

- #Table of contents example for research paper how to#
- #Table of contents example for research paper professional#

The following heading styles used in APA formatting are listed in order of greatest to least importance: In essence, you are using headings to create a hierarchy of information. These smaller sections, in turn, use different heading styles to indicate different levels of information. Depending on the length and complexity of the paper, its major sections may also be divided into subsections, sub-subsections, and so on. In addition to the guidelines provided in this chapter, you may wish to consult the APA website at or the Purdue University Online Writing lab at, which regularly updates its online style guidelines.ĪPA style uses section headings to organize information, making it easy for the reader to follow the writer’s train of thought and to know immediately what major topics are covered. Again, putting in a little extra time early on can save time later. Apply APA guidelines as you write, so you will not have much to correct during the editing stage. Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” includes tips for keeping track of your sources early in the research process, which will save time later on. However, you can simplify the process if you keep these broad guidelines in mind: Yes, it requires careful attention to detail. Finally, it helps your reader find additional materials if he or she wishes to learn more about your topic.įurthermore, producing a letter-perfect APA-style paper need not be burdensome. Second, it shows that you respect other people’s work enough to give them proper credit for it.
#Table of contents example for research paper professional#
First, it signals to your readers that your paper should be taken seriously as a student’s contribution to a given academic or professional field it is the literary equivalent of wearing a tailored suit to a job interview. Having to follow detailed citation and formatting guidelines as well may seem like just one more task to add to an already-too-long list of requirements.įollowing these guidelines, however, serves several important purposes. Writing a good research paper is, in and of itself, a major intellectual challenge. If you find that the rules of proper source documentation are difficult to keep straight, you are not alone. While all the formatting and citation styles have their own use and applications, in this chapter we focus our attention on the two styles you are most likely to use in your academic studies: APA and MLA.
#Table of contents example for research paper how to#
In this chapter, you will learn how to use APA style, the documentation and formatting style followed by the American Psychological Association, as well as MLA style, from the Modern Language Association.

