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How to Write a Research Proposal in the APA Style

The sixth edition of the “Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association” directs you how to format and structure your research proposal. This is the most common style used for proposal related to the social sciences. A research proposal in APA format should include a title, abstract, main body and references.

General Structure

APA format recommends that you type your proposal with a highly legible 12-point font, such as Times New Roman. It needs to be double-spaced. When you write a new paragraph, indent fives spaces or use the Tab key. Your paper should have a 1-inch margin on all sides. At the top of each page, insert a running head in the header. To format this correctly, write the title of your proposal in the upper left hand side and the page number in the upper right hand side. Your running head is limited to 50 characters, including spaces. If you must shorten your title, select the keywords.

For your research proposal, your title page should include your paper’s title, your name and your university’s name. Other information that may appear on the title page includes submission date, budget period, total funds requested or advisor’s name, depending on your proposal’s audience. APA style recommends that your title is no more than 12 words in length. All text on this page should be double-spaced. When listing names, do not include any titles or degrees. The running head is different on the title page than the rest of your paper. Format your running head so it says “Running head” followed by a colon and your title.

In APA format, your abstract is the second page of your paper. Despite appearing at the beginning of your paper, plan to write your research proposal last. This is a brief summary of your entire paper. In a 150- to 250-word paragraph, state your problem, and propose a solution for it. To properly format this page, center the word “Abstract” without any additional formatting on the first line of the page. Following a double-space, write your paragraph. Do not indent this paragraph. After your summary, indent five spaces and write the word, “Keywords” in italics followed by a colon. Then list keywords related to your proposal.

In-Text Citations

Every sentence that references another person’s work must include an in-text citation. The APA recommends that you use the author-date method. Write the author’s name and the publication year within parentheses at the end of the referencing sentence. For example, “One study found that the most important element in comprehending non-native speech is familiarity with the topic (Gass & Varonis, 1984).”

At the end of your proposal, APA style advises that you create a references page that lists citations for all of your references. Label this page with the word “References” centered on the first line of the page. Then list all the sources used within your proposal in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. For any references that are longer than one line, indent all subsequent lines by five spaces.

When writing references, APA style recommends that you give the author’s last name and then use initials for all other names. For a single author book, write the author’s last name, a comma, first initial and a period. Next, write the publication year in parentheses. Place a period outside the last parenthesis. Then write the title of the book in italics and sentence case, a period, the city, a comma, the state, a colon, the publisher’s name and a period. A reference may look like this:

Zerby, C. (2002). Devil’s details: A history of footnotes. Montpelier, VT: Invisible Cities Press.

University of North Carolina Charlotte: Outline for Research Reports and Proposals Using APA Style
Purdue University: APA Formatting and Style Guide: General Format
University of Michigan: Proposal Writer's Guide: The Title
Penn State University: APA In-Text Citation Guide
Purdue University: APA Formatting and Style Guide: Reference List: Books
College of Charleston: APA Citation Style for a Bibliography/Works Cited Page

Fitzalan Gorman has more than 10 years of academic and commercial experience in research and writing. She has written speeches and text for CEOs, company presidents and leaders of major nonprofit organizations. Gorman has published for professional cycling teams and various health and fitness websites. She has a Master of Arts from Virginia Tech in political science and is a NASM certified personal trainer.

Topic Guide - Developing Your Research Study

Purpose of Guide
Flaws to Avoid
Independent and Dependent Variables
Glossary of Research Terms
Reading Research Effectively
Narrowing a Topic Idea
Broadening a Topic Idea
Extending the Timeliness of a Topic Idea
Academic Writing Style
Choosing a Title
Making an Outline
Paragraph Development

APA 7th Edition

Executive Summary
The C.A.R.S. Model
Background Information
The Research Problem/Question
Theoretical Framework
Citation Tracking
Content Alert Services
Evaluating Sources
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Tiertiary Sources
What Is Scholarly vs. Popular?
Qualitative Methods
Quantitative Methods
Using Non-Textual Elements
Limitations of the Study
10. Proofreading Your Paper
Writing Concisely
Common Grammar Mistakes
Avoiding Plagiarism
Footnotes or Endnotes?
Further Readings
Annotated Bibliography
Types of Structured Group Activities
Group Project Survival Skills
Multiple Book Review Essay
Reviewing Collected Works
Writing a Case Study
Writing a Research Proposal
Bibliography
About APA 7th Edition
Formatting Your APA Paper
In-Text Citations

This guide is a general overview of the American Psychological Association (APA) Style for references and citations. Be sure to consult the Publication Manual of the APA or the APA Style website for detailed standards and procedures.

The American Psychological Association (APA) updated its style manual in the fall of 2019. This resource page presents important components of the seventh editions. It reflects the most recent printing of the manual as of January 2020. The provided videos are broken into small bytes of less than 10 minutes each; presenting the various aspects of properly writing in APA 7th style (i.e. Cover page, citations, references etc)

How do I format my APA 7th Edition paper?

The information provided below will assist you in properly formatting your paper according to the apa 7th edition standards. please note that papers that are being written for publication will require additional formatting components. please check with your professor to ensure that you are meeting all requirements for your specific class and project., general overview .

Watch the video below to learn how to format your APA 7th Edition paper including:

Acceptable Font and Font Size
How to add page numbers
How to Format the Title Page
Spacing Requirements for Main Body and Reference List

Sample Paper

What does an example apa 7th edition paper look like , hanging indent , how do i make a hanging indent in word.

1. Highlight the citation with your cursor.

2. Right-click.

3. Select Paragraph .

4. Under Indentation, select Special and Hanging .

Student Title Page

How do i format a student title page.

Please note that papers for publication will require some different elements. Please check with your professor to inquire about the specific guidelines of your assignment or project. Students should follow any specific instructions provided by their individual instructors when it comes to formatting their title page. Unless instructed otherwise, these are the different components of the student title page:

Affiliation (University and School/Department)
Course Number and Name
Instructor Name
Assignment Due Date
Page Number (Upper Right Hand Corner)

Running Head

How do i format a running head.

Please note that papers for publication will require a running head. Please check with your professor to inquire about the specific guidelines of your assignment or project. Students should follow any specific instructions provided by their individual instructors when it comes to formatting their papers.

How do I format an abstract?

Please note that papers for publication will require an abstract. Please check with your professor to inquire about the specific guidelines of your assignment or project. Students should follow any specific instructions provided by their individual instructors when it comes to formatting their papers.

APA Word Paper Template Download and use this Word document as a template for your paper!

In-text Citations

When you reference someone else's words or thoughts, use an in-text citation in the body of your paper. Watch the video below to learn more.

Basic Format: (Author's Last Name(s) or Organization, Year).

How do I format my citations?

The information provided below will assist you in properly formatting your in-text citations according to the APA 7th Edition standards. Please note that the type of citation (for a quote, paraphrase or summary) and the number of authors in a work being cited will determine the format of your in-text citation.

I'm using..., a direct quote .

If you're quoting the exact words of someone else, introduce the quote with an in-text citation in parentheses. You must inlcude the page number(s) when incorporating a direct quote; place the page number directly after the quote. Any sentence punctuation goes after the closing parenthesis.

