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These step-by-step instructions and examples are a great starting place for many homework projects. Follow these steps to break up a big assignment into doable pieces, learn how to efficiently complete each part to get the most out of your time, and organize your work to finish everything when due.
Citation Guide: APA Style
The American Psychological Association (APA) developed APA style for use in its own publications. APA is now the standard editorial style in many social science and health-related fields, including psychology, sociology, economics, business, criminology, social work, and nursing.
This citation guide offers a brief introduction to APA style, and it illustrates proper citation format for a number of commonly used research sources. The list of Print Sources includes resources typically found in a library, such as books, journals, magazines, and newspapers. The list of Electronic Sources includes resources found online or published on DVD or CD-ROM, including encyclopedias, journals, magazines, newspapers, and government documents. The information in this guide is based on the fifth edition of the APA Publication Manual (2001). For more complete information, consult the APA Publication Manual or the official APA Web site.
APA is one of several commonly used styles for citing references. Your school, or your instructor, may require a different citation style, such as MLA style, developed by the Modern Language Association, or Chicago style, developed by the University of Chicago Press and described in the Chicago Manual of Style. When in doubt about which style to use, ask your instructor.
Citations are notes acknowledging the source of ideas, information, and quoted passages used in a research paper. A complete citation typically includes the author, title, publisher, date, and other information to help readers locate the original source.
There are at least three good reasons for citing references:
- It’s the right thing to do. Using another writer’s words or ideas without citing the source is plagiarism.
- Citations allow readers to look up your sources. This helps put your ideas and conclusions into context.
- For school papers, citations are usually required.
The list of References, sometimes labeled Works Cited or Bibliography in other citation styles, is an alphabetized list of citations at the end of a research paper. The list is double-spaced, and each item is formatted with a hanging indent; that is, the second and subsequent lines are indented more than the first line. For example:
Bailey, G., & Peoples, J. (1999). Introduction to cultural anthropology. Belmont,
CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
References that appear within the body of a paper are called in-text citations. The first time a source is mentioned, it should be cited as part of the text. The citation, including the year of publication, is enclosed in parentheses. For example:
… By the end of the 1980s, Gorbachev was losing patience with the
Lithuanian independence movement. (Serrill, 1990). …
The citation can also be written into a sentence, with the year of publication enclosed in parentheses:
… According to Serrill (1990), by the end of the 1980s, Gorbachev
was losing patience with the Lithuanian independence movement. …
Certain features distinguish APA from other citation styles.
- Only the first word of a title or subtitle, and proper nouns, are capitalized in book, magazine, journal, and article titles.
- In the list of References, all author names are written in last-first order, e.g., Doe, J.
- If there is more than one author, names are separated by commas; an ampersand (&) precedes the final name, e.g., Doe, J., Roe, J., & Roe, R.
- First and middle names of authors are represented by initials only, indicated in this guide as “F. M.” for First Middle.
- The year of publication is always included, in both the list of references and in-text citations.
- Citations of online sources include the date on which the source was retrieved from the Web.
- If referring to a particular section of a work, page numbers for that section are included in the list of References, but not in the in-text citation. With the exception of journal articles and printable documents, electronic sources do not usually display page numbers; if page numbers cannot be found, there is no need to include them.
For each type of research source, a format “formula” is provided, followed by an example drawn from an existing published work. Each citation is shown in two forms: first as it would appear in the list of References, then as it would appear as an in-text citation.
Author, F. M. (Year published). Book title (pp. start page-end page of specific reference {or
p. page number if referencing a single page}). City {include state, province, or country if
city is not well known}: Publisher.
or
Author, F. M. (Year published). Book title. City {include state, province, or country if city is not
well known}: Publisher.
In text: (Author, year published).
Example:
Salinger, J. D. (1951). The catcher in the rye (pp. 106-107). Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
or
Salinger, J. D. (1951). The catcher in the rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
In text: (Salinger, 1951).
Author, F. M., & Author2, F. M. (Year published). Book title (pp. start page-end page of
specific reference {or p. page number if referencing a single page}). City {include state,
province, or country if city is not well known}: Publisher.
or
Author, F. M., & Author2, F. M. (Year published). Book title. City {include state, province, or
country if city is not well known}: Publisher.
In text: (Author & Author2, year published).
