APA Citation Style

Introduction: What is APA Style?

You are currently in the module on "APA Citation Style" in a larger tutorial. Each research tutorial includes modules of topics related to the overall tutorial learning objectives. Please go through all the pages in this module by clicking on the “Next” button on the bottom of the page in order to progress. If you would like to track your progress, be sure to log in with your UNCG credentials at the top right of the module. Each module includes Quick Checks on every page. These Quick Checks do not produce a certificate; they are optional and do not track your progress. Certificates are created by completing a whole tutorial, so be sure to complete all the modules within a tutorial in order to generate a certificate. You can also take a screenshot of your progress page. 

UNCG Libraries Research Tutorials Help

Time needed to complete this module: 10 minutes

APA Style logo decorative

Image from APA Style

APA (American Psychological Association) citation style was created in 1929 and is now on its 7th edition, which was released in 2019. This style is most commonly used by scholars in the fields of social sciences, education, and some health sciences.

We cite our sources for 3 main reasons:

  1. To credit to the ideas of others
    It's important to give credit when you're using other people's ideas. Pretending other people's ideas are your own original thoughts is called plagiarism, and it can have severe academic consequences.
  2. To help readers find our sources. Readers might want to find more information about the topic you're writing about. By citing your sources, you can lead them to credible relevant sources of further information.
  3. To support our conclusions
    You're probably not an expert on your topic yet, but by citing the ideas and thoughts of people who are, you give more credibility to your own conclusions.

Citation is also important because it is the policy of the University that all students must follow the Academic Integrity Policy, which requires the use of citations to avoid plagiarism.

Quick Checks:

Next