According to Brown (2019), "Direct quote" (p. 1021).
Brown (2019) found that "Direct quote" (p. 1021).
[Some other introduction] "Direct quote" (Brown, 2019, p. 1021).

If you're directly quoting more than 40 words, use a blockquote . Block quotes don't need quotation marks. Instead, indent the text 1/2" as a visual cue that you are citing. The in-text citation in parentheses goes after the punctuation of the quote.

Shavers (2007) study found the following:

While research studies have established that socioeconomic status influences disease incidence, severity and access to healthcare, there has been relatively less study of the specific manner in which low SES influences receipt of quality care and consequent morbidity and mortality among patients with similar disease characteristics, particularly among those who have gained access to the healthcare system. (p. 1021)

Tip: Use direct quotes sparingly! Focus on summarizing the findings from multiple research studies. In the sciences and social sciences, only use the exact phrasing or argument of an individual when necessary.

A Summary or Paraphrase

Paraphrasing or summarizing the main findings or takeaways from a research article is the preferred method of citing sources in an APA paper. Always include the last name of the author(s) and the year of the article, so your reader can find the full citation in the reference list.

According to Shavers (2007), limitations of studying socioeconomic status in research on health disparities include difficulties in collecting data on socioeconomic status and the complications of classifying women, children, and employment status.

A Source with One Author


One author	(Mercer, 2020)	Mercer (2020)

A Source with Two Authors


Two authors	(Morgan & Mattace, 2020)	Morgan and Mattace (2020)

A Source with Three or More Authors


Three or more authors	(Ward et al., 2020)	Ward et al. (2020)

A Source with a Group Author

First citation

Subsequent citations

(Appalachian College Association [ACA], 2020)

(ACA, 2020)

Appalachian College Association (ACA, 2020)

ACA (2020)

(Lee University, 2020)

Lee University (2020)

Include the complete citation at the end of your paper in the reference section. References are organized by the author's last name in alphabetic (A-Z) order. Use a hanging indent to separate each list item. Watch the video below to learn more.

Basic Format: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date). Title of the work. Source where you can retrieve the work . URL or DOI if available

Reference Examples

I'm citing a...

Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initial as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. Use an ampersand (&) before the final author's name. Read more from the APA Style website if there are 21 or more authors.
Title of the article. Note: For works that are part of a greater whole (e.g. articles, chapter), use sentence case. Only the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns are capitalized.
Title of the Journal , Note: Italicize and capitalize each word in the journal.
Volume Note: Italicize the journal volume. If there is no issue, include a comma before the page range.
(Issue), Note: If there is a issue number in addition to a volume number, include it in parentheses.
Page range.
DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Read more about DOIs from the APA Style wesbite.

Ashing‐Giwa, K. T., Padilla, G., Tejero, J., Kraemer, J., Wright, K., Coscarelli, A., Clayton, S., Williams, I., & Hills, D. (2004). Understanding the breast cancer experience of women: A qualitative study of African American, Asian American, Latina and Caucasian cancer survivors. Psycho‐Oncology , 13 (6), 408-428. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.750

Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. Use an ampersand (&) before the final author's name.
(Year, Month Date). Note: You do not need to abbreviate the month.
Title of the Newspaper or Publication. Note: Italicize and capitalize each word in the publication.

Kennedy, M. (2018, October 15). To prevent wildfires, PG&E pre-emptively cuts power to thousands in California. NPR . https://www.npr.org/2018/10/15/657468903/to-prevent-wildfires-pg-e-preemptively-cuts-power-to-thousands-in-california

Title of the book. Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, reports), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
(Edition). Note: If there is an edition or volume, include it in parentheses and use abbreviations of ed. or vol.
Publisher. Note: You do not need to include the publisher location or databases where you retrieved it. You should include the DOI or URL if applicable and available.

Schmidt, N. A., & Brown, J. M. (2017). Evidence-based practice for nurses: Appraisal and application of research (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Author(s). Note: List each chapter author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. Use an ampersand (&) before the final author's name.
Title of the chapter. Note: For works that are part of a greater whole (e.g. articles, chapter), use sentence case. Only the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns are capitalized.
In Editor(s), Note: List each editor's last name and initials as A. A. Editor, B. B. Editor, & C. C. Editors, include (Ed.) or (Eds.) in parentheses, and end with a comma.
Title of the book Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, reports), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
(pp.xx-xx).

McCormack, B., McCance, T., & Maben, J. (2013). Outcome evaluation in the development of person-centred practice. In B. McCormack, K. Manley, & A. Titchen (Eds.), Practice development in nursing and healthcare (pp. 190-211). John Wiley & Sons.

Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. If there is no author, spell out the name of the organization or site.
(Year, Month Date). Note: Provide as specific a date as is available, but may be only the year. If there is no date use (n.d.).
Title of page or section. Note: Italicize the title of the page.
Source. Note: Usually the official name of the website. If the source would be the same as the author, you can omit the source to avoid repetition.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, August 22). Preventing HPV-associated cancers . https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/basic_info/prevention.htm/

Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. If there is no author, spell out the name of the organization that published the report.
(Year, Month Date). Note: Provide as specific a date as is available.
Title of the report or document. Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, reports), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
Source. Includes the names of parent agencies or other organizations not listed in the group author name here.

Los Angeles County Deptartment of Public Health. (2017, January). Key indicators of health by service planning area . http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/ha/

Author. Note: List the author's last name and initials as Author, A. A. There is usually only one author for a thesis or dissertation, you don't need to include any faculty advisers.
Title of the dissertation or thesis [Doctoral dissertation or Master's thesis, Name of University]. Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, dissertations, theses), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns. The title page will indicate whether it's a Doctoral dissertation or Master's thesis and list the name of the university granting the degree.
Source. Note: Include the name of the database or institutional repository where you can access the work (e.g. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, PQDT Open, CSU ScholarWorks) here.
URL Note: Include if available.

Valentin, E. R. (2019, Summer). Narcissism predicted by Snapchat selfie sharing, filter usage, and editing [Master's thesis, California State University Dominguez Hills]. CSU ScholarWorks. https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/3197xm925?locale=en

Check out more examples for citing dissertations and theses on the APA Style site .

Citing a letter, photograph, text document, graphic material, or ephemera? Consult the Gerth Archives APA Citation Guide for Archival Materials .

7TH EDITION CHANGES

This guide serves to review the changes that were made to the APA 7th Edition Publication Manual. This is not an exhaustive list but rather a collection of differences that have been identified by the library faculty and staff. Please feel free to contact us if you have noticed a change that is not listed here.

All standards appearing on this page are from the new 7th Edition Style Manual.

