Here is the conventional arrangement of the major sections of an APA-style paper. Note that although each of the following headings is an active link, the material those links take you to will be covered on other pages of this module)
- Title Page: acts as the first major section of the document
- Begins the document’s pagination
- Includes the paper’s full title centered in the upper half of the page
- Contains the name(s) of the writer(s) and their institutional affiliation
- Abstract: acts as the second major section of the document
- Presents a single-paragraph summary of the paper’s contents
- Contains approximately 150 to 250 words
- Includes select keywords for easy access by researchers
- Main Body: acts as the third major section of the document
- Presents a report of the writer’s (or writers’) research and findings
- Includes four sections (typically): the Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion
- Provides the reader with pertinent information about the paper’s topic
- References page: acts as the fourth major section of the document
- Presents a compilation of the sources cited in the paper
- Provides a comprehensive list of works that appear as in-text citations in the paper
- Details the full source information for each entry