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How to Write a Research Proposal in APA Format?

What is APA format in research?

The American Psychological Association (APA) style is one of the  citation formats  in research with a set of norms for writing in psychology and related subjects. These standards were outlined in the American Psychological Association’s Publication Manual (APA, 2006). In 1944, the American Psychological Association produced its first version of the Publication Manual for the American Psychological Association, which included its writing style and structure for academic papers. The handbook has undergone six revisions, with the sixth and most recent editions issued in 2009. The APA style refers to the principles established by the American Psychological Association in their manual to provide a standard for journals and scholarly works. APA Referencing guide was developed to improve the precise interpretation of academic and  research papers  published in their journals by minimizing linguistic bias and using clear language. Since then, several colleges and scientific publications have accepted  Academic Writing in APA Style . 

Introduction: 

A research proposal dissertation describes what you aim to investigate, why it is important, and how you propose to carry out your study. The structure of a research proposal varies depending on the subject. Most proposals, however, will include at least the following elements based on Research proposal service guidelines:

• Introduction
• Literature review
• Research design
• Reference list

While the components may differ, the general goal remains the same. A research proposal for dissertation acts as a blueprint and roadmap for your research strategy, assisting you in becoming organized and confident in the direction you want to go.

Check our study Guides, to have to know  how to write a research Proposal for Master dissertation

APA Style and the Values of Psychology

According to Robert Madigan and his colleagues, APA-style papers serve an important role that is often overlooked. It specifically supports the scientific values and assumptions of psychologists. Many APA style aspects that appear random at first glance make perfect sense in this context. The following are some characteristics of APA-style writing and the scientific values or assumptions they reflect.

Check our study Guides, to have to know how to write a research Proposal for Master dissertation    

APA Style and the Values of Psychology  

According to Robert Madigan and his colleagues,  APA-style papers  serve an important role that is often overlooked. It specifically supports the scientific values and assumptions of psychologists. Many APA style aspects that appear random at first glance make perfect sense in this context. The following are some characteristics of APA-style writing and the scientific values or assumptions they reflect.  

The APA style research proposal will allow you to create a proposal with a consistent style that will persuade the committee to authorize your research. Specific standards are provided in the   APA Referencing guide  for research proposals. Below is the research proposal format APA 7th edition guidelines.

• Margins, Header & Footer

All sides must have a 1-inch margin. The header format is right justified, with the proposal title on the left and the page number on the right. The running header should not be more than 50 characters long; it should begin on the cover page and continue throughout the proposal. If the title is more than 50 characters, reduce it to include the keywords.  

• Fonts, Size & Space

APA style  calls for a serif typeface, ideally Times New Roman. The fond is standard 12 size. Each word must be double-spaced, with a five -space indentation.  

The proposal headline will be positioned in the centre, halfway down the page, in the proper format for your title page. The headline is followed by your name and the name of the organization or university.  

The abstract appears after the title page. Write the abstract in 250 words or less, and include a statement about the study and methodologies that will be employed.  

The introduction is on the next page of the proposal; it comprises the main concept behind the research, the setting of the study, the issue that it will address, and the individuals who will benefit. The section can be up to three pages long.  

• Literature Review

Following the introduction is a brief  review of the literature  you will need to study to gain a thorough understanding of the problem; you must relate the research to similar studies in the field and incorporate a structure that will be followed in the survey about existing knowledge in the area. The section might be as long as 7 pages.  

• Research Methodology

List and briefly explain   Research methodologies  you will use in the research; include everything from data collection to analysis and how each will be justified. According to the criteria, APA research methodology can only have a maximum of 5 pages.

• Limitations

It is necessary to describe the study’s potential limitations; keep this to half a page.  

• Significance

Limitations are followed by the significance of the research, its tangibility, practicability, and ramifications. The proposal must explain the likely result and what it hopes to achieve in research. The part is typically two pages long.  