6th edition: Covey, S. R. (2013). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
7th edition: Covey, S. R. (2013). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change. Simon & Schuster.
6th edition: (Taylor, Kotler, Johnson, & Parker, 2018)
7th edition: (Taylor et al., 2018)
6th edition: Miller, T. C., Brown, M. J., Wilson, G. L., Evans, B. B., Kelly, R. S., Turner, S. T., … Lee, L. H. (2018).
7th edition: Miller, T. C., Brown, M. J., Wilson, G. L., Evans, B. B., Kelly, R. S., Turner, S. T., Lewis, F., Lee, L. H., Cox, G., Harris, H. L., Martin, P., Gonzalez, W. L., Hughes, W., Carter, D., Campbell, C., Baker, A. B., Flores, T., Gray, W. E., Green, G., … Nelson, T. P. (2018).
6th edition: doi: 10.1080/02626667.2018.1560449
7th edition: https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2018.1560449
6th edition: Walker, A. (2019, November 14). Germany avoids recession but growth remains weak. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50419127
7th edition: Walker, A. (2019, November 14). Germany avoids recession but growth remains weak. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50419127
6th edition: Brück, M. (2009). Women in early British and Irish astronomy: Stars and satellites [Kindle version]. https:/doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2473-2
7th edition: Brück, M. (2009). Women in early British and Irish astronomy: Stars and satellites. Springer Nature. https:/doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2473-2
6th edition: A researcher’s career depends on how often he or she is cited.
7th edition: A researcher’s career depends on how often they are cited.
6th edition: The poor
7th edition: People living in poverty
6th edition: People over 65 years old
7th edition: People in the age range of 65 to 75 years old
6th edition: APA endorses the use of the singular pronoun they
7th edition: APA endorses the use of the singular pronoun “they”

LEVELS OF HEADING

Format for the Five Levels of Heading in APA Style

Level	Format
1	Centered, Bold, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph.
2	Flush Left, Bold, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph.
3	Text begins as a new paragraph.
4	Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending With a Period. Text begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph.
5	Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading, Ending With a Period. Text begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph.

STYLE GUIDE

SAMPLE REFERENCE PAGE

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Michael Schwartz Library

UST 410/510: Proposal Writing: APA Citations

APA Citations
Articles/Research Databases
Boolean Searching
Evaluating Sources
Legal Information
News Sources
Policy Links

Writing Help

If you need help with the writing process (including properly citing sources), then make an appointment with CSU's Writing Center , which is located on the 1st floor of the Michael Schwartz Library.

APA Manual (Paper Version)

The Michael Schwartz Library has copies of the APA Manual available for review.

Citing Your Sources

Why are citations important? Why is it necessary to cite?

To avoid plagiarism, you must give proper credit to all sources you use! Whenever you paraphrase or directly quote information, you must cite the sources of the information using a specific citation style. In Urban Studies, the most commonly used citation style is APA -- the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) . The current version of the APA Manual is the 7th edition, 2020 . When using APA to cite your sources, you must have a list of References at the end of your paper and corresponding in-text citations in the body of your paper.

Cleveland State University takes plagiarism very seriously. Please see The Code of Student Conduct , which defines plagiarism as "stealing and/or using the ideas or writings of another in a paper or report and claiming them as your own. This includes but is not limited to the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment" (p. 53). Many CSU professors require their students to use a program named Turnitin.com , which checks papers for plagiarism.

Please take the time to become familiar with APA style since you will use it a lot in your courses! There are many RULES to follow when citing sources in APA style, such as order of the elements, capitalization, and punctuation.

If you do not have access to the paper APA Manual, then refer to the Citation Guides page on the Library's Virtual Reference Desk . It contains links to websites to help you format your citations. A good starting point is the Purdue OWL site.
The Purdue OWL is an excellent website for learning about APA Citation Style. Once you access the website, explore the links to the left, including In-Text Citations: The Basics and Reference List: Basic Rules . Review the many examples for citing different formats in APA style and the rules pertaining to Authors as well.
The APA citing help inside a research database is a good starting point, but ALWAYS check the references because the formatting is NOT 100% correct.
You can use free citation generators like Citation Machine or EasyBib to format citations, but they are not perfect, either! Double check your work!
Use the References tab in Microsoft Word to insert citations and manage your sources. You can generate a reference list and insert in-text citations in your paper from this References tab. Make sure to check your citations for accuracy!
Use Mendeley or Zotero , which are free, web-based tools "to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources." See the Mendeley Research Guide and/or the Zotero Research Guide for more information. Mendeley and Zotero are powerful reference management tools, but errors still can occur. Remember that you are responsible for the accuracy of your citations. Make sure to proofread before submitting your work.
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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

In-Text Citations: The Basics

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

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 .

Reference citations in text are covered on pages 261-268 of the Publication Manual. What follows are some general guidelines for referring to the works of others in your essay.

Note: On pages 117-118, the Publication Manual suggests that authors of research papers should use the past tense or present perfect tense for signal phrases that occur in the literature review and procedure descriptions (for example, Jones (1998) found or Jones (1998) has found ...). Contexts other than traditionally-structured research writing may permit the simple present tense (for example, Jones (1998) finds ).

APA Citation Basics

When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

If you are referring to an idea from another work but NOT directly quoting the material, or making reference to an entire book, article or other work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication and not the page number in your in-text reference.

On the other hand, if you are directly quoting or borrowing from another work, you should include the page number at the end of the parenthetical citation. Use the abbreviation “p.” (for one page) or “pp.” (for multiple pages) before listing the page number(s). Use an en dash for page ranges. For example, you might write (Jones, 1998, p. 199) or (Jones, 1998, pp. 199–201). This information is reiterated below.

Regardless of how they are referenced, all sources that are cited in the text must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

In-text citation capitalization, quotes, and italics/underlining

Always capitalize proper nouns, including author names and initials: D. Jones.
If you refer to the title of a source within your paper, capitalize all words that are four letters long or greater within the title of a source: Permanence and Change . Exceptions apply to short words that are verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs: Writing New Media , There Is Nothing Left to Lose .

( Note: in your References list, only the first word of a title will be capitalized: Writing new media .)

When capitalizing titles, capitalize both words in a hyphenated compound word: Natural-Born Cyborgs .
Capitalize the first word after a dash or colon: "Defining Film Rhetoric: The Case of Hitchcock's Vertigo ."
If the title of the work is italicized in your reference list, italicize it and use title case capitalization in the text: The Closing of the American Mind ; The Wizard of Oz ; Friends .
If the title of the work is not italicized in your reference list, use double quotation marks and title case capitalization (even though the reference list uses sentence case): "Multimedia Narration: Constructing Possible Worlds;" "The One Where Chandler Can't Cry."

Short quotations

If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and page number for the reference (preceded by "p." for a single page and “pp.” for a span of multiple pages, with the page numbers separated by an en dash).

You can introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author's last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses.

If you do not include the author’s name in the text of the sentence, place the author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number in parentheses after the quotation.

Long quotations

Place direct quotations that are 40 words or longer in a free-standing block of typewritten lines and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin, i.e., in the same place you would begin a new paragraph. Type the entire quotation on the new margin, and indent the first line of any subsequent paragraph within the quotation 1/2 inch from the new margin. Maintain double-spacing throughout, but do not add an extra blank line before or after it. The parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.

Because block quotation formatting is difficult for us to replicate in the OWL's content management system, we have simply provided a screenshot of a generic example below.

