What does APA stand for? For students and researchers, APA stands for the American Psychological Association, the professional group for psychologists in the United States. Its name is also attached to APA style, a set of rules for formatting papers and citing sources that teachers assign in psychology, nursing, education, business and many social science classes.
So when an assignment sheet says "Use APA format," it means follow the association's style manual: how the title page looks, how to cite a source inside your paragraphs and how to list everything in a reference list at the end.
Quick facts
Stands for
American Psychological AssociationType
Initialism, said A P AFounded
1892Best known for
APA style, a citation and paper formatOther meanings
American Psychiatric Association, Administrative Procedure Act, American Planning AssociationNot to be confused with
MLA style, used mostly in English and the humanities
APA stands for an association and a style
| Letter | Word |
|---|---|
| A | American |
| P | Psychological |
| A | Association |
The association was founded in 1892 and has grown into one of the largest groups of its kind. It publishes research journals, sets ethics guidelines for psychologists and produces the Publication Manual, the book that defines APA style. The manual is now in its seventh edition, and each edition updates the rules a little.
Because the style began in psychology, it is built around how scientists write. It puts the date of a source right next to the author's name, since in research, how recent a study is matters a great deal.
What APA format looks like on a paper
- Title page: paper title, your name, school, course, instructor and due date.
- Font and spacing: a readable font, double spaced, with one inch margins.
- In-text citations: author's last name and year in parentheses, as in (Rivera, 2018).
- Quotes: add the page number, as in (Rivera, 2018, p. 14).
- Reference list: a page titled References, in alphabetical order by author, with a hanging indent.
- Headings: up to five levels with set formatting for each.
A reference entry: Rivera, M. (2018). Sleep and memory in teens. Lakeview Press. This tells the reader the author, year, title in italics and publisher, in the order APA requires.
APA vs MLA and other citation styles
| Style | Stands for | Common in | In-text example |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA | American Psychological Association | Psychology, nursing, education, social sciences | (Rivera, 2018) |
| MLA | Modern Language Association | English, literature, languages | (Rivera 14) |
| Chicago | Named for the city of its publisher | History and book publishing | Numbered notes at the page foot |
The biggest visible difference is the year. APA puts it in every in-text citation; MLA uses the page number instead. An assignment sheet with no style named is a cue to email the instructor early, because redoing every citation the night before is painful.
What does APA stand for outside of school?
The same three letters are used by several other groups, so read the setting.
| Field | Stands for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Mental health | American Psychiatric Association | The group of psychiatrists that publishes the main diagnostic manual for mental disorders |
| Law and government | Administrative Procedure Act | A federal law from 1946 on how US agencies make rules |
| City planning | American Planning Association | A professional group for urban and regional planners |
Psychological and Psychiatric are easy to confuse. Psychologists usually study behavior and provide therapy, while psychiatrists are medical doctors who can prescribe medicine. Both groups use APA as their short name.
Tips for getting APA style right
- Collect the author, year, title and source for every item as you research.
- Match every in-text citation to an entry in the reference list, and the other way around.
- Put the reference list in alphabetical order by the first author's last name.
- Use a hanging indent: the first line of each entry sits at the margin and later lines are indented.
- Check your school's writing center handout for the edition your class uses.
Many other short forms appear on syllabi, from GPA to PhD. Find more on the school acronyms hub.
Saying and writing APA
Out loud, each letter gets its own beat, "A P A." On paper the three capitals stand alone, without dots between them. In a sentence, write "an APA paper," because the letter A starts with a vowel sound. People often say "APA format" and "APA style" to mean the same thing, and both are fine.
Questions people ask
What is APA format?
APA format is the paper and citation style set by the American Psychological Association. It covers the title page, spacing, headings, in-text citations and the reference list.
Is APA the same as MLA?
They are different rulebooks. APA puts the year in each in-text citation and is used in the social sciences. MLA uses page numbers in citations and is common in English and the humanities.
What edition of APA should I use?
Most classes use the seventh edition of the Publication Manual, the current one. Your instructor or syllabus has the final word.
Does APA mean psychiatric or psychological?
Both groups use the letters. In school writing, APA almost always means the American Psychological Association and its style rules.
How do you pronounce APA?
Speak the three letters separately: A, then P, then A. Nobody pronounces it as apa.