Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association Reviews

• Possibly Written by Beelzebub Himself

  
  By A2NOZB6VZCTOI4 on 2004-02-20
  I am enrolled in a graduate program that, unfortunately, requires all papers to be written in APA format. APA is far and away the least useful or user friendly format ever devised (although a professor friend disagrees and thinks Chicago style is worse), and is largely used by social scientists. Since I am not enrolled in a social science curriculum, you might expect that I would be spared this horror, but someone sold the Dean an APA bill of goods (probably Beelzebub himself.) My theoretical question here is what, exactly, qualifies the American Psychological Association to develop a style and format for research papers? Wouldn't English teachers and linguists be more qualified, as in MLA format? Why is APA more qualified than say The Airline Pilots Association, or The National Prune Anti-Defamation League to develop a writing style? Just a question.

  I figured that since I was stuck using this fiendish format, I should learn to use it correctly. My school put out a "Users Guide to APA Format", but it is very general and almost totally ignores documenting electronic (internet) sources; thus, I bought this book. I am generously giving this book two stars inasmuch as most (but not all) reasonable situations are addressed in it, but the format of the book is virtually incomprehensible and frequently sends you to multiple different places to answer a simple question. (This shouldn't surprise me given the lack of logic found in APA style in general, I suppose.)

  Unfortunately even the latest (fifth) edition is woefully inadequate in answering very basic questions on documentation of internet sources, particularly addressing situations in which quotations from internet sources are included in a paper. The index is, likewise, next to useless, as looking anything up (if it happens to even be in the index, itself and unlikely development) will result in a wild goose chase of referencing around the book. This is but only one reason the entire format may be more useful to psychologists than those in the hard sciences.

  What the guide IS full of is useless trivia, for instance a section on the APA "Policy on Metrication" (needless to say APA mandates metric units), and a definition of "HSD" as "Tukey's honestly significant difference (also referred to as the Tukey a procedure)." While I am not saying that metrication or Tukey's honestly significant difference aren't important (though I am inclined to), I am saying that a book that dwells on minutia like that should definitely cover the basics of references, formats and citations first. Like I said, most (but not all) of the information actually is here, but good luck finding it.

  Perhaps APA should put out a guide for using this guide. Better yet, perhaps any format so cumbersome to use and needlessly intricate should be dumped altogether for a better format, like MLA. At this point I'm even willing to try Chicago style.
  
  

• Unhelpful Guide about an Unenlightening Style

  
  By A2B9Y0WXNSN17U on 2004-05-06
  Like some of the other reviewers, I am in a program of advanced study in which APA is the "accepted" style of citation for scholarly research. As we can see, APA is an absolutely dreadful citation style, especially with its prohibition of footnotes, leading to incomprehensible paragraphs in which your prose is murdered by names and dates in parentheses. The lack of required page numbers in your citations also allows you, if you're so inclined, to transform your references into all sorts of unsupported speculation and conjecture, and no reader will be able to prove or disprove what you're saying. I realize that arguing about the merits of APA style is not the same as reviewing the merits of this book. But the weaknesses in the core citation style are so prevalent that it would be impossible to create a book of this nature with any sort of usefulness.

  Now let's get to the trouble with this particular book. First, it is unnecessarily humungous, trying to beef up the very thin body of APA citation requirements (which by the way can be found for free all over the internet) with hugely unenlightening chapters on basic writing style and methods. Infinitely better guides on how to actually write and conduct research can be easily found elsewhere. Even when you do want to find instructions on the core requirements of APA citation style, this is an annoyingly difficult task in this atrociously organized and indexed book. A thin and under-compiled index sends you to hard-to-find section numbers rather than page numbers. And finally there is the practice of this book's publishers to promote a "new edition" which is merely the same as before with a couple of new entries, sold with a new cover and of course a new full price. In case you're wondering, about the only new information in this edition concerns how to reference websites and online publications. Once again, this info can be found for free on the internet, while you could also spend a pittance on a used copy of the supposedly "outdated" previous edition.