This image shows how to format a long quotation in an APA seventh edition paper.

Formatting example for block quotations in APA 7 style.

Quotations from sources without pages

Direct quotations from sources that do not contain pages should not reference a page number. Instead, you may reference another logical identifying element: a paragraph, a chapter number, a section number, a table number, or something else. Older works (like religious texts) can also incorporate special location identifiers like verse numbers. In short: pick a substitute for page numbers that makes sense for your source.

Summary or paraphrase

If you are paraphrasing an idea from another work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference and may omit the page numbers. APA guidelines, however, do encourage including a page range for a summary or paraphrase when it will help the reader find the information in a longer work.

Designing and Proposing Your Research Project

Available formats, also available from.

Table of contents
Contributor bios
Reviews and awards
Book details
Supplemental Resources

Designing your own study and writing your research proposal takes time, often more so than conducting the study. This practical, accessible guide walks you through the entire process.

You will learn to identify and narrow your research topic, develop your research question, design your study, and choose appropriate sampling and measurement strategies.

The figures, tables, and exhibits offer a wealth of relatable examples, and students can use the many activities and worksheets to explore and apply concepts, as individuals or in groups.

This book is part of APA's Concise Guides to Conducting Behavioral, Health, and Social Science Research series. Aimed at undergraduate students in research methods courses or others with a lab or research project, each book describes a key stage in the research process. Collectively, these books provide a solid grounding in research from start to finish.

Series Foreword

Introduction
Choosing Your Research Question and Hypotheses
Choosing Your Study's Purpose
Choosing Whether to Use a Qualitative, Quantitative, or Mixed-Methods Approach
Understanding Terms for Quantitative Studies: Concepts, Constructs, and Variables
Choosing Your Design
Choosing Your Sample
Planning Your Measurement Strategy for Collecting Data
Establishing Validity for Quantitative Studies
Establishing Validity for Qualitative Studies

About the Authors

About the Series Editor

Jennifer Brown Urban, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University, where she also directs the Research on Evaluation and Developmental Systems Science lab.

She is trained as a developmental scientist with specific expertise in youth development and program evaluation. Her scholarship is encapsulated under the umbrella of systems science, including both theoretical approaches and methodologies.

Dr. Urban's most recent research focuses on character development and innovative approaches to program evaluation and planning. She is currently principal investigator on several grant-funded projects. The goals of this work are to build the capacity of youth program practitioners and evaluators to engage in high-quality evaluation of character development programs, to determine the key features of character development programs that promote positive youth development, and to advance the application of character science in multiple contexts to enhance human flourishing across the lifespan.

She uses mixed-method approaches in her own research and has mentored many undergraduate and graduate students in designing and executing applied research projects.

Bradley Matheus van Eeden-Moorefield, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University and director of the PhD program.

His research includes a strong social justice commitment to understanding and strengthening marginalized families, with his most recent work focused on stepfamilies headed by same-sex couples. Much of this research focuses on identifying how factors in the social world (e.g., stigma, stereotypes, policy) influence everyday family life and how each influence various indicators of individual (e.g., depression, happiness) and family well-being (stability).

Dr. van Eeden-Moorefield uses various qualitative and quantitative methodologies and has particular expertise in Internet-based methodologies.

He has provided training to various family and childcare practitioners and uses his previous clinical experiences to translate research into practice and practice into research.

The chapters are organized around the choices students need to make, rather than the types of research and issues specific to each type — an important distinguishing feature that sets this book apart from other research methods text…. In the current environment of increasing interdisciplinarity, this text is very useful to students who find themselves coming to social science research from other disciplines, or to students in need of clear guidelines who do not have the time to complete another entire research methods course. — Choice

Urban and van Eeden-Moorefield take the often daunting topic of research methods and make it — dare I say — fun and engaging. Through personal stories and good humor, they demystify the research process and find ways to connect research to everyday life and experiences. This book should be a required supplementary text for every introductory research methods course. —William M. Trochim, PhD Professor, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

The authors use vivid and engaging examples and masterfully crafted exhibits to create an irresistible proposition to students: "You can do excellent research and enjoy doing it!" They creatively help readers understand and make the choices involved in exemplary research. This book is an invaluable asset for students in psychology and in the social and behavioral sciences more generally. —Richard M. Lerner, PhD Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental Science and Director, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University, Medford, MA

This book will help beginning researchers identify a meaningful and testable research question as well as deal with basic choices in designing their study. The accessible text and a host of tables guide readers through key issues in designing and proposing a research project. —Melvin M. Mark, PhD Professor and Head of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Welcome to the supplemental resources for Designing and Proposing Your Research Project . The links below provide copies of many of the worksheets seen throughout the text for ease of use.

We also have included several features referred to, but not discussed at length, in the text. These include handouts on ethics, mixed-methods designs, writing integrated literature reviews, and an example research proposal format.

We hope you find these extra features useful. Good luck!

Anatomy of a Research Article and Comparison of Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches to Research (PDF: 35KB)
Research Design and Ethics (PDF: 18KB)
Integrated Literature Review, Research Question-Hypothesis (PDF: 9KB)
Mixed Methods Approaches (PDF: 32KB)
Research Proposal Format Example (PDF: 9KB)
Worksheet: Planning for Trustworthiness in My Study (PDF: 7KB)
Worksheet: Planning and Tracking Validity in My Study (PDF: 28KB)

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In academia, bibliographies are graded on their accuracy against the official APA rulebook, so it is important for students to ensure their citations are formatted correctly. Special attention should also be given to ensure the entire document (including main body) is structured according to the APA guidelines. Our complete APA format guide has everything you need know to make sure you get it right (including examples and diagrams).

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Grant Research and Proposal Writing: APA Citation

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APA Question

APA does not have a specific format for research proposal papers or outlines. For some recommendations on how to incorporate APA style into research proposals or outlines, go to http://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/32563 . Remember to follow all APA rules of formatting by viewing the library's APA research guide at https://guides.westcoastuniversity.edu/apa .

In general, a research paper proposal should be 1 or 2 paragraphs summarizing what your paper is going to be about, why it is important to your profession, who it affects, the effect on society or a community, and what is being done about it.

Cover these same main topic areas when writing an outline. For examples of how to format an outline, go to http://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/32339 .

Detailed Guide: APA Research Proposal Example

Table of Contents

As a college student, essay assignments are the norm. But a research proposal may sound strange– especially if you are a newbie. If that’s the case, an APA research proposal example comes in handy.

In this article, we’ll examine the features of a research proposal. And provide all the information you need to write your first.

What Is A Research Proposal?

A research proposal is a document that outlines the main idea of a research project . The proposal explains why the study needs to be done and how it will benefit society or improve knowledge in the field.

It delineates the methodology of the research you’ve conducted or are about to execute.

What’s The Goal Of A Research Proposal?

A research proposal helps the writer explore a topic in greater detail. It provides an opportunity to identify and analyze relevant evidence, conclude, and offer potential solutions or recommendations.

A research proposal also allows you to demonstrate knowledge of a specific field and create a well-rounded argument considering diverse perspectives.

