APA Citation Examples

Some General Rules

In-Text Citations (Publication Manual, pp. 174-179)

What You Are Citing In-Text Citation

The entire work (Smith, 2004)

A specific page (Smith, 2004, p. 39)

If the author's name is included in the text Smith (2004, p. 39) claims
of the sentence where the citation takes that...
place
Use only the date or date and
page number.

An online article with no page numbers. (Myers, 2000, para. 5)

(Beutler, 2000, Conclusion

section, para. 1)

Use abbreviation "para."

followed by the paragraph
number you are citing. When
possible, specify a section of
the article.

Citing multiple authors See Authors, below.

Authors (Publication Manual, pp. 181-183)

One author

Example: Example:
Reference List Citation In-Text Citation

Courtois, C. A. (2004). (Courtois, 2004)

 
Two authors

Example: Example:
Reference List Citation In-Text Citation

Kelley, P. C., & Chang, P. L. (2007). (Kelley & Chang, 2007)

 
Three to five authors

Example: Example:
Reference List Citation In-Text Citation

Hughes, J. C., Brestan, E. V., & Valle, L. First citation:

A. (2004). (Hughes, Brestan, & Valle,
2004)
Subsequent citations:
(Hughes et al., 2004)
When a work has more
than 2 authors, subsequent
in-text citations consist of
the first author's name
followed by "et al." (Latin for
"and others") and the date.

 
Six or seven authors

Example: Example:
Reference List Citation In-Text Citation

Phelps, B. R., Lima, M., Gomez, J., First citation:

MacArthur, R. T., Gansu, L., & Nehru, (Phelps et al., 2004)
M. (2004). Subsequent citations:
(Phelps et al., 2004)
When a work has 6-7
authors, in-text citations
consist of the first author's
name followed by "et al."
(Latin for "and others") and
the date.

 
Eight or more authors
 Example: Example:
Reference List Citation In-Text Citation

Carter, A., Dougherty, S., Addington, M., First citation:

Stanley, R., Stanley, C., Schuffler, G., . (Carter et al., 2004)
. . Smyrna, B. F. (2004). Subsequent citations:
(Carter et al., 2004)
When there are eight or more authors, When a work has 8 or more
include the first 6 authors' names followed authors, in-text citations
by an ellipsis (. . .) and the final author's consist of the first author's
name. name followed by "et al."
(Latin for "and others") and
the date.

 
Group author

Example: Example:
Reference List Citation In-Text Citation

American Dietetic Association. (1999). First citation:

(American Dietetic Association
[ADA], 1999)
Subsequent citations:
(ADA, 1999)
 
No authors listed

Example: Example:
Reference List Citation In-Text Citation

None to claim their bones: Relics of an ("None to Claim Their

old Brooklyn graveyard. (1888, April Bones," 1888)
12). New York Times, pp. 3-4.
Retrieved from In cases where the title
http://www.nytimes.com/ contains a colon, use only
the text before the colon in
List the source by title in your reference your in-text citation.
list. Alphabetize reference list entries
beginning with a title using the primary
word of the title (excluding a, an, and the).

Titles (Publication Manual, pp. 185-187)

Capitalization: For all sources other than periodicals (that is, newspapers, magazines,
and scholarly journals), capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns
only. Do not capitalize the rest (see example below).

All major words in periodical titles should be capitalized (for example, Psychology

Today, Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.)

Italics: Titles are italicized for the following items:

● Books
● E-Books
● Periodicals
● Dissertations/theses
● Reports/technical papers
● Works of art

Source Example

Journal article title Freud's Vienna revisited.

Book title Student cheating and plagiarism in the Internet

era: A wake-up call.

Volume & Issue Numbers (Publication Manual, p. 186)

APA does not use "Volume", "Vol.", "v.", "Issue" or related terms. Use italics for the
volume number.

Source Example

Magazine and journal volume 12(4)

and issue number formatting
12 is the volume number (in italics) and 4 is the
issue number.

If each issue of a journal begins on page 1,

give the issue number in parentheses
immediately after the volume number, as
above.

Page Numbers (Publication Manual, pp. 178, 200)

Issue What To Do
When to use "p." and "pp." Use "p." and "pp." to indicate page numbers
when citing newspaper articles and book
chapters. Omit them when citing journal and
magazine articles. Follow the examples in this
guide.

Online periodical where page National Geographic, 300(2).

numbers are not given
300 is the volume number. Follow the issue
number of the magazine or journal with a
period.

Undated Sources (Publication Manual, p. 185)

Use "(n.d.)" (for "no date") in your citation.

Reference List Citation In-Text Citation

Knowles, A. (n.d.). House of dust [Collage]. (Knowles, n.d.)

Retrieved from Oxford Art Online database.

