Official APA Style Guide
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Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: The Official Guide to APA Style by
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition is the official source for APA Style. With millions of copies sold worldwide in multiple languages, it is the style manual of choice for writers, researchers, editors, students, and educators in the social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, nursing, communications, education, business, engineering, and other fields. 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. It guides users through the scholarly writing process--from the ethics of authorship to reporting research through publication. The seventh edition is an indispensable resource for students and professionals to achieve excellence in writing and make an impact with their work. The seventh edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect best practices in scholarly writing and publishing. All formats are in full color, with a new tabbed spiral version Improved ease of navigation, with many additional numbered sections to help users quickly locate answers to their questions Resources for students on writing and formatting annotated bibliographies, response papers, and other paper types as well as guidelines on citing course materials Dedicated chapter for new users of APA Style covering paper elements and format, including sample papers for both professional authors and student writers New chapter on journal article reporting standards that includes updates to reporting standards for quantitative research and the first-ever qualitative and mixed methods reporting standards in APA Style New chapter on bias-free language guidelines for writing about people with respect and inclusivity in areas including age, disability, gender, participation in research, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality More than 100 new reference examples covering periodicals, books, audiovisual media, social media, webpages and websites, and legal resources More than 40 new sample tables and figures Expanded guidance on ethical writing and publishing practices, including how to ensure the appropriate level of citation, avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism, and navigate the publication process Guidelines that support accessibility for all users, including simplified reference, in-text citation, and heading formats as well as additional font options
Publication Date: 2020
The 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2020) is the most current APA guide available. It is not available online.
Print copies are available in Mills, Thode, and Health Sciences Libraries.
• APA Style (APA)
• How Do I Cite in APA (McMaster University Library)
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NOTE: This guidance is subject to change as each style develops its standards. Please check with the publisher of each style for the most current guidance, or consult with your instructor or a librarian.
UPDATE (September 9, 2025): The APA Style Team has published three new posts exploring issues and providing guidance surrounding citing generative AI. Please visit these posts for further guidance:
UPDATE (February 23, 2024): APA Journals has published policies on the use of generative AI in scholarly materials. These guidelines are for authors submitting their work to APA scholarly publications. The new guidance is as follows:
For this policy, AI refers to generative LLM AI tools and does not include grammar-checking software, citation software, or plagiarism detectors.
- When a generative artificial intelligence (AI) model is used in the drafting of a manuscript for an APA publication, the use of AI must be disclosed in the methods section and cited.
- AI cannot be named as an author on an APA scholarly publication.
- When AI is cited in an APA scholarly publication, the author must employ the software citation template, which includes specifying in the methods section how, when, and to what extent AI was used. Authors in APA publications are required to upload the full output of the AI as supplemental material.
When citing AI-generated output, the APA Style team notes in their blog post that it's essential to credit:
- The creators of the AI model
- The specific version of the model you used
The APA Style team is currently seeking recommendations from APA Journal editors related to manuscript byline credit, plagiarism, and related ChatGPT and AI topics. APA Style guidelines based on those recommendations will be posted on the APA Style site.
If using an AI model in your research and/or writing, include a description of how you used the model in an appropriate section of your paper, e.g., in your methods section, or, for a literature review or response paper, in your introduction.
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Official APA Style Blog: How to Cite ChatGPT (Blog post, April 7, 2023, updated February 23, 2024)Includes examples for:
1. Quoting or reproducing the text/output created by ChatGPT in your paper
2. Creating a reference to ChatGPT or other AI models and software