Sometimes, the purpose of a proposal is to secure funds to support your research.

A research proposal presents a unique insight into a particular subject matter. And make a compelling case for its importance in advancing knowledge.

You should be able to prove that your work will:

Fill a knowledge gap on this topic or add to the existing knowledge on the subject
Emphasize existing information on the issue

It should also prove that you are capable of contributing meaningfully to the field of study. The best way to prove this is by stating your credentials and academic qualifications. Your study proposal also affirms the academic merit of your ideas.

How Long Should A Proposal Be?

Frankly, the page count of a research proposal isn’t as important as the content it should entail. A master’s or bachelor’s research proposal may be a few pages long. But for a Ph.D. dissertation, it may be more as the research is often meatier.

Person writing on brown wooden table near white ceramic mug

The purpose of a research proposal is to outline any content or element of your research. Don’t leave out details because you are targeting a word or page count.

The Structure Of A Research Proposal

An APA Research Proposal structure isn’t set in stone. But some elements are critical. They are as follows:

Research Paper Title

The research title should embody your paper’s content. While you can still change your title during the project, you must ensure your title explains the whole study in a few words.

In just about 100 words, your abstract should state the question you intend to answer.

Background Significance

This is where you’ll give a background introduction to your topic. It covers issues like why you decided to work on the research, existing debates, etc.

You should also include the relevance of the question you aim to answer and its importance.

Finally, you must state the tool you plan to use while conducting your research.

Literature Review

The literature review lists the sources you plan to rely on for your research and why you are working with those sources.

Research Methods, Design And Schedule

This aspect of your research proposal covers the following topics.

Identify if you are doing corrective, experimental, or descriptive research.
State the kind of research you want to do. Is it quantitative or qualitative research?
What tools will you use to curate data? Observation? Or will you conduct a survey?
List all the data collection options available and why they are necessary.

In addition, this aspect of the research proposal should also indicate:

Research budget
Any form of potential obstacles and how you will resolve them.
The timeline of your research

Conclusions

Like the name suggests, this section wraps up the research proposal. It summarizes research proposals and restates your purpose.

Bibliography

Finally, list your sources or the works that contributed to your research. In this case, you need to follow the APA format. You can even annotate your bibliography, indicating how each source will contribute to your study.

APA Research Proposal Format

Now, we’ll briefly analyze what the APA format should look like.

1-inch margins
12-point font Times New Roman
An APA running head (limited to 50 characters)
Double-spaced
References page (following APA guidelines)
In-text citations (formatted accordingly to APA guidelines)
A title page containing your research title (12 words maximum), your name, and your institution name
Abstract (150-200 words)

What To Avoid In APA Research Paper

Some factors can mar your research proposals. APA research papers should be written carefully, avoiding the following mistakes:

1. Using overly technical language that can make it difficult for the reader to understand.

2. Omitting any necessary facts or data may weaken the paper’s credibility and validity.

3. Failing to cite sources accurately could result in plagiarism.

4. Making assumptions without providing evidence to back them up.

5. Overlooking potential ethical issues related to a topic.

6. Ignoring grammar and spelling mistakes.

7. Not organizing ideas logically or presenting them in an unclear manner.

8. Relying too heavily on one source of information when multiple perspectives are needed.

9. Being overly opinionated instead of using objective analysis and reasoning.

APA Research Proposal Example

Emotional well-being and mental health research proposal , introduction.

I propose undertaking a research project into the effects of emotional well-being on mental health. This study investigates how emotional well-being affects one’s ability to cope with and manage mental health. This proposal will analyze current literature, examine personal experiences, and explore various theories. It seeks to gain an understanding of how emotional well-being influences mental health.

Research Methodology

In terms of methodology, I plan to conduct both qualitative and quantitative research. Using these mediums, I will form conclusions regarding the correlation between emotional well-being and mental health.

A survey will be administered online, followed by semi-structured interviews with participants who indicate that they are struggling with their mental health. Furthermore, I will conduct interviews with healthcare professionals.

Personal stories and observations from my experience working with individuals with mental illness will also be incorporated into the data collection process. Additionally, information from relevant academic studies on this topic will be used to inform the interpretation of the results.

The proposed research has theoretical and practical implications for understanding the complex relationship between emotion and mental health.

Theoretically, it could lead to a greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying this relationship. It could also provide insight into the psychological underpinnings of mental illnesses like anxiety or depression.

Moreover, the findings could suggest new strategies for helping those with poor mental health. It will provide them with improved access to support systems and resources. Finally, further exploration of this issue could result in policies geared towards improving emotional well-being implemented at governmental levels.

I anticipate that this study will take approximately 6 months to complete, depending on the availability of interview subjects.

If allowed to conduct this research, I am confident I can produce valid and reliable results. One that will contribute to our collective knowledge about the role of emotion in mental health.

Note: This is a skeletal APA research proposal example. This should only serve as a guide. You need to be as detailed as possible while writing yours.

An APA research proposal example is a document that outlines the basic idea of a researcher’s project.

When writing a research proposal using the APA style, it’s essential to follow the formatting rules the American Psychological Association laid out. This includes providing references in the correct format, such as author name, date, and page number.

Worried about drafting an excellent research proposal? Take INK on a spin. Our proposal generator takes instructions and delivers a brilliant research proposal.

Detailed Guide: APA Research Proposal Example

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Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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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.


There are just a few direct quotes from other researchers.	The phenomena and ideas of psychology are objective and are not dependent on the precise language chosen to describe them by a particular researcher.
Criticism is addressed toward the work of other researchers, not at the researchers themselves.	The goal of scientific study is to make broad conclusions about the world, not to focus on the personalities of individual researchers.
There are several references and citations.	Scientific research is a large-scale collaborative effort involving a large number of researchers.
Empirical research papers are ordered in a precise manner with defined sections.	There is the best method for performing empirical research in psychology (even if this ideal is not always achieved in actual research).
Researchers frequently “hedge” their conclusions, for example, “The findings imply that…”	Scientific knowledge is always provisional and vulnerable to change depending on new empirical findings.

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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How to write an APA methods section

How to Write an APA Methods Section | With Examples

Published on February 5, 2021 by Pritha Bhandari . Revised on June 22, 2023.

The methods section of an APA style paper is where you report in detail how you performed your study. Research papers in the social and natural sciences often follow APA style. This article focuses on reporting quantitative research methods .

In your APA methods section, you should report enough information to understand and replicate your study, including detailed information on the sample , measures, and procedures used.

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Structuring an apa methods section.

Participants

Example of an APA methods section

Other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about writing an apa methods section.

The main heading of “Methods” should be centered, boldfaced, and capitalized. Subheadings within this section are left-aligned, boldfaced, and in title case. You can also add lower level headings within these subsections, as long as they follow APA heading styles .

To structure your methods section, you can use the subheadings of “Participants,” “Materials,” and “Procedures.” These headings are not mandatory—aim to organize your methods section using subheadings that make sense for your specific study.

Heading	What to include
Participants
Materials
Procedure

Note that not all of these topics will necessarily be relevant for your study. For example, if you didn’t need to consider outlier removal or ways of assigning participants to different conditions, you don’t have to report these steps.