Citing a Source within a Source (Publication Manual, p. 178)

Scenario: You read a 2007 article by Linhares and Brum that cites an earlier article, by
Frederick. You want to cite Frederick's article, but you have not read Frederick's article
itself.

Reference List Citation In-Text Citation

Linhares, A., & Brum, P. (2007). Understanding Frederick's study (as cited
our understanding of strategic scenarios: What in Linhares & Brum, 2007)
role do chunks play? Cognitive Science, 31(6), found that...
989-1007.
https://doi.org/doi:10.1080/03640210701703725 Your in-text citation gives
credit to Frederick and
Your Reference list will contain the article you shows the source in which
read, by Linhares and Brum. Your Reference list you found Frederick's ideas.
will NOT contain a citation for Frederick's article.

Top

Articles
Academic Journals (Publication Manual, pp. 198-199; Style Guide, p. 12)

Source Reference List Citation

Library database Dumais, S. A., Rizzuto, T. E., Cleary, J., & Dowden, L.
with DOI (2013). Stressors and supports for adult online learners:
Comparing first- and continuing-generation college
students. American Journal of Distance Education,
27(2), 100-110.
https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2013.783265

What is a DOI?
Some library databases, such as PsycARTICLES and
PsycINFO, list a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for individual
articles. A DOI is a unique identifying number for an article.
In the database record for an article, you will see an
element that looks like this, which you should include at the
end of your APA reference, preceded by "https://doi.org/":

This link will allow a reader to link to doi.org for more

information about the article.
However, the APA Style Guide to Electronic
References (2012, p. 5) notes that it is still acceptable to
use the older style of DOI format in a citation, for example:

Amidzic, O., Riehle, H. J., & Elbert, T. (2006). Toward a

psychophysiology of expertise: Focal magnetic gamma
bursts as a signature of memory chunks and the aptitude
of chess players. Journal of Psychophysiology, 20(4),
253-258. doi:10.1027/0269-8803.20.4.253

Library database Reitzes, D. C., & Mutran, E. J. (2004). The transition to

without DOI retirement: Stages and factors that influence retirement
adjustment. International Journal of Aging and Human
Development, 59(1), 63-84. Retrieved from
http://journals.sagepub.com/home/ahd

No DOI? Find the journal's homepage.

Do a Web search to find the address of the homepage of
the journal that published the article and include it in your
citation. Please be aware, however, that the full text of
articles may not actually be available at the journal
 homepage.

Cannot find the journal's homepage?

In this case, do a Web search for the name of the database
you are using (for example, "JSTOR" or "Business Source
Complete") and use the address of its homepage.

Free Web Giancola, P. R. (2004). Executive functioning and alcohol-

related aggression. American Psychologist, 59(2), 5-7.
Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/journals/amp/

In print Hughes, J. C., Brestan, E. V., & Valle, L. A. (2004).

Problem-solving interactions between mothers and
children. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 26(1), 1-
16.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Magazines:

-Daily or Weekly Magazines (Publication Manual, p. 200; Style Guide, pp. 13-
14)

      

Source Reference List Citation

Library database Jackson, P. (2011, March 1). Navy Yard Hill and the
with DOI founding of Washington City. Capitol Hill Historian, 2, 5-
9. https://doi.org/10.1068/20113

What is a DOI?
Some library databases, such as Academic Search
Ultimate and PsycINFO, list a Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
for individual articles. A DOI is a unique identifying number
for an article. In the database record for an article, you will
see an element that looks like this, which you should
include at the end of your APA reference, preceded by
"https://doi.org/":
 This link will allow a reader to link to doi.org for more
information about the article.
However, the APA Style Guide to Electronic
References (2012, p. 5) notes that it is still acceptable to
use the older style of DOI format in a citation, for example:

Janney, K. (2006, May). Crow rookeries and urban

toponyms in the United States. Corvid, 10(1), 2-6.
doi:11.1111/0224-8900.21.4.260

Library database Borowitz, A. (2004, November 15). Pavlov's brother. New

without DOI Yorker, 80(35), 63-66. Retrieved from
http://www.newyorker.com/

No DOI? Find the magazine's homepage.

Do a Web search (using a search engine such as Google
or Yahoo!) to find the address of the homepage of the
journal that published the article and include it in your
citation (example). Please be aware, however, that the full
text of articles may not actually be available at the journal
homepage.
Cannot find the magazine's homepage?
In this case, do a Web search (using a search engine such
as Google or Yahoo!) for the name of the database you are
using (for example, "JSTOR" or "Business Source
Complete") and use the address of its homepage.

Free Web Springen, K. (2005, January 17). Artful aging. Newsweek,

145(3), 25-27. Retrieved from
http://www.newsweek.com/

In print Borowitz, A. (2004, November 15). Pavlov's brother. New

Yorker, 80(35), 63-66.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.  

