APA Format:
A Style Guide for ED795A Papers
Dan Kitchen
San Diego State University
APA Format:
A Style Guide for ED795A Papers
Introduction
Statement of the problem Briefly describe the problem that your study is designed to address.
Purpose of the study Briefly explain why this research project is being undertaken.
Research questions (or objectives or hypotheses) Briefly state the research questions that this study addresses. Indicate your major hypothesis: what do you expect the results of your inquiry to reveal?
Theoretical perspective Your hypotheses about how the independent and dependent variables in your study are related to each other should be based upon a theory that would predict what is likely to occur. Describe that theoretical grounding of your study.
Definition of key terms Here you should indicate what you mean by key terms that you use in your study. Pay particular attention to terms that may not have the same meaning for all readers. Later on, in the methods section, you will define all of the variables used in your study in operational terms.
Delimitation and limitations of the study Describe the scope of your study. What are its boundaries? What issues will be addressed and what issues are considered beyond the scope of the study? What are the limitations of your study? Pay special attention to limitations in terms of the sample which is available to you, and the extent to which it may or may not represent the population of interest. Potential threats to the internal validity of your study are identified here.
Significance of the study What will this study contribute to our understanding of the topic? Describe any anticipated practical application of the findings of your study—perhaps for your school or school district.
Review of Related Literature
An overview of the literature on my topic In this section