A Guide To Dissertation Formatting: APA Style Writing Tips

There is more to a dissertation than simply writing a text. There is every possibility that the work will be published and has to be formatted for that possibility. Social sciences have their own preferred formatting style for the siting of references and that is the American Psychological Association (APA) style. It is relatively simple to follow and it must be adhered to or the dissertation may be handed back.

• Be Careful of the Typing. The recommended font is 12 point Times New Roman. The typing must also be double-spaced and on standardized paper that has one-inch margins for every side of the paper. Page headers need to be the top and a running head, which is nothing more than an abbreviated version of the title of your dissertation, cannot exceed 50 characters. That limit also includes punctuation and any spacing.


• APA has four major sections. They are in order from first to last in the dissertation, and these would be the Title Page, the Abstract, the Main Body of The Dissertation, and the References will be at the end. Each section has its own unique instructions to be followed. And the sections must start a new page.


• Something to Add to the Abstract. This is a brief summary of no more than 300 words describing what your dissertation is about. Something that is a fairly recent addition that you can add to the abstract is a list of keywords. This takes into consideration Internet databases. It is easier to find your work on the search. If you have keywords included in your text.

You’re going to need to present a thesis statement as part of the APA formatting style. You have to be quite certain that you are citing from credible sources. Doing a search on Google is not sufficient. You must be certain that the thesis statement is backed up by scholarly articles or opinions. It means that just as the rest of the research within your paper, it has to stand up to any critiques that make happen. If necessary, by the thesis statement last. Even though it is at the first part of your paper. It sometimes seems that academia just adds on to an already heavy work area, however, the formatting is part of the discipline and it can prepare you for the publication of other works you write over the course of a career. Think of the APA formatting is a little bit of career development because you will have to know this style. If you pursue a career in the academic world.