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Hoffman Family Library Resources

Library Resources for All Students [Undergraduate and Graduate]

What is APA?

As a University student, you will be required to write and cite your papers, discussions, and projects in the APA format. APA style was created by the American Psychological Association. APA tells you how to format and cite your work. There are many styles, such as MLA and Chicago, but at Goodwin University, we only use APA.

Why do we use APA?

  • for uniformity in formatting
  • so readers can quickly find key points and sources
  • so readers can focus on content rather than differences in formatting

Why do we reference and cite?

There are two main purposes for references and citations:

  1. To give credit to any other author's information/works you used
  2. To allow readers/your instructor to see where you got the information from

References are listed at the end of your paper in a list. Citations are based on the reference list and scattered throughout your paper to see which information came from where. References and citations work together to create a road map of where all of your information came from.


References

American Psychological Association. (2023, March). About APA style. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/about-apa-style

Bookmark these resources created by your Librarians. Please reach out to us with any questions! Academic Writer assists with formatting papers and references in the APA format, and the Academic Integrity & Plagiarism guide provides resources and information on academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism.