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Title of Paper

Student Name

Colorado State University Global

Course Code: Course Name

Instructor

Due Date
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Abstract

An abstract should be written on the second page of an APA-style essay, on a separate page after

the title page. Abstracts should be one double-spaced paragraph consisting of no more than 250

words. The paragraph should not be indented. The purpose of an abstract is to summarize the key

points of your research paper. An abstract typically includes the topic being researched, the

hypothesis or hypotheses, the methods used to conduct the study or studies, the results of the

research, and the implications of the research (What does this research mean? Why is it

important?). At the end of your abstract you should include 3-5 keywords related to your

research essay. To do this, go to the line under the abstract paragraph, make an indention, and

type “Keywords” in italicized font.

Keywords: Abstract, research, essay, key points

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Title of Paper

Academic essays should begin with an introduction, but do not begin your paper with an

“Introduction” heading. The introduction will provide readers with the context necessary for

understanding your argument and the body of your paper. When composing the introduction,

think about what context or background information the reader would benefit from knowing.

Once your context is established, transition from that context into your thesis statement. The

thesis statement generally comes at the end of your introduction and usually consists of a few

sentences that sum up the argument for your paper overall. Thesis statements should also provide

a roadmap for the reader so that they can navigate through the ideas present in the rest of your

paper.

Level 1 Header

Headers are useful for organizing your paper. Level 1 headers are used with broad or

general topics in your paper. Depending on the topic, length, and genre of your assignment, you

might use only Level 1 headers. Level 1 headers should be bolded and centered. The longer and

more complex your argument is, the more you might benefit from using Level 2 and Level 3

headers. Level 2 headers should be bolded and aligned with the left margin. Level 3 headers

should be bolded, italicized, and aligned with the left margin. Level 4 and Level 5 headers exist,

but they should only be used in manuscripts with many topics and subtopics. If you choose to use

headers in your paper, you should have at least two sections for each level of header. For more

information on how to use headings in your paper, see the APA Style website.

Level 2 Header

Body paragraphs should follow the MEAL structure. This structure will help your ideas

build on one another in order to support your thesis statement and to develop your argument over

the course of your essay. Each body paragraph should consist of a claim, which also functions as
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the topic sentence or the main idea of a paragraph. The claim should then be followed by

evidence. Evidence is typically source material that you either paraphrase or quote directly.

Remember, APA style guidelines prefer paraphrasing to directly quoting a source. Evidence

should provide support for your main idea in the form of examples, statistics, facts, anecdotes,

etc. Next, your paragraph should include analysis. Analysis is your explanation of the preceding

evidence and its significance. In other words, you should not let the evidence speak for itself.

Through analysis, you can show the reader exactly how you interpret the evidence, how it

supports your claim for the paragraph, and how it supports your thesis statement. Finally, each

body paragraph should end with a sentence that functions as a conclusion for the paragraph. This

sentence can rephrase the claim for the paragraph, tie back to the thesis statement, or transition to

the idea you present in the next paragraph.

Level 2 Header

Whenever you use a source, it must be cited both in text and in the references. However,

there is one exception: Personal communications that do not produce recoverable data and

cannot be located by the reader should only be cited in text and do not need to be included on the

References page. Examples of personal communications include emails, text messages, direct

messages, personal interviews, telephone conversations, letters, etc. Both your in-text citations

and references should follow APA style. In academic writing that follows APA style, it is

important to paraphrase source material whenever possible, as opposed to quoting the source

directly. When paraphrasing source material, you can use page numbers to point the reader to a

specific portion of the source, but this is optional. When paraphrasing, you should follow the

paraphrased material with an in-text citation that contains the author’s last name and the source’s

year of publication (Author, Year) or use a signal phrase to introduce the paraphrased material
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with the author and year (ex: “According to Eriksson (2015)...”). When quoting source material

directly, a page number (p. ) or page range (pp. ) is always required. When your source does not

have page numbers, you can use other information to point the reader to the part of the source

where the quotation can be found. You can use information like paragraph numbers, section

headings/names/numbers, slide numbers, and more, depending on what kind of source you are

using and how the source is organized. When citing in text, parenthetical citations should appear

as close to the source material as possible. The author’s name should never be separate from the

year of publication.

