Essay Instructions: APA Assignment Information: Professional Article Review
Select a research article from an online database. A review of 3 to 3 1/2 pages summarizing the article will be written in the prescribed APA format. See the topic below. This review will include answers to the following questions written in summary form. The article will be turned in with the paper.
The questions to answer in the body of the paper:
A. What is the hypothesis?
B. What are the variables? (both independent and dependent)?
C. What research method was utilized in the study?
D. Who were the participants? (define the population and sample)?
E. What is the summary of the findings?
F. What are the limitations to the study?
G. What could be possible extensions to the research?
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS TO RESEARCH: memory, mood disorders or anxiety disorders. Articles may be found concerning the cause, etiology, treatment, lack of treatment, types of treatment, effects or anything that relates. Insure that you have used an actual peer reviewed research article taken from an online database (not a Wikipedia entry, drug insert, or a magazine article). This article will have an author or authors and a journal title.
Note: An APA style paper is somewhat different from that of an MLA style paper. Direct quotes are to be avoided. Instead, paraphrase the research using words which best summarize and describe it, and then cite the reference used.
• The paper must be proofed and spell/grammar checked.
• When ready for submission, arrange the paper in the following order: title page, body of paper (3 ??" 3 1/2 pages), and the reference page.
• Standard rules for sentence and paragraph composition, writing, and grammar apply for this assignment. Indent at the beginning of a paragraph. Make sure that each paragraph is well organized, having topic and supporting sentences.
• Organize the body of the paper into an introduction, body, and concluding remarks. These sections do not have to be labeled.
• Use no personal pronouns (I, they, you, etc.) as this is research, not personal or anecdotal views. State who is being referred to.
• Stay away from subjective statements, hyperbole, or pronouncements (This is a terrible disorder….) (They should stop this disorder…) (A cure must be found for…). This is a scientific review, not a position or opinion paper.
• Check to see that the in-text citations and the reference page entries include the information that is required.
• Use no. 12, Times New Roman font, double space the whole paper (including cover page and references) and use 1 inch margins.
• Don’t put gaps between paragraphs. It is all simply double spaced.
• Do not use bold, underlining or “quotation marks” for certain words or titles. Do not use the ending of ‘etc.’ State the information meant to be imparted.
You do not have to include a running header nor abstract.
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WHAT IS IN A RESEARCH ARTICLE?
If you have been looking though some research articles, you may have noticed most of them have a similar structure. The guidelines for the structure are established by the APA (American Psychological Association). Let’s look at the major sections of a research paper:
• The Abstract: This is the short paragraph at the beginning of the article. It consists of a brief overview of the article. It states concisely what kind of information the article is covering. This is a quick way to eliminate articles that aren’t relevant to your topic or to identify an applicable topic.
• The Introduction: In this section, the research problem is introduced and a review of the literature and previous research is introduced. This section helps a student to understand the basics or background of the topic being researched. The current topic of investigation is introduced. Here you will find the hypothesis.
• The Method Section: The exact details of the research (how it was conducted) is in this section. Here you will find the independent and dependent variables, the research method, the population needed for your article review.
• The Results Section: This section tells what the researchers found during their study. This is where you will find the summary of the findings (probably in the discussion section too.)
• The Discussion Section: This is where you will find the interpretations of the study, limitations of the research, and possible suggestions for future research in this topic.
• The References Section: This section identifies all the resources or references that were used in this article. (Remember your reference section will have only one reference, and that will be the article you will be reviewing.)
Steps for beginning the paper:
When selecting an article, read the abstract and target the specific questions asked for:
A. What is the hypothesis?
B. What are the variables (both independent and dependent, if experimental)?
C. What research method was utilized in the study?
D. Who were the participants? (define the population and sample)?
E. What is the summary of the findings?
F. What are the limitations to the study?
G. What could be possible extensions to the research?
Take notes on each section. These notes will make up your basic outline for your paper, so be specific and thoughtful while doing this! Paraphrase (write in your own words) the information in the article. Do not use quotes. It is useful to use index cards to write down the important topics or key words while taking notes.
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