• References, Bibliography & Citation

Include a section for every reference used in the proposal’s authoring. The APA proposal format  must have; the author and year must be mentioned when quoting or paraphrasing; and there is no bibliography section in APA format.

Do check for  Research Proposal examples , to know the research proposal template and sample research proposal APA 7th edition format and also how a well-structured proposal are written by our expertise in various domain.

Conclusion  

APA style should be viewed as a “genre” of writing that is ideal for presenting psychological research findings, particularly in academic and professional settings. It does not imply “excellent writing” in general. You would not write a literary analysis in APA style for an English class, even if it were based on psychoanalytic notions. Instead, you would write it in Modern Language Association MLA & Vancouver format . And you would not write a newspaper piece in APA style, even if it was about a great advance in behavioural neuroscience.  

About Tutors India  

At Tutors India, we offer  Master’ Dissertation research proposal writing services , where you can relax and remain stress-free, given that an experienced researcher is handling the work. We have professional expertise in Management, Social Science, Engineering, Technology, Life Science, Medical, Arts & Literature / Linguistics, and much more. Our writers have experience in research methodology, industry experience, and educational degrees from international and top-ranked universities in India, the US, and the UK. Our  Citation Compliance help service  will create a 100% custom written Dissertation that will help you to complete your undergraduate/postgraduate degree successfully.  Avail dissertation proposal help today!

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APA Sample Paper

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This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style  can be found here .

Media Files: APA Sample Student Paper  ,  APA Sample Professional Paper

This resource is enhanced by Acrobat PDF files. Download the free Acrobat Reader

Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student  and  professional  papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication). These differences mostly extend to the title page and running head. Crucially, citation practices do not differ between the two styles of paper.

However, for your convenience, we have provided two versions of our APA 7 sample paper below: one in  student style and one in  professional  style.

Note: For accessibility purposes, we have used "Track Changes" to make comments along the margins of these samples. Those authored by [AF] denote explanations of formatting and [AWC] denote directions for writing and citing in APA 7. 

APA 7 Student Paper:

Apa 7 professional paper:.

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A Detailed Guide on the APA Format Research Proposal

Find out how to handle the APA research proposal format like a pro.

Research proposal in APA format: Structure & Formatting Guidelines

Writing a proposal is an essential stage in any academic project since it outlines the research’s objectives, methodology, and significance. However, before submitting your work to the supervisor or the funding company, you must ensure it is appropriately formatted and referenced. It’s quite a challenging task, especially for newbies. But worry not — this APA research proposal format guide will walk you through the fundamentals. Besides, we’ll discuss some of the best ways to reference and structure your writing, so dive in!

What’s an APA Style Research Proposal?

An APA research proposal is a document written following the American Psychological Association style. This is among the preferred styles for writing papers in academia. It should describe the core idea of your project and the methodology you’ve conducted or are about to conduct. Plus, this paper explains how your investigations are necessary and how society will benefit or advance knowledge in this field.

Your APA format proposal should also affirm the academic merit of your ideas and demonstrate that you can significantly contribute to the field of study. Note that stating your academic qualifications and credentials is the easiest way to achieve this.

This type of work enables the writer to delve deeper into a topic. It provides a chance to identify and analyze the relevant information, draw conclusions, and offer potential recommendations or solutions. It also allows one to prove expertise in a specific topic and develop a well-rounded argument considering various perspectives. According to field experts offering research proposal services , this type of work enables the writer to delve deeper into a topic.

How Long Should a Research Proposal APA Format Be?

The length of an APA style research proposal can vary depending on your academic level and supervisor’s instructions. But generally, a bachelor’s or master’s level writing will range from 500 to 1,500 words, while a Ph.D. level writing or a funding request is much longer and more detailed.

Now that you know the fundamentals, let’s delve into how to write a research proposal APA.

