Running head: FULLY FORMED APA PAPER SAMPLE
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Fully Formed APA Paper Sample Students Full Name Post University
FULLY FORMED APA PAPER SAMPLE This is a sample of how your body text in a properly formatted APA paper should look when you are completing this assignment. If you read this essay carefully and print a copy for your use, it will be a great help as you create future assignments. Most of your written assignments will take the form of essays with introduction and conclusion paragraphs, a clear purpose, and logically organized paragraphs that develop your ideas. Please note that the best introductory paragraphs identify a specific topic or problem, highlight what has been said or done concerning this topic, and offer a new and significant argument or perspective about the topic.
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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 connect your ideas to one another. Think of transitional expressions such as the following as glue or signposts: also, in addition, moreover, therefore, similarly, in contrast, although, or however. 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.
How to Write a Reader-Friendly Essay
Good writing is never merely about following a set of directions. Like all artists of any form, essay writers occasionally find themselves breaking away from tradition or common practice in search of a fresh approach. Rules, as they say, are meant to be broken. But even groundbreakers learn by observing what has worked before. If you are not already in the habit of reading other writers with an ...
FULLY FORMED APA PAPER SAMPLE Your writing is expected to reflect standard edited English. In other words, it should appear as grammatically correct, formal, written English intended for silent reading. APA style does not allow for the use of contractions (e.g., write it is instead of it’s) or informal slang (i.e., use office assistant instead of office boy and students or learners instead of kids).
The writing
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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; to avoid contractions, bullets, and the use of bold type; and to be sure that your sentences are clear to your reader. Write in your authentic voice but in your most intelligent and interesting voice as well. Imagine what questions your reader might ask you, and then provide your reader with well-developed, detailed, specific ideas rather than vague generalizations. One 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 the course of 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 for your idea that stems from the published research by experts in your field. if your thinking remains vague and general and you do not ground your ideas in references, 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 paraphrasing their ideas or their language and following either the paraphrase with an in-text citation. 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.
Paragraphs Writing Sentences Essays Reading
Strategies For College Writing: Sentences, Paragraphs, Essays Second Edition Jeanette Harris, Texas Christian University Ann Moseley, Texas A&M-Commerce Appropriate Courses Designed for courses in Developmental Writing and Basic Writing. Summary Strategies for College Writing offers full coverage of the basics of writing essays, paragraphs, and sentences with a focus on preparing students for ...
FULLY FORMED APA PAPER SAMPLE Now, glance back over this essay to note that it is a well-developed piece of writing and not merely a five-paragraph, perfunctory essay. Notice the transitional expressions that allow your mind to move smoothly from one idea to the next. Not all paragraphs are the same length, suggesting that the author is able to develop ideas in various ways. Try to determine what single topic unifies each paragraph. Ask yourself, “What question does this paragraph attempt to answer?” Sometimes it is helpful to write out one to two words that highlight the main idea
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beside each paragraph. After you have done this for each paragraph, then you should review each sentence of the paragraph to make sure it reflects this main idea. All of your sentences should not look or sound alike, either; some are brief and direct, while others are more complex and flowing. With practice and time, you can create an assignment that not only looks professional but also conveys your ideas powerfully. Finally, just before submitting your work to your instructor, ask yourself, “Have I fully addressed the complete assignment?” Then in your concluding paragraph, end your essay, rather like the last gesture of tying the ribbon on a present. However you choose to close your essay, do close the door firmly, thereby giving the reader a satisfying sense of completion. Portions of this sample paper were used or edited from the Undergraduate Paper Advice from Walden University’s Online Writing Center.
FULLY FORMED APA PAPER SAMPLE References Walden University (2014).
Templates for Writing. Retrieved from http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/57.htm
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