  This book gets two stars because it is nominally useful (at least in theory) if you're stuck with it. But if you find yourself required to use the talent-crushing APA style in your attempts to write something of importance, first try to convince your mentors that APA is inherently anti-intellectual. Then find a way to get out of any requirements to buy this unhelpful book, and find the information on the internet instead. [~doomsdayer520~]
  
  

• The APA Style and Format Scavenger Hunt

  
  By on 1998-03-20
  Problem: You are a student or professional of the Social Sciences; you must write research papers. You are required to follow APA style and format for your writings. Action: You acquire the APA "bible," its Publication Manual, 4h edition. Problem: You now search for answers to your APA style and format questions. You scavenge for hours. Action: You know that the information you need is all there, but where? You experience the Psychological Rite of Passage known as the "Twilight Zone of Altered States of Reference Logic." Problem: The Manual is not intuitive. Solution: Develop your own cognitive cues and frames to make sense of the book's layout. Even though I was familiar with its third edition, I still used lots of post-it stick-em things temporarliy attached to sections. And then get on with it.
  
  

• Software Help Available

  
  By on 1998-11-09
  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!
  
  

• Still needed and still valued.

  
  By on 1998-12-11
  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.
  
  
• Boring but Required
  By A3FVAWZNKW9GX on 2002-06-14
  The "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association" is one those boring but necessary books that eventually will be on your shelf whether you like it or not. It is on mine.
  
  Those of us who make a living by combining words into sentences acquiesce to collecting various style manuals. You know the list: MLA, Chicago, APA, and for those with a journalistic or marketing bent, the AP. The social services, many teaching journals (not all), and of course, most psychological journals require using the APA style for white papers, essays and the like.
  
  Style formats make life easier on the editors you write for, and the APA does that job precisely.
  
  I fully recommend "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association," not because it will make you smile like a Barbara Cartland novel, but because academic journals editors will smile with a satisfied look while reading your writing.
  
  Anthony Trendl
  editor, HungarianBookstore.com
  
  
• Here we go again!
  By A227TY3FDIBI2Q on 2002-02-19
  Here we go again... more minor changes to APA style! The hanging indent is back, we don't have to type long lists of author names anymore, and we can now use parentheses (woo-hoo!).

  If you need to prepare manuscripts in APA style and don't have a previous edition of the manual, then you need this book. Though it remains relatively user-unfriendly, it is nonetheless the bible of manuscript preparation.

  If you already have the fourth edition... determine how many of the changes in the fifth edition apply to your work. If you mostly write "plain vanilla" research reports and your reference lists mostly consist of ordinary journal articles, you may be able to get by with some handwritten notes in the margins of your old book.
  
  

• "THE" APA Manual - Extremely Useful but not an Easy Read
  By ASELCLDC13F52 on 2002-05-07
  First things first. This is "THE" APA Manual. You will be using this if you are writing any academic papers in the social sciences - period. Like most manuals of style, it is extremely insightful in many ways, and just as idiosyncratic in others. Oh, and it is not an easy read. *Get over it!* If you are opening this book for the first time anytime within 90 days of your due date, you've got bigger problems, trust me!

  The 4th edition is somewhat changed from the 3rd edition, and the 5th edition is little changed from the 4th, so the economist in me says that it pays to buy the less expensive and just as useful 4th edition.

  In conclusion, this is actually a useful book, though it is less than optimally organized and not exactly a page-turner. Still, if you are in the social sciences, you have to use it, and use it you will. Get past all the "my gawd, I can't believe how fast 5 years flew by, I'm out of extensions and all of a sudden my paper is due" frustrations. Get a copy, learn how to use it and use it well - just like you've done with a million other less than user-friendly, yet essential references.

  Good luck!
  
