Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS)

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History of APA's Journal Article Reporting Standards

Since its creation in 1929, APA Style has been updated regularly to address the changing needs of scholarly writing.

Through this process, APA has also introduced reporting standards for writing journal articles.

Formally introduced in American Psychologist in 2008, APA's Journal Article Reporting Standards officially became part of APA Style with the publication of the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

In 2018, APA published two new sets of journal article reporting standards in American Psychologist.

These new reporting standards revised and expanded the original quantitative guidelines and added new sets of qualitative and mixed methods standards.

APA Style JARS Timeline

APA publishes two articles in the January American Psychologist (Vol. 73 No. 1).

In addition, American Psychologist editor-in-chief, Anne E. Kazak, wrote Editorial: Journal Article Reporting Standards (PDF, 96KB) to serve as a companion to the two articles.

This marks the first time APA develops qualitative research standards.

Related Books Published

Cover of Reporting Quantitative Research in Psychology, Second Edition (small) Reporting Quantitative Research in Psychology: How to Meet APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards, Second Edition
By Harris Cooper
July 2018
This thoroughly expanded book provides practical guidance for understanding and implementing the Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS) and Meta-Analysis Reporting Standards (MARS) for quantitative research.

Cover of Reporting Qualitative Research in Psychology (small) Reporting Qualitative Research in Psychology: How to Meet APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards
By Heidi M. Levitt
December 2018
This guidebook shows researchers how to use the Journal Article Reporting Standards for Qualitative Research (JARS-Qual), the Mixed Methods Article Reporting Standards (MMARS), and the Qualitative Meta-Analysis Reporting Standards (QMARS).

APA Style CENTRAL adds the tutorial "How to Report Scientific Research," which was based on Harris Cooper's book Reporting Research in Psychology: How to Meet Journal Article Reporting Standards.

The P&C Board votes to update and expand APA's journal article reporting standards and develops two working groups, one to update and expand the existing quantitative reporting standards, and another to develop qualitative and mixed methods reporting standards.

APA Books publishes Reporting Research in Psychology: How to Meet Journal Article Reporting Standards by Harris Cooper.

The book, intended for students, expanded on the journal article reporting standards presented in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition.

Note that an updated version of the book, Reporting Quantitative Research in Psychology: How to Meet APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards, Second Edition, will be released in July 2018.

APA adapts the 2008 article "Reporting Standards for Research in Psychology: Why Do We Need Them? What Might They Be?" for the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association as an appendix.

Approved by the P&C Board in Summer 2007 and again in Spring 2008, American Psychologist publishes the article "Reporting Standards for Research in Psychology: Why Do We Need Them? What Might They Be?" in the December issue (Vol. 63, No. 9). This article focused exclusively on reporting standards for quantitative research.

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