 
 

-Monthly Magazines (Publication Manual, p. 200; Style Guide, pp. 13-14)

 Source Reference List Citation

Library database Niu, J. (2012, March-April). An overview of web

with DOI archiving. D-Lib, 18(3-4).
https://doi.org/10.1045/march2012-niu1

What is a DOI?
Some library databases, such as Academic Search
Ultimate and PsycINFO, list a Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
for individual articles. A DOI is a unique identifying number
for an article. In the database record for an article, you will
see an element that looks like this, which you should
include at the end of your APA reference, preceded by
"https://doi.org/":

This link will allow a reader to link to doi.org for more

information about the article.
However, the APA Style Guide to Electronic
References (2012, p. 5) notes that it is still acceptable to
use the older style of DOI format in a citation, for example:

Rostok, M. (2011, August 1). Android malware on the rise.

eWeek, 2(6), 11. doi:11.3267/2553/8911.324.260

Library database Norman, A. D. (1988, March). Infuriating by

without DOI design. Psychology Today, 22(3), 52-56. Retrieved from
http://www.psychologytoday.com/

No DOI? Find the magazine's homepage.

Do a Web search (using a search engine such as Google
or Yahoo!) to find the address of the homepage of the
journal that published the article and include it in your
citation (example). Please be aware, however, that the full
text of articles may not actually be available at the journal
homepage.
Cannot find the magazine's homepage?
In this case, do a Web search (using a search engine such
as Google or Yahoo!) for the name of the database you are
using (for example, "JSTOR" or "Business Source
Complete") and use the address of its homepage.

Free Web Gelb, N. (2003, May). Winter of discontent. Smithsonian,

 34(2), 50-55. Retrieved from
http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/

In print Ives, F., & Lydon, J. (2005, January). Freud's Vienna

revisited. Discover, 26(2), 16-17.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Tip:

● When an issue of a magazine covers several months, the name of the first
and last month in the range should be given in the citation, separated by a
dash, for example: "(1993, June-July)".

Newspapers (Publication Manual, pp. 200-201; Style Guide, p. 14)

Source Reference List Citation

Library database Brown, P. L. (1999, September 5). Tiffany glass and other
tales from the crypt. The New York Times, pp. 1, 5.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/

Do a Web search (using a search engine such as Google

or Yahoo!) for the newspaper homepage and use the
homepage URL after the words "Retrieved from".

Free Web Foreman, J. (2003, August 12). Allston gothic. The Boston

Globe. Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/

In print Brown, P. L. (1999, September 5). Tiffany glass and other

tales from the crypt. The New York Times, pp. 1, 5.

The page number of a newspaper article is preceded

by "p."in a reference list citation. When an article appears
on multiple pages, the page range is preceded by "pp." (for
example, "pp. 4-6"). When an article appears on
discontinuous pages, separate the page numbers with a
comma (ex. "pp. 4, 8"). When a newspaper uses section
letters in its page numbers, these should be included in
your citation (ex. "p. A1", "pp. B1, B6").
More info ● In-text citation examples
● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Encyclopedia Articles (Publication Manual, p. 205; Style Guide, p. 18)

Source Reference List Citation

Library database Miura, A. (2012). Human behavior with blogs. In Y Zheng

with DOI (Ed.), Encyclopedia of cyber behavior.
https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-0315-8

What is a DOI?
Some library databases, such as Academic Search
Ultimate and PsycINFO, list a Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
for individual e-books. A DOI is a unique identifying number
for an e-book. In the database record for an e-book, you will
see an element that looks like this, which you should
include at the end of your APA reference, preceded by
"https://doi.org/":

This link will allow a reader to link to doi.org for more

information about the e-book.
However, the APA Style Guide to Electronic
References (2012, p. 5) notes that it is still acceptable to
use the older style of DOI format in a citation, for example:

Rostok, M. (2011). Android malware. In K. K. Frank (Ed.),

Encyclopedia of mobile security.
doi:10.3218/7853/8922.666.261

Library database Smith, A. J. (2001). Child development. In B. Strickland

without DOI (Ed.), The Gale encyclopedia of psychology. Retrieved
from http://www.gale.cengage.com/

No DOI? Find the publisher's homepage.

Do a Web search (using a search engine such as Google
or Yahoo!) to find the address of the homepage of the
journal that published the article and include it in your
citation. Please be aware, however, that the full text of
encyclopedia may not actually be available at the
publisher's homepage.

Cannot find the publisher's homepage?