  

• Small changes, big headaches
  By A2UXN6BPYCNHGD on 2001-10-15
  As an ABD-PhD candidate who's required to use APA format (and halfway through a dissertation using APA 4th edition), the small changes in this latest edition do little to add clarity and readability to a manuscript, but much to frustrate: Underlining references has been replaced with italics; after utilizing first-line indents in a Reference list (easier for a word processor) we've now gone back to second-line hanging indents; and none of these changes are clearly discussed in a "Revisions in the 5th Edition" chapter, you need to find them on your own in each chapter. I appreciate the updated guide for citing electronic resources, but the remainder seems to be aimed at "buy yet-another version" rather than major improvements and substantive changes. Maddening! If you're required to use it, you're stuck. Otherwise, keep the old 4th edition.
  
  
• 5th Edition APA Publication Manual
  By A2MSWQW6L9X18O on 2002-10-18
  Even though there are only a few changes to the 5th edition, I would recommend getting it. It is too confusing to use an older edition especially if you are pressed for time or have never used this type of manual before.

  Also I recommend marking your book with tabs such as in the "Reference Citations in Text" section or the "Reference List" chapter. Marking the book with tabs helped me find my way to the information that I needed over and over again. I've tended to use the same type of references throughout my graduate courses.
  
  

• "Unashamedly prescriptive"
  By AICAXV4WTM78A on 2000-05-02
  A Danish professor in psychology, Franz From, once said about this manual that if he had to follow these rules, he would not be able to contribute to psychology. Franz From represented phenomenological psychology, which did not consider American behaviorism to be an ideal, contrary to. It is well known that there exist different approaches in psychology and the social sciences. Few people consider, however, that this is not restricted to the choice of methods and subject matter, but also concerns the way papers are written and the scientific communication system is designed. In a way it is paradoxical, that a manual on how to write psychological papers do not consider psychological and related research on the writing process. The most valuable critique about this manual comes from people who are connected to COMPOSITION STUDIES, e.g. Charles Bazerman (1988) and the psychologist Douglas Vipond (1993). There have also been a debate on this manual in American Psychologist.

  The view, that there are objective, neutral rules for human behavior (incl. doing research and writing) can be termed positivism. The opposite view, that such rules have consequences for what can be done (and therefore implicit priorities for what should be done) can be termed non-positivism. In my view positivism simply can be proved wrong. If we are going to advance psychology or other (social) sciences we should not built on wrong premises. My own professional interest in this manual, and in the epistemological debate about this manual is connected to my research in information science. Information science is about storage and retrieval of documents, texts and "information". In the coming age of full text electronic documents we have to know as much as possible about their composition, and the factors, that influences the way they are composed. Here I find composition studies to be one important contributor.

  Bazerman, C. (1988). Shaping written knowledge: The genre and activity of the experimental article in science. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.

  Hjørland, B. (1997). Information seeking ans subject representation. An activity theoretical approach to information science. Westport, Connecticut & London: Greenwood Press.

  Vipond, D. (1993). Writing and Psychology. Understanding writing and its teaching from the perspective of composition studies. Westport, Connecticut & London: Praeger.
  
  

• Spiral-Bound Wonder
  By A1FZX8NC9ASSY9 on 2003-07-01
  When I originally purchased the current edition, I bought it in a regular binding and immediately regretted it upon first use. This spiral bound edition allows it to lay flat so that when you are trying to confirm the style, you don't have to lay two other books on top of it to make it work. BUY THIS EDITION IF YOU HAVE TO USE APA.
  
  
• If required to write in APA, you can't live without it
  By A22S7D0LP8GRDH on 2004-01-03
  If you have any need to write in APA, this book is a must. This is the standard by which your work will be judged. If you are not familiar with APA format, you may find this book very unwieldy and confusing at first. A great way to get started is to just open it to page 306-320, which is a sample paper written and formatted in APA style. Each salient feature is denoted with a comment balloon referring you to the applicable section of the guide. This simple technique should get you started.
  Many people complain about the overabundance of seemingly useless and needless information. However, I feel that the completeness of the guide is its strength. The guide deals with every facet of the a concern in a very thoughtful, complete way. Sometimes I find myself laughing at the completeness that the guide gives a particular topic, but at times when I am seeking to answer a specific formatting, grammar, or organizational question, I am extremely thankful for that completeness.
  This book is indispensable, one of my most-referred-to reference materials. If you are writing an APA style paper for a class in school and won't ever need to use it again, go to the public library at borrow it. If you will be writing often, you should definitely buy it. No matter what, don't write an APA-style paper without it.
  
