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These terms can be confusing because they have no clear, set definitions. For instance, APA Style has been characterized by these writing elements: clarity, literal writing, and brevity (Vipond, 1993). But other types of writing could share these characteristics; for example, would you not want an owner’s manual to be clear, literal, and brief? Sure, but owners’ manuals are not written in APA Style (at least not the manuals we have read). For clarity here (and for our purposes), we define APA Style as a writing approach that embodies objectivity, credibility of sources, and an evidence-based approach. For instance, objectivity implies a certain level of detachment and formality; APA Style does not typically involve passionate stories written to resemble the dialogue between characters in a play or sitcom. Objectivity also implies distance and balance in approach. Scientists writing in APA Style address variables, hypotheses, and theories (which could involve studying emotion and passion) and how they affect behavior generally. Scientists do not typically write about specific individuals (with the exception of descriptions of case studies). Objectivity in APA Style also obligates the writer to avoid biased language and to respect the power of language and labels.

APA Style necessitates an approach that respects and preserves the chain of evidence and how science builds on previous findings and refines theoretical explanations over time. An example is the citations an author uses to support claims made in scientific writing. When you see the flow of a sentence or paragraph interrupted by names and years in parentheses, this is the author giving credit for ideas—exemplified by someone writing about how to optimize teaching and learning (Gurung & Schwartz, 2009). Listing the last name of the author (or authors) and the year when the work was published provides evidence for the writer’s claim and makes readers aware of the continued refinement of theories from one scientist’s work to the next. Giving credit where credit is due also helps avoid plagiarism (see Chapter 5 for details on avoiding plagiarism). Taken as a whole, APA Style is one important component of what helps the author of a journal article—and, correspondingly, the research presented in it—reflect scientific objectivity.

For our purposes, APA format is what makes a journal article “look” scientific. APA format refers to the precise method of generating your article, manuscript, or term paper by using the rules set forth in the Publication Manual. When we refer to “APA format,” we mean the nitty-gritty details of how your written work will appear on paper: the margins, the font, when to use an ampersand (“&”) and when to use the word “and,” inserting the correct information in the top 1-inch margin of your paper, when to use numerals (“12”) and when to spell out numbers (“twelve”), how to format tables with only horizontal lines, and how citation styles in the text vary with the number of authors. These details address the appearance of an APA-formatted paper. And now, because APA has recently issued a new edition of its manual, you also need to make sure you understand whether your instructor wants you to write the paper in sixth edition or seventh edition APA format.

An EasyGuide to APA Style (4th ed.) is written for students who are learning to write in APA Style using APA format. Why not just rely on the “official” book, the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (hereafter known as the PM; APA, 2020)? The PM is not evil. And if your instructor thinks you should purchase it, then you probably should. But you should know that the PM was not written primarily as a guide to help students learn to write better. (That is the purpose of this book.) The PM was originally written to provide guidance to researchers on how to submit journal article manuscripts for consideration to be published in the scientific literature. However, it is clear that the PM has evolved into much more than an instruction set and is now a prescriptive collection of rules (format) and writing advice (style) aimed at facilitating and fostering scientific research. Could you actually use our EasyGuide as a replacement for the PM? We think so, but be sure to follow the advice of your instructors. After all, they are the ones who are reading, grading, and providing feedback. That said, beware the itty-bitty style guides that are often required for English composition or first-year writing classes. It may be nice to have one book with all the major styles in it, but books such as these often do not provide all the key information needed and, therefore, are rarely a good substitute for the real thing—or better yet, for a resource such as the one you now hold in your hands.

Here is an analogy to consider when thinking about the PM: The 2020 rulebook for Major League Baseball is 192 pages long; knowing the rules to baseball may be important to a baseball player, but just knowing the rules will not make you a better baseball player. However, if you add tons of baseball practice with feedback from knowledgeable sources (such as coaches, experienced players, books, and videos), you can become a better ballplayer over time. We want this book to be one of those knowledgeable sources you consult on a regular basis to improve your scientific writing throughout your undergraduate career. Combined, the three of us have taught for a long time and have read and graded thousands upon thousands of pages of student papers. We take you behind the scenes of writing and point out major common errors so you can avoid them. We have organized this book to make it easy to find the information students typically need to have when learning APA Style to write papers, which is sometimes not the case with the PM.