Format for writing references in research paper

How to Write an APA Format Bibliography

A caption must NOT include information about methods, how the data are expressed, or any abbreviations if needed, those are included as footnotes to the table, with each footnote keyed to a footnote reference in the table by sequential, lettered superscripts.

Discussion The discussion section is where you explain your results in detail, speculating on trends, possible causes, and conclusions. Try to present the principles, relationships, and generalizations shown by the Results.

And bear in mind, in a good Discussion, you discuss--you do not recapitulate-- the Results. Don't be shy; discuss the theoretical implications of your work, as well as any possible practical applications.

A good discussion section References or References Cited The References section is a complete list of all references that you cited within your paper.

The references are listed in alphabetical order by last name of the first author of each publication. Include only those references that you have actually read and that you specifically mention in your paper. If a laboratory handout was used it is only a beginning and must be cited.

A Research Guide for Students

When researching for information for the Introduction and Discussion sections or the paper, seek out original sources that are written by experts in the field e.

Scientific American and books written by well respected scientists. Textbooks, although acceptable in this class as a last resort, are rarely cited in the scientific papers since information in textbooks is less reliable than from the original sources. In-Text Citations Citation formats are often discipline specific.

Citing References in Scientific Research Papers

Footnotes or endnotes are not normally used in scientific writing as they are in humanities and the social sciences. Because natural scientists most often use the Name-Year System, we will use this system in this course. All citations occur in the text in parentheses, with the author s and date of publication. Clinton found that naked foxes run on grass four times faster than those wearing pantyhose do.

On grass surfaces, naked foxes run four times faster than those wearing pantyhose Clinton If there is more than one author of a source, simply use the first author's last name, followed by et al. For example, Clinton et al.

How to Format an Essay: Expert Tips to Enhance Your College Writing

The complete list of authors will appear in the full citation at the end of your paper. Bibliographies can be a great way to keep track of information that you might want to use in your paper and as a way to organize and keep track of the information that you find in different sources.

In order to write an APA format bibliography, you should: Start Your Bibliography on a New Page Your working bibliography should be kept separate from the rest of your paper. Gather Your Sources Compile all of the sources that you might possibly use in your paper.

While you may end up not using all of these sources in your paper, having a complete list will make it easier later on when you prepare your reference section. This can be particularly helpful as your outline and write your paper.

Citing Sources in a Research Paper

Major Paper Sections Your essay should include four major sections: Title Page The title page should contain the title of the paper, the author's name, and the institutional affiliation. Include the page header described above flush left with the page number flush right at the top of the page. This link will take you to the APA site where you can find a complete list of all the errors in the APA's 6th edition style guide.

Type your title in upper and lowercase letters centered in the upper half of the page. APA recommends that your title be no more than 12 words in length and that it should not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose.

Your title may take up one or two lines. If applicable, help researchers find your work in databases by listing keywords from your paper after your summary.

To do this, indent and type Keywords: Then list your keywords that stand out in your in this decade. On the following page, begin with the Body of the paper.

Start with the Running title On the next line write the title do not bold, underline, or italicize the title Begin with the introduction. The introduction presents the problem and premise upon which the research was based. It goes into more detail about this problem than the abstract.