LibGuides: Psychology: APA Style

APA Style

The American Psychological Association (APA)

The APA (American Psychological Association) Style Manual is most commonly used by writers of social science papers. It offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, tables, and reference pages.

7th ed.

APA 7th ed. Quick Guide
Cal State LA Library's overview of the in-text citations and references for some of the most common source types.

Excelsior College OWL- APA Guide
General formatting rules and examples from the 7th and 6th eds.
Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style Guide
Purdue University's Online Writing Lab is the go-to trusted resource for quick and easy to understand information on writing style and citation.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) by American Psychological Association
Call Number: Level 1 Service Desk BF76.7 .P83 2020
ISBN: 9781433832154
Publication Date: 2019-10-01
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) is the official source for APA Style.

Legal References from USC
How to cite Federal and State court cases, laws, statutes, and other legal materials.

What's New in the 7th edition for 2020?

A new 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is now available.

Make sure to check with your instructor for what edition to use on your papers. After the new release, many instructors may continue to use the 6th edition.

Purdue Owl: Changes in the 7th Edition
This resource presents a list of important differences between the sixth and seventh editions.
Introduction to the 7th edition of The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
More information on the 7th Edition from APA

6th Edition

APA Guide
6th Edition Guide to APA

Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style Guide
Purdue University's Online Writing Lab is the go-to trusted resource for quick and easy to understand information on writing style and citation.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association Staff
ISBN: 9781433805615
Publication Date: 2010-01-01

Citation Managers

Citation Managers can help you create, gather, store, and organize citations.
Create an account and get started today!

RefWorks

A subscription service for Cal State LA students, faculty, and staff.

RefWorks This link opens in a new window
RefWorks is a web-based citation manager that allows you to create, organize, and manage your citations. References can be imported from the library catalog OneSearch, online databases, text files, websites and more.
The purpose of these tools is to simplify the process of documenting sources in a research paper, master thesis, or other project requiring references. Users can create and manage collections of references using a web browser, import references from a number of online databases, create bibliographies that can be inserted into word processing documents, shared among colleagues, and more.
To learn more about the new RefWorks, go to the New RefWorks Guide.

Refworks Help Guide
This guide walks you through the steps of creating a New or Legacy Refworks account, creating a bibliography, and provides links to tools you can use with Refworks.

Adding a Style to RefWorks Write-n-Cite for Word
Only the most popular citation styles are automatically loaded into the RefWorks tab in Word. Follow these instructions to add an additional style from dozens available.
Using Footnotes & Endnotes
Special instructions for using footnotes and endnotes with RefWorks.

Zotero

A free and open source program that anyone can use, therefore, you will retain access after graduation.

The standalone program that works with Windows, Mac, or Linux systems
Install the browser plug-in for Firefox, Chorme, and Safari.
When you download, a Microsoft Word plug-in will automatically install allowing you to easily add in-text citations and reference lists.

Zotero
Create and account and download Zotero to get started.

Zotero Quick Start Handout

CSUDH Zotero Guide
More info about Zotero from Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Zotero not showing in Word
After you download Zotero if the Word add-on it does not automatically install in, or disappears later use this quick tip to re-install.
In the Zotero app, select Edit--Preferences--Cite--Word Processors-- Install Microsoft Word Add-In.

Quotes and Parapharasing

Researching, arguing a position, laying the foundation for scientific experiments, and all other academic pursuits begin with studying the work of others and using this work to inform our own. It is absolutely crucial to give credit to those who's work you use, and this is done using direct quotations and paraphrasing, and always citing your sources. Not to do so would be considered plagiarism. Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are treated as extremely serious violations of ethical conduct and may result in suspension or expulsion from the University.

A Quote is the exact wording used by the original author. Example:

"The primary reason we sentence individuals to jail or prison is to punish them for the criminal offense(s) they have committed against society." (Bayley 2009)

Paraphrasing, is rewriting another's words or ideas in your own words, often summarizing or synthesizing a larger text, while still giving the original author credit for their ideas. Example:

Bayley argues that prison should be thought of as a punishment, and not a deterrent for others not to commit a crime. (2009)

Bruce Bayley, "Custody vs. Treatment Debate: Deterrence—The Two Great Lies," CorrectionsOne, July 1, 2009.

For more information view these guides on quoting and avoiding plagiarism:

Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing at Purdue OWL

Quoting and Paraphrasing at The University of Wisconsin

Quoting Materials at Plagiarism.org

Sentence templates
Derived from Graff's book They say, I say, these sentence templates can help guide you in introducing others ideas and arguments as well as your own.

Annotated Bibliographies

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive / evaluative paragraph, called the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

Citation or Reference
- In the style (APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.) your professor assigns
- Styles follow the conventions of the discipline and provide information about a source such as the creator, date, and location to lead the reader directly to the source.
Annotation
- A brief summary of the source (1-2 sentences), may include
  - Author's background
  - Argument or conclusions
  - Methods used or types of sources consulted
  - Limitations of the research
  - Evaluation or criticism of the work
- Discussion of how the source is relevant to your research (2-3 sentences) may include how the source gives your paper:
  - Background and context
  - Evidence or examples
  - The scholar's argument supports or contradicts your argument

Sample Annotated Bibliography with Research Question
Annotations should express how the material will help you answer your research question. This sample includes a research question and each annotation relates to that question.

More examples:

Purdue Owl Annotated Bibliographies
Examples of annotations in MLA, APA, and Chicago Style.
UNC Writing Center Annotated Bibliographies
Includes MLA and APA examples.
Spartanburg Community College Annotated Bibliography Examples
MLA and APA examples that use graphics to highlight aspects of annotations.

University Library

Psychology