General Structure of a Paper in APA Proposal Format

No matter the style, the structure of a research proposal in APA format is flexible. However, there are some critical sections, and they are as follows:

The title page should contain the title of your paper, your name, and the name of your university. Depending on the guidelines, other details that may be added to this page can include:

• Submission date.
• Institutional affiliation.
• Budget term.
• Total funds requested.
• Supervisor’s name.

According to the APA proposal format guide, your title should explain the study in up to 12 words. All content on this page should have double spacing with no degrees or titles included when listing names. Note that the running head on your title page will differ from the rest of your work. It has to be named “Running head” and followed by your title or a colon.

In APA format research proposal, the abstract is on the second page. It summarizes your writing in no more than 150-200 words. Although it appears closer to the beginning of your work, you should write this last. Your abstract should:

• State the question you intend to answer.
• Explain the purpose of the research.
• Describe your research design and methodology.
• Offer a solution.
• Mention any anticipated result.
• Summarize the implications and importance of the research.

To meet the formatting requirements, center the term “Abstract” on the first line without any additional styling. Then, write your paragraph after a double-space, but don’t indent it. Indent five spaces after the summary and put the term “Keywords,” followed by a colon, in italics. Next, make a list of keywords that relate to your paper.

• Introduction

This is where you provide background information on the topic, including previous studies and relevant literature. When writing a proposal APA introduction, you should also:

• Address issues such as why you choose to work on the study.
• Clearly state the problem and its relevance.
• Outline the research objectives and the hypotheses to be tested.
• Explain the significance of your project.
• Literature Review

The literature review is a crucial part of any research proposal in APA format. It lists the sources you plan to rely on for your investigation and shows your understanding of your topic’s existing body of knowledge. It is where you need to:

• Discuss the main findings.
• Highlight gaps your research aims to fill.
• Explain the theoretical framework (if applicable).

Organize your literature review logically, grouping related studies and theories. Sentences that refer to another person’s work must have an in-text citation. The American Psychological Association recommends using the author-date method, so always provide the author’s name and the year of publication in parenthesis at the very end of every referencing sentence.

For instance: (Anderson, 1985, p. 21).

• Methodology

Your methodology section should outline the methods and procedures you plan to use. It should cover the following topics:

• Type of research design (e.g., experimental, descriptive, or corrective) and its justification.
• Kind of research you intend to do (e.g., qualitative or quantitative).
• Tools and instruments you will use to curate data.
• Target population and the participant selection criteria.
• Ethical considerations.

In addition, this section of your proposal APA format should indicate aspects such as the budget, potential obstacles, how you will resolve them, and the timeline.

In your results section, briefly outline the expected or anticipated results and explain how they will address the objectives of your study.

The discussion is where you must:

• Interpret the outcomes of your research.
• Discuss the potential implications.
• Acknowledge potential limitations.
• Suggest directions for future research based on your findings.
• Conclusions

As the name suggests, this section of your research proposal APA format summarizes the entire work and restates your purpose.

The American Psychological Association style suggests adding a page containing all the references at the end of your writing. Label it with the term “References” in the center of the first line. Next, list the sources you cited in your work alphabetically by author’s last name. In case of references longer than a line, indent the subsequent lines by five spaces.

A book reference will look like this: Last name, Initials. (Year of Publication). Book title. City, State: Publisher.

If you have supplementary materials (e.g., surveys or additional data), include them in the appendices. Label each appendix with a letter (e.g., Appendix A, Appendix B) and refer to them in the main text when needed.

Essentials of APA Research Proposal Format

Now, let’s take a quick look at what the American Psychological Association style should look like.

• 12-point font Times New Roman.
• Double spacing.
• 1-inch margin on all sides.
• Running head in the header (50 characters, including spaces, max.).
• Page numbers in the top right corner of each page.
• Five-space indent for new paragraphs.
• Clear, hierarchical headings (e.g., Methodology, Results).
• In-text citations and references page (framed according to the guidelines).
• Concise, formal academic language.

You can also use the General APA Guidelines for more information on the research proposal format APA.

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