Developing the Parts of a Formal Paper: Headings

This week we continue to develop a proper formal paper format. Review Week 1 where you learned how to use the computer to create headers, title page, reference page, and other APA needs. With this assignment, you will learn to create a standard outline for a typical formal paper.

The majority of formal papers in undergraduate work use primarily Levels 1-3 headings to explain the major thoughts of the essay. The longer the paper, the more levels might be required. Each heading level is formatted differently and serves to aid organization of the paper for increased readability. But they also aid on a practical level by ensuring that each required aspect of the assignment is covered. Students have a tendency to cover the first one or two parts of an assignment, forgetting the rest. [Review the assigned videos if any of the information is unclear.]

For our purposes of initially creating short academic papers, the title becomes the first and only Level 1 heading. Therefore, it will be entered on the first line of page 2, centered and bolded. Later, we will see how the style can be modified with more complexity.

One way to know how to plan your paper and your heading outlines is to thoroughly read and understand the assignment. Look at the information required. How is each part of the required information related to the other parts? Remember that each heading level may or may not need to be broken down into smaller parts. Is each required element a major idea or can some of the elements be placed underneath a higher level idea?

Below is an actual assignment from a nursing course:

Case Study

As a newly hired Nurse Manager for a small 25-bed rehab center, you have been warned that the facility is on the brink of bankruptcy. You know you must conduct a thorough analysis to begin to understand the situation.

Assess the financial situation of the facility.

Include the following aspects in the assignment: (the actual numbers do not matter)

ØEstimate macro-level and micro-level influences

ØEvaluate reimbursement sources

ØConsider service strategies to control cost

ØPlan efficiencies to decrease spending and areas to increase reimbursement

Review the above assignment and decide how it would be best to outline the paper with headings.

Using the sample assignment above, produce an outline to guide your writing. No written paragraphs are needed…just an outline with appropriate topic headings.

Include the following aspects in the assignment following APA rules:

A title page

oCreate a title for this outline and ensure that the title page conforms to the correct format

oPlace page numbers in the top right hand corner of all pages

Page two

oPlace the title as the first line [Level 1], centered and bolded.

oContinuing on page 2, find the appropriate Level 2 and Level 3 headings from the assignment directions above, choosing titles for these levels that would be reasonable for the scenario. Be certain to mirror the heading table guide above for Levels 1 – 3.

oNote: Headings are very brief, so you will choose a brief heading to capture the main point of the content that you are addressing. You will need to create the Level 2 headings [hint: look within the directions for ideas and create relatively logical headings for the rest.] The purpose of this exercise is to create an outline using the information that you have received so far, not study the topics presented nor write body paragraphs.

A reference page – Insert one entry: the correct APA entry for your book, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.