In-text citations point readers to the References page, which is a list of all the sources

used in your assignment. When formatting the References page, start a new page. At the top of

the new page, the word References should be bolded and centered. Alphabetize the references

according to the first author’s last name or by the name of the organization if there is no

individual author for a text. All references should have a hanging indent: The first line of each

reference should be aligned with the left margin, and subsequent lines should be indented.

Finally, each reference should follow APA style, and the proper formatting will change

depending on the type of source.

Level 2 Header

When writing a research essay, you may want to include visual aids such as tables or

figures. There are two different options for including these—either right after the text that

mentions the visual aid or at the end of your essay after the References Page. If you choose to

include your visual aids at the end of your essay, you should place each one on a separate page.

In this template, the example visual aid will be formatted at the end of the essay.
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Each table or figure should be given a number and title, as demonstrated in Table 1.

The figure or table number should be bolded and placed above the title. The title should be one

space below the table or figure number and italicized. Under the table or figure, a note is

typically included. There are three different types of notes. The first is a general note, which

may include citation information or information about abbreviations, units of measurement, or

symbols. The second type of note is called a specific note. Specific notes point out information

that is specific to one area of the figure or table. Finally, probability notes include information

about statistical significance. When including notes under your table or figure, you should type

the word “Note” with a period and italicize it. Then, you can begin writing your note directly

after that.

If you would like more information about including tables and figures in your APA

paper, please refer to the CSU Global Writing Center’s page that discusses this topic . There is

an additional APA Template Paper that includes information about placing tables and figures

within your essay. Be sure to remember to cite any visual aids that you use on the References

Page!

Conclusion

The last section or paragraph of your paper should be the conclusion. If you are using

headers in your paper, use a “Conclusion” heading. A conclusion should reiterate the major

points of your argument. To do this, think about developing your thesis by adding more detail or

by retracing the steps of your argument. You can recap major sections for the reader. You can

also summarize the primary supporting points or evidence you discussed in the paper. The

conclusion should not introduce any new information in order to avoid confusing the reader. To
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end the paper, think about what you want your reader to do with all the information you just

presented. Explain what logical next steps might be taken in order to learn more about this topic.

Use the conclusion to establish the significance and importance of your work, motivate others to

build on what you have done in this paper, and encourage the reader to explore new ideas or

reach other conclusions.

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References

Colorado State University Global. (2020a). Module 4: Introduction to Team Building, Canvas.

https://portal.csuglobal.edu

Colorado State University Global. (2020b). Module 5: Role of ethical communication and

influence in leadership [Interactive lecture]. Canvas. https://portal.csuglobal.edu

CSU Global Writing Center. (n.d.). Writing consultations.

https://csuglobal.libguides.com/writingcenter/writing_consultations

Darlin, D. (2014, August 5). How to talk about America’s newest arrivals. The New York Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/upshot/how-to-talk-about-americas-newest-

arrivals.html

Devereaux, A. (2015). Pandemic influenza: An evolutionary concept analysis. Journal of

Advanced Nursing, 71(8), 1787–1796. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12654

Epstein, M., & Roy, M., (2003). Improving sustainability performance: Specifying,

implements and measuring key principles. Journal of General Management, 29(1), 15-

31.

Kinderman, P. (2019). A manifesto for mental health: Why we need a revolution in mental health

care. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24386-9

Lundgren, B., & Holmberg, M. (2017). Pandemic flus and vaccination policies in Sweden. In C.

Holmberg, S. Blume, & P. Greenough (Eds.), The politics of vaccination: A global

history (pp. 260–287). Manchester University Press.

McWilliams, K. (2020, March 30). What’s an appendix for anyways? CSU Global Writing

Center Blog. https://medium.com/@csuglobalwritingcenter/whats-an-appendix-for-

anyways-ac73d89e8423
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Wu, J., Cai, W., Watkins, D., & Glanz, J. (2020, March 22). How the virus got out [Interactive

infographic]. The New York Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/22/world/coronavirus-spread.html
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Table 1

Clarkson and Associates; Income Statement; Year Ending December 31, 2012

Note. Adapted from Module 4: Introduction to Team Building, by Colorado State University

Global, 2020, Canvas (https://portal.csuglobal.edu). Copyright 2020 by Colorado State

University Global.
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Table 2

The Four Principles of Sustainability Performance

Note. Adapted from "Improving sustainability performance: Specifying, implements and

measuring key principles" by M. Epstein & M. Roy, 2003, Journal of General Management,

29(1), pp.15-31. Copyright 2020 by SAGE.