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APA Citation Style

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APA Citation Style

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Different disciplines (research subject areas) use different citation styles. It is important to use the citation style for the discipline you are writing for, so that you're consistent with the norms of that discipline, making it easier for people in that discipline to follow your research trail.

 

APA style is used by many disciplines, primarily in the social sciences. APA style uses brief in-text citations to point to entries in a list of references.

 

For a more complete guide to APA style, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association Links to an external site. or the APA's Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style Links to an external site..

 

How to Write a Reference List Entry

The list of references appears at the end of your paper and is appropriately titled References (centered at the top of the page). It is double spaced and formatted with a "hanging indent," where the first line of each entry is flush with the left margin and subsequent lines are indented. Your document software should be able to handle a hanging indent for you.

Entries should be alphabetized. If you are listing several works by the same author, order them by year of publication from earliest to most recent. References generally contain the author's name, date of publication, title, and publication data. Some general rules govern names and titles:

  • Authors. Write the last name followed by initials. If there are seven or fewer authors, list them all; if there are eight or more, include the first six followed by three periods and the last author's name. If there is no author, begin the entry with the title.
  • Article or chapter titles. Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, and any proper nouns. These titles appear without italics, underlines, or quotations marks.
  • Journal, newspaper, or magazine titles. Give the full title, italicized, capitalizing all important words as they appear on the source (e.g., The New York Times).
  • Book and report titles. Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, and any proper nouns. Italicize book titles. Any additional information (e.g., edition, volume number) should appear in parentheses immediately after the title.

Common reference list entries

This guide shows the most common references in APA format. For more specific needs, see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association Links to an external site..

Periodicals

Journal article

Cite the author's name, the year and title of the article, the title of the periodical and volume number (in italics), issue number (in parentheses, no italics) and the page numbers. The name of the article should not be italicized, underlined, or placed in quotation marks.

Segal, L., Cole, C., & Fuld, J. (2002). Developing an HIV/AIDS
     education curriculum for Takalani Sesame, South Africa's Sesame
     Street. Early Education and Development, 13(4), 363-378.

Journal article retrieved online

If a digital object identifier (DOI) has been assigned to the article, include it at the end, using this format: doi:xxxxx. If a DOI is available, no other retrieval information is needed. If there is no assigned DOI, give the URL of the journal's home page (which you may need to search online to locate). You do not need to include a retrieval date for journal articles and other static reports. Unless your instructor asks for it, APA does not require database information, since journal coverage in a database may change over time.

If you are using an advance release of the article, write the phrase "Advance online publication" before the retrieval statement. If your document can only be found in an electronic database such as ERIC or JSTOR (e.g., discontinued journals not easily located through their original publishing channels), give the home URL for the online archive. Do not add a period after the URL or DOI.

Cole, C., Labin, D., & del Rocio Galarza, M. (2008). Begin with the
     children: What research on Sesame Street's international
     coproductions reveals about using media to promote a new more peaceful
     world. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 32(4),
     359-365. doi:10.1177/0165025408090977

Journal article with more than seven authors

For a source with more than seven authors, write the first six followed by three periods and the last author's name.

Cole, C., Arafat, C., Tidhar, C., Tafesh, W., Fox, N., Killen, M., . . .
     Yung, F. (2003). The educational impact of Rechov Sumsum/Shara'a
     Simsim: A Sesame Street television series to promote respect and
     understanding among children living in Israel, the West Bank and
     Gaza. International Journal of Behavioral Development,
     27(5), 409-422. doi:10.1080/01650250344000019

Magazine article

Include the month of publication as well as the year (for weekly magazines, include the day). If a volume number is given, it should appear italicized after the title and before the page numbers.

Guernsey, L. (2009, June 1). Sesame Street: The show that counts.
     Newsweek, 153(22), 54.

Newspaper article

Include the exact date and introduce page numbers with p. or pp. If the story appears on discontinuous pages, give all page numbers, separated with a comma (e.g., pp. A1, A5-7).

Shapiro, S. M. (2009, October 4). Can the Muppets make friends in
     Ramallah? The New York Times, pp. MM38-41.

Online newspaper or magazine article

Online newspaper and magazine articles are treated just like the print versions, but replace the page numbers with an online retrieval statement. If the article can be found by searching the publication's home page, use that URL instead of the direct link, to avoid nonworking URLs.

Guernsey, L. (2009, June 1). Sesame Street: The show that counts.
     Newsweek, 153(22), 54. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com

Shapiro, S. M. (2009, October 4). Can the Muppets make friends in
     Ramallah? The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

Books

Entire book

For an entire print book, include the author, date of publication, title of work, location and publisher.

