. The APA reported results from a meeting of scholars “to establish a

simple set of procedures, or style rules, that would codify the many components of scientific

writing to increase the ease of reading comprehension” (APA, 2010, p. xiii). Today, the

Publication Manual is in its sixth edition and the APA style described in it is a widely

recognized standard for scholarly or professional writing in the social sciences. Although the

style guide is designed to prepare manuscripts for publication, many universities and health care

journals have adopted its use as a guide to achieve uniformity and consistency (Cuddy, 2002).

Writing in the style prescribed by the Publication Manual can be a daunting experience for

students. As with any new skill, “practice makes perfect” (S. Proofreader, personal

communication, June 28, 2004). Points of APA style most often used by undergraduate and

graduate students are listed below. However, keep in mind that this sample paper is a guide and

should not be considered as a replacement for the Publication Manual.

Format Considerations

Some commonly used rules and formats from the sixth edition of the Publication Manual

are listed below. Please note, however, that some assignments may require unique formatting,

and you should consult your syllabus for clarification.

Correct Margins

Margins are one inch on all sides. This rule is broken only to avoid placing a lone

heading on the last line of the page or a single line of text on the top of the next page.

Use the paper title above your

introduction, centered not

bolded.

Personal communication

citation: No need to include on the reference

page.

Use one or two spaces after a

period at the end of

a sentence,

but be consistent with usage throughout

the document.

Level one heading: Centered, bolded, upper and lower case letters.

.

Level two

heading: Left

margin, bolded, upper

and lower case