Example:
Bailey, G., & Peoples, J. (1999). Introduction to cultural anthropology (pp. 96-99). Belmont,
CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
or
Bailey, G., & Peoples, J. (1999). Introduction to cultural anthropology. Belmont, CA: Thomson
Wadsworth.
In text: (Bailey & Peoples, 1999).
Author, F. M., Author2, F. M., & Author3, F. M. (Year published). Book title (pp. start page-
end page of specific reference {or p. page number if referencing a single page}). City {include
state, province, or country if city is not well known}: Publisher.
or
Author, F. M., Author2, F. M., & Author3, F. M. (Year published). Book title. City {include
state, province, or country if city is not well known}: Publisher.
In text: (Author, Author2, & Author3, year published).
Example:
Sebranek, P., Meyer, V., & Kemper, D. (2004). Write for college (p. 231). Wilmington, MA: Great
Source Education Group.
or
Sebranek, P., Meyer, V., & Kemper, D. (2004). Write for college. Wilmington, MA: Great Source
Education Group.
In text: (Sebranek, Meyer, & Kemper, 2004).
(Two authors in this example)
Author, F. M., & Author2, F. M. (Year published). Book title (xth ed.) (pp. start page-end page
of specific reference {or p. page number if referencing a single page}). City {include state,
province, or country if city is not well known}: Publisher.
or
Author, F. M., & Author2, F. M. (Year published). Book title (xth ed.). City {include state,
province, or country if city is not well known}: Publisher.
In text: (Author & Author2, year published).
Example:
Mertler, C. A., & Charles, C. M. (2005). Introduction to educational research (5th ed.) (p. 321).
Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.
or
Mertler, C. A., & Charles, C. M. (2005). Introduction to educational research (5th ed.). Boston:
Pearson Allyn & Bacon.
In text: (Mertler & Charles, 2005).
(Two authors in this example)
Author, F. M., & Author2, F. M. (Year published). Article title. Journal title, volume(issue),
start page-end page of specific reference {start page+ if pages are discontinuous}.
or
Author, F. M., & Author2, F. M. (Year published). Article title. Journal title, volume(issue),
start page-end page of entire article {start page+ if pages are discontinuous}.
In text: (Author & Author2, year published).
Example:
O’Connell, J. F., & Perkins, G. M. (2003). The economics of private liberal arts colleges.
Journal of Business, 76(3), 501.
or
O’Connell, J. F., & Perkins, G. M. (2003). The economics of private liberal arts colleges.
Journal of Business, 76(3), 499-514.
In text: (O’Connell & Perkins, 2003).
(One author in this example)
Author, F. M. (Year, Month Day {publication date}). Article title. Magazine title, volume, start page-
end page of specific reference {start page+ if pages are discontinuous}.
or
Author, F. M. (Year, Month Day {publication date}). Article title. Magazine title, volume, start page-
end page of entire article {start page+ if pages are discontinuous}.
In text: (Author, year published).
Example:
Serrill, M. S. (1990, April 2). Soviet Union war of nerves. Time, 135, 29.
or
Serrill, M. S. (1990, April 2). Soviet Union war of nerves. Time, 135, 26-30.
In text: (Serrill, 1990).
(One author in this example)
Author, F. M. (Year, Month Day {publication date}). Article title. Newspaper Title, pp. start page-
end page of specific reference {pp. start page+ if pages are discontinuous or p. page number if
referencing a single page}.
or
Author, F. M. (Year, Month Day {publication date}). Article title. Newspaper Title, pp. start page-
end page of entire article {pp. start page+ if pages are discontinuous or p. page number if
a one-page article}.
In text: (Author, year published).
Example:
Rood, L. (2005, December 31). The steep costs of driving drunk. Des Moines Register, p. A12.
or
Rood, L. (2005, December 31). The steep costs of driving drunk. Des Moines Register, p. A12-A13.
In text: (Rood, 2005).
Article title. (Year, Month Day {publication date}). Newspaper title, pp. start page-end page of
specific reference {pp. start page+ if pages are discontinuous or p. page number if
a one-page article}.
or
Article title. (Year, Month Day {publication date}). Newspaper title, pp. start page-end page of
entire article {pp. start page+ if pages are discontinuous or p. page number if.a one-page
article}.
In text: (“Article Title {can be shortened},” year published).
Example:
Gas prices: Pollution rules may be eased. (2006, April 26). The Seattle Times, p. A5.
or
Gas prices: Pollution rules may be eased. (2006, April 26). The Seattle Times, pp. A1+.
