1. APA Style

2. Basic Requirements for Lab Papers
1 in. margins (top, bottom, left, right)
Double spaced
12 pt. times new roman font
Each page has page header
Contains few words from title & pg. #
Remember to write with clarity and avoid flowery and personal language
Don’t say “I/We did this …”
Use proper grammar, I know everyone has passed basic English

3. Overview of APA Paper Title Page Abstract Introduction Methods Results
Discussion
References
Tables
Figures

4. Title Page Contains running head
Abbreviated title (no more than 50 characters including punctuation and spaces)
Centered in the upper half of the page
Title
Name of author
Institution

5. Abstract Sectioned labeled “Abstract” centered at the top
Brief but detailed summary of the paper
Statement of the problem
Brief description of the methods
Mention important findings & conclusions
No paragraph indentation
Approx. 200 words or 15 single-spaced lines in length

6. Introduction (3 pages minimum)
Not labeled; all other sections are
Begin w/ background
Define relevant terms
Don’t simply put paragraph after paragraph outlining other papers
Integrate them!!!!
No direct quotes

7. Introduction (3 pages minimum)
Though not an exhaustive review should adequately be able to introduce the problem, what has been done, and what will be done
E.g. memory
Descriptions of studies don’t need to be complete, talk about stuff (variables, manipulations, results) relevant to your study

8. Introduction (3 pages minimum)
After background is given begin to discuss theoretical basis for current experiment
Translate the hypothesis into operational terms that tell what variables are being manipulated and what are being measured
Don’t simply put IV was this… DV was this…

9. Methods
Write in a way that others could repeat the experiment exactly how you did it
Contains
Participants describe who was in the study
Apparatus & Materials what was used
Don’t go into ridiculous detail (e.g. pencils)
Procedure how the experiment was done
May reference figures if illustrate apparatus or technique

10. Results Summarize collected data & statistical treatment of data
Describe only what was measured
E.g. “This study measured latency by averaging the time for 3 trials”
Describe data (e.g. means & s.d.)
E.g. the mean number of words recalled on day 1 was higher (12) compared to day 2 (5)

11. Results Mention statistical tests performed & results of them
E.g. an independent t-test was used to determine…
E.g. as predicted studying raised student’s GPA t(df) = t-observed, p<0.05
F(df numerator, df denominator) = F-observed, p<0.05
Refer to graphs/tables to illustrate the data
Describe what they mean
Eg. mean number of errors with s.d. are shown in table 1
Eg. the difference in performance from day 1 to day 2 is illustrated in figure 1

12. Results No interpretations until discussion
Only facts and findings are in the results
"All we want are the facts, ma'am" – Joe Friday

13. Discussion (2 pages minimum)
Purpose here is to interpret the results and explain what conclusions can be drawn from them
Begin with concise statement of results
E.g. The results of the present study indicate (are in agreement)…
Make inferences about the psychological process of interest from the measures used in the study
What conclusions can be drawn from the results

14. Discussion (2 pages minimum)
Mention limitations and sources of error
Explain why these weakness occurred
How could study be improved
Don’t need a laundry list
Make sure to give appropriate citations
How do the results fit with current theories or hypothesis
Relate to what other studies have found

15. Discussion (2 pages minimum)
End on good note
What are the directions for future studies
Be reasonable and give logic for why they would be good studies to do
Avoid statements like: “more subjects are needed”

16. References List references mentioned in paper
Since we gave you 4 empirical papers you need to give at least 2
You can use reviews or book chapters but they don’t count towards the 2
NO online sources (e.g. wikipedia)

17. References Proper citation needed In the paper
(Author’s last name, year)
(Kolb, 1998) or (Kolb & Whishaw, 2000) or (Kolb, Whishaw & Robinson, 2003)
In Author’s last name (year), it was suggested
In Kolb and Whishaw (1999)…

18. References Reference section One author More than one author Book
Vallar, G. (1998). Spatial hemineglect in humans. Trends in
Cognitive Sciences, 2(3),
More than one author
Szele, F. G., Alexander, C., & Chesselet, M. F. (1995) Expression of molecules associated with neuronal plasticity in the striatum after aspiration and thermocoagulatory lesions of the cerebral cortex in adult rats. Journal of Neuroscience, 15(6),
Book
Sholl, D. A. (1956) The Organization of the Cerebral Cortex London: Methuen.

19. References
If you have any question about APA style there are 5 non-circulating copies of the APA manual in the library
How to find references
Library (website)
psychinfo

20. Tables Contain data Contain examples of measures Lists of words
Lists of stories

21. Table Example Table 1. Words Used in Study Non-Sense Words
Normal Words
raf
was
dop
dog
edt
top
sem
sat
wol
gun
guh
pod

22. Table Example Table 2. Average (S.D.) Number of Words
Recalled Each Day For Experiment 1
Mean Words Recalled
Day
Same
Different 1
12 (2)
1 (5) 2
16 (4)
3 (3) 3
15 (3)
6 (5) 4
9 (2)
4 (3) 5
13 (3)
8 (1)

23. Figures Figure captions page prior
Describe figures
Each figure gets its own separate page

24. Figures
Figures can also be illustrations mentioned in methods

25. Logic of APA Paper Flow of information
How the problem was conceptualized
How the problem was researched
How the data was analyzed
What were the findings
How were the findings interpreted

26. Logic of APA Paper
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion

27. 60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Total
Comments
Title & Abstract 9
10.5 12
13.5 15
Introduction 30 35 40 45 50
Methods
17.5 20
22.5 25
Results
Discussion
References 6 7 8 10
Tables & Figures
APA Style
Overall Total
120
140
160
180
200

28. Most Important
DO NOT PLAGARIZE