APA Style Guide - 7th: What is APA?

Start Here

This guide is designed to help you understand the APA style rules. To jump directly to citation examples, click "Reference Page Citation Examples" on the left.

All materials posted in this online guide are for APA 7th, the most recent edition. To see the guide for the previous version, APA 6th, click on the link below.

If you are unsure about which edition you should use, please check with your professor.

APA 7th edition:

Previous, APA 6th edition:

What is APA? What does APA style mean?

APA is a particular style or format (a set of rules, essentially) for structuring an essay or a research paper in the social and behavioral sciences. The style helps your professor see exactly where you found the research that you add to the paper and lays out exactly how the paper should look (margins, titles, page numbers, etc.).

The guide is a joint effort by CSN Library Services and the CSN Writing Center.

The guide is a joint effort by CSN Libraries and the CSN Writing Center.

Last updated July 2020