In this case, do a Web search (using a search engine such
as Google or Yahoo!) for the name of the database you are
using (for example, "JSTOR" or "Business Source
 Complete") and use the address of its homepage.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Book, Film and Product Reviews (Publication Manual, pp. 208-209)

Source Reference List Citation

Library Grimes, W. (2006, December 13). Beyond Mandalay, the road

database to isolation and xenophobia [Review of the book The river of
lost footsteps: Histories of Burma, by T. Myint-U]. New York
Times, pp. E8, E10. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/

An untitled book, film, or product review (for example, a

review covering multiple works):

Guha, M. (2006). [Review of the books Fleeting pleasures: A

history of intoxicants, by M. London and Dirty: A search for
answers inside America's teenage drug epidemic, by M.
Maran]. Journal of Mental Health, 15, 713-716. Retrieved
from
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713432595

Follow the correct formatting for the type of publication (e.g. a

newspaper, a scholarly journal) the review is taken from,
including the DOI if one is available.

Free Web Cohen, P. (2007, May 9). Love, honor, cherish, and buy
[Review of the book One perfect day: The selling of the
American wedding, by R. Mead]. New York Times. Retrieved
from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/books/09bride.html

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing multiple
authors, undated sources, etc.

Books (Publication Manual, pp. 202-204)

Source Reference List Citation
Basic book Jans, N. (1993). The last light breaking: Life among
Alaska's Inupiat Eskimos. Anchorage, AK: Alaska
Northwest Books.

Edited book Miller, J., & Smith, T. (Eds.). (1996). Cape Cod stories:
Tales from Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's
Vineyard. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

For a single editor, use "(Ed.)".

Books where the American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication

author and manual of the American Psychological Association (6th
publisher are the ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
same

Numbered edition Arking, R. (2006). The biology of aging: Observations and

other than the principles (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University
first Press.

Revised edition Culliney, J. L. (2006). Islands in a far sea: The fate of

nature in Hawai'i (Rev. ed.). Honolulu, HI: University of
Hawai'i Press.

Multi-volume set Green, C. M. (1962-1963). Washington (Vols. 1-2).

Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

If volumes in a work or set are published in different years,

give the range of years separated by a dash as above.

Chapter or article Eliot, T. S. (2001). Tradition and the individual talent. In V.

in an anthology B. Leitch (Ed.), The Norton anthology of theory and
criticism(pp. 1092-1097). New York, NY: W. W. Norton.
(Original work published 1920)

Note that the page numbers of an article or chapter are

preceded by "pp." when citing it (for example, " pp. 25-50"). In
cases where an article/chapter occupies a single page, the
page is preceded by "p." (ex. "p. 4").
If an article has been reprinted from a source published
earlier, give the original date of publication in the "original
work" element of the citation as shown above (when using
this element, the final period in a citation is omitted).

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
 multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Tips:

● Cities, States and Countries: For U.S. cities, add the standard postal
abbreviations for state (for example, "Chatham, MA"). Foreign cities should
be followed by the name of their country (ex. " Brisbane, Australia").
● Place of publication: Separate place of publication from publisher with a
colon (for example "New York, NY: Zone Books"). If more than one city is
given, list only the first.
● Publisher names: "Co.", "Inc." and related abbreviations should not be
included in citations (for example, "Ivan R. Dee, Inc." should be given as
"Ivan R. Dee".)

E-Books (Style Guide, pp. 15-18)

  

Source Reference List Citation

Library database Chaffe-Stengel, P., & Stengel, D. (2012). Working with

with DOI sample data: Exploration and
inference. https://doi.org/10.4128/9781606492147

What is a DOI?
Some library databases, such as Academic Search
Ultimate and PsycINFO, list a Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
for individual e-books. A DOI is a unique identifying number
for an e-book. In the database record for an e-book, you will
see an element that looks like this, which you should
include at the end of your APA reference, preceded by
"https://doi.org/":

This link will allow a reader to link to doi.org for more

information about the e-book. However, the APA Style
Guide to Electronic References notes that it is still
acceptable to use the older style of DOI format in a citation
(see page 5), for example:
Conoloff, A. (2012). Salvaging the
 suburbs. doi:11.8870/6001/2122.442.261

Library e-book Miller, L. (2008). Careers for nature lovers & other outdoor
database without types. Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost.com
DOI
No DOI? Use the URL for the database.
When a book has no DOI, write “Retrieved from” followed
by the URL of the database. Use these URLs for library e-
book databases:

● EBSCO eBooks Collection:

Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost.com
● Safari Books Online:
Retrieved from http://www.safaribooksonline.com
● Books 24x7:
Retrieved from http://library.books24x7.com

Book read on an Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success [Kindle

e-book reader DX version].  Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com

After the book title, put in brackets the name of the e-book
reader, with the word “version.” Follow that with the DOI. If
the book has no DOI, write “Retrieved from” followed by the
URL of the site from which you downloaded the e-book.

