How to Write & Include an Abstract in APA Style Formatting

American Psychological Association (APA) style was created by behavioral and social scientists and provides guidelines for documenting sources in research papers. As part of the guidelines, papers written in APA style include an abstract, or brief summary. The abstract gives the reader a quick overview of the most important information in the paper in one paragraph. Within the abstract the reader learns what the paper is about, what research methods were used, and what conclusions were reached. The abstract is typically written once the full paper is complete.

Instructions

    • 1

      Format the abstract using a 10 or 12 point serif font such as Times New Roman. Include one inch margins and a running header with page number. The running header is a shortened version of the title (no more than 50 characters long) that is included at the top of each page.

    • 2

      Type the word "Abstract" and center it on the page without quotation marks or additional formatting such as bold, italics or underlining. Begin typing the paragraph on the next line. The abstract is written in block style and is not indented.

    • 3

      Consult the instructor to find out the length required for the abstract. The abstract is typically between 120 and 250 words.

    • 4

      Write the abstract as a concise summary of the paper. Give the reader the high points of the paper and include the thesis statement, results, implications and conclusions. Write numbers as digits, unless the number is used at the beginning of a sentence. Use the active voice and do not include personal pronouns such as "I" or "we." Avoid including citations.

    • 5

      Place the abstract after the title page. The abstract is the second page of the paper.

Learnify Hub © www.0685.com All Rights Reserved