Click here to download a PDF version of the Writing Center’s APA handout, which was updated in June 2021 to reflect guidelines published in the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
What is APA style?
APA documentation is commonly used in the social sciences and education, as well as in fields such as nursing. It is a parenthetical documentation system; sources are cited in parentheses within your own sentences to indicate you have used ideas, information, and quotations from an outside source. The parenthetical information points to specific sources in an alphabetized list of references at the end of your paper.
APA style exists so that readers across different disciplines in the social sciences have a standard format for papers and citations. Compared to other documentation styles, APA style emphasizes the date the work was published, as well as who carried out the research. The publication date will appear each time that you mention a source. APA also emphasizes empirical research, which is why there are lots of rules and formats for citing works published in academic journals, but you might not find a clear rule about how to cite a social media post or other non-academic source.
Like all documentation styles, APA style provides a standard system for giving credit to others for their contribution to your work. This allows the reader to see immediately where your information comes from, and it saves you the trouble of having to make footnotes or endnotes. APA style also includes guidelines for formatting documents. For academic writing, you’ll want to pay particular attention to how your references list and headings are formatted.
When applying APA style, it is important to remember that the APA Publication Manual is designed to assist the editorial staff of APA journals in typesetting. If you are writing a paper for a class assignment rather than publication in a journal, keep in mind that instructors may have their own guidelines. When in doubt whether to use a particular aspect of APA style, always ask your instructor.
How should I use this guide?
These web pages explain how to correctly format parenthetical citations and reference list entries for some of the most common print and electronic sources.
For full information, visit the APA’s web site.
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