Academic writing differs from what you did at school and even at high school. The language becomes more and more academic and correct. Various types of academic papers require different number of references in the text. When you write an essay and you should present your personal assessment of the situation, you will not need many additional sources. If you write an APA research paper, you should conduct a research and reference all sources used while writing this paper.
 
APA Research Paper: Format
 
Format includes the overall structure of the paper, the way you organize your thoughts and ideas, and formatting and citation style.
 
Title
 
The title of your APA research paper should be introduced in the title page of your paper and present the main ideas of your work. You should not give a brief description of what you have researched. You are to include the main idea of your APA research paper into the title without being too wordy.
 
Headings
 
You should consider all levels of headings and the way they are organized for an APA research paper. Remember that every subpoint of your outline should be presented in the body of the paper with a definite subheading. A running head of your APA research paper should contain a short title of your paper.
 
Abstract
 
An abstract of an APA research paper is a mandatory part. You have to include this part while writing an APA research paper. An abstract contains a summary of the purpose and the main findings of your research.
 
References
 
When you borrow some ideas from other sources than your brain, you should reference those regarding the formatting and citation style of your APA research paper. Find a credible source on the Internet and follow its instructions.
 
While writing an APA research paper you should consider many parameters and rules, though it is not a problem if you are persistent and assiduous.