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Intro
The APA Style was developed in 1929 by a group of psychologists, anthropologists, and business managers who wanted a set of simple guidelines for scientific writing.
APA Style is the established writing conventions of the American Psychological Association and is used by professionals and educators in disciplines such as psychology, sociology, nursing, health sciences, natural sciences, economics, business and more.
Why Is APA Style Needed?
Uniformity and consistency enable readers to (a) focus on the ideas being presented rather than formatting and (b) scan works quickly for key points, findings, and sources.
Style guidelines encourage authors to fully disclose essential information and allow readers to dispense with minor distractions, such as inconsistencies or omissions in punctuation, capitalization, reference citations, and presentation of statistics.
When style works best, ideas flow logically, sources are credited appropriately, and papers are organized predictably and consistently. People are described using language that affirms their worth and dignity. Authors plan for ethical compliance and report critical details of their research protocol to allow readers to evaluate findings and other researchers to potentially replicate the studies. Tables and figures present data in an engaging, consistent manner.