Research Writing Style Assignment
Kimberly D. Mosley
Liberty University
PSY 255: Introduction to Research
Laura Mellott
Oct 9, 2023
, 2
Research Writing Style Assignment
For aspiring researchers, effectively documenting findings is an essential skill for
successfully disseminating knowledge within the scholarly community. The purpose of this paper
is to provide detailed guidance on how to properly produce papers following the American
Psychological Association (APA) protocol, which is recognized as the standard for publishing
academic papers For periodicals new to this process, and to familiarize students with the latest
standards; it is essential to ensure that they are prepared to produce college-level papers and
contribute their future research findings after graduation to the APA community.
APA Formatting Concepts
In APA format, five distinct headings are available for effectively structuring your
document. Each heading provides clear organization within the paper, offering readers a preview
of the main focus of the upcoming paragraph. A level three heading is employed flush left
boldface, italicized, and the first letter of the first word and the first letter of all significant words
in the heading are capitalized. The text begins with a new paragraph (APA, 2019, page 49).
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
The DOI, which stands for Digital Object Identifier, is a unique character and spelling
code associated only with research publications(Style Guide for Chicago Manual Footnotes:
History Department: Hanover College, n.d.). It's generally located at the top right corner of an
article and serves as a hyperlink to the article's online location. Since 2000, all newly published
research articles have received a DOI, and many older publications have been assigned one after
a review. The presence of a DOI changes the way a paper cites a source. When quoting a source
with a DOI, include the DOI in your reference. For accuracy, the DOI needs to be copied and
pasted to avoid additional punctuation or punctuation in the DOI (APA, 2019).