Your Research Paper Guidelines Spectra of Science

Type 12 font Times New Roman Double-spaced 1 inch margins all around Basic APA Guidelines Type 12 font Times New Roman Double-spaced 1 inch margins all around

Parts of the Paper Title Page Experiment Methods Table of Contents Abstract Introduction Background Experiment Materials Experiment Methods Data Analysis Conclusions Appendix References

Title Page Title of Paper All Centered in center of page Your Full Name Period Date Submitted Running Head All Centered in center of page In header;

Table of Contents Includes the names of all sections of your paper Page number on which the section begins

Abstract This is a brief description of your overall project and findings. The purpose of an abstract is to provide a summary of the project that will inform interested individuals of the contents. No more than 250 words.

Introduction This is a brief introduction to your project. It should contain a description of your problem, purpose, hypothesis and experiment. Be sure to explain why your project and its findings might be important to you or others. 2-3 paragraphs

Background Discuss your research findings. What did you need to learn more about to better understand your project and what did you find? (I.e. What is an electrolyte? What is the structure of a horse’s eye?) This is also the section where you will do most of your citations. Minimum of 2 pages

In-Text Citation Plagiarism is illegal!

What do I have to cite? NOT TO CITE TO CITE: •ALL Quotations MUST be cited• Any information, thought, idea, or opinion gathered from a source must be cite Common knowledge does NOT need to be cited• Your own opinion does NOT need to be cite Either quote the text verbatim and put the quote in quotation marks Completely paraphrase the information It’s better to overcite than undercite. (Jackson, 2011)

How do I cite it? Place in parenthesis at the end of the sentence, in this order, separated by commas: Author(s) last name Year of publication (if known) Page number (if known) If any of these is unknown (not given), leave it off If any of these pieces are included in the sentence itself, you do not need to cite it at the end in parenthesis

Example 1 She stated, "Students often had difficulty using APA style" (Jones, 1998, p. 199). ("Owl purdue online," 2011)

Example 2 She stated, "Students often had difficulty using APA style" (Jones, 1998, p. 199), but she did not offer an explanation as to why. ("Owl purdue online," 2011)

Example 3 According to Jones (1998), "Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199). ("Owl purdue online," 2011)

Example 4 Jones's (1998) study found the following: Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask their teacher for help. (p. 199) ("Owl purdue online," 2011)

Example 5 APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners (Jones, 1998). ("Owl purdue online," 2011)

Experimental Materials List the materials you needed to gather in order to complete your experiment. It may be appropriate in some cases to explain where certain unfamiliar items can be obtained. This may be a bulleted list. Includes what type, brand, how much of each material and correct sizes

Experimental Methods Explain the Methods of your project step by step. Give a detailed set of instructions on how you carried out your experiment. Include how you built all involved mechanisms and contraptions. Be Detailed and Specific!

Data Analysis Explain and discuss the data you collected, quantitative and qualitative.What trends or patterns did you notice? You will want to refer to your charts and graphs that appear in the Appendix. See Figure 1 in the Appendix.

Conclusions Summarize your findings Return to your hypothesis and compare your experiment results to your hypothesis. Are they the same or different? Why do you think? Draw a conclusion(s). Make sure you can support these conclusions with your data. What did you learn from the experiment? Try to give a scientific explanation for what occurred.

Conclusions Cont’d Return to your problem question and determine if you have an answer. (Even if the answer is: “I still do not have an answer.”) Discuss errors that may have occurred that could have affected the reliability of your results. Explain why your findings are important. What is the next step?

Appendix This where you place all your charts, diagrams, graphs, and/or pictures. (Label each as Figure 1, 2, 3, etc.) Minimum of 2

References In MLA it is called a “Bibliography” Cite all your sources where you found information presented in your paper using correct APA format.

Citing References Plagiarism is illegal!

Reference Page Alphabetized Indent second line of same citation Use Citation Maker website: http://citationmachine.net/ Go to XHS library Click research Click Works cited Click “Bibme” Select APA format

(Lester, 2009)

Visit the OWL Writing Lab: For More Help… Visit the OWL Writing Lab: Go to our library page Click the research tab Click works cited Click on OWL Writing Lab

References Jackson, J. (2011, 10 04). Apa style workshop. Retrieved from http://www.docstoc.com/docs/97996185/APA-Citation---PowerPoint Lester, S. (2009). Sample reference page. In APA Style Sample Reference Page (p. 2). Saint Joseph College, Center for Academic Excellence. Retrieved from http://ww2.usj.edu/PDF/CAE/apareferencepage_6th_ed.pdf Owl purdue online writing lab. (2011). Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/