  
• Sadistic at Best.
  By A2NOZB6VZCTOI4 on 2004-02-21
  I am enrolled in a graduate program that, unfortunately, requires all papers to be written in APA format. APA is far and away the least useful or user friendly format ever devised (although a professor friend disagrees and thinks Chicago style is worse), and is largely used by social scientists. Since I am not enrolled in a social science curriculum, you might expect that I would be spared this horror, but someone sold the Dean an APA bill of goods. My theoretical question here is what, exactly, qualifies the American Psychological Association to develop a style and format for research papers? Wouldn't English teachers and linguists be more qualified, as in MLA format? Why is APA more qualified than say The Airline Pilots Association, or The National Prune Anti-Defamation League to develop a writing style? Just a question.
  
  I figured that since I was stuck using this fiendish format, I should learn to use it correctly. My school put out a "Users Guide to APA Format", but it is very general and almost totally ignores documenting electronic (internet) sources; thus, I bought this book. I am generously giving this book two stars inasmuch as most (but not all) reasonable situations are addressed in it, but the format of the book is virtually incomprehensible and frequently sends you to multiple different places to answer a simple question. (This shouldn't surprise me given the lack of logic found in APA style in general, I suppose.)

  Unfortunately even the latest (fifth) edition is woefully inadequate in answering very basic questions on documentation of internet sources, particularly addressing situations in which quotations from internet sources are included in a paper. The index is, likewise, next to useless, as looking anything up (if it happens to even be in the index, itself and unlikely development) will result in a wild goose chase of referencing around the book. This is but only one reason the entire format may be more useful to psychologists than those in the hard sciences.

  What the guide IS full of is useless trivia, for instance a section on the APA "Policy on Metrication" (needless to say APA mandates metric units), and a definition of "HSD" as "Tukey's honestly significant difference (also referred to as the Tukey a procedure)." While I am not saying that metrication or Tukey's honestly significant difference aren't important (though I am inclined to), I am saying that a book that dwells on minutia like that should definitely cover the basics of references, formats and citations first. Like I said, most (but not all) of the information actually is here, but good luck finding it.

  Perhaps APA should put out a guide for using this guide. Better yet, perhaps any format so cumbersome to use and needlessly intricate should be dumped altogether for a better format, like MLA. At this point I'm even willing to try Chicago style.
  
  

• Don't waste your money.
  By A15DUYUK11DVYK on 2003-06-03
  As a graduate student in psychology, I suggest that the best way to learn APA style is to obtain a copy of a manuscript from a TA or your academic advisor. This book is ineptly organized and its own "style" is stultifying. The only saving grace is that it includes "pictures" of text formated in APA-style. A big complaint is that the Publication Manual pretends that the only kind of article written by psychologists involves presenting the results of an empirical investigation. Another is the unwieldy and illogical system of citation (especially of material found on the Web). Also, I would like for the publishers to at least acknowledge that what is actually published in professional journals often bears no resemblance to the format required for submission. Whatever you do, do not buy the APA Style Helper software.
  
  
• Very Difficult, But Necessary
  By A18M68DE1Y6W51 on 2003-09-16
  Out of all the stylebooks I have had occasion to use as a professional editor, I have found this one to be the most difficult to follow and understand--the most difficult to master.

  I am not a psychologist, but I am a professional medical editor, and I feel sorry for those who must follow this style when writing theses, articles, book chapters, and other items for publication. In addition, I find some of the APA's requirements (particularly in the references, which have their own unique style quite unlike most others) incomprehensible.

  That having been said, this book is a must for those who want to be published by the APA, and those who are editing for same. Once it has been read many times, and key passages put to memory, it is not as hard to understand--but it shouldn't be so hard. The section on figures and tables, however, is a truly excellent primer, for any professional writer, not just those in the health care professions.

  My grade: C plus.
  