Free Web Seton, E. T. (1911). The Arctic prairies: A canoe-journey of

2,000 miles in search of the caribou. Retrieved from
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6818

Book chapter Quina, K., & Kanarian, M. A. (1988). Continuing education.

from a library In P. Bronstein & K. Quina (Eds.), Teaching a
database psychology of people: Resources for gender and
(suggested sociocultural awareness(pp. 200-208). Retrieved from
format) http://www.ebscohost.com/academic/psycinfo

When using just a chapter from a book the same rules

apply regarding DOI or no DOI as listed above, depending
on where the book was retrieved.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Web Sites (Style Guide, pp. 31-34)

 Source Reference List Citation

A specific page Single author:

within a Web site
Freitas, N. (2015, January 6). People around the world are
voluntarily submitting to China’s Great Firewall. Why?
Retrieved from
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/01/06/
tencent_s_wechat_worldwide_internet_users_
are_voluntarily_submitting_to.html

Multiple authors:

Nafees, Q., Yilong, Y., Andras, N., Zhiming, L., & Janos, S.
(2014, November 19). Anonymously analyzing clinical
data sets. Retrieved from
http://arxiv.org/abs/1501.05916

Corporate author:

Sea Turtle Restoration Project. (2006). Threats to sea

turtles. Retrieved from
http://www.seaturtleinc.org/rehabilitation/threats-to-sea-
turtles/

In-text citations:

(Freitas, 2015)

(Nafees, Yilong, Andras, Zhiming, & Janos, 2014)

(Sea Turtle Restoration Project, 2006)

Entire Web site If you refer to an entire Web site, you do not need to
include an entry for it in your reference list, but must identify
the source clearly in the text of your paper. For example:

The Sea Turtle Restoration Project homepage presents a

wealth of compelling, well-researched information on the
struggle to save the world's sea turtles from extinction
(http://www.seaturtles.org).

More info ● If you think that the content of a Web site will
change over time, you can include the date that
you viewed the cited information in your
"retrieved from" line.
 ● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Online Classroom Materials

Source Reference List Citation

A document in a Whitford, D. (2006). Cross-curricular initiatives in NSCI170.

UMUC online Document posted in University of Maryland University
classroom College NSCI 170 6981 online classroom, archived at:
http://campus.umuc.edu

No official APA format for citing online classroom

materials exists - this is merely a recommended format to
use in citing such documents.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Conference Papers (Style Guide, p. 22)

Source Reference List Citation

Library database Levine, S., & Koltun, V. (2012, June-July). Continuous

or free Web inverse optimal control with locally optimal examples.
Paper presented at the 29th International Conference on
Machine Learning, Edinburgh, Scotland. Retrieved from
http://arxiv.org/pdf/1206.4617v1.pdf

APA does not address what to do with conference

papers found in library databases.  We suggest that,
following the guidelines given for periodical articles, that
you use, "Retrieved from" followed by the URL of either the
conference itself or the sponsoring organization, located via
Google.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
 multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Technical and Research Reports (Publication Manual, pp.

205-206; Style Guide, pp. 19-21)
Source Reference List Citation

Free Web U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2010). Information

security: Concerted effort needed to consolidate and
secure Internet connections at federal
agencies (Publication No. GAO-10-237). Retrieved from
http://www.gao.gov/assets/310/301876.pdf

In print U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2010). Information

security: Concerted effort needed to consolidate and
secure Internet connections at federal
agencies (Publication No. GAO-10-237). Washington,
DC: Author.

When the author is also the publisher, the publisher's name

should be listed as Author.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Tip:

● The element of the citation giving the publication or report number can be
omitted if this information is not available for the source you're citing.

Legal Materials (Publication Manual, pp. 216-224)

Please see the following:

● Court Decisions
● Treaties and Other International Agreements
● Federal Regulations: I. The Code of Federal Regulations
● Federal Regulations: II. The Federal Register
● Executive Orders
● Patents
 ● Charter of the United Nations
● Federal Statutes (Also see Finding Federal Statutes)

See Introduction to APA Style Legal References for background information on citing legal

materials.

Dissertations and Theses (Publication Manual, pp. 207-

208; Style Guide, pp. 22-23)
Dissertations

Source Reference List Citation

Dissertations and Pecore, J. T. (2004). Sounding the spirit of Cambodia: The

Theses database living tradition of Khmer music and dance-drama in a
Washington, DC community (Doctoral dissertation).
Retrieved from Dissertations and Theses database.
(UMI No. 3114720)

Note that a “Retrieved from” statement is used, giving the

database name followed by the word “database.” Also, APA
calls for the citation to end with a unique identifying number
for the dissertation, labeling it “UMI No.” That number can
be found in Dissertations and Theses database, listed in
the item record as “Dissertation/thesis number.”

