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{{short description|Academic style and writing format}}
{{Use MDY dates|date=October 2023}}
[[File:Apapubman.jpg|thumb|200px|''Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association'', Seventh Edition]]
{{styles}}

'''APA style''' (also known as APA format) is a writing style and format for academic documents such as [[Scientific journal|scholarly journal]] articles and books. It is commonly used for citing sources within the field of [[Behavioral sciences|behavioral]] and [[social science]]s, including  sociology, education, nursing, criminal justice, and anthropology, as well as psychology. It is described in the [[style guide]] of the [[American Psychological Association]] (APA), which is titled the '''''Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association'''''. The guidelines were developed to aid reading comprehension in the social and behavioral sciences, for clarity of communication, and for "word choice that best reduces [[bias-free communication|bias in language]]".<ref name=APA7>{{cite book |title=The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association |publisher=[[American Psychological Association]] |date=2020 |isbn=978-1-4338-3217-8 |edition=7th |location=Washington, DC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://apastyle.apa.org/products/publication-manual-7th-edition-spiral |title=APA Style |publisher=[[American Psychological Association]] |location=Washington, DC |access-date=February 26, 2020}}</ref> APA style is widely used, either entirely or with modifications, by hundreds of other [[scientific journal]]s, in many textbooks, and in academia (for papers written in classes). The current edition is its seventh revision.

The APA became involved in journal publishing in 1923.<ref name=vandenbos /> In 1929, an APA committee had a seven-page writer's guide published in the [[Psychological Bulletin]].<ref>{{Cite journal |issn=0033-2909 |volume=26 |issue=2 |pages=57–63 |last1=Bentley| first1=M. |last2=Peerenboom |first2=C. A. |last3=Hodge |first3=F. W. |last4=Passano |first4=Edward B. |last5=Warren |first5=H. C. |last6=Washburn |first6=M. F. |title=Instructions in regard to preparation of manuscript |journal=Psychological Bulletin |date=February 1929 |doi=10.1037/h0071487}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url= http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2016/07/the-origins-of-apa-style.html |title=APA Style Blog: The Origins of APA Style |website=blog.apastyle.org |access-date=December 14, 2016}}</ref> In 1944, a 32-page guide appeared as an article in the same journal.<ref name="vandenbos">{{Cite book |publisher=American Psychological Association |isbn=978-1-55798-136-3 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/americanpsycholo0000unse/page/347 347–390] |editor1-first=Rand B. |editor1-last=Evans |editor2-first=Virginia |editor2-last=Staudt Sexton |editor3-first=Thomas C. |editor3-last=Cadwallader |last=VandenBos |first=Gary R. |title=The American Psychological Association: A Historical Perspective |chapter=The APA Knowledge Dissemination Program: An overview of 100 years |location=Washington, DC |date=1992 |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/americanpsycholo0000unse/page/347}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |issn=0033-2909 |volume=41 |issue=6 |pages=345–376 |last1=Anderson |first1=J. E. |last2=Valentine |first2=W. L. |title=The preparation of articles for publication in the journals of the American Psychological Association |journal=Psychological Bulletin |date=June 1944 |doi=10.1037/h0063335}}</ref> The first edition of the ''APA Publication Manual'' was published in 1952 as a 61-page supplement to the ''Psychological Bulletin'',<ref>{{Cite journal |volume=49 |issue=4 |pages=388–448 |title=Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association |journal=Psychological Bulletin |date=1952}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |volume=63 |issue=9 |pages=839–851 |author=APA Publications and Communications Board Working Group on Journal Article Reporting Standards |title=Reporting Standards for Research in Psychology: Why Do We Need Them? What Might They Be? |journal=American Psychologist |date=December 2008 |url= http://www.apastyle.org/manual/related/apa-jars-2008.pdf |doi=10.1037/0003-066x.63.9.839 |pmid=19086746 |pmc=2957094}}</ref> marking the beginning of a recognized "APA style".<ref name=vandenbos /> The initial edition went through two revisions: one in 1957, and one in 1967.<ref name=vandenbos /> Subsequent editions were released in 1974, 1983, 1994, 2001, 2009, and 2019. The increasing length of the guidelines and its transformation into a manual have been accompanied by increasingly explicit prescriptions about many aspects of acceptable work. The earliest editions were controlled by a group of field leaders who were behaviorist in orientation and the manual has continued to foster that ideology, even as it has influenced many other fields.<ref>Bazerman, C. (1987). Codifying the social scientific style: The ''APA Publication Manual'' as a behaviorist rhetoric. In J. Nelson, A. Megill, & D. McCloskey (Eds.). ''The rhetoric of the human sciences'' (pp. 125-144). Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.</ref><ref>Madigan, R., Johnson, S., Linton, P.,  Fowler, R. (1995). The Language of Psychology: APA Style as Epistemology. The American psychologist, 50 (6), 428-436.</ref>

