2. APA Documentation

The documentation conventions discussed here reflect the guidelines set out by the American Psychology Association in its most recent Publication Manual (6th ed., 2010). The APA standards were chosen by Franklin because they represent the most commonly used guidelines for the psychological and behavioral sciences, which are research areas informing many applied fields of study involving human interaction, from business administration to computer interface design. Like most scientific citation styles, the APA guidelines represent an author-date system, as opposed to an author-title system (like MLA or Chicago styles).

Author‐date citation systems, since they always present the date immediately after the author, highlight the currency of research, which is imperative to consider when judging the relevance of empirical studies. However, the APA documentation guidelines can accommodate a variety of kinds of sources, not just published scientific research. For some of your coursework, the timeliness of the study may not be as important as the influence of the author or the publication itself; likewise, conclusions of experiments may be less important than original wording presented by well‐spoken authors or important individuals. As you determine how to introduce and cite your references in the course of your paper, decide how best to apply APA guidelines to achieve your overall purpose for writing.

• 2.1. The Basics of APA Documentation
• 2.2. Formatting In-text Notes
• 2.3. APA Reference Lists