In text: (“Gas Prices,” 2006).
(One author in this example)
Author, F. M. (Year published). Article title. Title of Reference Work. Retrieved Month day, year
{date retrieved from Web}, from URL
In text: (Author, year published).
Example:
Hart, J. (2006). Water pollution. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2006. Retrieved April 19,
2006, from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572857/Water_Pollution.html
In text: (Hart, 2006).
Article title. (Year published). Title of reference work. Retrieved Month day, year {date retrieved
from Web}, from URL
In text: (“Article Title,” year published).
Example:
Common cold. (2006). Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2006, from
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761578766/Common_Cold.html
In text: (“Common Cold,” 2006).
(One author in this example)
Author, F. M. (Year published). Article title. Title of reference work [DVD {or CD-ROM}]. City
{include state, province, or country if city is not well known}: Publisher.
In text: (Author, year published).
Example:
Hart, J. (2006). Water pollution. Microsoft Student 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation.
In text: (Hart, 2006).
Article title. (Year published). Title of reference work [DVD {or CD-ROM}]. City {include state,
province, or country if city is not well known}: Publisher.
In text: (“Article Title,” year published).
Example:
Common cold. (2006). Microsoft Student 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation.
In text: (“Common Cold,” 2006).
(Five authors in this example)
Author, F. M., Author2, F. M., Author3, F. M., Author4, F. M., & Author5, F. M. (Year published).
Article title. Journal title, volume(issue), start page-end page of specific reference {if
available}. Retrieved Month day, year {date retrieved from Web}, from URL
or
Author, F. M., Author2, F. M., Author3, F. M., Author4, F. M., & Author5, F. M. (Year published).
Article title. Journal title, volume(issue), start page-end page of entire article {if
available}. Retrieved Month day, year {date retrieved from Web}, from URL
In text: (Author, Author2, Author3, Author4, & Author5, year published).
Example:
Muntner, P., He, J., Cutler, J. A., Wildman, R. P., & Whelton, P. K. (2004). Trends in
blood pressure among children and adolescents. Journal of the American Medical Association
(JAMA), 291(17), 2110-2111. Retrieved May 22, 2007, from
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/291/17/2107
or
Muntner, P., He, J., Cutler, J. A., Wildman, R. P., & Whelton, P. K. (2004). Trends in
blood pressure among children and adolescents. Journal of the American Medical Association
(JAMA), 291(17), 2107-2113. Retrieved May 22, 2007, from
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/291/17/2107
In text: (Muntner, He, Cutler, Wildman, & Whelton, 2004).
(One author in this example)
Author, F. M. (Year, Month Day {publication date}). Article title. Magazine title, volume. Retrieved
Month day, year {date retrieved from Web}, from URL
In text: (Author, year published).
Example:
Nash, J. M. (2006, February 20). Where the waters are rising. Time, 165. Retrieved April 25, 2006,
from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/0,9263,7601050425,00.html
In text: (Nash, 2005).
(One author in this example)
Author, F. M. (Year, Month Day {publication date}). Article title. Newspaper title. Retrieved Month
day, year {date retrieved from Web}, from URL
In text: (Author, year published).
Example:
Waxman, S. (2005, April 19). Hollywood welcomes new crop of moguls. The New York Times.
Retrieved January 2, 2007, from
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70F16FC345A0C7A8DDDAD0894DD404482
In text: (Waxman, 2005).
Government Agency. (Year published). Title of publication (pp. start page-end page of specific
reference {or p. page number if referencing a single page}). City {include state, province, or
country if city is not well known}: Publisher {if available}. Retrieved Month day, year {date
retrieved from Web}, from URL
or
Government Agency. (Year published). Title of publication. City {include state, province, or country
if city is not well known}: Publisher {if available}. Retrieved Month day, year {date retrieved from
Web}, from URL
In text: (Government Agency, year published).
Example:
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement. (2004). Innovations in
Education: Alternative Routes to Teacher Certification (pp. 2-3). Washington, D.C.: Education
Publications Center. Retrieved April 20, 2006, from
http://www.ed.gov/admins/tchrqual/recruit/altroutes/report.html
or
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement. (2004). Innovations in
Education: Alternative Routes to Teacher Certification. Washington, D.C.: Education Publications
Center. Retrieved April 20, 2006, from
http://www.ed.gov/admins/tchrqual/recruit/altroutes/report.html
In text: (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement, 2004).
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