According to the American Psychological Association, APA format can make the point of an argument clear and simple to the reader.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=American Psychological Association |date=September 2019 |title=Style and Grammar Guidelines |url= https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230918214751/https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines |archive-date=September 18, 2023 |access-date=October 3, 2023 |website=APA Style}}</ref> Particularly influential were the "Guidelines for Nonsexist Language in APA Journals", first published as a modification to the 1974 edition, which provided practical alternatives to sexist language then in common usage.<ref name="APA Task Force 1">{{cite journal |author=APA Task Force on Issues of Sexual Bias in Graduate Education |date=June 1975 |title=Guidelines for nonsexist use of language |journal=[[American Psychologist]] |volume=32 |issue=6 |pages=487–494 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=[[American Psychological Association]] |issn=0003-066X |oclc=696450842 |doi=10.1037/h0076869}}</ref><ref name="APA Task Force 2">{{cite journal |author=APA Publication Manual Task Force |date=June 1977 |title=Guidelines for nonsexist language in APA journals [Change Sheet 2] |journal=[[American Psychologist]] |volume=30 |issue=6 |pages=682–684 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=[[American Psychological Association]] |issn=0003-066X |oclc=696450842 |doi=10.1037/0003-066X.32.6.487}}</ref> The guidelines for reducing bias in language have been updated over the years and presently provide practical guidance for writing about age, disability, gender, participation in research, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality (APA, 2020, Chapter 5).<ref name="APA7" />

A typical APA-style research paper fulfills 3 levels of specification. Level 1 states how a research paper must be organized by including a title page, an abstract, an introduction, the methodology, the results, a discussion, and references. In addition, formatting of abstracts and title pages must be as per the APA manual of style. Level 2 specifies the style of writing. It must be clear and formal without slang, pop culture references, biased language, and humor. It must minimize literary devices, use technical terms appropriately, and be direct. Level 3 specifies the mechanics such as double-spacing, using title case for headings, using numerals for numbers 10 and above, hyphenating compound adjectives, using in-text citations for sources, left aligning all tables and figures, and using footnotes sparingly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is APA Style? Everything You Need to Know |url= https://www.enago.com/author-hub/what-is-apa-style |access-date=September 17, 2021 |website=Enago}}</ref>

== Seventh edition of the ''Publication Manual'' ==
The seventh edition of the ''Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association'' is the current one, published in October 2019. The goal of the book is to help people become better writers and communicators by promoting clarity, precision, and inclusivity.<ref name="about APA style">{{cite web |title=About APA Style |url= https://apastyle.apa.org/about-apa-style |website=APAStyle.org |publisher=American Psychological Association |access-date=February 27, 2020}}</ref>

The manual has new resources for students, including a student title page, student paper formats, and student-related reference formats such as classroom course pack material and classroom website sources. The book also includes new journal article reporting standards for qualitative and mixed methods research in addition to updated standards for quantitative research. The bias-free language guidelines have also been updated to reflect current best practices for talking about people's personal characteristics.<ref name="APA7product">{{cite web |title=Product page for Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020) |url= https://apastyle.apa.org/products/publication-manual-7th-edition |publisher=American Psychological Association |access-date=February 27, 2020}}</ref>

The manual addresses [[accessibility]] for people with disabilities for the first time.<ref name="APAintro">{{cite book |title=Introduction to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition |date=2020 |publisher=American Psychological Association |location=Washington, DC |pages=xviii |url= https://apastyle.apa.org/products/publication-manual-7th-edition-introduction.pdf |access-date=February 27, 2020}}</ref> APA worked with accessibility experts to ensure APA style is accessible. For example, the in-text citation format is shortened so that the citations are easier to read for people who, for example, use screen readers or have cognitive disabilities.

