Action Research Report Document Guidelines

General Guidelines
• Must follow the template in the resource section of the courseware; reports that do not follow the template will not be accepted
• Title Page, Section One, Section Two, Section Three, and Reference Section are required; leave a placeholder for the Abstract, Section Four and Section Five
• Must adhere to APA 6th Edition style and formatting guidelines
• Must include APA title page (see template for Lamar University requirements)
• Font: size 12 – Times New Roman
• Doubled space throughout the document; no extra space between paragraphs
• 1 inch margins at top, bottom, left, and right of every page
• Indent 5 spaces for a new paragraph
• Acronyms are spelled out the first time; letters used afterwards
• The general rule is to use numerals to express numbers 10 and above and words to express numbers below 10

Title Page
• Running head: The running head should be a maximum of 50 characters, counting letters, punctuation, and spaces between words. The running head is an abbreviated title that is printed at the top of all pages to identify the document for readers. Note that the “h” is lower case and “Running head” only appears on the first page.
• Title must clearly describe the problem and intervention. The recommended length for the title is no more than 12 words.

Section One: Introduction
• The introduction is clearly identified by its position in the paper; it does not have a heading.
• The first paragraph introduces the topic and sets the stage for the reader.
• The reader should have a good idea what the paper is about before finishing reading the first page.
• The introduction should include an APA level two subheading for Background, Problem Statement, Significance of the Study, and Definitions.
• Definition of Terms: Arrange the terms in alphabetical order and use a separate paragraph for each term. Begin each paragraph with the term formatted as a Level 4 heading (indented, italicized, only the first word capitalized, and ending with a period). Begin the definition on the same line as the heading. Definitions must be complete sentences.
Section Two: Review of the Literature
Introduction
• Must state purpose for research
• Must state subtopics being discussed
Body (Subtopics)
• Minimum 3 subtopics
• Minimum 2 references per subtopic (minimum: 6 total)
• Paraphrase research – Example: Bonvillian and Singer (2013) noted…
• Paragraphs must be cohesive and synthesized
• Paragraphs must analyze the research – no reporting
• Subtopics must have support synthesized from the literature
• More than one author should support/refute the topic sentence of each paragraph
• Review should contain no commentary, personal opinion or reference to your Action Research Project; only report the research
• Every sentence must have analysis (it is the WHY in your sentence)
Conclusion
• Summary of findings
• No new information should be presented or cited in the conclusion
• The conclusion should be a substantial paragraph at a minimum

Section Three: Action Research Design
• The Action Research Design section should include an APA level two subheading for Subjects, Procedures, and Data Collection

References Section Guidelines
• Use current research, no more than 10 years old
• At least 50% of references must be peer-reviewed articles
• Only list articles mentioned in the paper on your reference page
• Make that each of the references listed in the reference section are cited within the report using APA guidelines.
• Use a hanging indention
• The reference list begins on a separate page.
• References are listed in alphabetical order by last name of the first author.
• Double-space all entries.
• Format all hyperlinks so they appear in blank font with no underline.
• Capitalize only the first word of a title, proper nouns, and a word after a colon or terminal punctuation.
• Italicize book titles and journal titles.

Common APA Reference Examples
• Article from an Online Peer Reviewed Article with DOI Assigned
Borup, J., West, R. E., & Graham, C. R. (2013). The influence of asynchronous video communication on learner social presence: A narrative analysis of four cases. Distance Education, 34(1), 48-63. doi:10.1080/01587919.2013.770427
• Article from an Online Peer Reviewed Article with Database
Bonvillian, W. B., & Singer, S. R. (2013). The online challenge to higher education. Issues in Science & Technology, 29(4), 23-30. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete
• Article from an Online Periodical
Milligan, C., Littlejohn, A., & Marjaryan, A. (2013). Patterns of engagement in connectivist MOOCs. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 149-159. Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol9no2/milligan_0613.pdf
• Book
Mertler, C. (2008). Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
• Electronic Version of Print Book
Silvia, P. J. (2007). How to write a lot: A practical guide to productive academic writing [Kindle DX version]. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com
• Technical and Research Reports and Other Gray Literature
Author, A. A. (year). Title of work (Report No. xxx) [Description of form]. Retrieved from Agency Name website: http://xxxx
o If the issuing organization assigned a number (e.g., report number, contract number, monograph number) to the report, give that number in parentheses immediately after the title.
o Provide a description of the form inside brackets when it would assist the reader in identifying less typical types of sources (e.g., brochures, press releases, white papers, fact sheets). Otherwise, omit this.
o If the publisher has been identified as the author, use the format Retrieved from http://xxxx
o Identify the publisher as part of the retrieval statement unless the publisher has been identified as the author: Retrieved from Agency Name website:
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS TOPIC