Format and Documentation of a Research Study  

The following fictional manuscript illustrates key features of a research paper reporting the results of an experiment as described by the American Psychological Association (APA) in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.).

*Page Header (5 spaces) Page number (1 inch margin) *Running Head:

*Title*Name

*Institution

These items are centered

& double-spaced!

complete title

right justified

Keep 1” margins on allsides throughout the

paper.All pages are numberedin sequence beginning

with the title page(excludes figure page).

Use a standard type font such as Times New Roman,

12 point size throughout

Do not use bold font for emphasis.

Schedule-Induced Attack 1

Running Head: SCHEDULE-INDUCED ATTACK IN MOUSE TRAPS

Schedule-Induced Attack in Mouse Traps:

Behavior Modification of Inanimate Objects

Michael Maus

Lunchburg College

Title Page ExampleTitle Page Example

Abstract Although aggression has repeatedly been observed in mousetraps in the field , the variable controlling the aggression has not previously been identified. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether aggression in mouse traps could be induced by an intermittent schedule of reinforcement. The necessary condition for concluding that attack is schedule-induced is that more attack occurs during exposure to an intermittent schedule of reinforcement (e.g. food) than in its absence.

Schedule Induced Attack in Mouse Traps: Behavior Modification of Inanimate Objects

The introduction begins on the page following the abstract. The introduction is never labeled. This is where you present the logic and background research that suggested this study. The general problem area is mentioned in the first paragraph, followed by a brief review of the relevant published findings. There are specific ways to cite previously published works (Miller, 1941). When there are two or more authors, they are cited this way (Looney & Dove, 1978).

Schedule-Induced Attack 3

Completetitle

This is a typical citation for a single-author work. Notice the comma after the last name.

Also, initials are not used in in-text citations.

The intro is not labeled in the paper Introduction

However, Wallace and Singer (1976) noted that facillima saepe non sunt optima accepit hoc. Also in similar studies it was observed that blah blah blah blah blah (Flory & Everist, 1977; Gentry, 1968; Killeen, 1979). Similarly, Flory (1969a) pointed out the problem of “plures viri quam appellabant” (p.384). Consistent with this view Schaal, Shahan, Kovera and Reilly (1998) note that babble babble babble pessimi copiis maius deum . For the present study I will look at the phenomenon mentioned first by Flory (1969b).

List all authors the first time a work is cited in you paper.Thereafter, works with 3 or more authors should be cited using the

first author with “et al” after it. Example: (Schaal, et al., 1998)

Subjects (Participants) Three household mousetraps purchased from Wal-Mart Super Store

in Lunchburg, West Virginia served as subjects. They were housed together in a 35 x 45 x 10 cm drawer lined with No Bugs M’Lady shelf paper, summer floral design. They were deprived of any form of cheese, but roaches and silver fish were freely available.Apparatus

Each of three experimental chambers consisted of a 2 X 3 m room containing no windows and painted institutional green. Food delivery and target presentation were accomplished via human hand. Each food presentation consisted of one 2 cm cube of Kraft's longhorn style Colby cheese. The targets were feral mice obtained from the Dempsey Dumpsters in back of Gouda Student Center at Lunchburg College.Use the term “Subjects” when non-human organisms were studied;

“Participants” when the experiment has studied humans. In either case, the subjects or participants studied are described, as well as the manner in

which they were chosen.

Procedure

Sessions were conducted in the dark since mouse traps are reportedly more

active at night. Each subject was placed in an experimental chamber with food

presentation occurring on a fixed time (FT) 6-hour schedule following the standard

procedure for this variety of subject.

The first food presentation occurred upon introduction of the subject into the experimental chamber. The target, a feral mouse,

was then introduced into the chamber. Observation and recording of attacks

upon the target were made at the end of each 6-hour interval. At that time, a

new target animal was presented, if necessary. This phase of the experiment lasted

for 10 days. Sessions were terminated after 18 hours during all phases of the

experiment.Procedure: this describes how the study was conducted,

i.e. what the researchers did and what the participants/subjects were asked to do did.

The second phase of the experiment involved removal of the food schedule. The subject and the target were placed in the experimental chamber, but no food was presented. Again, observation and recording of attack were done every 6 hours. The phase of the experiment also lasted for 10 days.

