APA (American Psychological Association) is a widely accepted format for writing research papers, especially for social science research. It regulates the citation of academic documents and the writing methods of reference documents, as well as the arrangement of tables, charts, footnotes and appendices. Another well-known paper format is MLA style manual, which is mainly used in humanities, such as literature, comparative literature, literary criticism and cultural studies.
Format?
Although some authors are not satisfied with some specifications of APA format, APA format is still highly respected. Using journals with the same format can enable readers to browse and collect documents efficiently. Scholars who feel uncertain when writing find such a format manual very helpful. For example, the chapter "Non-discriminatory Language" in the manual explicitly prohibits authors from using discriminatory words against women and vulnerable groups, but academic journals using APA format sometimes allow authors to ignore this rule in order to make articles more organized.