Free Web Caprette, C. L. (2005). Conquering the cold shudder: The

origin and evolution of snake eyes (Doctoral
dissertation). Retrieved from
http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/send-pdf.cgi?
acc_num=osu1111184984

In print Caprette, C. L. (2005). Conquering the cold shudder: The

origin and evolution of snake eyes (Doctoral
dissertation). Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Master's Theses
 Source Reference List Citation

Dissertations and Harzbecker, J. J. (1999). Life and death in Washington DC:

Theses database An analysis of the Mortality Census data of
1850 (Master's thesis). Retrieved from Dissertations and
Theses database. (UMI No. 1395513)

Note that a “Retrieved from” statement is used, giving the

database name followed by the word “database.” Also, APA
calls for the citation to end with a unique identifying number
for the dissertation, labeling it “UMI No.” That number can
be found in Dissertations and Theses database, listed in
the item record as “Publication Number.”

Free Web Angelova, A. N. (2004). Data pruning (Master's thesis).

Retrieved from
http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-05282004-
000943

In print Angelova, A. N. (2004). Data pruning (Master's thesis).

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.
Top

Images (Style Guide, p. 27)

Titled Image

Source Reference List Citation

Library database Rousseau, H. (1896). The ship in the storm [Painting].

Retrieved from Oxford Art Online database.

Free Web Rousseau, H. (1896). The ship in the storm [Painting].

Retrieved from http://www.uwm.edu/~wash/rousseau.jpg

Image Rousseau, H. (1896). The ship in the

reproduced in a storm [Painting]. Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris. By
printed source Claire Fresches et al. Washington, DC: National Gallery
 of Art. 232.

The plate/image number (or, if this number is not available,

the page number on which the image is printed) should
follow the name of the publisher as shown.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Untitled Image

Create a brief title for it and place it in brackets, unitalicized.

Source Reference List Citation

Library database Muybridge, E. (1887). [Photograph of a horse running].

Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Image Muybridge, E. (1887). [Photograph of a horse

reproduced in a running]. River of shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and
printed source the technological wild West. By Rebecca Solnit. New
York, NY: Viking. 52.

The plate/image number (or, if this number is not available,

the page number on which the image is printed) should
follow the name of the publisher as shown.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Tips:

● Medium: If known, the medium of the image should be placed in brackets

as shown above, and the collection which owns the image included in your
citation along with its location.
● Institution locations: For U.S. cities, add the standard postal
abbreviations for state (for example, "Chatham, MA"). Foreign cities should
be followed by the name of their country (ex. " Brisbane, Australia").

Streaming Videos (Style Guide, p. 26)

 Source Example

Free Web Heffernan, M. (2015, May). Margaret Heffernan: Why it's

time to forget the pecking order at work [video file].
Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_
why_it_s_time_to_forget_the_pecking_order_at_work

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

Interviews, E-mail Messages, and Other Personal

Communications (Publication Manual, p. 179)
Source Example

Personal APA does not require that you cite personal

communication communications (interviews you've conducted, e-mail
messages, etc.) in your reference list. Instead, give an
in-text citation only using the following model: 

Joe Smith (personal communication, November 18, 2006)

informed me that the server had crashed several hours
ago.

More info ● In-text citation examples

● General Rules has more information about citing
multiple authors, undated sources, etc.

How to Write an APA Style

References Page
Once you finish writing a research paper, you will need to cite the sources you used to
do your research. How you format your Works Cited page depend on the style
guidelines you are required to use. The American Psychological Association (APA)
citation style is primarily used in the social sciences. This format differs from the
Modern Language Association (MLA) style because it emphasizes the date by placing it
earlier in the citation, and it helps reduce bias by using only the last names and first
initials of the author, thereby removing gender from the author’s name.
 List the author’s last name. For each source, list the author’s last name and first
initials. Use a comma to separate the author’s last name and initials. Then, place a
period after the initials. If you need to list two authors for the same source, then use an
ampersand between the two authors’ names instead of using the word and. If you
need to list three to seven authors' names for one source, then place commas between
the authors’ names and place an ampersand before the last author's name. [1] To list
more than seven authors, add a comma between the authors' names, then use an
ellipses to stand in for any authors between the sixth author and the final author. Place
an ampersand before the final author's name as well. [2]
● Example of one author: Krauss, L. M. (1993).
● Example of two authors: Wegener, D. T., & Petty, R. E. (1994).
● Example of three or more authors: Kernis, M. H., Cornell, D. P., Sun, C. R., Berry, A.,
Harlow, T., & Bach, J. S. (1993).
● Example of more than seven authors: Miller, F. H., Choi, M. J., Angeli, L. L., Harland, A.
A., Stamos, J. A., Thomas, S. T., . . . Rubin, L. H. (2009). Book title.New York, NY:
Basic Books.
List the publication date. After the author’s name, list the date that the material was
copyrighted. For unpublished works, give the date that the material was written. Write
the year out in full, in parentheses, followed by a period. [3]
● Example, book: (1999).
● Example, newspaper, magazine, newsletter: (1993, June).
● Example, daily or weekly periodicals: (1994, September 28).
● Example, for a work with no date given: (n.d.)
Enter the title of the source. After the date, the next item in each of your references
should be the title of the source followed by a period. Also make sure that you only
capitalize the first word in the title and the subtitle, if there is one. [4]
● Italicize book titles. For example, Call of the wild.
● Do not italicize journal, newspaper, or magazine titles. Just include these as normal
text. For example, “Making the grade in chemistry: A story of trial and error.”

