The American Psychological Association provides resources for understanding psychology, finding research, planning education and using APA Style. The quickest route depends on what you need to do: learn about a topic, locate a study, format a citation or investigate a training program.
This independent Yenra guide maps those tasks to official resources and explains what to check after you arrive. It is not an APA publication or an endorsement of a particular program, practitioner or product.
Check the full name and purpose
The American Psychological Association is a scientific and professional organization concerned with psychology. Its work includes research communication, education and professional resources. The American Psychiatric Association is a separate organization that also uses the abbreviation APA. Use the full name and website when following a reference.
APA Style is a system for scholarly communication. It helps readers follow a paper and locate its sources; a correctly formatted citation does not, by itself, establish the quality of the cited research. Similarly, professional membership, program accreditation and a license are distinct pieces of information.
Start with the resource that matches your task
Swipe sideways on a narrow screen, or focus the table and use the arrow keys.
| Your task | Official starting point | What to do there |
|---|---|---|
| Understand a topic | Psychology topics | Read an overview, check its date and follow research references for important claims. |
| Find research literature | APA database product guide | Distinguish an index, a search platform and a full-text collection; check library access. |
| Format a reference or paper | APA Style resources | Follow official examples and instructional aids that match the work and assignment. |
| Explore education and work | Become a psychologist | Compare subfields and career paths, then verify local requirements. |
| Check a training program | APA-accredited program search | Match the exact program and training level, and read its current status. |
Many explanatory pages are publicly available. Database records, full text, manuals and other products can have different access arrangements. Start through your library when you have one, and check what its subscriptions include before purchasing access.
Move from a question to a study you can evaluate
The database names describe different functions. PsycInfo is an abstracting and indexing resource. PsycArticles provides full-text journal content. PsycNet is a platform for searching APA content. A result in an index is not a promise that the full article is included in your access.
APA's PsycNet quick reference guide (PDF) explains searching, including combining concepts with AND, alternatives with OR and phrases in quotation marks. Interfaces can change, so use the help for the platform supplied by your library.
- Write a focused question. “Does color affect recognition of natural scenes?” is more searchable than “color psychology.”
- List the main concepts and alternatives. For this example, try color or colour, recognition memory, and natural scenes. Start broad enough to see the terminology authors use.
- Inspect the record. Note the title, authors, publication year, journal, abstract and DOI. Check that the study concerns your task and population.
- Obtain the full text when needed. Use library access, an available author manuscript or a librarian's assistance. An abstract is useful for screening but may omit important methods and limitations.
- Record what the study supports. Identify the comparison, outcome and limits. Follow relevant later research before treating a single result as settled guidance.
If a search returns little, remove an overly narrow filter or try the subject terms attached to a relevant record. If it returns too much, add the task or population. Save your search wording and date so you can understand what you have and have not looked for.
Use APA Style to make the source traceable
Begin with your assignment or publication instructions and the required style edition. Through the official APA Style resources, choose the example for the actual source type: a journal article, book chapter, webpage or another work. A page hosting a PDF may merely be the delivery route; inspect the document to identify what you are citing.
Collect the author, date, title and source information from the work itself. Compare a citation manager's output with the appropriate example, checking names, capitalization, missing fields and the DOI or URL. Then follow the reference yourself to make sure another reader can reach the intended work.
Keep your claim, supporting passage or finding, and full source details together in your notes. This makes it easier to distinguish quotation, paraphrase and your own interpretation when writing. Use the official guidance for edge cases rather than guessing from a superficially similar citation.
Use the right authority for programs and practitioners
For training, the APA accreditation resource identifies programs and their current status. Read the record carefully and confirm that it corresponds to the degree, location and training stage you are considering. Ask the program about outcomes and ask the relevant credentialing authority how the preparation relates to your intended role.
For a practitioner's authorization, check the relevant regulator. The ASPPB directory of psychology licensing boards provides routes in the United States and Canada. Match the person's identity, license category and current status on the official register. Association membership and a program's accreditation answer different questions from an individual's license.
The psychology career comparison guide provides a worksheet for tracing roles, training and credentials. For a general health concern, use educational material to prepare questions for qualified care; a research database or professional association website does not assess your individual needs.
Sources and related reading
Sources are linked beside the relevant explanations. Information and resource routes checked October 7, 2026. Worked scenarios are illustrative.