Research Paper / 333ANALYSIS of THE APA STYLE SAMPLE PAPER
The APA style serves to provide logical, convenient documentation for psychologi-
cal research. More complicated papers will take on the specific divisions (Method,
Results, Discussion) after an initial introduction like that given earlier. In this
respect, the paper looks more like a technical report than it does a research paper.
Compare the format of a technical report [in Chapter 40, Technical Report] with what
you see here.
SAMPLE NUMbERED bIbLIoGRAPHY STYLE PAPER
Numbered bibliography style simplifies documentation. Some readers object to
this style because they must flip to the bibliography to determine each source as
it appears in the text. Other readers, especially those who place less emphasis on
sources, prefer its uncluttered format. Writers generally like it because it eases docu-
mentation. Here’s how you do numbered bibliography style:
- Before writing the final draft of the paper, prepare an alphabetical listing of
sources used in the paper. Number the list consecutively, beginning with 1.
(Note that other arrangements are also possible. For instance, scientific papers
often list the sources in order in which they are first cited in the text. Use
whichever arrangement works best for your purposes.) - When you document a source in your text, refer parenthetically to the work by
number. Follow the number with a comma and a space, and then add the page
number. A numbered parenthetical note looks like this: (8, 32). In this case, 8
refers to the eighth source listed in the numbered bibliography and 32 refers to
the page number within the source. A multiple-page reference looks like this:
(12, 114–123).
The following excerpt illustrates numbered bibliography style:
Mother Goose: A Devoted Teacher
Mother Goose has survived generations of critics. Perhaps the most trying test of all for
Mother Goose has been through the honest and often unrestrained criticism of children (6, 2).
These rhymes have survived because of their ageless quality of rhythm, rhyme, and motion
(2, 3). They have been passed from parent to child for generations (11, 46), becoming such a
part of the English-speaking world that it is a handicap for a child not to know the rhymes (4, 11).
The nursery rhymes of Mother Goose, loved and recited by generations of children, can have a
combination of good and bad effects upon the children.