American Psychological Association (APA) style is most frequently used by writers and students of Social Sciences. Media Studies, as a field of study, comes under social sciences, and therefore follows APA style.
Here we have descriptions and examples for the student format of APA research papers, headings, in-text citations, and the reference page.
Study the PDF bellow (for academic purposes only)
Research Report Writing APA Guidelines PDF
The completion of a research project is not the end of the research process — it must be communicated in a form that is clear, credible, and consistent with the conventions of the scholarly community it addresses. In the social sciences, of which Media Studies is a part, that convention is the style established by the American Psychological Association, commonly known as APA style. Now in its seventh edition, APA provides a standardised framework governing everything from page formatting and section order to in-text citations and the reference list. For undergraduate student researchers in particular, understanding and correctly applying APA style is an essential academic competency.
General Formatting Guidelines
The foundational formatting requirements of an APA research report are precise and consistent throughout the document. All four margins — top, bottom, left, and right — must be set to one inch. The prescribed font is Times New Roman at size 12 throughout the body of the paper. Every paragraph must begin with an indented first line, and the entire document is double-spaced with no additional blank lines inserted between paragraphs. Every page must carry a page header, with the running title of the research displayed in all capitals, and a page number aligned to the right margin.
When writing numbers within the text, APA follows specific conventions. Numbers smaller than 10 are spelled out as words — for instance, "there are nine people in the study" — as are any numbers that begin a sentence, such as "Ninety-nine people were asked the same question." Numbers 10 and above are written as numerals. Common fractions are also written in words, as in "one-third of the respondents were women." However, numerals are always used for quantities representing time, dates, ages, and monetary amounts, such as 2 hours and 30 minutes, May 20, 2021, a 20-year-old participant, or $200.
Components of the Research Report
A student research report in APA format follows a prescribed sequence of components, each serving a distinct purpose. The document opens with a Cover Page, which carries the research title in bold, size 14, title case font, accompanied by the submission statement, the scholar's name, the guide's name, and the institutional details. This is followed by the Title Page — the first numbered page of the document — which repeats the research title in bold, size 12, title case, and additionally includes the author's name, department and institutional affiliation, course details, the instructor's name, and the assignment due date.
The Declaration page, on which the scholar formally affirms that the work is original and has not been submitted to any other institution, follows next. The scholar signs above their printed name; when multiple scholars are involved, each signs on a separate line. This is followed by the Certificate by the Guide, on which the research supervisor certifies that the study was conducted under their guidance. The Acknowledgements page thanks the individuals and institutions who contributed to the research. The Table of Contents then lists all major components and chapters with their corresponding page numbers.
The Abstract is a comprehensive summary of no more than 250 words, placed on its own page immediately before the Introduction. It briefly covers the research problem, the methods employed, the results obtained, and the implications of the findings. It concludes with a list of keywords. Following the abstract, the main body of the report is organised into chapters that may be numbered: the Introduction, which situates the research problem; the Review of Literature, which synthesises the existing body of knowledge; the Methodology, which describes the research design and data collection procedures; the Data Analysis, Results and Discussion chapter, which presents and interprets the findings; and the Conclusion, which summarises the significance and implications of the study. These substantive chapters are followed by the References page and, where applicable, an Appendix containing supplementary material such as questionnaires or transcripts.
Section Headings
APA organises content within chapters through a hierarchical system of five heading levels. Level 1 headings, used for main section titles, are centred, bolded, and written in title case. Level 2 headings, for subsections, are flush left, bolded, and in title case. Level 3 headings are flush left, bolded, italicised, and in title case. Level 4 headings are indented, bolded, in title case, and end with a period, with the text beginning on the same line. Level 5 headings follow the same format as Level 4 but are additionally italicised. Importantly, the Introduction does not carry a heading — the title of the paper at the top of the first page of text serves as its heading.
In-Text Citation
One of the most important functions of APA style is ensuring that every idea, finding, or claim drawn from another source is properly attributed through in-text citation. APA uses an author-date citation format. A parenthetical citation for a single author appears as (Author, 2021), placed within the sentence. A narrative citation, where the author's name is incorporated into the sentence itself, appears as "Author (2020) argues that...". When there are two authors, both names are included: (Author & Author, 2019). For works with three or more authors, only the first author's surname is given, followed by "et al.": (Author et al., 2018). When directly quoting from a source, the page number must also be included: (Author, 2016, p. 736).
The Reference List
At the end of the report, the References page presents full bibliographic details for every source cited in the text. The heading "References" is centred and bolded. All entries are arranged alphabetically by the first author's surname, and each entry uses a hanging indent format — meaning the first line is flush left and all subsequent lines are indented. The format for different source types follows specific templates. A web page by one author is cited as: Author's last name, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of the work. Website Name. URL. A journal article follows: Author's last name, A. A. (Year). Title of the article. Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), Pages. DOI. A book is cited as: Author's last name, A. A. (Year). Title of the book. Publisher. For newspaper articles with multiple authors, all authors are listed by surname and initials, separated by commas, with an ampersand before the final author.
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