Morrow, R. W. (2006). Sesame Street and the reform of children's
     television. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Guernsey, L. (2007). Into the minds of babes: how screen time affects
     children from birth to age five. New York: Basic Books.

E-book

For an e-book include the author, date of publication, title of work, and then either a doi number or state "Retrieved from" and list the URL. A 'doi' number is a Digital Object Identifier that uniquely identifies the content. The following examples are from the APA Style guide, 6th edition, on page 203.

Shotten, M. A. (1989). Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency
     [DX Reader version]. Retrieved from http://www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/
     html/index.asp

Schiraldi, G. R. (2001). The post-traumatic stress disorder sourcebook:
   A guide to healing, recovery, and growth [Adobe Digital Editions
   version]. doi: 10.1036/0071393722

Entire book with an editor

Use the abbreviation Ed. or Eds. to indicate the presence of an editor.

Fisch, S. M. & Truglio, R. T. (Eds.). (2001). "G" is for
     "growing": thirty years of research on children and Sesame Street.
     Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Reference book

Treat a reference book like any other book.

VandenBos, G. R. (Ed.). (2007). APA dictionary of psychology.
     Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Entry in an online reference book

Do not add a period after the URL. If the online version you consult refers to a specific print edition, include the edition number after the title.

Sulkes, S. B. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, ADD). In 
     Merck manual online. Retrieved from http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec19/
     ch299/ch299b.html

Chapter or reference entry in a book with an editor

First cite the author and title of the specific chapter or entry in a reference book, then the remainder of the book's information. Include the page numbers for the chapter or entry if available.

Aufderheide, P. (1996). Why kids hate educational TV. In Dennis, E. E.
     & Pease, E. C. (Eds.), Children and the media (pp. 21-28).
     New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.

Other Sources

Motion picture

In addition to the name and date of the motion picture, your reference will include information about the producer, director, year, medium, country of origin, and the name of the studio.

Scott, A. (Producer), & Harris, P. (Director). (2006). The
     Muppets: a celebration of 30 years [Motion picture]. United States:
     Henson Associates.

Dissertations and theses

If you access a published dissertation or thesis through a database service, provide the name of that service, as well as the accession or order number. For an unpublished dissertation or thesis, include the name and location of the institution.

Waterhouse, A. C. (1983). A comparison of uses of selected
     attention-eliciting strategies in two seasons of "Sesame Street"
     (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Maryland, College Park.

Document retrieved online (including blogs and videos)

Include as much of the following information as you can find: author's name, date of publication (if none is available, write "n.d."), title of document (italicized), and the URL that will take readers directly to your source. If there is no author, give the title first, then the date. Include the date of access only if the source is undated. If the document comes from an institutional website (e.g., a government agency or academic institution), identify the publisher as part of the retrieval statement: Retrieved from Agency name website: http://www.xxxx

Sesame Workshop. (n.d.). Galli Galli Sim Sim: A lion and
     a little girl speak to India's children. Retrieved from
     http://www.sesameworkshop.org/aroundtheworld/india
Smith, T., Kleiner, A., Parsad, B. & Farris, E. (2003). National
     Center for Education Statistics. (2003). Prekindergarten in U.S. Public
     Schools: 2000-2001 (NCES Publication No. 2003-019). Retrieved from
     National Center for Education Statistics website: http://nces.ed.gov/
     pubs2003/2003019.pdf
Lawson, C. (2009, November 7). Sesame Street celebrates 40th
    anniversary with premiere on November 10th [Web log post].
    Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/11/sesame-
    street-celebrates-40th-anniversary-with-premiere-on-november
    -10th/
Obama, Michelle. (2009, April). Michelle Obama's plea for education
    [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks
    /michelle_obama.html

Business sources (including annual reports and company profiles)

Annual Report retrieved online: When your citation ends in a URL, do not include a period at the end of the citation.

Name of company. (date of report). Form or filing title. Retrieval date
        and title of database or Web address.
Intel. (2009).  2009 Annual Report.  Financial Statements.
     Retrieved September 28, 2010 from
     http://www.intc.com/intelAR2009/financial/operations/index.html. 
Intel  (2009, February 23 ).  Form 10-K.  Retrieved from ThomsonOne
     Banker September 28, 2010.

Reports / Company Profiles from a Database

Publisher or author of report. (date of report). Report Title.
     Retrieval date and title of database or web address.
Datamonitor: Apple Inc. (2010, May). Apple Computer, Inc. SWOT Analysis.
    Retrieved September 28, 2010 from Business Source Complete database.
IBISWorld. (2010, September). Solar Power Generation in the US.  Retrieved
   September 28, 2010 from IBISWorld Industry Market Research database.
Mintel. (20010). Green Marketing - US - April 2010. Retrieved September
    27, 2010 from Mintel Market Research Reports database.
Kolb, E. B. (2010, July 29). Broadcasting, Cable & Satellite. Retrieved
    September 28, 2010 from Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage database.

