How To Write APA Research Paper Outline

If you’re writing a research paper for the first time and your professor asks you to utilize the APA (American Psychological Association) format, you may not know exactly what APA means. If you’re provided with APA guidelines, good for you. However, if you aren’t provided with any, you need not to worry. We are here to assist you to familiarize yourself with a research paper outline apa.

Why is an APA Research Paper Outline Necessary?

Majority of college students who are majoring in social sciences like History, Psychology, and Sociology utilize the APA guidelines while composing research papers in this field of study. Other fields like Economics, Business, and Criminology use this APA research paper outline. This format covers the initial title page to the bibliography citation section. APA essentially provides the basic layout style and outline to create your paper in the APA format appropriately.

APA Research Paper Outline Template: How Should an APA Paper Look?

Format to Follow

For you to avoid any mistakes and more revisions in your research paper, stick to this format:

Font style ought to be Times New Roman.

The margins of your research paper ought to be one inch from all sides that is left, right, top, and bottom.

Paragraph space ought to be double-spaced. Do not utilize single-spaced paragraphs. Double-spacing makes your research paper look neat and organized.

Your font size should be 12 pt.

The first page of your research paper outline template apa ought to also contain your name, your professor, title of your research paper, your course, and the date of submission.

Most word applications like Microsoft Word have the features mentioned above to assist you in formatting your paper.

Important Points to Note

For APA research papers, you need to keep the following things in mind:

Roman numbers (I, II, III) are utilized for the main headings in the outline.

Capital letters (A, B, C) are utilized for the sub-headings.

Arab numerals (1, 2, 3) should be used for the sub-headings in your first sub-headings.

Lowercase letters for more subheadings (a, b, c, d).

If you require another subheading under the one mentioned above, utilize Arab numerals in parenthesis: (1), (2), (3).

Writing a Research Paper Outline APA

Having an ideal outline increases the chances of you presenting a research paper that is well written. Coming up with an APA research paper outline is the first thing to do in coming up with what will be written in the research paper and the manner in which it’s written. Moreover, there’s a grammatical format that you’ll have to adhere to while writing your research paper outline template apa to make it appear credible. Using shoddy grammar makes your paper appear less impressive.

Tips for Writing an Excellent APA Research Paper

Observe the use of parallelism Parallelism refers to using successive verbal constructions in a given sentence that corresponds to the grammatical structure. In this format, this alludes to the structure between the headings and sub-headings. Once you have determined your structure, you should ensure that it is coherent with the headings and sub-headings. If you begin your headings with a verb, the subheadings ought to begin with a verb also. On the other hand, if you utilize a noun, all your headings and subheadings should also use nouns. For instance, your headings are ‘Select Topics’ and ‘Prepare Essay.’ The words select and prepare are both verbs. You have to ensure that the other headings and sub-headings also contain verbs in them. This is what is referred to as parallelism.

Coordination between your headings is crucial In your research paper outline apa, your headings ought to be equal in importance of each other. This is also applicable to subheadings also. However, their information might not be as significant as the headings. For instance:

I. Select Topics

A. Go to the library to carry out research

B. Go online to carry out research

1. Look for past research done and sample essays.

Make use of subordination in your apa research paper outline template Subordination here refers to the relationship between headings and subheadings. Headings typically have general information while the information found in subheadings is more specific. Subordination is produced using Arabic numbers. For instance:

A. Describe the ideal holiday destination

1. White sandy beaches

2. Theme parks

The ideal holiday destination category is general while the white sandy beaches and theme parks are specific.

Consider using division to organize your outline Each heading in your APA research paper outline template should contain at least 2 or 3 segments. Nonetheless, if you have many segments, you need to utilize another heading or subheading.

Heading ought to be in Roman numbers when listing them For instance, if you are writing a paper for a topic like Making Money Online, the heading should appear like this:

1. Making Money Online

Ensure that you use Roman numbers while writing the main headings. The heading is the first step in formatting your APA research paper outline.

The subheading It basically follows the main heading. When writing them, make use of capital letters of the English alphabet. From the heading above (Making money Online), your subheading can be “Through referrals.” Ensure that it is listed as follows:

1. Making Money Online

A. Through Referrals

Include more than one subheading in your research paper outline template apa If you want to include more than one subheading to your main heading, all you need to do is to add the next English alphabet in capital letters in the subsequent subheading. For instance, if you want to add another subheading to your main heading ‘Making Money Online’ you may compose this:

B. Online Surveys

Therefore, your heading and subheadings will appear like this:

I. Making Money Online

A. Though referrals

B. Online Surveys

Use Arab numbers (1, 2). If you wish to incorporate another subheading like ‘Fill Out Online Surveys in your Free Time’ under heading B, you’ll have to write it this way:

1. Fill Out Online Surveys in your Free Time

Thus your research paper outline apa would appear like this:

I. Making Money Online

A. Through Referrals

B. Online Surveys

1. Fill Out Online Surveys in your Free Time

Conclusion

Writing an APA research paper is not that hard. However, it will require some effort on your part if you want to come up with a paper that will impress your peers or professor. Having an APA research paper outline is crucial to you coming up with a successful paper!