The APA also provides specific reporting guidelines for different types of research design. These tell you exactly what you need to report for longitudinal designs , replication studies, experimental designs , and so on. If your study uses a combination design, consult APA guidelines for mixed methods studies.

Detailed descriptions of procedures that don’t fit into your main text can be placed in supplemental materials (for example, the exact instructions and tasks given to participants, the full analytical strategy including software code, or additional figures and tables).

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Begin the methods section by reporting sample characteristics, sampling procedures, and the sample size.

Participant or subject characteristics

When discussing people who participate in research, descriptive terms like “participants,” “subjects” and “respondents” can be used. For non-human animal research, “subjects” is more appropriate.

Specify all relevant demographic characteristics of your participants. This may include their age, sex, ethnic or racial group, gender identity, education level, and socioeconomic status. Depending on your study topic, other characteristics like educational or immigration status or language preference may also be relevant.

Be sure to report these characteristics as precisely as possible. This helps the reader understand how far your results may be generalized to other people.

The APA guidelines emphasize writing about participants using bias-free language , so it’s necessary to use inclusive and appropriate terms.

Sampling procedures

Outline how the participants were selected and all inclusion and exclusion criteria applied. Appropriately identify the sampling procedure used. For example, you should only label a sample as random if you had access to every member of the relevant population.

Of all the people invited to participate in your study, note the percentage that actually did (if you have this data). Additionally, report whether participants were self-selected, either by themselves or by their institutions (e.g., schools may submit student data for research purposes).

Identify any compensation (e.g., course credits or money) that was provided to participants, and mention any institutional review board approvals and ethical standards followed.

Sample size and power

Detail the sample size (per condition) and statistical power that you hoped to achieve, as well as any analyses you performed to determine these numbers.

It’s important to show that your study had enough statistical power to find effects if there were any to be found.

Additionally, state whether your final sample differed from the intended sample. Your interpretations of the study outcomes should be based only on your final sample rather than your intended sample.

Write up the tools and techniques that you used to measure relevant variables. Be as thorough as possible for a complete picture of your techniques.

Primary and secondary measures

Define the primary and secondary outcome measures that will help you answer your primary and secondary research questions.

Specify all instruments used in gathering these measurements and the construct that they measure. These instruments may include hardware, software, or tests, scales, and inventories.

To cite hardware, indicate the model number and manufacturer.
To cite common software (e.g., Qualtrics), state the full name along with the version number or the website URL .
To cite tests, scales or inventories, reference its manual or the article it was published in. It’s also helpful to state the number of items and provide one or two example items.

Make sure to report the settings of (e.g., screen resolution) any specialized apparatus used.

For each instrument used, report measures of the following:

Reliability : how consistently the method measures something, in terms of internal consistency or test-retest reliability.
Validity : how precisely the method measures something, in terms of construct validity or criterion validity .

Giving an example item or two for tests, questionnaires , and interviews is also helpful.

Describe any covariates—these are any additional variables that may explain or predict the outcomes.

Quality of measurements

Review all methods you used to assure the quality of your measurements.

These may include:

training researchers to collect data reliably,
using multiple people to assess (e.g., observe or code) the data,
translation and back-translation of research materials,
using pilot studies to test your materials on unrelated samples.

For data that’s subjectively coded (for example, classifying open-ended responses), report interrater reliability scores. This tells the reader how similarly each response was rated by multiple raters.

Report all of the procedures applied for administering the study, processing the data, and for planned data analyses.

Data collection methods and research design

Data collection methods refers to the general mode of the instruments: surveys, interviews, observations, focus groups, neuroimaging, cognitive tests, and so on. Summarize exactly how you collected the necessary data.

Describe all procedures you applied in administering surveys, tests, physical recordings, or imaging devices, with enough detail so that someone else can replicate your techniques. If your procedures are very complicated and require long descriptions (e.g., in neuroimaging studies), place these details in supplementary materials.

To report research design, note your overall framework for data collection and analysis. State whether you used an experimental, quasi-experimental, descriptive (observational), correlational, and/or longitudinal design. Also note whether a between-subjects or a within-subjects design was used.

For multi-group studies, report the following design and procedural details as well:

how participants were assigned to different conditions (e.g., randomization),
instructions given to the participants in each group,
interventions for each group,
the setting and length of each session(s).

Describe whether any masking was used to hide the condition assignment (e.g., placebo or medication condition) from participants or research administrators. Using masking in a multi-group study ensures internal validity by reducing research bias . Explain how this masking was applied and whether its effectiveness was assessed.

Participants were randomly assigned to a control or experimental condition. The survey was administered using Qualtrics (https://www.qualtrics.com). To begin, all participants were given the AAI and a demographics questionnaire to complete, followed by an unrelated filler task. In the control condition , participants completed a short general knowledge test immediately after the filler task. In the experimental condition, participants were asked to visualize themselves taking the test for 3 minutes before they actually did. For more details on the exact instructions and tasks given, see supplementary materials.

Data diagnostics

Outline all steps taken to scrutinize or process the data after collection.

This includes the following:

Procedures for identifying and removing outliers
Data transformations to normalize distributions
Compensation strategies for overcoming missing values

To ensure high validity, you should provide enough detail for your reader to understand how and why you processed or transformed your raw data in these specific ways.

Analytic strategies

The methods section is also where you describe your statistical analysis procedures, but not their outcomes. Their outcomes are reported in the results section.

These procedures should be stated for all primary, secondary, and exploratory hypotheses. While primary and secondary hypotheses are based on a theoretical framework or past studies, exploratory hypotheses are guided by the data you’ve just collected.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

This annotated example reports methods for a descriptive correlational survey on the relationship between religiosity and trust in science in the US. Hover over each part for explanation of what is included.

The sample included 879 adults aged between 18 and 28. More than half of the participants were women (56%), and all participants had completed at least 12 years of education. Ethics approval was obtained from the university board before recruitment began. Participants were recruited online through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk; www.mturk.com). We selected for a geographically diverse sample within the Midwest of the US through an initial screening survey. Participants were paid USD $5 upon completion of the study.

A sample size of at least 783 was deemed necessary for detecting a correlation coefficient of ±.1, with a power level of 80% and a significance level of .05, using a sample size calculator (www.sample-size.net/correlation-sample-size/).

The primary outcome measures were the levels of religiosity and trust in science. Religiosity refers to involvement and belief in religious traditions, while trust in science represents confidence in scientists and scientific research outcomes. The secondary outcome measures were gender and parental education levels of participants and whether these characteristics predicted religiosity levels.

Religiosity

Religiosity was measured using the Centrality of Religiosity scale (Huber, 2003). The Likert scale is made up of 15 questions with five subscales of ideology, experience, intellect, public practice, and private practice. An example item is “How often do you experience situations in which you have the feeling that God or something divine intervenes in your life?” Participants were asked to indicate frequency of occurrence by selecting a response ranging from 1 (very often) to 5 (never). The internal consistency of the instrument is .83 (Huber & Huber, 2012).

