The term "APA" refers to a style of writing and formatting that was created by the American Psychological Association.
The purpose of a style guide is to provide uniformity in the style and layout of writing, particularly academic writing. This makes it easier to read and understand academic writing, and using a style guide also lends credibility to the document being written.
There are several different style guides in use today - for example, you may have heard of the APA Style, MLA Style, or Chicago Style. You may also see some of these styles mentioned as you conduct research in one of the library's databases.
The APA style is primarily used in the social, behavioral, and health sciences, and it is the University of Fairfax's official style.
The APA guidelines put forth in this style guide follow the guidelines found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition.
APA standards provide rules on the following:
