APA format is the official style used by the American Psychological Association (APA) and is commonly used to cite sources in psychology, education, and social sciences. The basic guidelines for APA format were laid out in a 1929 article published in Psychological Bulletin.. These guidelines were eventually expanded into the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. APA format may seem difficult, but it will become easier once you familiarize yourself with the rules and format.
General Rules for APA Format
APA format dictates a number of specific guidelines for in-text citations and references. In virtually all instances, citations that appear in the text of your paper should be listed in the reference section. Learn more of the basic rules for documenting your sources in APA format:
General Rules for APA Format
In-Text Author Citations in APA Format
Author citations should follow the basic author-date format, but there are a number of different guidelines for citing authors in APA format. The following guidelines and tips offer a number of examples for different situations:
In-Text Author Citations in APA Format
In-Text Article Citations in APA Format
The basic structure for citing articles that appear in journals and other periodicals follows the author-date format. APA format citations should include the author’s last name, followed by the date of publication. The following article offers useful examples to help you check your own work:
In-Text Article Citations in APA Format
Author References in APA Format
Before you create reference sections for your psychology papers, you should check out examples of APA format references for books, articles, and other sources. The structure of the reference varies somewhat depending on who authored the source and how many authors are credited. You can find examples of author references in the following article:
Author References in APA Format
Article References in APA Format
The rules for APA format provide guidelines for referencing articles that appear in academic journals and other periodicals. Article references will vary somewhat based on where the article appears and who authored the content. You can find specific examples of article references in the following article:
Article References in APA Format
Book References in APA Format
The basic structure of an APA format book reference includes the author’s last name, first initials, publication year, book title, location, and publisher. You can find specific examples of basic book references, edited book references, and translated book references in the following article:
Book References in APA Format
Electronic Sources in APA Format
There are a number of special style concerns for referencing electronic sources in APA format. Online documents, journal articles, databases, online communications, and message boards all have unique referencing requirements. If you are looking for specific examples and tips for referencing electronic sources, check out the following article:
Electronic Sources in APA Format