  

• Great book...BUT
  By A3363Y1AGRZ1KC on 2004-05-14
  This book is extremely easy to use. Full of information and most of my teachers use it as a foundation for grading our papers...however, the text is written in a light font. It makes it very hard to read. I have to hold the book at an angle and keep moving several times. I even went to a book store and found the book, hoping that perhaps this book was faulty. Unfortunatly, this was not the case. Too bad, its a good product, just hard to read, especially when you're tired, you don't need to straining your eyesight to make it better to see. It's a shame. It is a terrific book, easy to follow, with plenty of do's and don'ts etc.

  The book is so good. I am seriously contemplating taking it to a Kwik Kopy and photocopying the entire book at a darker print to make it easier to read. The book is THAT GOOD.
  
  

• The must-buy version
  By A2BCDZO1XQLDH on 2002-09-21
  Hard to review a style manual - they are all a pain in the butt to live/write with. However, this spiral bound version is the best, you can lay it down without having to type one handed while you consult it! Any price premium for the spriral binding is worth it, don't buy the regularly bound one, trust me!
  
  
• Adequate, But Not User Friendly
  By AA1RWTCPF8VAQ on 2005-01-06
  I bought this book as a required text for a graduate degree program that requires papers to be written in APA style. While one can certainly find answers to all sorts of APA reference and citation questions that come up when writing a paper, the truth is you often have to dig for it in a text that is dense and not logically laid out. The process can often be frustrating. Since this book is put out by the APA, many colleges require this particular reference book for students who must use APA style. As any student knows, however, one needs a book that is clear and easy to use -- particularly when so many of these "style" guidelines seem arbitrary and not always logical. Grabbing this book in the midst of writing a paper is bound to make you more frustrated. I urge students to seek out better reference books and think all of us students should lobby the universities to which we pay so much money to find reference books that make our lives easier, not more difficult.
  
  
• Most complete guide to APA style
  By A1EYOCS3GILL6W on 2005-11-09
  Let's face it -- The Publication Manual of the APA isn't going to make Oprah's Book Club anytime soon. I'm not going to offer a review of which publication style is better (MLA, Chicago, or APA). That's irrelevant. The question one should ask is: Does this book provide an adequate guide to publishing in APA style?
  
  Yes, it does.
  
  This is a textbook, not a novel. As one reviewer sourly pointed out, it isn't compelling. It's not meant to be The Ultimate Guide to Harry Potter Fan Fiction. It's a concise guide to APA style.
  
  If you are looking for no-nonsense complete information on APA style, this is the best and most authoritative guide on the market.
  
  If you're looking to be entertained instead of educated, then buy yourself a copy of Eats, Shoots and Leaves.
  
  
• You can't write a paper without it!
  By A1WTCSBFHDKJMS on 2002-02-21
  I found this version a lot more "user friendly" than the previous version, which I thought was very confusing. The fact that this resource is offered as "spiral bound" makes it a plus also.

  The sections that deal with proper grammar and punctuation use are logically formatted and easy to understand. After writing a couple of papers using this book I can honestly say that I am "getting the hang" of using the APA format.
  
  

• I'd hate to see the previous editions
  By on 2004-01-23
  If this is the improved edition, I'd HATE to see the others. There is no other way to say this...this book has the most constipated, illogical, completely un-user friendly format I have ever seen in any reference book. Use it if you want to spend hours thumbing through looking for some pattern for the format of the book. You "might" be able to locate the specific information you're looking for if you're lucky.

  Here's an example. They give you this big-ol' list at the beginning of the reference section which lists everything you'll find in that section. Okay...that's good. Then you go to the section you want (say, section 19) and "great!" you find the general topic you want. All the sudden, BLAM, Section "l9" refers you to example forty-something and you have to flip-flip-flip to get to an example, which should have logically been in section 19 to start. Arrgh! Don't send me somewhere else to get an example...give it to me in that section!

  There is also a didactic, confusing numbering system. For example, 3.02 is for commas, but then you're referred to section 3.48 for exceptions. Geez...just put them there in the comma section...there's only 7 exceptions.

