Citation Styles

American Psychological Association Style, or APA Style, is generally used by disciplines within the social sciences.

Disciplines Using APA Style Include But Are Not Limited to:

• Business
• Communication
• Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Education
• Engineering
• Nursing
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Social Work

This guide is divided into several sections: The main page provides an overview of APA citation style, defines who should use it, and identifies print and online sources. The additional sections discuss the basic guidelines for using APA style 7th edition in in-text citations and the reference list, including examples of various resources.

Citation styles change over time; the advent of the Internet and the increasing number at material types (web pages, e-journals etc.) have contributed to some of these changes. When using a specific citation style, be sure to use a resource that reflects the current edition, such as the official style manual or additional resource listed above.

Print copies of the most current edition — the 7th edition — are available in the following ASU Library locations:

APA Style Website 

Many of the APA style guidelines and most commonly needed citation examples can be found at the official APA Style website: 

• Style and Grammar Guidelines 
• Reference Examples
• Handouts and Guides
• Inclusive Language Guidelines
• Plagiarism

Additional APA Resources:

• APA Citation Style 
  Tutorial developed by the ASU Library for learning about APA Style. 
• Purdue OWL APA Formatting and Style Guide
  ​​Online resource from Purdue University that provides information to online reference materials and services for creating citations, formatting papers to particular styles, and more.
• APA Style Blog
  Offers opportunities to ask citation style questions and get help from the APA community, especially when the answer cannot be found easily in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Please note: These online sources are helpful in resolving citation style questions. However, they are not the official APA Style guide, but rather interpretations of the citation style and may be prone to inaccuracies. Always consult the official style manual first for the most accurate information.