APA STYLE

APA: In-Text Citations

For all in-text citations except for those following block quotations (see below), the reference is placed immediately before the final punctuation mark of the sentence that refers to that source. In all citations, elements (such as author, publication year, and page number) are separated from each other by commas.

For Exact Quotations:

In the examples below, the citations indicate page number (using the abbreviation "p."). One may also use chapter numbers ("Chapter 6"), paragraph numbers ("para. 4"),section numbers, equation numbers, table numbers, or any other organizational numbering that exists in the source to indicate the reference for a citation.

Rule: Introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author's last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses. Put the page number in parentheses at the end of the quotation before the ending punctuation mark.

Example:

As Davis (1978) reported, "If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists" (p. 26).

Rule: When the author's name does not appear in the signal phrase, place the author's name, the date, and the page number in parentheses at the end of the quotation. Use commas between items in the parentheses.

Example:

"If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists" (Davis, 1978, p. 26).

Rule: When the quotation is more than 40 words in text, do not use quotation marks, but indent the quotation into its own block of text. Note that for blocks of text, the citation follows the final punctuation of the quoted text.

Example:

Students having a hard time finding databases isn't a new phenomenon. At the University of Washington, they have problems too.

With the addition of so many new databases to the campus online system, many students were having difficulty locating the database they needed. At the same time, the role of Session Manager had evolved. The increased importance of the Session Manager as a selection tool made it a part of the navigation process itself. (Eliasen, 1997, p. 510)

For Paraphrased Ideas:

In general, no quotation marks are required when paraphrasing ideas. Likewise, page numbers or other indication of specific parts of a source are not necessary unless a specific part of the text is being referenced.

Examples:

According to Davis (1978), when they learned of an ape's ability to use sign language, both linguists and animal behaviorists were taken by surprise.

When they learned of an ape's ability to use sign language, both linguists and animal behaviorists were taken by surprise (Davis, 1978).

Additional Circumstances:

Rule: Work with two authors: In the first reference to work, list both authors.

Examples:

Patterson and Linden (1981) agreed that the gorilla Koko acquired language more slowly than a normal speaking child.

Koko acquired language more slowly than a normal speaking child (Patterson & Linden, 1981).

Rule: Work with 3-5 authors: In the first reference to such a work, list all authors.

Example:

The study noted a fluctuating divorce rate in Middletown between the 1920s and the 1970s (Caplow, Bahr, Chadwick, Hill, & Williamson, 1982).

In subsequent citations, use the first author's name followed by "et al." (note the period after the word "al").

Example:

While the incidence of wife abuse may not be higher than in the past, the researchers found that women were more willing to report it (Caplow et al., 1982).

Rule: Work with 6+ authors (for first and subsequent citations).

Example:

Communes in the late 1960s functioned like extended families, with child-rearing responsibilities shared by all adult members (Berger et al., 1971).

Rule: Work by an association, government agency, or corporation.

Examples:

First citation: (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 1996)

Later citations: (NIMH, 1996)

Rule: When citing from a source that does not provide page numbers (such as an electronic source), use paragraph numbers if available, or the name of the section followed by the number of the paragraph within that section.

Examples:

(Myers, 2000, para. 5)

(Beutler, 2000, Conclusion section, para. 1)

Rule: When citing from a source with no author given, or when citing from legal materials, use the first few words of the reference list entry (usually the title) and the year as your citation. Place article, web page, chapter, and section titles in double quotation marks, and italicize the titles of books, periodicals, reports, and websites. When a work's author is designated as "Anonymous," cite in text the word Anonymous followed by a comma and the date: (Anonymous, 1998).

Examples:

("Former FBI Agent," 2007)

...as seen in Preparing for the GRE (2003).

APA: Print Sources

Presented below are examples of citations as they may appear in a works-cited page. The examples are meant to be illustrative and do not encompass every possible situation. If you have questions about citing particular types of sources or dealing with particular situations, you should consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association or contact a reference librarian.

Note that titles of periodicals (newspapers, journals, magazines) are capitalized as they normally are; book titles and article titles have only the first word of the title (and of any subtitles), as well as proper nouns, capitalized. Use single spaces between all words/items within each citation.

Book

Edited Book

Chapter from an Edited Book

Translation (Book)

Note: In-text citation would appear as: (Freud, 1920/1950)

Article from a Scholarly Journal

Note: Volume number is italicized. Include issue number in parentheses immediately after volume number (no space between volume number and open parens) only if issues are not continuously paginated.

Article from a Newspaper

Newspaper Article with No Author Given

Article from a Magazine

Proceedings of Meetings and Symposia Published Regularly Online

Images From A Book

APA: Online Sources

Note: Changes in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association are highlighted below

According to the sixth edition of the APA manual, when available, you should include the DOI (digital object identifier) for print and electronic sources in the reference entry. The DOI number is placed at the end of the entry without ending punctuation:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number. doi:0000000/000000000000

When a DOI is not available, and a URL is included, do not include retrieval dates unless the source material may change over time (e.g., wikis). When citing an entire website (when you are not quoting from, but rather making reference to an entire website), it is sufficient to give the address of the site in just the text (no entry in the reference list is necessary). In general, it is not necessary to include database (ERIC, JSTOR, OVID) information.

Website

Multi-Document Published on the Internet

If the document is composed of multiple web pages, give the URL of the home page or entry page for the document. If no publication or "last modified" date is apparent, use n.d. in place of the publication date.

Specific Chapter or Section of Document Published on the Internet

Give chapter or section numbers (if available) in place of page numbers. Provide the URL that points to the first page of the chapter or section you are citing.

E-Book

When citing books or chapters only available online, the electronic retrieval statement replaces the publisher location and name.

Article from a Scholarly Journal, Retrieved from an Online Database

Full-text Newspaper Article with No Author Given, Retrieved from an Online Database

Provide the URL of the newspaper home page when the online version of the article is available by search to avoid nonworking URLs.

Entry in an online reference work, no author or editor

If the online version refers to an existing print edition, include the edition number of the print version after the title.

Motion Picture

For a motion picture, the first executive producer and the first director should be listed as the responsible parties. If one of these parties fulfilled multiple creative roles in the film, all such roles should be listed. If credits for director and producer are not available, provide the name of the individual or organization most responsible for the work.

Software

Do not italicize the names of software, programs, or languages. Include the version number (if any) in parentheses immediately after the title. Also, provide the location and name of the organization that produced the work (if applicable).

NOTE: For the following three entries, Provide the author's full name (if available) in the form of last name followed by first initials. If only a screen name is available, provide the screen name in place of the author. Include the exact date of the posting followed by the subject line of the message or "thread." Also, if available, provide the name of the list to which the message was posted if this information is not already included in the URL.

Message posted to a newsgroup, online forum, or discussion group

Blog post

YouTube / Video blog post

Images From A Website/Image Database