SAMPLE APA-7 PAPER FOR GRADUATE/DOCTORAL STUDENTS 1

SAMPLE APA-7 PAPER FOR GRADUATE/DOCTORAL STUDENTS 1

Created by Christy Owen of Liberty University’s Online Writing Center

onlinewriting@liberty.edu; last date modified: November 15, 2020

Sample APA Paper: Professional Format for Graduate/Doctoral Students

Claudia S. Sample

School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University

Author Note

Claudia S. Sample

I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Claudia S. Sample

Email: cssample123456789@liberty.edu

SAMPLE APA-7 PAPER FOR GRADUATE/DOCTORAL STUDENTS 2

Table of Contents

(Only Included for Easy Navigation; Hyperlinked for Quick Access)

Sample APA Paper: Professional Format for Graduate/Doctoral Students ……………………………… 6

Basic Rules of Scholarly Writing ……………………………………………………………………………………… 7

Brief Summary of Changes in APA-7 ………………………………………………………………………………… 8

Running Head, Author Note, and Abstract …………………………………………………………………………. 9

Basic Formatting Elements …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10

Font ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10

Line Spacing ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10

Spaces After Punctuation …………………………………………………………………………………….. 10

Footnotes …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11

Heading Levels—Level 1 ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 11

Level 2 Heading …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12

Level 3 Heading ………………………………………………………………………………………. 13

Level 4 Heading. Must be bolded and indented ½”. Add a period, one

space, and begin your content on the same line as shown here. ………………………………… 13

Level 5 Heading …………………………………………………………………. 13

Specific Elements of Academic Papers ……………………………………………………………………………. 13

Tables of Contents and Outlines …………………………………………………………………………… 13

Annotated Bibliographies ……………………………………………………………………………………. 14

Appendices ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 14

SAMPLE APA-7 PAPER FOR GRADUATE/DOCTORAL STUDENTS 3

Crediting Your Sources………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 15

Paraphrasing and Direct Quotes ……………………………………………………………………………. 15

Paraphrasing ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 15

Block Quotes …………………………………………………………………………………………… 16

How Often to Cite Your Source in Each Paragraph ………………………………………………… 17

Rule for Omitting the Year of Publication ……………………………………………………………… 17

Arranging the Order of Resources in Your Citations ………………………………………………. 17

Two Works by the Same Author in the Same Year …………………………………………………. 18

Two Works by Two Different Authors with the Same Last Name ……………………………. 18

Three or More Authors Cited In-Text ……………………………………………………………………. 18

Number of Authors in the Reference List ………………………………………………………………. 19

Numbers ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 19

Displaying Titles of Works in-Text …………………………………………………………………………………. 19

Primary Sources versus Secondary Sources ……………………………………………………………………… 20

Personal Communications ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 20

Resources Canonically Numbered Sections (i.e., the Bible and Plays) …………………………………. 21

Bible and other Classical Works …………………………………………………………………………… 21

Plays …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 22

Lectures and PowerPoints ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 22

Dictionary Entries …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 22

Changes in Reference Entries …………………………………………………………………………………………. 23

SAMPLE APA-7 PAPER FOR GRADUATE/DOCTORAL STUDENTS 4

Electronic Sources ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 23

Adding Color ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 24

Self-Plagiarism ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 25

Final Formatting Tweaks ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 26

Exhaustive Reference List Examples & Additional Helpful Resources ………………………………… 26

Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 29

References ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 30

Appendix ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 40

SAMPLE APA-7 PAPER FOR GRADUATE/DOCTORAL STUDENTS 5

Abstract

Begin your abstract at the left margin. This is the only paragraph that should not be indented.

Unless otherwise instructed, APA recommends an abstract be no more than 250 words. It should

generally not contain any citations or direct quotes. This should be a tight, concise summary of

the main points in your paper, not a step-by-step of what you plan to accomplish in your paper.

Avoid phrases such as “this paper will,” and just structure your sentences to say what you want

to say. The following three sentences exemplify a good abstract style: There are many

similarities and differences between the codes of ethics for the ACA and the AACC. Both include

similar mandates in the areas of —-, —, and —. However, each differs significantly in the areas

of —, —, and —. For more detailed information, see “Writing an Abstract” at

Writing_an_Abstract_Revised_2012.pdf (note that you would not include any links in your

abstract). This is just now at 168 words, so eyeball how brief your abstract must be. Think of

your paper as a movie you want to sound enticing, and the abstract as the summary of the plot

you would share to draw people’s interest into wanting to come and see your movie. You want to

really hook and intrigue them. What you have to say is important! Remember to stay under 250,

words. Keywords highlight the search terms someone would use to find your paper in a database.

Keywords: main words, primary, necessary, search terms

SAMPLE APA-7 PAPER FOR GRADUATE/DOCTORAL STUDENTS 6

Sample APA Paper: Professional Format for Graduate/Doctoral Students

The title of your paper goes on the top line of the first page of the body (American

Psychological Association [APA], 2019, section 2.11). It should be centered, bolded, and in title

case (all major words—usually those with four+ letters—should begin with a capital letter)—see

p. 51 of your Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: Seventh Edition

(APA, 2019; hereinafter APA-7). It must match the title that is on your title page (see last line on

p. 32). As shown in the previous sentence, use brackets to denote an abbreviation within

parentheses (bottom of p. 159). Write out the full name of an entity or term the first time

mentioned before using its acronym (see citation in first sentence in this paragraph), and then use

the acronym throughout the body of the paper (section 6.25).

There are many changes in APA-7. One to mention here is that APA-7 allows writers to include subheadings within the introductory section (APA, 2019, p. 47). Since APA-7 now

regards the title, abstract, and term “References” to all be Level-1 headings, a writer who opts to

include headings in his or her introduction must begin with Level-2 headings as shown above

(see section 2.27) for any divisions within the introductory section.

If you do choose to include headings in your introduction section (which is optional), be

sure to include two or more subheadings, since APA (2019) forbids stand-alone heading levels.

A second notable change in APA-7 is that writers are no longer required to cite their source every

single sentence that content from it is mentioned (section 8.1). As demonstrated in this paper,

since all of the content (other than the examples included for illustration and reference-entry

variation purposes) comes directly from the APA-7 itself, citations to the APA-7 are only

included for the first instance in each paragraph. Section and/or page numbers are included

parenthetically throughout for the sake of students who desire to know exactly where the stated

SAMPLE APA-7 PAPER FOR GRADUATE/DOCTORAL STUDENTS 7