Trust in Science

Trust in science was assessed using the General Trust in Science index (McCright, Dentzman, Charters & Dietz, 2013). Four Likert scale items were assessed on a scale from 1 (completely distrust) to 5 (completely trust). An example question asks “How much do you distrust or trust scientists to create knowledge that is unbiased and accurate?” Internal consistency was .8.

Potential participants were invited to participate in the survey online using Qualtrics (www.qualtrics.com). The survey consisted of multiple choice questions regarding demographic characteristics, the Centrality of Religiosity scale, an unrelated filler anagram task, and finally the General Trust in Science index. The filler task was included to avoid priming or demand characteristics, and an attention check was embedded within the religiosity scale. For full instructions and details of tasks, see supplementary materials.

For this correlational study , we assessed our primary hypothesis of a relationship between religiosity and trust in science using Pearson moment correlation coefficient. The statistical significance of the correlation coefficient was assessed using a t test. To test our secondary hypothesis of parental education levels and gender as predictors of religiosity, multiple linear regression analysis was used.

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Normal distribution
Measures of central tendency
Chi square tests
Confidence interval
Quartiles & Quantiles

Methodology

Cluster sampling
Stratified sampling
Thematic analysis
Cohort study
Peer review
Ethnography

Research bias

Implicit bias
Cognitive bias
Conformity bias
Hawthorne effect
Availability heuristic
Attrition bias
Social desirability bias

In your APA methods section , you should report detailed information on the participants, materials, and procedures used.

Describe all relevant participant or subject characteristics, the sampling procedures used and the sample size and power .
Define all primary and secondary measures and discuss the quality of measurements.
Specify the data collection methods, the research design and data analysis strategy, including any steps taken to transform the data and statistical analyses.

You should report methods using the past tense , even if you haven’t completed your study at the time of writing. That’s because the methods section is intended to describe completed actions or research.

In a scientific paper, the methodology always comes after the introduction and before the results , discussion and conclusion . The same basic structure also applies to a thesis, dissertation , or research proposal .

Depending on the length and type of document, you might also include a literature review or theoretical framework before the methodology.

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Style and Grammar Guidelines

APA Style provides a foundation for effective scholarly communication because it helps writers present their ideas in a clear, concise, and inclusive manner. When style works best, ideas flow logically, sources are credited appropriately, and papers are organized predictably. People are described using language that affirms their worth and dignity. Authors plan for ethical compliance and report critical details of their research protocol to allow readers to evaluate findings and other researchers to potentially replicate the studies. Tables and figures present information in an engaging, readable manner.

The style and grammar guidelines pages present information about APA Style as described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition and the Concise Guide to APA Style, Seventh Edition . Any updates to APA Style are noted on the applicable topic pages. If you are still using the sixth edition, helpful resources are available in the sixth edition archive .

Looking for more style?

Accessibility of APA Style
Line Spacing
Order of Pages
Page Header
Paragraph Alignment and Indentation
Sample Papers
Title Page Setup
Appropriate Level of Citation
Basic Principles of Citation
Classroom or Intranet Sources
Paraphrasing
Personal Communications
Quotations From Research Participants
Secondary Sources
Abbreviations
Capitalization
Italics and Quotation Marks
Punctuation
Spelling and Hyphenation
General Principles for Reducing Bias
Historical Context
Intersectionality
Participation in Research
Racial and Ethnic Identity
Sexual Orientation
Socioeconomic Status
Accessible Use of Color in Figures
Figure Setup
Sample Figures
Sample Tables
Table Setup
Archival Documents and Collections
Basic Principles of Reference List Entries
Database Information in References
DOIs and URLs
Elements of Reference List Entries
Missing Reference Information
Reference Examples
References in a Meta-Analysis
Reference Lists Versus Bibliographies
Works Included in a Reference List
Active and Passive Voice
Anthropomorphism
First-Person Pronouns
Logical Comparisons
Plural Nouns
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive Nouns
Singular “They”
Adapting a Dissertation or Thesis Into a Journal Article
Correction Notices
Cover Letters
Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS)
Open Science
Response to Reviewers

SMGT 688 Thesis Proposal

Course Description

This course is designed to help students complete their M.S. thesis. It is expected that research for the thesis project will be relevant to the student’s specialization area and will make an academic contribution to the literature in Sport Management.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog .

Course Guide

View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*

Requires a student login to access.

*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.

SMGT 688 is the first course in the three-course thesis sequence and supports students in building the foundation of the thesis project. It provides focused study on ethics in research, topic selection, introduction to the study, the literature review, and the methodology.

Course Assignment

Course requirements checklist.

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations , the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Quiz: CITI Training Certificate

The IRB requires researchers, co-researchers, and faculty sponsors to complete research ethics training through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) prior to receiving IRB approval. The IRB requires the completion of either the Social & Behavioral Researchers or Biomedical & Health Science Researchers courses, whichever is most applicable to the research being conducted.

IRB CITI Training Certificate

Liberty University IRB website

Your submission will include a file upload of the completed CITI Training Certificate for Social & Behavioral Science Researchers.

Thesis Background Assignment

The goal of this assignment is to focus your research. The Research Chair should have a solid understanding of what you intend to study and how you intend to study it.

Your submission will include the following:

APA formatted title page – see research templates for example(s):

Running head – shortened version of paper title, page number in the upper right corner
Scholarly Title
Student’s Full Legal Name
Department of Hospitality & Sport Management, Liberty University
Author Note

Students should address the following questions in their submission:

This section should educate the reader regarding the topic. Start this section by catching the reader’s attention. Use recent evidence from 2-3 scholarly journal articles published within the last five years. This section contains a summary of the most relevant literature on the topic and provides the historical (i.e., how the problem has evolved over time), social (i.e., contexts), and theoretical (e.g., important variables, the theoretical concepts, and the principles underpinning the research) contexts for the research problem. Each of the three contexts must be specifically examined using APA Level 2 headings for each.

You should be sure to link and relate the background of the study to the proposed research. This is just an overview. You will go into more depth later. Questions to address may include but are not limited to the following:

What is the problem and why is it an interest?
Who else is affected by the problem?
What research has been done to investigate or address the problem?
How will the proposed research extend or refine the existing knowledge in the area under study?
Who will benefit or use the proposed research?
What new information does the current research add to the body of existing literature regarding the topic?
All factual assertions should be supported with an APA formatted, in-text citation.
All in-text citations should be included on an APA formatted reference page.

The content of this assignment is built on the thesis-track assignments completed in SMGT 520:

Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Literature Review Assignment
Research Proposal Assignment

Thesis Resources

Qualitative Research Template
Quantitative Research Template

Chapter 1 Introduction Part 1 Assignment

This is a narrative assignment using the proper template and headings. See the qualitative research template or the quantitative research template for additional guidance.

The body of the submission will include:

Abstract – place holder page, the abstract will be written here when the study is completed
Table of Contents – place holder page, content will be included with completed manuscript

Qualitative:	Quantitative:
· Overview	· Overview
· Background: Assignment 2 (approved)	· Background: Assignment 2 (approved)
· Situation to Self	· Problem Statement
· Problem Statement · Purpose Statement	· Purpose Statement

Chapter 1 Introduction Part 2 Assignment

This is a narrative assignment using the proper template and headings. See the qualitative research template or the quantitative research template in Canvas for additional guidance.

