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APA Citation Style 7th ed.: Getting Started

What is APA Style?

APA Style focuses on making your paper clear. Including all information necessary to understand your syntheses of other papers and allowing others to comprehend your empirical studies.

In the 1920's, psychologists worried about the enormous overload of information, just as we do today. They had no idea what would be coming, but they designed styles that would allow readers to find the important information quickly.

APA Style includes guidance on several aspects of the writing up research.

  • Organization of the paper (Paper Formatting)
  • Grammar and style of writing (Writing)
  • Citations to previous research on the topic (Reference List Citations)
  • Citations that support or contradict your argument (In-Text Citations)

This guide will point you to APA's website for Style and Grammar Guidelines, showing you where to find the information you need. Know that these are the rules for strict APA style. Your professor or program may modify these rules for any courses or assignments.

APA Publication Manual CoverAPA Style logo

APA Website for clear explanations

Useful Info from the APA Style Site

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