Title of Essay
Author’s Name
University
Abstract
Abstracts are research tools that can help you readers determine if the scope of your article/essay
will help them in their own research. In APA, abstracts are typically 150-250 words in length and
provide an evaluative summary of the essay to follow. The personal opinion of the author is
strictly prohibited in abstracts. Unlike a body paragraph, the first line of an abstract is not tabbedin. For many student essays, especially in lower-numbers courses, an abstract will not be
required; still, it is good to practice this skill.
TITLE OF ESSAY
2
Title of Essay
In APA style, the introduction of the essay should begin here, followed by the body
paragraphs. APA is typically a more formal style than most students are accustomed to using in a
writing course. For the purposes of this course, the level of formality should be based on the
assignment. For example: APA asks that students always write in third person (avoiding words
such as I, me, we, our(s), you, your(s), etc). Certain rhetorical modes, however, don’t cater well
to third person (narrative and reflection writing are two such examples). In these situations, first
person (I, me, we, our(s)) may be, and should be employed; second person (you, your(s)) should
be avoided in all academic writing unless an essay is specifically designed to relay instructions
(there are few assignments that will employ second person).
Like any essay, students should make sure their essays are formatted with one inch
margins, with their text exclusively in Times New Roman 12-point font, and students should
double space their lines. This document can be downloaded and used as a template wherein
students may simply replace names, titles, dates, and so on with their own information.
The final page of this document will demonstrate a References page. If a student uses
information from any source, that source must be identified within the text and listed on a
References page. These citations should be listed in alphabetical order and, opposite to the way
a normal paragraph works, the first line should be flush left and each following line should be
tabbed in. Though there is really no substitute for a good APA Style Manual, students can refer
to a citation generator such as www.citationmachine.net to ensure proper formatting, as well as
contact Grantham’s Writing Center or the course instructor for additional assistance.
References
TITLE OF ESSAY
3
Badley, G. (2009). A place from where to speak: The university and academic freedom. British
Journal of Educational Studies, 57(2), 146-163. doi:10.1111/j.14678527.2009.00429.x
Baumanns, M., Biedenkopf, K., Cole, J. R., Kerrey, B., & Lee, B. (2009). The future of
universities and the fate of free inquiry and academic freedom: Question and answer
session. Social Research, 76(3), 867-886. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Berthoff, A. E. (2009). Learning the uses of chaos. In S. Miller (Ed.), The Norton Book of
Composition Studies (pp. 649). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Carroll, L. (2000) The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition. M. Gardner (Ed.) NY: Norton.
Elbow, P. (2000). Getting along without grades—and getting along with them too. Everyone Can
Write: Essays Toward a Hopeful Theory of Writing and Teaching Writing. NY: Oxford
University Press.
