Excelling in Writing APA Format Dissertation Papers

When you are in school you will be asked to write many styles of papers. You will also be asked to use multiple format types for your papers. Some classes stick to the same format throughout the course so you know that each paper you submit will use the same format. But other courses change based on the assignment. And even if each of your courses that semester use the same format for every paper chances are each course will select a different format.

The result?

• Your English literature course will require only MLA throughout the year.
• Your psychology 101 course will require only APA throughout the year.
• Your history course will require only Chicago throughout the year.
• And the rest of your courses may leave it up to you to decide on a format.
• When this happens it can be stressful but knowing what each of the requirements are can help ease that stressful burden.

So if you are writing an APA format dissertation paper it is best to memorize all of the parts of the APA format guide.

APA stands for the American Psychological Association. This organization created the APA format of referencing and citations in order to provide a comprehensive method of citing studies and presenting research findings. This makes it easier for students and professionals to find resources or search through databases for case studies. So what constitutes APA format?

APA format has the following sections:

1. Cover page

   This includes the basic information such as your title as well as your name and your academic institution. It also has a running head.

2. Abstract

   This is a stand-alone paragraph that should be self contained and explain everything inside of your essay. The abstract will be the most commonly read part of your dissertation because researchers and students will read it to see if the paper is valuable or relatable to them/their research.

3. Introduction
4. Background/Literature Review

   This is where you give the reader any background information and a review of the current literature related to your project.

5. Methods/Materials

   This is where you write up the methods you used to conduct your study and all of the materials you used.

6. Results

   This is where you present the findings of your research to the reader.

7. Discussion

   This is where you discuss your findings in relation to the bigger picture and what may have gone wrong in your study.

8. Conclusion
9. References
10. Appendix