Qualitative:	Quantitative:
· Significance of the Study	· Significance of the Study
· Research Question(s)	· Research Question(s)
· Definitions	· Definitions
· Summary	· Summary

Chapter 2 Literature Review Part 1 Assignment

Overview of the Literature Review
Conceptual or Theoretical Framework

Chapter 2 Literature Review Part 2 Assignment

Review of the related literature
Summary of the literature review

Change Matrix Form: Complete Form Available here

Chapter 3 Methods Assignment

Qualitative Design:	Quantitative Design:
· Overview	· Overview
· Design	· Design
· Research Question(s)	· Research Question(s)
· Settings · Participants · Procedures · The Researcher’s Role · Data Collection Description	· Hypothesis(es) · Participants and Setting · Instrumentation · Procedures

IRB Submission Assignment

Before collecting data, students must have their project approved through the IRB. IRB approval ensures that the study aligns with applicable federal regulations and university policy.

IRB Information

Human subjects research is regulated by the federal government through the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Human Research Protections. The IRB committee consists of faculty members from various Liberty departments and one non-university member.

The IRB is required to review all research involving human participants to ensure the privacy, confidentiality, and safety of participants. The IRB is part of Liberty University’s Research Ethics Office , which is responsible for ensuring that all research conducted by Liberty University faculty, staff, and students are done in accordance with federal regulations and university policy.

Students are encouraged to carefully review the IRB website, including the IRB Application Checklist .

Your submission will include a file upload verifying that the IRB Application submission has been “certified” and is ready for IRB review.

***Data cannot be collected until the IRB approval letter is received.***

Thesis Proposal – Complete Assignment

This goal of this assignment is to assemble the completed thesis proposal.

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COMMENTS

PDF Research Proposal Format Example
Research Proposal Format Example. Following is a general outline of the material that should be included in your project proposal. I. Title Page II. Introduction and Literature Review (Chapters 2 and 3) A. Identification of specific problem area (e.g., what is it, why it is important). B. Prevalence, scope of problem.
APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition)
The Purdue OWL® APA Formatting and Style Guide provides comprehensive guidelines for writing in APA style.
APA Formatting and Citation (7th Ed.)
Learn how to set up APA format for your paper. From the title page and headings to references and citations.
APA Sample 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 ...
How to Write a Research Proposal in the APA Style
The sixth edition of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association" directs you how to format and structure your research proposal. This is the most common style used for proposal related to the social sciences. A research proposal in APA format should include a title, abstract, main body and references.
Sample Papers
Sample student paper templates by paper type These sample papers demonstrate APA Style formatting standards for different student paper types. Students may write the same types of papers as professional authors (e.g., quantitative studies, literature reviews) or other types of papers for course assignments (e.g., reaction or response papers, discussion posts), dissertations, and theses.
PDF Citations and References
All research proposals will have at least two levels of headings (the abstract, title, references, etc. and subheadings within the method section). If you have only two levels of headings, each first level heading (Abstract, Title, References, etc.) should be Level 1 - in Title Case.
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Scribbr's free APA Citation Generator lets you generate perfect APA Style citations in seconds. Now even easier with a Chrome extension.
APA 7th Edition
This guide is a general overview of the American Psychological Association (APA) Style for references and citations. Be sure to consult the Publication Manual of the APA or the APA Style website for detailed standards and procedures. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association Call Number: BF76.7 .P83 2020 ISBN: 9781433832161 Publication ...
Research Guides: UST 410/510: Proposal Writing: APA Citations
UST 410/510: Proposal Writing: APA Citations This Research Guide contains resources to help you with research assignments in Professor Rittenhouse's Proposal Writing class.
In-Text Citations: The Basics
APA Citation Basics. When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
How to Write a Research Proposal
Research proposal purpose Academics often have to write research proposals to get funding for their projects. As a student, you might have to write a research proposal as part of a grad school application, or prior to starting your thesis or dissertation.
PDF Designing and Proposing Your Research Project
Designing and Proposing Your Research Project. Designing your own study and writing your research proposal takes time, often more so than conducting the study. This practical, accessible guide walks you through the entire process. You will learn to identify and narrow your research topic, develop your research question, design your study, and ...
Free APA Citation Generator [Updated for 2024]
Generate APA style citations quickly and accurately with our FREE APA citation generator. Enter a website URL, book ISBN, or search with keywords, and we do the rest! Updated with APA 7th Edition!
Guides: Grant Research and Proposal Writing: APA Citation
Grant Research--Finding Funders--990s. Grant Research--Glass Pockets. Grants to Individuals. Grant Writing Books. Pivot Grant Research Tool. Grant Research--Finding Funders--Black Male Achievement Funders. Writing Tools. APA Citation. Refworks.
PDF Research Proposal Example
Type your abstract here within APA abstract limits (100-250 words) For a proposal, here, you will state the purpose of your study, the population you are studied, the sample you used, and your method: qualitative or quantitative, instrument (interview, survey, questionnaire, etc.) For a complete paper you would add your summarized findings.
How do I write a research proposal paper or outline in APA format
Remember to follow all APA rules of formatting by viewing the library's APA research guide at https://guides.westcoastuniversity.edu/apa. In general, a research paper proposal should be 1 or 2 paragraphs summarizing what your paper is going to be about, why it is important to your profession, who it affects, the effect on society or a community ...
APA Headings and Subheadings
Learn how to use APA headings and subheadings in your paper with a sample and a formatting guide from Scribbr.
Detailed Guide: APA Research Proposal Example
An APA research proposal example is a document that outlines the basic idea of a researcher's project. When writing a research proposal using the APA style, it's essential to follow the formatting rules the American Psychological Association laid out. This includes providing references in the correct format, such as author name, date, and ...
How to Write a Research Proposal in APA Format?
Learn how to write research proposal in APA format with our step-by-step guide. Tutors India provides guidelines to structure your proposal effectively.
Conference Presentation References
This page contains reference examples for works presented at conferences and meetings, as well as abstracts of a conference presentation.
DOC APA style: Structure of a Research Report/Proposal
When listing multiple citations in parentheses, list them in alphabetical order by 1st author. If you cite a paper with three or more authors on more than one occasion, list all of the authors in the first citation. In all subsequent citations, use the following: Doe, et al., (1970).
How to Write an APA Methods Section
The methods section of an APA style paper is where you report in detail how you performed your study. Research papers in the social and natural sciences often follow APA style. This article focuses on reporting quantitative research methods.
Style and Grammar Guidelines
APA Style guidelines encourage writers to fully disclose essential information and allow readers to dispense with minor distractions, such as inconsistencies or omissions in punctuation, capitalization, reference citations, and presentation of statistics.
Thesis Proposal
APA formatted title page - see research templates for example(s): ... All factual assertions should be supported with an APA formatted, in-text citation. ... Research Proposal Assignment;