#Apa rough draft example professional#
#Apa rough draft example series#

The language used in most academic and professional writing is called “Standard Written English.” It’s the writing you find in magazines such as Newsweek, US News and World Report, and The New Yorker. The writing won’t condescend to its audience, insult them, or lecture them. Since your research paper is being read by educated professionals and your purpose is to persuade, you will use a formal, unbiased tone. The tone depends on your audience and purpose. For example, the tone can be angry, bitter, neutral, or formal. The tone of a piece of writing is the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject matter. As you write, look for the most convincing examples, the most powerful statistics, the most compelling quotations to suit your purpose. As a result, you’ll select the supporting material (such as details, examples, and quotations) that will best accomplish this purpose.

Your purpose in your research paper is to persuade or convince. The answers to these questions will give you a sense of how much background you will need to include about your subject as well as the language and tone of writing that you should use to present it. What do you want the reader to remember most? This will be the focus of your conclusion.What kind of information is needed to move your reader to a better understanding of the subject or to agree with your assessment of it? The answers to this question will provide the topics for the paragraphs in the body of your paper.How will your reader react to your thesis? This is especially important in a persuasive paper where your goal is to have your readers accept your thesis.What questions will the reader have? Be sure you address all key questions that are essential to the reader’s understanding of your subject.How much of the information covered by your research is common knowledge? You want to provide sufficient explanation of unfamiliar concepts but, at the same time, not belabor the obvious.

The style you select for your research paper depends on the following factors:īefore you begin, it is a good idea to again consider the members of your audience:Who are they? What do they know? What style of writing and language will they find most interesting or persuasive? Recognize that although members of your audience may all be of a similar background and educational level, they will not necessarily possess the same knowledge of the subject that you do.

#Apa rough draft example series#

Style is a series of choices-words, sentence length and structure, figures of speech, punctuation, and so on. As you begin to draft your paper, it’s time to consider your writing style.Ī writer’s style is his or her distinctive way of writing. Drafting at this stage allows you to see what additional information you need so you can fill it in. Using a Proper Writing StyleĮven if you haven’t finished all your research, when you have completed most of your note cards and your outline, it’s time to start writing. If you are using a computer, choose and set up your margin widths, type size and style, and spacing before writing. Where should your page numbers appear? The standard position for page numbering is the upper right corner of each page.Should your bibliography list your sources in alphabetical order by last name of author? That is standard.Should your bibliography (a list of your sources) appear on a separate page at the end of your report? That is standard.Should you include a separate title page?.How should you position your heading (and should it include information other than name, class, and date)?.Should you include illustrations? Are illustrations optional?.How long should your report be-how many pages or words?.What size should the margins be? Margins of 1″ or 1.25″ on each side are standard.If you are using a computer, what type style (font) and size should you use? (Twelve-point Times or Times New Roman is standard.).If you are typing, should you use single space or double space? For typing, double spacing is standard.If you are handwriting, should you use both sides or only one side of the paper?.If you are handwriting, should you write on every line or every other line?.Should your report be written by hand or typed in a word processing program?.Here are the main formatting issues to consider: If your teacher has specified a format, be sure you have a list of the rules she or he has established-and follow them! If not, you need to decide on questions of format for yourself. Many instructors tell their students exactly how their research papers should be formatted-for example, how wide the margins should be, where and how the sources should be listed, and so on.