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 a clear and consistent presentation of written material. It concerns uniform use of such elements as
This guide was created with thanks to the Librarians at University of South Carolina's Thomas Cooper Library.
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020) has now been published. Make sure to know if your professor is expecting you to conform to the new citation standards. Beginning in the Fall of 2020, there will be two separate guides one for 6th Ed. and one for 7th Ed.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by USC Upstate Library - Citation Documentation Philosophy
The USC Upstate Library supports student learning and information literacy. Therefore, the library offers tools and resources for students to create their own citations and make informed decisions about citation styles. The experience of creating citations offers students the opportunity to learn about the parts and elements of citations. The process of creating citations strengthens both decision making and critical thinking skills. The familiarity of citation principles is imperative when the accuracy of a citation comes into question. The library offers many print and online citation style resources. The library encourages students to consult these resources to create their own citations basing them on established guidelines.