Drawing from social historical studies and critical feminist perspectives o
n psychological method and report writing, I analyze the content of the fou
rth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Associa
tion (APA, 1994) as if it were a biblical text. focus on the correspondence
between the espoused intention of sensitivity toward participants and the
codes of investigative conduct made explicit and implicit in the manual. Sp
ecifically, I examine definitions of research, research roles, ethical stan
dards, writing style, and gender issues. I then discuss the manual's functi
on as a fundamentalist bible in relation to psychologists' culture, includi
ng socialization of psychology students and the production of research arti
cles. I conclude with recommendations for investigative and compositional a
lternatives.