This Is Your Title: It Should Be Descriptive but Succinct
Anonymous
University of the People
Dr. Angela Andrews
Month Day, Year
This Is Your Title: It Should Be Descriptive but Succinct
Begin typing the body of the paper here. Indent one tab stop for each paragraph. Place one space after punctuation marks that end sentences. APA Style™ does not require a minimum paragraph length, such as three sentences. However, “single-sentence paragraphs are abrupt and should be used infrequently. Limit the use of “I” and “you” in academic writing.
Use this template to write an APA 7th Edition Style paper. The format includes the correct margins, double spacing, centering, headings, etc., per APA. APA 7th Edition allows writers to use different fonts and sizes in APA Style™ papers: 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Arial, 11-point Calibri, 11-point Georgia, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, or 10-point Computer Modern are acceptable fonts for student papers. To use this template, highlight and then type over or delete sections of the text included here.
You may be asking why the university requires students to use the APA writing style. Carpenter and Anderson (2012) said that APA format provides a standard for how a document should look. “APA gives students models or examples for creating their papers and also provides professors with a structure for grading papers” (Carpenter & Anderson, 2012, p. 80).
APA instructions for in-text citations help students avoid plagiarism, and having an APA reference allows a reader to locate a source quickly (Butler, 2010).
Level Two APA Heading
APA 7th Edition Style™ uses Level Two headings after the introductory paragraphs. To transform a line of text into a Level Two heading, click Heading 2 in Microsoft Word’s Style area of the Home ribbon. When you have a Level Two heading in APA, use Word’s Heading 2 Style. Align Level Two headings, or place Level Two headings flush with, the left margin. In Level Two headings, capitalize all major words. Headings created with this template use bold, 12-point Times New Roman font.
APA specifies formatting for up to five heading levels of in a paper, but most student papers only need one or two levels. Headings help readers identify where they are in the paper, in the same way that a road sign helps drivers determine their location. Wilson (2011) analyzed the section headings on 378 undergraduate papers, and determined section headings reliably outline a writer’s thoughts (pp. 37-38).
Another Level Two Heading
Use Word’s headings feature to create a table of contents automatically. A table of contents is normally not necessary in a typical short paper. However, a table of contents often is required for a thesis or capstone project. You can find the button for generating a table of contents automatically on the extreme left of Word’s “References” ribbon (Lytle, 2013).
Another Level One APA Heading
Often you will have to submit several papers during one course. The feedback on the first paper will be invaluable. Use this feedback as you write additional papers (Butler, 2010). Butler (2010) also recommended that students save copies of their graded papers on a USB drive. By saving papers to a USB drive, you will have a portfolio of your graded work, even after you lose access to the class or you graduate from Indiana Wesleyan University.
The headings, in text citations, discussion of general APA format, and References list entries in this paper are fictitious or made up examples (including the next sentence). For those who want to know more about APA, Dombek-Smith (2011) created an annotated bibliography that lists APA tutorials and instructional materials. Again, the Dombek-Smith (2011) book does not exist. We apologize in advance for any confusion. Evaluating each item should include both the intended audience and cost. Dombek-Smith described one source in glowing terms: “the OCLS APA 7e Guide is the most current printable APA handbook available to university students, and is available for free on the OCLS website” (p. 305).
References
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https//:doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
Butler, D. (2010). It takes time getting legitimate sources for research papers. In J. A. Bell & L. L. Luesing (Eds.), The art of good research (3rd ed., pp. 1256-1299). Harper & Row.
Carpenter, C. A., & Anderson, A. B. (2012). The thrill of writing an amazing paper. Journal of Excellent Writing, 56(3), 69–89. https://doi.org/10.1289.jew.34567
Dombek-Smith, B. L. (2011). How to write with flow and tone in APA. Fictitious Unreal University Press.
Lytle, R. N. (2013). Writing academically: It is easier than you think. Journal of Writing for College, 6(2), 102–106. https://doi.org/10.1070.jwc.123456d
Moore, C., Ullom, S., Summers, J. C., Anderson, B. X., Colaw, M., Brown, S. J., & Tryon, R. (2011). Why using a writing style provides consistency and structure to a college level paper. Journal of Excellent Writing, 55(4), 100-116. https://doi.org/10.1289
.jew.891011
Wilson, E. O. (2011). Writing to convey meaning and context. Harper & Row. https://www.ebscohost.com