APA
Abbreviation with 5 meanings
| Stands for | American Psychological Association (style) |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 5 |
| Categories | Writing & Everyday, Government & Politics, Education & Academia, Organizations & Companies, Law & Legal |
APA has five meanings. The most common are American Psychological Association (style) (citation and bibliography) and Administrative Procedure Act (US law); it can also stand for American Psychological Association style, American Psychiatric Association and Asset purchase agreement.
Meanings of APA at a glance
| # | APA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Psychological Association (style) | Writing & Everyday › Citation and Bibliography |
| 2 | Administrative Procedure Act | Government & Politics › US Law |
| 3 | American Psychological Association style | Education & Academia › Academic |
| 4 | American Psychiatric Association | Organizations & Companies › Professional Association and Labor Union |
| 5 | Asset purchase agreement | Law & Legal › Contract |
1. American Psychological Association (style)
Writing & Everyday · Citation and Bibliography Abbreviations · also used in organizations
Names the citation and formatting style of the American Psychological Association, used across psychology, education, nursing, business and the social sciences. The current Publication Manual, the 7th edition, appeared in late 2019 with a 2020 copyright date.
Example: Cite the study in APA format as (Nguyen & Patel, 2021), with the full entry on the reference page.
APA uses author-date in-text citations, such as (Smith, 2020, p. 14), and a reference list with sentence-case article titles, reflecting the importance of recency in the sciences. The 7th edition simplified several rules, including using et al. for three or more authors from the first citation. The association was founded in 1892.
2. Administrative Procedure Act
Government & Politics · US Law Abbreviations
Law of 1946 that governs how federal agencies make regulations and decide cases, requiring notice-and-comment rulemaking for most rules and allowing courts to set aside agency actions that are "arbitrary and capricious" or contrary to law.
Example: The states sued under the APA, arguing the agency ignored public comments.
President Harry Truman signed it on June 11, 1946. In Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (2024), the Supreme Court relied on the APA's judicial review provision to overrule the Chevron doctrine of deference to agency interpretations. In psychology and citation style, APA means the American Psychological Association.
3. American Psychological Association style
Education & Academia · Academic Abbreviations
Author-date citation and formatting style, now in its seventh edition (2019), used in psychology, education, nursing, business and other social sciences. In-text citations give author and year, such as (Smith, 2020), and sources are listed alphabetically under "References".
Example: Format the paper in APA with a title page, running page numbers and a reference list.
The style originated in a 1929 journal article guideline and has been published as the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association since 1952. The seventh edition removed the publisher location from book references and allowed up to 20 authors in a reference. APA also refers to the association itself, founded in 1892.
4. American Psychiatric Association
Organizations & Companies · Professional Association and Labor Union Abbreviations
Professional organization of psychiatrists in the United States, best known for publishing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the standard classification used to diagnose mental illness in the US.
Example: The diagnosis follows criteria in the APA's DSM-5-TR.
Founded in 1844 as the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane, it is the oldest national medical specialty society in the country. The DSM-5 appeared in 2013 and a text revision, DSM-5-TR, in 2022. In 1973 it removed homosexuality from the DSM.
5. Asset purchase agreement
Law & Legal · Contract Abbreviations · also used in business
Acquisition contract in which a buyer purchases selected assets of a business, and assumes only specified liabilities, instead of buying the company's stock. It lists purchased and excluded assets, assumed and excluded liabilities, price adjustments, representations and indemnities.
Example: Under the APA, the buyer takes the customer contracts and equipment but none of the seller's pending lawsuits.
Buyers often prefer asset deals because they can leave unknown liabilities behind and obtain a stepped-up tax basis, while sellers often prefer stock sales for tax reasons. Contracts and licenses may need third-party consent to be assigned to the buyer. In administrative law, APA means the federal Administrative Procedure Act.
Related abbreviations
More citation and bibliography abbreviations
- abr. – Abridged
- AMA – AMA Manual of Style
- anon. – Anonymous
- AP – Associated Press Stylebook
- app. – Appendix
- ARC – Advance reader copy
- bibliog. – Bibliography
- bk. – Book
See all 58 citation and bibliography abbreviations →
More US law abbreviations
- ACA – Affordable Care Act
- ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act
- ADEA – Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- ARPA – American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
- ARRA – American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
- AUMF – Authorization for Use of Military Force
- BCA – Budget Control Act of 2011
- BCRA – Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
See all 104 US law abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.