What was APA format formatting establish?

APA formatting guidelines were developed by the American Psychological Association (APA) in order to standardize the formatting of academic papers and manuscripts in the field of social sciences. The first publication of the APA guidelines took place in 1929 under the title of Psychological Bulletin. The purpose of establishing these guidelines was to ensure consistency, clarity, and effective communication of scientific research findings and ideas within the field.

The APA format covers a comprehensive range of formatting aspects, including the structure and organization of the paper, such as headings and subheadings, citation style, referencing system, font, margins, line spacing, and more. The main objective is to enable efficient retrieval, comprehension, and accurate documentation of research sources, enhance readability and coherence, and allow for proper formatting of references and in-text citations to ensure appropriate acknowledgement and credit to previous works and sources. By following the APA formatting style, authors and researchers contribute to the field's coherence and facilitate the effective dissemination and validation of research findings.