Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

This is not my favourite format for several reasons, not the least of which is because the footnote/endnote notations do not include first names of authors (a big minus in my estimation). However, the system is a tried-and-true one, and one that shows little sign of decreasing in popularity among its adherents.

That being said, this manual is not for the basic student or author. It does include sections on grammar and usage, but these are meant to be refreshers or references rather than teaching sections. The part that most people will use, the sections on citations in footnotes, endnotes, and in-line/in-text references, is somewhat inadequate here, as the internet and other forms of media have all expanded beyond the scope of the fifth edition. I find that, when I am forced to put something into the APA framework, I am invariably having to go to the internet rather than my guide (or other guides, such as Diana Hacker) because the reference forms simply aren't there.

My first choice of reference form would be the MLA style; APA is somewhat lacking and somewhat confusing in many cases, but for those who need to follow this format, this is one of the better references available.


A research bible   April 9, 2003
 8 out of 10 found this review helpful

As a post-graduate muddling to create a psychology PhD matching the specifications expected, I have found the APA publication manual as a literal bible. In addition to the reknown excellence of the APA in the United States, many psychological PhDs in the United Kingdom are constructed to that style outline by the APA publication manual. Often when I have a question that my advisor can not answer, the APA publication manual can.


This manual is not neutral   June 8, 2000
 2 out of 11 found this review helpful

Se also my review of this book on Amazon.com.(This review supplies new information to that).

Regarding bibliographical system (in the text and in the reference list), I prefer the APA style much compared to number systems (where you have to change all numbers every time you add or delete a reference). There is one point, however, where I find the APA bibliographical standard unacceptable: The abbreviation of all first names. Many people would like to know the first name of the people, whith whom they communicate. More important, with many names (e.g. Smith), this system produces confusions.

Also read this interesting analysis: R. WalshBowers (1999): Fundamentalism in psychological science - The Publication Manual as ''Bible''. Psychology of women quarterly, 23(2), 375-392 Drawing from social historical studies and critical feminist perspectives on psychological method and report writing, WalshBowers analyzes the content of the fourth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 1994) as if it were a biblical text. The focus is on the correspondence between the espoused intention of sensitivity toward participants and the codes of investigative conduct made explicit and implicit in the manual. Specifically, definitions of research, research roles, ethical standards, writing style, and gender issues are examined. Then the manual's function as a fundamentalist bible in relation to psychologists' culture, including socialisation of psychology students and the production of research articles is discussed. The author concludes with recommendations for investigative and compositional


Still needed and still valued.   December 11, 1998
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

The fourth edition of the APA *Manual* is, despite some of the flaws others have noted, very useful to those studying or working within the social sciences. While our current breed of word processing programs have indeed been a great benefit to academic writers, we cannot forget the orgins of academic writing linger from long before the computer age. This book offers a complete and varied guide to how to write for a field of disciplines. I would compare it to the *American Medical Association's Style Manual* as I also use this reference quite often in that both books truly offer a great deal of information that is useful in science-related writing. We are lucky to have something that is this complete.


Software Help Available   November 10, 1998
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

Hillysun.com offers software compatible with MS Word V6 that automates the formatting of APA papers. The Manual is still handy to have, but the software, FormatEase, saves a lot of time!