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Publication Manual and Other Style Products
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Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020)
Known for its authoritative, easy-to-use reference and citation system, the Publication Manual also offers guidance on choosing the headings, tables, figures, language, and tone that will result in powerful, concise, and elegant scholarly communication.
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Concise Guide to APA Style, Seventh Edition
Designed specifically for undergraduate writing, this easy-to-use pocket guide is adapted from the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
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Reporting Qualitative Research in Psychology
This guidebook shows researchers how to use the Journal Article Reporting Standards for Qualitative Research (JARS-Qual), the Mixed Methods Article Reporting Standards (MMARS), and the Qualitative Meta-Analysis Reporting Standards (QMARS).
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Reporting Quantitative Research in Psychology
This thoroughly expanded book provides practical guidance for understanding and implementing the Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS) and Meta-Analysis Reporting Standards (MARS) for quantitative research.
Style and Grammar Guidelines
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Style and Grammar Guidelines
APA Style guidelines encourage writers to fully disclose essential information and allow readers to dispense with minor distractions, such as inconsistencies or omissions in punctuation, capitalization, reference citations, and presentation of statistics.
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Tables and Figures
Tables and figures enable writers to present a large amount of information efficiently and to make their data more comprehensible. APA Style guidelines for tables and figures help ensure that visual displays are formatted clearly and consistently, thus contributing to the goal of effective communication.
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Spelling and Hyphenation
Guidelines for spelling and hyphenation ensure that writers use consistent spellings for terms within and across works. In general, spelling and hyphenation should match the spellings given in either the Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary or the APA Dictionary of Psychology.
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Research and Publication
The guidelines on these pages help authors navigate the research and publication process, including determining what information to include in their research report, preparing a manuscript for submission to a journal, and communicating with editors and reviewers during peer review.
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References
References provide the information necessary for readers to identify and retrieve each work cited in the text. Consistency in reference formatting allows readers to focus on the content of your reference list, discerning both the types of works you consulted and the important reference elements with ease.
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Punctuation
Punctuation establishes the cadence of a sentence, telling readers where to pause (comma, semicolon, and colon), stop (period and question mark), or take a detour (dash, parentheses, and square brackets).
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Paper Format
Consistency in the order, structure, and format of a paper allows readers to focus on a paper’s content rather than its presentation. To format a paper in APA Style, writers can typically use the default settings and automatic formatting tools of their word-processing program or make only minor adjustments.
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Numbers
Writers may report numerical information about participants (number of participants, demographic information such as age, etc.) as well as the results of statistical analyses. Even writers who are not conducting empirical research often use statistical information to support key points.
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Lists
Lists help readers understand a related set of key points within a sentence or paragraph, but ensure all items are syntactically and conceptually parallel.
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Italics and Quotation Marks
Italics are used to draw attention to key terms and phrases when providing definitions and to format parts of reference list entries. Quotation marks are used to present linguistic examples and titles of book chapters and articles in the text.
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In-Text Citations
APA Style provides guidelines to help writers determine the appropriate level of citation and how to avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism. We also provide specific guidance for in-text citation, including formats for interviews, classroom and intranet sources, and personal communications; in-text citations in general; and paraphrases and direct quotations.
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Grammar
The grammar and usage guidelines in the Publication Manual represent only the most common areas of concern for writers—verbs, pronouns, and sentence construction.
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Capitalization
APA Style is a “down” style, meaning that words are lowercase unless there is specific guidance to capitalize them.
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Bias-Free Language
Writers using APA Style must strive to use language that is free of bias and avoid perpetuating prejudicial beliefs or demeaning attitudes in their writing. Topics covered: age, disability, gender, participation in research, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality.
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Abbreviations
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase; abbreviations of phrases are often composed of the first letter of each word of the phrase (i.e., acronym). To maximize clarity, use abbreviations sparingly.
Seventh Edition Blog
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APA Style Blog
Style experts from the American Psychological Association share tips and background about writing in APA Style.
Instructional Aids
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Instructional Aids
Handouts, guides, and sample papers, all of which can be printed, downloaded, and used while writing your papers.
