Outlining a Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Outlining an APA Journal Article

Cori James

Outlining an APA Journal Article

Authors must follow rules of style to ensure consistency and avoid confusion among readers. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association outlines basic tools and mechanical guidelines for authors to use when writing journal articles. These tools include, but are not limited to, punctuation, capitalization, spacing, periods, commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, quotation marks, parenthesis, brackets, hyphenation, and spelling. In addition, there are several guidelines that authors need to adhere to when preparing a manuscript. Some of these guidelines include using standardized 8 ½ x 11 paper, using 12-point Times Roman typeface, double- spacing, and employing one-inch margins (American Psychological Association [APA], 2011).

The Manual outlines basic principles and suggestions to promote clear communication. It provides ideas and suggestions for continuity, length, tone, and clarity to improve writing style. Furthermore, general guidelines are given to reduce bias. [APA], 2011).

There are specific guidelines on the structure and format on journal articles including information on reporting standards. There are basic sections that should be included in a journal article: cover page, abstract, body of the paper and references.

First, there is a Title page which includes a running head that includes a shortened version of the title with the shortened title appearing in all capital letters. In the body of the title page, centered, the title, the author’s name and institutional affiliation should be included. [APA], 2011).

There is an optional section at the bottom title page called the author’s note; it lists personal information regarding the author them self. The first paragraph includes the departmental affiliations. If the author does not have any affiliations, then the city and state is listed. In the event the article is written by someone living outside of...