Include the publisher's location and name. You only need to include the publisher's
location and name for books. After you list a book title, list the place of publication of
the book. Include the city and state for U.S. Publications, or the city, state (or province)
and country name for non-U.S. Publications. Follow this with a colon, then the name of
the publisher. Follow the publisher's name with a period. [5]
● Example: Boston, MA: Random House.
● Example: New York, NY: Scribner.
● Example: Palmerston North, New Zealand: Dunmore Press.

Write out publication titles in full. After the title of an article, include the name of the
publication. Use the full name of the journal, magazine, or newspaper, and use the
 same capitalization and punctuation that the publication uses. Capitalize all major
words in publication titles and italicize the publication's name as well. [6]
● For example, ReCall instead of RECALL, and Knowledge Management Research &
Practice, not Knowledge Management Research and Practice.
● Use the ampersand if the journal does, instead of spelling out the word and.

Add the volume, issue, and page numbers for periodicals. Following the publication
name, include the volume number, then the issue number in parentheses, and then the
page numbers of the section you referenced in your essay. Make sure that you italicize
the volume number, but not the issue number or page numbers. Follow up the last
page number with a period.[7]
● Title of Periodical, volume number (issue number), pages referenced.
● For example, Psychology Today, 72 (3), 64-84 or The Statesman Journal, 59(4), 286-
295.

Add the URL for online publications. When citing an article or other source that you
found online, it is helpful to include the url. At the end of your reference, include the
words "Retrieved from" and then provide the url. [8]
● Example: Eid, M., & Langeheine, R. (1999). The measurement of consistency and
occasion specificity with latent class models: A new model and its application to the
measurement of affect. Psychological Methods, 4, 100-116. Retrieved from http: //
www.apa.org/journals/exampleurl
● You do not need to include your date of access for APA references.

Choose an online generator. There are many good generators online that will format
your citations automatically. Most of these are free services. Free generators that
provide formatted citations instantly include Bibme [9] and Citation Machine.[10] Find a
generator, and click the box that says “APA.”
● Some generators require you to supply your email address and they will send you the
citations. It's best to avoid these, because they may sell your information to businesses
that will clog your inbox with spam.
● Many searchable library databases also provide citations in multiple styles, such as
EBSCO. If you are using your university library’s databases, then you should have the
option of getting an APA style citation for the source from the article’s page in the
database.
● Just remember to check any references that you get from an online generator for
accuracy because they may have errors.

Select auto-fill or manual-entry mode. Most online generators default to the

automatic entry method, but you should check to make sure you're in the right one. If
 you want to use the manual method instead, check that option now. Whether you use
auto-fill or manual-fill is your personal preference. [11]
● The auto-fill method will supply a lot of information instantly, which you will then verify
to make sure it's correct.
● The manual entry method will give you a form to complete yourself, and you will enter
the appropriate author names, dates, and other relevant information manually.
● Make sure to select the type of work you are citing. The BibMe generator has five main
boxes: Journal, Website, Book, Video, and Other. Click on the box that corresponds to
the type of work you need to cite.[12]
Enter the title or url. Depending on the type of source you need to cite, you may have
a title or a url. You can enter either the title or the url into the generator's text entry box.
[13]

● For a journal, enter the title of the journal.

● For a website, enter the URL or a keyword. Generally, using the url for the source will
get more accurate results.
● For a book, enter the book title, author's name, or ISBN. You can find the ISBN on the
book jacket, usually next to the price and the barcode. The ISBN will provide the most
complete information.
● For a video, enter the URL or a major keyword. The URL will yield more specific results.
● If you choose “Other,” you will see a long list of alternative formats to choose from.
Select the one that is appropriate (e.g., Magazine Article, Blog/Podcast,
Painting/Artwork), and follow the prompts to enter the publication details manually.
Locate the correct work from the list provided. The generator will come up with a
list of possible alternatives that match the work you need to cite.
● If you supply specific information (such as a URL or ISBN), this will be a short list.
● If you enter less specific information (such as a keyword), you will get a longer list. Your
source may or may not be included, depending on whether the generator located it. If
your source is not on the list, then try supplying more specific information, or using the
manual-fill entry mode.
● If you enter a common book title, then you will see a list of options. Check the author
and date to be sure you're choosing the right one. For example, the book
title Nemesis will return a list of 20 different books, each written by a different author.
Click on the appropriate book title. The generator will provide a form with all the
possible details you might need to supply for that type of work. The relevant
information should be filled out for you, although you may need to fill in a few blank
boxes yourself.[14]
● Your references should always include title, author, publication date, publication
location, and publisher. If any of these are missing, then you'll need to refer to the work
itself to find that information.

