The devil is in the details: Introduction to the scientific writing guidelines of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.)

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to summarize the main guidelines of scientific writing presented in the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2020). Specifically, we will focus on the recommendations regarding the structure and content of a manuscript, formatting styles, citations, and references. This paper is useful for students and researchers who are initiating scientific writing and researchers trained to use the previous edition of the Publication Manual. In particular, to facilitate the integration of the revised guidelines, we will also systematize the main differences between the last two editions.