  If someone is smart, they'll write a book to help grad. students read this book. Okay...okay...so the book is not just for grad. students, but still....it's used by them and recommended to them as the definitive guide. In my opinion, this is complete wasted money. I'm sure I'll be able to find the relatively basic information I need for in-text citations, reference page, etc. on the web. The authors need to sit down and think about EVERYONE who uses this book.
  
  

• Useful reference, but could be better
  By A1J93EGDYK0IWA on 2006-08-22
  There are plenty of criticisms of the APA format in the numerous reviews below. Unfortunately, it is a style that those of us in the psychology field must adhere to.
  
  This book is useful as a reference and contains a lot of information that you need to know. However, it is poorly organized and not always easy to find what you need easily in the index.
  
  Also, this book is weak in terms of how to cite Internet sources. This is a major shortcoming in my opinion. I also think the whole book can be more clear in its presentation.
  
  There are many Internet resources on APA style. Many schools post these and perhaps some of you will find that you can get by with these.
  
  
• it sucks...but you have no choice!
  By AGZM4K17J4CRU on 2006-01-09
  Yes, this book sucks. The index is terrible, it is impossible to find anything in the index so you are reduced to have 27 tabs sticking out of your APA manual. However, it is your bible when you're writing/editing an APA paper, so you're stuck with it.
  
  It is incredibly confusing and frustrating, especially the sections on number rules and citing internet sources. The sample papers could be more detailed.
  
  The sections on writing style are actually helpful. I teach an undergraduate writing course where APA style is required and these rules (e.g, conciseness and clarity) are helpful for students.
  
  So...in sum: this book sucks, but if you need to use APA style this is the best one you can get. Be prepared to embark on a journey of post-it tabs!
  
  
• APA Publication Manual
  By A2PWNIRZJSJRP2 on 2001-07-15
  I continue to be disappointed with the APA Publication Manual in its fifth iteration. Though it maintains its cause, it is less than adequate on clarity and user friendliness. I would think after five tries one would get it right.
  
  
• For Graduate Studies, this is a must!
  By A3CZGU81UBB8BM on 2004-07-26
  The index in the back of the book, lay out of the pages, and division of chapters provides ease of use for even the beginning level writer of a term paper.
  
  I returned to college, to obtain my Masters, after a twenty year absence. The spiral bound version of this work is an essential resource that I can not do without!
  
  Well designed, with good ease of use.
  
  Class of 2005
  
  
• The trials and tribulations of APA
  By A1F46T50D6ZO7G on 2005-04-21
  Publications Manual for the American Psychological Association. ISBN: 1557988102.
  
  This book lies in the category of ironing clothes, shoveling snow and doing taxes: it is necessary but not pleasant.
  
  This book is extremely not user friendly. It is organized in such a way that the most relevant information on how to format references is in the middle (pages 232 - 281); one has to jump around to different sections, and try to glean the information necessary to write a footnote, endnote or reference page.
  
  However, this is the new standrda for referncign in the social sciences. Mastery of this format, and this book are key. Once you have gained a working knowledge, you can switch to the software, that prompts you as you go, or use the smaller companion booklet.
  
  
• Does the job...
  By AXPVCV1CQOYIA on 2005-10-13
  If you need to know APA style, this book covers all the bases and is pretty user-friendly. Although I have seen this book with a spiral binding that might be easier to use, being able to leave one page open to refer to.
  
  
• it's not Amazon's fault....
  By A2EGXSBTZ91MYV on 2001-10-04
  ...that the APA keeps making us (psychologists, psych students, etc.) buy new editions of this lovely volume.... it's only slightly different from the last version, but it's just enough to drive anyone batty. Worth the purchase ONLY if writing psychological papers is in your future and if you are completely unfamiliar with APA style.
  
  
• APA Manual - The discourse of the discipline.
  By on 2004-03-12
  APA Manual - The discourse of the disciplinary regime.

  Simply stated, this book is poorly organized and makes the reader wade through many pages in an attempt to find the `correct answer.' The object? - because I are studying under a disciplinary regime and must conform to what the knowledge experts tell us is real.
  
  

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