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Summary: Should Have This for Proper Citation Formats
Review: Once one gets used to finding the proper categories this can help for proper structure and citation. There's not much more to say about this than give out one big YAWN....
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Summary: Here we go again...
Review: Only a few minor adjustments from previous editions make a new edition seem almost redundant. However, the hanging indent is back, and the information on referencing electronic media has been updated to reflect greater use of the internet in research. Overall, a useful resource.
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Summary: Great Resource to Have
Review: Orginally purchased for a graduate class I was taking, however, I've found that I am referring to this classic reference guide for most formal papers and business proposals. If you write formal propoals this is a great resource to have in your personal library.
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Summary: Very Difficult, But Necessary
Review: 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.
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Summary: Brand new
Review: Outstanding product with outstanding service. Excellent pricing made this product an even better buy that going to the mall bookstore to buy it. Very happy with this book!
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Summary: The APA Style and Format Scavenger Hunt
Review: 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.
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Summary: Necessary ...
Review: Since I am not one for thumbing through big style mannuals myself, I attempted to utilize the hardbound pocket styleguide dispensed during my freshman year of college for as long a humanly possible. Well, graduate school realities of "perfect citation style at all costs" soon put a damper on my hopes for cost-cutting. Doing great on my papers, trudging down to the library to borrow their reference-only copy was a major pain. It was in my best interest to obtain a personal copy of this book for future reference. While the book format could be laid out easier (who on earth seriously designs books with a "numbered semicolon" section style, I am simply grateful I actually followed impulse and bought the mannual for permanent use. Next time, I am going to be proactive and purchase updates ahead of time!
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Summary: It serves its purpose: but it is very cumbersome!
Review: The "bible" from the APA is by know means flawless. Ok, it tells you how to write a paper or disertation in accordance with the APA. However, one is very reluctant to actually use it since it is not very user friendly. The idea to have both numeric numbers and page numbers does not make any sense and the idex is not very well developed.
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Summary: Boring but Required
Review: 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 Judy Collins novel, but because academic journals editors will smile with a satisfied look while reading your writing. Anthony Trendl
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Summary: Still needed and still valued.
Review: 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.
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