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This Guide was created by Carolyn Swidrak (retired).
APA introduced the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association in October 2019. A major change from the 6th edition is that the 7th edition addresses specific style formats for student papers (as opposed to professional papers to be submitted for publication). See the Student vs. Professional tab for more information on the differences between student and professional formatting.
We can teach you how to set up your paper, cite the sources within your paper, and format your reference list. Drop by, call, or email! Let us know if you need help!
Learning how to cite properly is important. Good citations help the reader locate the sources you used. Giving proper credit for your sources is necessary in order to prevent plagiarism.
This guide provides basic APA information and points you to more in-depth information on other websites. APA format is complex and takes time to learn. You can figure it out with the assistance of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) and various online guides. Librarians are also available to help. Keep in mind that your professor has the final say on format, so always check with your professor as well.
APA Style® originated in 1929, when a group of psychologists, anthropologists, and business managers convened and sought to establish a simple set of procedures, or style rules, that would codify the many components of scientific writing to increase the ease of reading comprehension.
As with other editorial styles, APA Style consists of rules or guidelines that a publisher observes to ensure clear and consistent presentation of written material. It concerns uniform use of such elements as
APA Style rules and guidelines are found in the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
This book is an essential purchase. Your writing tutor or the Regis librarian will refer to various pages within this book when answering questions.
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037.0000165-000
The APA maintains a searchable blog that addresses questions from users. It is located at https://apastyle.apa.org/blog
Keep in mind that this is a searchable blog!
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) provides a comprehensive online guide to using APA.