The third phase of the experiment was the reinstatement of the food schedule. Food was again presented on a FT 6-hour schedule for a period of 10 days.

This page is a continuation of the procedure subsection.You can see how one might explain how an experiment

or study was conducted. Remember, in an actual paper,the next section would follow immediately, not begin on

a new page.

The data from a representative subject are shown in Table 1.

Insert Table 1 about here

The data are graphed in figure 1. As can be seen from this figure, the

subject immediately exhibited high rates of attack upon the target which continued throughout the first phase.

Insert figure 1 about here.When the food schedule was discontinued, the attack rate dropped to a very low level. When the food schedule was re-presented, the subject again attacked at high rates.

Results

This is how your page will look. Actual tables and figures are found

at the end of the paper

As the results indicate, the behavior of mouse traps does meet the criterion for schedule-induced attack The rate of attack in the presence of the food schedule clearly exceeded that during its absence. Food presentation not only induced attack upon mice, but also upon the experimenter whose fingers are still suffering from the effects of the viscous bites.

The results of this study suggest that additional work in the field of inanimate object behavior is warranted. Scott (1971; as cited in Moyer, 1976) discusses the mechanism of stored energy with relation to aggressive behavior, while Pitts and Malagodi (1996) point out that blah bla bla.

Discussion

The present tense is used in this section.

The first line of each citation is left-justified; subsequent linesare indented.

Journal names and volume numbers are italicized; page numbers aren’t.

Start referenceson a new page!

Individual web page citation.If you cite more than one work from an author,list them in chronological order (i.e. by date) with the earliest first.The word “References” is centered at the top of a new page.

List citations in ABC order by author’s last name,followed by initials for first and middle names.

If you have more than one work by the same author in the same year,

list in alphabetical order by title of the article.In this section, do not write “and”

between authors’ names; always use “&”.

Schedule-Induced Attack 13

Pitts, R.C. & Malagodi, E.F. (1996). Effects of reinforcement amount on attack induced under fixed

interval schedule in pigeons. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 65, 93-112.

Article number A18506179. Retrieved 11 June, 2001 from Expanded Academic

ASAP/InfoTrac database.

Schaal, D., Shahan, T., Kovera, C., & Reilley, M. (1998). Mechanisms underlying the effects of

unsignaled delayed reinforcement on key pecking of pigeons under variable-interval

schedules. [Electronic Version] Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 69,

103-122.

Wallace, M. & Singer, G. (1976). Schedule-induced behavior: A review of its generality, determinants,

and pharmacological data. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 5, 483-490.

Everything in this section must be cited in the paper;Everything cited in the paper must be in this section;

No additional items are to be included.Online journal article retrieved through

Library subscription database with rolling URL.Remember, all the authors are listed in citations in the

reference section. Last names precede the initials.

Schedule-Induced Attack 14

Author Note

This research was supported in part by grants from the Mouse Trap

Research Institute and from the Richard E. Rodent Foundation. I would like to

thank Melissa A. Mousse and Patrick S. Perfect for their assistance in conducting

this study.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to

Michael Maus, Department of Psychology, Lunchburg College, 1501 Velveeta

Drive, Lunchburg, West Virginia, 20542. E-mail: maus@lunchburg.edu

Identify any funding sources for your research. Next, identify colleagues who provided significant assistance. If there are anyspecial circumstances or conflicts of interest, note them here.

Condition Session Subject 1 Subject 2 Subject 31 1 2 12 1 0 23 2 2 04 1 1 25 2 1 16 1 1 27 1 2 18 2 1 19 1 1 2

10 0 0 011 0 1 012 0 0 013 0 0 014 1 0 015 0 0 016 0 0 017 0 0 018 0 0 019 0 0 020 0 0 021 2 1 122 1 1 123 2 2 024 1 1 225 2 1 126 1 0 227 1 2 128 2 1 129 1 2 130 1 1 2

Cheese

No Cheese

Cheese

3.9

0.20

1

2

3

4

5

1

Condition

Average # of Attacks

Series1

Series2No Cheese

Cheese

Note that there is no header, page number, or title on the page with the figure.