The rules of APA style are the key to properly formatting many research and academic publications. Primarily used in social and behavioral papers and journals, APA style includes rules for headings, the inclusion of statistics, punctuation and references.
Although the APA format guidelines are established by the American Psychological Association, this writing style is not solely used in psychological publications. APA format may be used when writing in many areas, including education, sociology and anthropology.
There are several editions of the APA style manual. As of September 2010, the most current is the sixth edition. Writers should always consult the most recent available edition for reference.
APA format is used by many writers for many reasons. From a preservice teacher writing a graduate school thesis on educational theory to a research anthropologist working on an academic journal article, APA style guidelines can help to format a variety of papers in the social and behavioral sciences.