Running heads are used in papers that follow APA Style. The running head is an abbreviated version of the paper title that is included in the header of professional papers along with the page number. In student papers, the page number is placed in the header but the page title is not, unless otherwise stated by the course instructor or educational institution.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is a Running Head in APA Stye? |url= https://editorworld.com/article/what-is-a-running-head-in-APA-style |access-date=April 21, 2023 |website=Editor World}}</ref>

The manual has hundreds of reference examples, including formats for audiovisual media, social media, and webpages. There are many sample tables and figures, including basic student-friendly examples such as bar graphs. There are also sample papers for professionals and students.<ref name="APA7product" />

Since the seventh edition, APA also provides an APA Style website<ref>{{cite web |url= https://apastyle.apa.org/ |title=APA Style |website=APAStyle.APA.org}}</ref> and APA Style blog<ref>{{cite web |url= https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/ |title=APA Style Blog |website=APAStyle.APA.org}}</ref> to help people with APA style and answer common questions.

== Sixth edition of the ''Publication Manual'' ==
The sixth edition of the ''Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association'' was in effect from 2009 to 2019, after four years of development. The ''Publication Manual'' Revision Task Force of the American Psychological Association established parameters for the revision based on published critique; user comments; commissioned reviews; and input from psychologists, nurses, librarians, business leaders, publishing professionals, and APA governance groups.<ref>{{cite book |publisher=American Psychological Association |date=April 13–14, 2007 |title=Meeting of the Council of Editors |type=Agenda book |location=Washington, DC}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |publisher=American Psychological Association |date=May 18–20, 2007 |title=Meeting of the Publications and Communications Board |type=Agenda book |location=Washington, DC}}</ref>  To accomplish these revisions, the Task Force appointed working groups of four to nine members in seven areas: [[Bias-free communication|bias-free language]], [[ethics]], [[graphics]], [http://www.apastyle.org/manual/related/apa-jars-2008.pdf Journal Article Reporting Standards],<ref>{{Cite journal |author=APA Publications and Communications Board Working Group on Journal Article Reporting Standards |date=2008 |title=Reporting Standards for Research in Psychology: Why Do We Need Them? What Might They Be |url= http://www.apastyle.org/manual/related/apa-jars-2008.pdf |journal=American Psychologist |volume=63 |issue=9 |pages=839–851 |doi=10.1037/0003-066x.63.9.839 |pmc=2957094 |pmid=19086746}}</ref> [[reference]]s, [[statistics]], and [[writing style]] (APA, 2009, pp.&nbsp;xvii–xviii).

The APA explained the issuing of a new edition only eight years after the fifth edition by pointing to the increased use of online source or online access to academic journals (6th edition, p.&nbsp;XV). The sixth edition is accompanied by a style website as well as the APA Style Blog which answers many common questions from users.

=== Errors in the first printing of the 6th edition ===
Sample papers in the first printing of the sixth edition contained errors. APA staff posted all of the [http://supp.apa.org/style/PM6E-Corrected-Sample-Papers.pdf?_ga=1.102200261.591861498.1424719668 corrections online for free] in a single document on October 1, 2009, and shortly thereafter alerted users to the existence of the corrections in an APA blog entry.<ref name=Skutley>{{cite web |first=Mary Lynn |last=Skutley |url= http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2009/10/note-to-apa-style-community-sixth-edition-corrections.html |title=Note to APA Style Community: Sixth Edition Corrections |work=APA blog |date=October 8, 2009}}</ref> These errors attracted significant attention from the scholarly community and nearly two weeks later, on October 13, 2009, the article "Correcting a Style Guide" was published in the online newspaper ''[[Inside Higher Ed]]'' that included interviews with several individuals, one of whom described the errors as "[[wikt:egregious|egregious]]".<ref name=Epstein>{{cite journal |last=Epstein |first=Jennifer |date=October 13, 2009 |title=Correcting a Style Guide |journal=[[Inside Higher Ed]] |location=Washington, DC |editor1-first=Scott |editor1-last=Jaschik |editor2-first=Doug |editor2-last=Lederman |access-date=October 27, 2011 |url= https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/10/13/correcting-style-guide}}</ref> All copies of the printing with errors were soon after recalled in 2009 (including those from major retailers such as Amazon.com) and a new printing correcting all the errors, with a copyright date of 2010,<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/holdingsInfo?searchId=22124&recCount=25&recPointer=5&bibId=15659056 |title=LC Catalog – Item Information (Full Record) |website=Catalog.LoC.gov |date=2010 |publisher=American Psychological Association}}</ref> was issued.

