8013 week 8

Title of the Paper in Full

Student Name

Program Name or Degree Name (e.g., Bachelor of Science in Psychology), Walden University

COURSE XXX: Title of Course

Instructor Name

Month XX, 202X

Abstract

This is the abstract, which is typed in block format with no indentation. Abstracts are not required for all course papers. Please ask your instructor if you have questions regarding whether an abstract is required for a particular assignment (many undergraduate papers do not need an abstract). The abstract briefly summarizes your paper in 250 words or less. Through your abstract, your readers should be able to fully understand the content and the implications of the paper. Also, note that writing this section after the paper itself may be helpful. See section 2.9 of APA 7 and the Writing Center’s Abstracts webpage for tips and more information on writing abstracts.

Center the Title of Your Paper Here

When you download a Walden template, the first action is to save it locally to your computer using the Save As command. You will want to make sure that you are moving the document to a new location on your computer when you Save As. Documents should not be maintained in the Download folder. When you are ready to use the template for a paper, you will open the template, and immediately Save As giving the document a new name. Once you have renamed the document, you can safely use the Save command for saving the document as you write.

This formatting should be used as a template for all your assignments here at Walden, unless you have been directed to format your paper differently by your instructor. Because bachelor’s level students do not write extensive research papers, the appropriate requirements for your assignments will differ from those for graduate students. Most of your written assignments will take the form of papers with opening and closing paragraphs, a clear purpose that is accomplished in the course of the paper, and logically organized paragraphs that develop your ideas. A strong introductory paragraph typically identifies a specific topic or problem, offers some brief contextual or background information, and presents an argument or perspective about the topic in the form of a thesis statement . A thesis statement, which is usually the last sentence of your introductory paragraph, is like a roadmap for your readers, presenting the route you are planning to take in order to hit all of the highlights of your topic.

Heading for First Main Topic

This template generally follows APA formatting for student papers; however, some features appropriate for a longer paper or doctoral capstone are not necessary for the shorter assignments that undergraduates typically write. For example, you likely do not need to provide an abstract or table of contents for course assignments unless your instructor indicates otherwise. Also, note that APA 7 allows for first person singular point of view , meaning that you may refer to yourself, the singular author of the paper, using the pronouns “I,” “me,” and “my.” However, avoid the first person plural (“we,” “us,” “our”) unless you are referring to yourself and a group of authors who are writing the assignment together. Additionally the APA manual allows writers to use they as a singular pronoun when you are unsure of the gender identity of the person you are talking about or the person you are talking about uses they as their pronoun.

Heading for Second Main Topic

Throughout your paper, consider the way a paragraph looks on the page. The indentation and length of a paragraph convey a message to the reader, suggesting a brief or extensively developed unity of an idea. Two naturally emphatic places in any paragraph are the opening sentence and the closing sentence. The opening sentence of a paragraph is often called the topic sentence , which should provide a mini-roadmap for what you plan on discussing in the paragraph. Take advantage of the positions of both the opening and closing sentences in a paragraph; use them for emphasis and for guiding your reader.

Specifically, the opening sentence, or topic sentence, of any paragraph provides a natural opportunity to direct the reader from one idea to another. The sentence may function as a combination topic and transition device, suggesting to the reader where this particular section is headed. You may also use single words or phrases to transition your ideas to one another. Think of transitional expressions such as the following as glue or signposts for your ideas: also, in addition, moreover, therefore, similarly, in contrast, although, or however. For a tips on using transitions, read the Writing Center’s blog post on effective transition use . As the author, you have the responsibility to demonstrate for the reader the relationship between one idea and another so that the reader never has to guess at the logical organization of your ideas.

Heading for Third Main Topic

Another way that you might wish to indicate organization to your reader is the use of headings , particularly for complex or long papers (e.g., papers longer than five pages often benefit from headings). However, in many of your assignments, no headings are required. Remember that headings alone will not accomplish what your writing should accomplish. In other words, your heading may announce “Conclusion,” but if a number of paragraphs introducing new ideas follow that heading, it is rather like a false advertisement and will confuse the reader.

At Walden, your writing is expected to take a scholarly tone and voice. In spoken language and informal writing contexts, it is common to use contractions, slang, and repetition. In an academic writing context, however, none of those elements of speech are particularly useful or appropriate. Specifically, APA style does not include the use of contractions (e.g., write “they are” instead of “they’re”) or informal slang (e.g., use “colleague” instead of “work mate” and “students” or “learners” instead of “kids”). The writing that you are submitting for a grade is more formal than you may be accustomed to. Take the time to read your writing aloud or consult a grammar source regarding some stylistic elements you might have forgotten over the years and to be sure that your sentences are clear to your reader.

