apa research proposal format

apa research proposal format

The Importance of Following the APA Research Proposal Format

1. Introduction

APA format is a systematic way of writing academic papers. It is a very complex format and this research project cannot cover every area of APA formatting. However, it has to give you the general idea of what this style is and what it’s used for. A research proposal has to have a consistent structure, research rationale, and a plan of implementation. This type of writing is more complex than an undergraduate paper. The structure needs to be very organized and type of writing will require a student to show that they understand all there is to know about a subject and to make clear, plausible, and perhaps to the point of probable case of what their research will show. Generally, the point of writing a research proposal is to show that the student has an adequate understanding of the topic and a feasible research plan to test that understanding. This format is what I will call a transition genre, meaning it is a transition from previous understanding and writing undertaking to a new type of undertaking. It is this because that the first time writing a research proposal is a learning experience and the chance of understanding is contingent on how well it is done and whether or not the research is actually undertaken and completed.

Writing a research proposal is very important in many different areas. It is also a common type of writing assignment in graduate, undergraduate, or in some cases high school courses. This type of writing project is a part of training a student to do research and to write using the APA style. This style is used in writing on topics in the field of social sciences. You will be required to write your proposal using APA style and the final product will be graded on whether or not it follows standard APA formatting.

2. Overview of the APA Research Proposal Format

The proposal will require you to write the abstract and title geared to the highly technical audience that you are writing for. In this case, you will not have a “results” section in your paper, though it is the chances are it will be included in various sorts of research when it is written.

The discussion is where the author interprets the results and what they mean in the greater context, and where he/she can make recommendations for future research. These interpretations and implications are usually broad in nature.

The introduction is just that: it gives the rationale behind the work, what importance it holds, and what purpose it serves. The goals are to not only say what the paper is about, but also to persuade the reader that this particular paper is unique and valuable.

Title Page: Most proposals require a title page and an abstract page (a short summary at the beginning), but the details listed vary. Usually, the title and the abstract are two of the more important things, so capitalizing on these is a good way to start your paper. A good abstract is concise—about one paragraph, 120-150 words—and it is written in plain language. Any readers not familiar with the research described in your paper can use your abstract to grasp the most important details.

The APA format itself can help you understand how to write a proposal for a research paper, since the APA guidelines require writing an abstract, an introduction, and a discussion in concise and objective language. Any one section may be too long (around 8-10 sentences). This resource will list those elements and provide some examples.

3. Benefits of Using the APA Research Proposal Format

Data for the memory and the APA manual was taken from the latest study by Baddeley. Working memory was defined as “the system or systems involved in the temporary maintenance of information… and in the retrieval and manipulation of stored knowledge that the thinking skills are directed at.” APA helps the memory with a lot of practical tips on how to remember each specific detail, such as its table of punishments for specific rule violations. If you are completely perplexed and cannot remember, consult the manual you read.

The APA manual offers the easiest way to learn how to write. When an individual is reading this manual, they are associating what they are reading to what they do on a day-to-day basis with an example. If a student is trying to learn APA format, the manual would be the best way. They could simply go by what they read and what they already know to comprehend it. The APA manual also helps the working memory, making it easy to apply what they’ve learned at a later date.

As stated by Caleb (2005), using the APA format has a lot of advantages for both individuals, and these advantages have been clearly and efficiently summarized in the latest publication of the APA manual. Caleb goes on to say that the “vast amount of complex detail in this manual is presented in simplest form.” Making a complex detail simple implies understanding, but before understanding comes learning. As the saying goes, you can’t understand what you do not know, and we often say we are learning something new every day.

4. Step-by-Step Guide to Formatting an APA Research Proposal

Running head: Title of Your Paper

Please note that on the title page, your page header/running head should look like this…

After the abstract, include a short reference list.

Next, start the text of your paper. Write a summary of your paper using between 150 and 250 words. Include the topic of your research, the purpose of your paper, and any information that will be helpful for your reader. This will be the only paragraph in your abstract.

You may also want to list keywords from your paper in your abstract. To do this, indent and type “Keywords:” in italics and then list your keywords.

The title page is considered the first page of your APA paper. The abstract will begin on page 2. On the page after the abstract, begin with the title of your paper. In a new paragraph, write a brief summary of your paper (do not indent). This should not be over 250 words. This will be the only paragraph in your paper that will not be indented.

On all other pages than the abstract, start the first line of the page with the title of your paper. It should be presented in bold type and in uppercase and lowercase letters (do not use all uppercase letters). Have the page number in the top right-hand corner.

Running head: Title of Your Paper

Start with the running head. The running head on the abstract page differs from the running head on the title page. On the abstract page, the words “Running head:” that you followed from the title page will only have the title of your paper. Here’s how it will look…

5. Conclusion

Understanding the APA research proposal format will often result in more effective written communication. With an end goal, that the research report should be clearer and more solidly constructed. This should be evident not only in the final written product, but during the writing process. By preparing and referencing a detailed research proposal, the report writer will have a concrete plan, something to keep them on task and on a logical progression. With detailed instructions about how to write a research proposal available on many university websites, this acts as a guide for what the report writer should do. Following the APA research proposal format has another more important benefit too, it gives the report writer a clear understanding of what their research is before the conduct it. They may find during the process of preparing their proposal that they need to make some significant changes in the direction their report is taking. This is beneficial as it can save time and energy in the long run. On the whole, it is any easy for a less experienced report writer to think that preparing a research proposal is a waste of time, when it often quite the opposite. A research can sometimes be poorly constructed and aimless, often because the research was conducted in a haphazard manner. The end result of preparing and referencing a research paper is likely to be more significant now be more significant now in terms of confidence in its conclusions. Confidence can be shown in a number of ways, one common way is for scientific research to have real world effects. This is something that only a tiny percentage of psychology research accomplishes. Confidence in conclusions and solid research findings are a direct result of well executed research, usually beginning with a strong research proposal.

Ideally, every academic article, especially in the field of social sciences, should have a goal. In this article, the objectives are to stress the significance of the research proposal format and preparing to write an excellent research paper. Doing so will inevitably vitalize the acceptance of the research paper and grant. A tool is discovered which is considered to be an easy and direct route to the research paper. This step-by-step tool is an only resource that integrates rules from the 5th edition of the publication manual of the American Psychological Association with the combined experience of the contributors in various fields of research and academic writing.