6
 Click on “Create Citation.” There should be a button at the bottom of the form
prompting you to create the citation. When you select “Create Citation,” the generator
will format the reference for you in proper APA style. [15]
● Copy and paste the generated citation if you want to add it to your references
manually.
● Continue to enter more works if you want the generator to compile an alphabetized
reference list of all your references.
Save your citations as you go. If you choose to create multiple citations, most online
generators will compile the complete list for you, and you can copy and paste it (or
download it) when you are finished. However, it is a good idea to cut and paste them
into a temporary list as you go, to prevent accidentally losing your work. [16]

Check your work. When you have compiled your references, read through them to
make sure there are no mistakes. The OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab has a
comprehensive APA style guide, which you can check against your list to make sure
everything looks correct.[17]
● Check for misspellings or glaring omissions, such as missing dates or author names.
● Check to be sure you have included every source you wanted to include
Use hanging indentations. When including references, indent all lines except the
first line. The first line should be flush with your left margin. The second and
subsequent lines of the citation entry should be indented ½ inch from your left
margin.[20] In your word processing program, you can apply hanging indentations
to the entire list of references.
● To set your indentations to hanging, open the “Paragraph” dialog box by clicking the
small arrow to the right of “Paragraph” near the top of your MS Word document.
● After the box opens, look for the section called “Indentation.”
● Click on the drop down menu called “Special” that is in this section and select
“Hanging.”
● Your entries will now automatically have hanging indentations.

Alphabetize your sources. Create an alphabetized list of your sources using the

author’s last name. If the source you are using contains two or more authors, use the
last name of the author listed first in the citation.[21]
● Alphabetize letter by letter. Remember that “nothing precedes something,” or in other
words, the shorter version of two similar names should come first. For example,
Brown, J. R. would come before Browning, A. R.
● Alphabetize the prefixes M', Mc, and Mac exactly as they are shown. Do not
alphabetize them as if they were all spelled out (Mac).
● Ignore apostrophes in names. For example, MacNeil would come before M'Carthy.
 Order titles by the same author chronologically. If you have two or more works by
the same author (or two authors with the same name), list the works chronologically
with the earliest publication first and the most recently published last. [22]
● List one-author entries before multiple-author entries, when the first author is the same.
For example, “Alleyne, R. L. (2001).” would come before “Alleyne, R. L. & Evans, A. J.
(1999).”
Alphabetize group authors as you would single authors. Alphabetize group authors
(or no authors) by the first significant word in the name. Use the full official name of the
group or organization. A parent company or organization should be listed before its
subsidiary group or organization.
● For example, “American Society for the Prevention and Cruelty of Animals,” not
“ASPCA”.
● For example, “University of Michigan, Department of Psychology,” not “Department of
Psychology, University of Michigan”.

Use the book title if there is no author name. When there is no single author or
group author listed for a publication, the title of the work moves up to the author
position in the citation. Alphabetize these listings by the first significant word in the
title.[23]
● For example, “Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary  (11th ed.). (2005) Springfield,

Some basic rules for APA References lists are:

● All citations should be double spaced

● Indent after the first line of each entry
● Entries are not numbered
● If an element is not present, omit it
● Alphabetize by the first word of the entry
● If no author is listed, begin with title
● Enter author's last name followed by first and middle initials
● List up to seven (7) authors.
● Eight (8) or more authors, use only the first six (6) and then ellipses (...) with the
last author.
● Italics must be used for book and periodical titles
● Capitalize ONLY the first word of a title, the first word of a subtitle, and proper
nouns in titles of books and articles, no matter how they appear in a database or
catalog
● List the city and state or country (spell out name) of publication. Example:
Lexington, KY (because there are cities names Lexington in many states).
● Use the abbreviations p. or pp. only for multi-page newspaper articles,
encyclopedia entries, and chapters or articles in edited books
● Do not use the abbreviation p. or pp. (or any other abbreviation) for magazine and
journal articles
● Use p. for one page articles, pp. for multiple page articles
● Dates are in Year, Month Day format (e.g. 1999, December 20)
● Date is in parenthesis after the author's name (or title if no author is listed)
● Retrieval dates for online articles or web pages are always listed as Month day,
year (e.g. January 20, 2010) 
● Use (n.d.) if no date is given
● For items found in full text online, access information in APA requires one of the
following (in order of preference):
1. Use DOI if available (no period at end of citation) 
2. If no DOI, and from database, use print format. No database information is
needed.
3. If no DOI and from an authoritative web site use complete URL (no period at end
of citation) 
4. If no DOI and from a personal web site or Wiki, use access date and complete
URL (no period at end of citation)