Apps

Rightsholder, A. A. (year). Title of Software or Program (Version number)
     [Description of form]. Available from http://xxxxx
NASA Ames Research Center. (2009). NASA App. (Version 1.44)
     [Mobile application software]. Available from http://itunes.apple.com/
     us/app/the-elements-a-visual-exploration/id364147847?mt=8

Email and personal communications

Personal communications that are not recoverable by the reader (e.g., email, personal interviews, telephone conversations) are not included in the reference list. Cite them in the text of the paper only.

Reviews and peer commentary

Reviews of books, movies, and other works should include the name and medium (e.g., book, motion picture, television program) of the work under review in brackets, following the name of the review. If the review is untitled, just include the information in brackets (keeping the brackets so readers understand that this is not the title of the review itself). If the review is of audiovisual media (e.g., film, video game), also include the year of release after the title of the work, separated by a comma.

Panero, J. (2008). Brought to you by the letter S [Review of the book 
     Street gang: The complete history of "Sesame Street,"  by M. Davis].
     New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/
     books/review/Panero-t.html

How to use in-text parenthetical references

In APA format, references appear both in the text of the paper and in an alphabetized reference list appearing at the end of the paper. This allows readers to easily follow up on any citations from your paper. Every source that appears in your text must appear in the list of references; every source in the list of references must appear in your text. Be sure to proofread carefully so that author names and dates in both citations match perfectly.

Insert the last name of the author and the year of publication in your text at the appropriate point. If the author is named in the sentence, it may be omitted from the parenthetical citation. If both the name and date appear (rare), you may not need a parenthetical citation. For example, each of the following is valid:

More children prefer Big Bird to Cookie Monster (Smith, 2005).
Smith (2005) found that children prefer Big Bird over Cookie Monster.
In 2005, Smith's study demonstrated conclusively that children prefer
Big Bird to Cookie Monster.

If you directly quote material, provide a page number (or paragraph number for sources without page numbers). If a page or paragraph number would be helpful to the reader in locating specific ideas or paraphrases, APA format also encourages providing them.

Aufderheide (1996) argues that without "help from regulators to shape and
constrain market conditions" (p. 28), we cannot expect the state of
educational television to improve.
From the moment it hit the air, Sesame Street was "a lightning rod for
all sorts of ideas about children and television" (Morrow, 2006, p. 109).

Common forms of in-text citations include:

  • One work by one author. Include the author's name and the year of publication. 
    Smith (2005) conclusively demonstrated ...
... an argument supported by decades of research (Smith, 2005).
  • One work by two authors. Cite both names every time the reference occurs. In the text of your paper, write out the word "and" but use an ampersand in the parentheses and the reference list: 
    as Fisch and Truglio (2001) argue ...
... as has been demonstrated (Fisch & Truglio, 2001).
  • One work by more than two authors. If the work has three, four, or five authors, list all names in the first reference but use only the first author's name and et al. in subsequent references. 
    Segal, Cole, and Fuld (2002) show ... [first reference]
Segal et al. show ... [second reference and thereafter]
    If the work has six or more authors, cite only the last name of the first author followed by et al. in all references in the text. 
    Smith et al. rebut the notion ...
  • No identified author. If the work's author is not named, use the first few words of the reference list entry (usually the title) and the year. Use double quotations for titles of articles, chapters, or web pages, and italics for periodicals, books, or reports. If, however, the author is specifically designated as "Anonymous," use "Anonymous" as the author for parenthetical citations and the reference list. 
    ... was the best show ever ("Study Finds," 2009).
  • Two or more works in the same sentence. Order the citations alphabetically, as they appear in the reference list. If you have two or more works by same authors, order them by year of publication (from first to last). If there is more than one work published in the same year by the same author, assign each one a letter: a, b, c, etc. 
    (Aufderheide, 1996; Morrow, 2005)
(Smith 2006, 2008a, 2008b)
  • Secondary or indirect sources. Whenever possible, go directly to the original source. If necessary, however, include the secondary source in the reference list and include both the secondary and original sources in the text. 
    Henson's letters (as cited in Smith, 1999)
  • Personal communications. Although unrecoverable personal communications (e.g., interviews, email) do not appear in the list of references, they should be cited in the text, giving the last name and initials of the communicator. 
    B. S. Schneider (personal communication, July 4, 2008)