Why the APA citation style?

During Searchlight Basic you learned that when quoting or paraphrasing, you have to show where you obtained the original text. That way, you demonstrate that you have not conceived the text yourself and it enables the reader to verify the information at its source. By meticulously mentioning your sources, you ensure that your readers take you seriously.

These quotes are governed by strict rules, the citation styles. This is useful, because as an author you will not have to make up how to write down a quote. As a reader, you can see at a single glance how a quote is made up, quite convenient if you need to plough through numerous publications and bibliographies.

Many fields of study use their own citation style, which means there are hundreds of different styles. As a result, you will be able to quickly recognise source acknowledgements in the literature you are reading for your research.

The APA citation style is commonly used, by Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, among others.