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How to Write an Introduction in APA Format

Writing an introduction for a research paper using APA format is a fairly straightforward process that should not take longer than an hour to complete successfully. The introduction section of a paper in APA format, also known as the "Abstract," is a section meant to give a concise overview of what can be found in the body of the paper. The abstract should not go into great detail, but should give the reader a good idea of the main ideas of the rest of the paper. It is usually written after the rest of the paper is completed.

Instructions

- 1
  Begin a new page and center the world "Abstract" as the first line of the page. Press the "Enter" key to move the cursor down to the next line.
- 2
  Write a concise opening statement that gives a general overview of the main idea of your paper. The first line of the abstract should give important information while at the same time draw the reader in to want to read the rest of the text.
- 3
  Continue to write the rest of the introduction. The abstract should contain the following information: research questions, research topics, participants, methods used, results, analysis of data and conclusions drawn. The abstract in total should be one paragraph (between 150-250 words) and double-spaced.

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