=== In-text citations ===
APA Style uses an [[Parenthetical referencing#Author-date|author–date reference]] citation system in the text with an accompanying reference list. That means that to cite any reference in a paper, the writer should cite the author and year of the work, either by putting both in parentheses separated by a comma (parenthetical citation) or by putting the author in the narrative of the sentence and the year in parentheses (narrative citation).
{{blockquote|'''Example narrative citation:''' Schmidt and Oh (2016) described a fear among the public that the findings of science are not actually real.}}
{{blockquote|'''Example parenthetical citation:''' "In our postfactual era, many members of the public fear that the findings of science are not real" (Schmidt & Oh, 2016).}}

=== Reference list ===
In the APA reference list, the writer should provide the author, year, title, and source of the cited work in an alphabetical list of references. If a reference is not cited in the text, it should not be included in the reference list. The reference format varies depending on the document type (e.g., journal article, edited book chapter, blog post, webpage), but broadly speaking always follows the same pattern of author, date, title, source. If the source is undated, the abbreviation '''n.d.''' (no date) is used.
{| class="wikitable"
!Reference&nbsp;type
!Template
!Example
|-
|Journal article with a DOI
|Author, A., & Author, B. (year). Title of article. ''Journal Title'', ''Volume''(Issue), page range. DOI
|Schmidt, F. L., & Oh, I.-S. (2016). The crisis of confidence in research findings in psychology: Is lack of replication the real problem? Or is it something else? ''Archives of Scientific Psychology'', ''4''(1), 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1037/arc0000029
|-
|Whole book
|Author, A., & Author, B. (year). ''Title of book.'' Publisher.
|Brown, B. (2010). ''The gifts of imperfection: Let go of who you think you're supposed to be and embrace who you are''. Hazelden.
|-
|Edited book chapter with a DOI
|Author, A., & Author, B. (year). Title of chapter. In E. Editor & A. Editor (Eds.), ''Title of book'' (pp. xx–xxi). Publisher. DOI
|Singh, A. A., Hwahng, S. J., Chang, S. C., & White, B. (2017). Affirmative counseling with trans/gender-variant people of color. In A. Singh & L. M. Dickey (Eds.), ''Affirmative counseling and psychological practice with transgender and gender nonconforming clients'' (pp.&nbsp;41–68). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14957-003
|-
|Webpage on a website
|Author, A., & Author, B. (year). ''Title of page''. Site Name. URL

Group Author. (year). ''Title of page''. URL
|American Psychological Association. (n.d.). ''APA divisions''. https://www.apa.org/about/division/
|}
* If a [[Digital object identifier|DOI]] is assigned to the work, give the DOI. If the item is available online but does not have a DOI, and it has a URL that will work, give the URL. Do not give a URL that will not work.
* Always include the publisher in the source element for books and reference works; exceptions to this guideline include when the author and publisher are the same, and in this case, you omit the publisher from your reference.
* In the seventh edition, the title of a webpage is always italic.
* As of the seventh edition, the issue number of a journal is always listed in a reference citation if one is available. Prior to the seventh edition, if the journal cited employed continuous pagination throughout a volume, only the volume number was listed in the reference list.
* According to the seventh edition, it is no longer obligatory to provide the publisher's location when citing a book.

== See also ==
*[[Citation]]
*[[Comparison of reference management software]]
* [[MLA style]]
* [[The Chicago Manual of Style|Chicago style]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
*{{cite book |publisher=[[American Psychological Association]] |title=Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association |location=Washington, DC |date=2020 |edition=7th |isbn=978-1-4338-3217-8}} (spiral bound)
*{{cite book |publisher=[[American Psychological Association]] |title=Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association |location=Washington, DC |date=2010 |edition=6th |isbn=978-1-4338-0562-2}} (spiral bound)
*{{cite book |publisher=[[American Psychological Association]] |title=Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association |location=Washington, DC |date=2001 |edition=5th |isbn=978-1-55798-791-4 |url-access=registration |url= https://archive.org/details/publicationmanu000amer}}

== External links ==
{{wikiversity}}
*[https://apastyle.apa.org/ American Psychological Association's APA Style website]
*[http://irsc.libguides.com/friendly.php?s=APA APA Formatted Paper Template] at [[Indian River State College]]'s Library site.
*[https://extensions.libreoffice.org/en/extensions/show/apa-paper APA Formatted Paper Template] at [[LibreOffice Writer|LibreOffice]] ([[GNU General Public License|GPL]] License).
*[http://owll.massey.ac.nz/referencing/apa-interactive.php Interactive APA] at [[Massey University]]'s OWLL site.
*[http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/ APA resources] at [[Purdue University]]'s Online Writing Lab

[[Category:Academic style guides]]
[[Category:Works about psychology]]
[[Category:Style guides for American English]]
[[Category:American Psychological Association books]]