Running head: SHORT TITLE OF PAPER

2

Full Title of Paper

Student Name

PSY2010 Abnormal Psychology

Abstract

The abstract is on a page of its own after the title page. It is a brief summary of the content of your paper (typically 150-250 words but no more than 250). It is not indented and the word abstract at the top of the page is not bold since it is not a heading within the paper.

Full Title of Paper

This is the first page of the body of your paper. The full title of your paper is repeated at the top of the page. Like with the abstract, the title at the top of the page is not bold since it is not considered a heading within the paper. You will see below that headings within the paper are in bold and follow the heading styles required by the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.; American Psychological Association, 2009).

This first section of your paper is the introduction of your paper. This introduction is one page in length at a minimum. It is not labeled separately. It introduces the topic of your paper and the points you intend to make. Why is this topic important to psychology? This section also introduces how your paper will be organized, such as stating that you will review the historical background of the topic and then follow it with an overview of related current trends and discussion.

Literature Review

This is the beginning of your literature review. Keep in mind, the literature review is not just a summary of each individual article. It is also a critical analysis of your topic supported by information you learned when reading the background literature. Your APA formatted citations for the sources of the information you are discussing is your indication of the literature reviewed.

Subheading 1 Example

Depending on your topic, you may find it necessary to use subheadings within sections of your document. For example, if you are comparing and contrasting the different theories or treatments for the disorders based on the articles you reviewed.

Subheading 2 Example

Only use subheadings if you have more than one area you want to distinguish as a sub-section. Otherwise, leave them out and simply use separate paragraphs.

Discussion and Conclusions (1-2 pages minimum)

This section of your paper is where you discuss your opinions about the topic you have been covering (backed by the information you have learned and citations for that information). What are the similarities and differences between what you learned in reviewing the literature and what you previously knew about the topic? What is the quality of the research you found on this topic? Did you find any biases in the information you found on this topic? It is important to utilize your course and text readings to support and compare and contrast what you learned from you article research. Conclude your discussion with a brief summary of what you covered and why the topic is important to the field today and in the future.

References

American Psychological Association. (2009).
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Note: The reference page starts on a separate page and has the label References at the top of the page. As with the abstract, it is not in bold as it is not a heading within the body. Your references will be in alphabetical order with a hanging indent. Make sure to use proper APA formatting for all references. Every reference listed should have corresponding citations within the text. Also, any source you cite in the text should have a corresponding reference in this list.