Subheading for Third Main Topic

An essential way to develop your ideas is to ground them in the course materials you have been reading or in additional evidence-based sources that you discover in your studies. When you refer to the author of a required reading or to a statement by an expert on a video, you are offering a context that stems from the published research by experts in your field. For example, if you are writing about how Laursen and Austin (2020) approach institutional change strategies in their book Building Gender Equity in the Academy, you are demonstrating your scholarship, which is an expected behavior of a Walden student. Conversely, if your thinking remains vague and general and you do not ground your ideas in source material and citations, your ideas are likely to be underdeveloped and taken as your opinion. Let your readers know that you have read (or viewed) and learned from the writings of theorists and scholars by either paraphrasing or quoting their ideas and including a citation . For example, you can directly quote a source using the format illustrated by the following sentence (note the past tense to report research): Knowles (1998), an authority on adult learning theory, described students as “motivated to learn to the extent that they perceive that learning will help them perform tasks or deal with problems that they confront in their life situations” (p. 67). The reader may be so intrigued with this allusion to Knowles’s idea that they may wish to follow up by consulting the same reference.

Second Subheading for Third Main Topic

Additionally, you may choose to cite a fellow student’s discussion post or other shared course work to substantiate your own perspective. Citing other students is a way to use all resources available to you, and it demonstrates your willingness to give credit to your online colleagues. For example, in a critical analysis of a source, you might remark that a fellow student named Alex Jones identified an author’s study as “interesting but lacking in practical application to the classroom” (Jones, 2020) to indicate how your views harmonized with those of other classmates. Information on how to cite and reference discussion posts and other sources in APA are found on the Writing Center’s Common Reference List Examples page .

Heading for Fourth Main Topic

In the later stages of drafting a paper, take some time for reflection and revision. For example, you might ask yourself, “Have I fully addressed all aspects of the assignment?” and “Does the content of the body paragraphs support the thesis I set out in the introduction?” For some tips and considerations, check out the Writing Center website section on Revising . A final step in the writing process is proofreading a draft. The Writing Center’s page on Proofreading provides various strategies to catch minor grammar, flow, or clarity issues that can be easy to overlook during the drafting process. Before submitting an assignment, use a couple of different proofreading strategies.

Conclusion or Summary Heading

In your concluding paragraph, end your paper by providing some closure for what you developed throughout the paper. Some writers close a paper with a concise summary of the paper’s key ideas. Others like to offer an idea that takes the reader beyond the implications of the paper’s development of the topic. For more information on writing an effective conclusion, check out the Writing Center’s page on conclusions . A strong conclusion can give the reader a satisfying sense of completion.

References

(Note that the following references are intended as examples only. These entries illustrate different types of references but are not cited in the text of this template. In your paper, be sure every reference entry matches a citation, and every citation refers to an item in the reference list.

The reference list starts with the title “References” bolded and centered, with the list itself using double spacing and hanging indents. The entries are ordered alphabetically.

For additional information, examples, and help with reference entries, see Chapter 9 of APA 7 and the Writing Center’s References section of the website , particularly the Common Reference List Examples page .)

American Counseling Association. (n.d.). About us. https://www.counseling.org/about-us/about-aca

Anderson, M. (2018). Getting consistent with consequences. Educational Leadership, 76(1), 26-33.

Bach, D., & Blake, D. J. (2016). Frame or get framed: The critical role of issue framing in nonmarket management. California Management Review, 58(3), 66-87. https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2016.58.3.66

Burgess, R. (2019). Rethinking global health: Frameworks of Power. Routledge.​

Herbst-Damm, K. L., & Kulik, J. A. (2005). Volunteer support, marital status, and the survival times of terminally ill patients. Health Psychology, 24(2), 225–229. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.225

Johnson, P. (2003). Art: A new history. HarperCollins. https://doi.org/10.1037.0000136-000 ​

Laursen, S., & Austin, A. E. (2020). Building gender equity in the academy: Institutional strategies for change. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Lindley, L. C., & Slayter, E. M. (2018). Prior trauma exposure and serious illness at end of life: A national study of children in the U.S. foster care system from 2005 to 2015. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 56(3), 309–317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2018.06.001

Osman, M. A. (2016, December 15). 5 do’s and don’ts for staying motivated. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/5-dos-and-donts-for-staying-motivated/art-20270835

Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2016). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Wiley.

Walden University Library. (n.d.). Anatomy of a research article [Video]. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/instructionalmedia/tutorials#s-lg-box-7955524

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.). Writing literature reviews in your graduate coursework [Webinar]. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/webinars/graduate#s-lg-box-18447417

World Health Organization. (2018, March). Questions and answers on immunization and vaccine safety. https://www.who.int/features/qa/84/en/