For complete guidelines for APA format, as well as for specific issues not covered here, see:
American Psychological Association (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington: American Psychological Association.
- In-Text Citations
- References
- In-Text Citations
The APA format uses an author-date method for citing sources in the body of an essay. In other words, when you quote, paraphrase or refer to another text, you must include a reference to the source’s author’s last name and year of publication.
If you do NOT quote a source directly, you need only the author’s last name and the year of publication in your in-text citation. If you DO quote a source directly, you need also to include the page number for the reference.
Short Quotations: If the quotation is less than 40 words long it should be incorporated into your text and enclosed by double quotation marks [” “]. If possible, introduce your short quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author’s name followed by the publication date in parentheses. For example:
As Smith (2008) concludes, “There is significant evidence to suggest that the earth is round” (p. 123).
If you do not name the author in your signal phrase, you must include that information in your parenthetical citation immediately following the quotation. For example:
More recently, scientists have found “significant evidence to suggest that the earth is round” (Smith, 2008, p. 123).
Long Quotations: Quotations that are over 40 words long must be placed in the paper as a block of text set apart from the rest of the paragraph. Block quotations should start on a new line, be indented 5 spaces from the left margin, and be double spaced (like the rest of the essay). Omit quotation marks. Your citation should come at the end of the quotation, as follows:
More importantly, Smith’s (2008) evidence suggesting that the earth is round rather than flat is quite compelling:
abcdabcdabcd abcdabcdabcd abcdabcdabcd abcdabcdabcd abcdabcdabcd bcdabcdab abcbcdabcdabcdabc dabcdabcdbcdabcdabc dabcdabcdabcdabababababababababd bcdabcd bcdabcdabcd abcd. (p. 123)
Paraphrase and Summary: When you paraphrase or summarize another source, you must acknowledge that source. You should, where possible, include the page reference for the ideas you are paraphrasing/summarizing. For example:
Smith (2008, p. 123) insists the earth is not flat.
The following are some common examples of in-text citations.
A Work by Two Authors: Name both authors; use the word “and” in the text and use the ampersand in parentheses.
- With signal phrase: The study by Jones and Smith (2006) concludes . . .
- Without signal phrase: Their study concludes the earth is round (Jones & Smith, 2006)
A Work by Three to Five Authors: Name all authors the first time you cite the source; in subsequent citations, use only the first author’s last name and the phrase “et al”.
- With signal phrase: The study by Jones, Smith, Ali, Rushdie and Murakami (2003) concludes . . .
- Without signal phrase: Their study concludes the earth is round (Jones, Smith, Ali, Rushdie & Murakami, 2003)
- In subsequent citations, with signal phrase: The study by Jones et al. (2003) concludes . . .
- In subsequent citations, without signal phrase: Their study concludes the earth is round (Jones et al., 2003)
A Work by Six or More Authors: Use the first author’s last name followed by “et al” in the signal phrase or parentheses.
- With signal phrase: The study by Powell et al (2007) argues . . .
- Without signal phrase: Their study concludes the earth is round (Powell et al., 2007)
A Work by an Organization or Agency: Use the organization’s name as if it were an author.
- With signal phrase: The Canadian International Development Agency (2006) notes that . . .
- Without signal phrase: Since 1996, Canada’s budget for international development has increased by 10% (Canadian International Development Agency, 2006).
Two or More Works by the Same Author in the Same Year: Use lower-case letters (a, b, c) with the year to distinguish between entries.
- Smith’s study (2007a) suggests that . . .
Indirect Sources: When you need to use a source cited in another source, name the original in your signal phrase and include the secondary source in both your in-text citation and your references list.
- Dorosz argues that . . . (as cited in Smith, 2008, p. 123).
- References
Your essay must include a separate References page (formatting described above). The rules for basic entries are as follows:
- entries should be organized alphabetically by the last name of the first author; provide the last name and the initials for each authors
- entries should be double-spaced with a five-space hanging indent for all lines following the first line of each entry
- if you use multiple works by the same author, organize entries by the year of publication
- italicize books and journal titles
- do NOT italicize or put in quotation marks articles or essays
Book – Single author:
Last Name, Initials. (Date). Title of Book. City: Publisher.
Smith, J.A. (2004). Great Dogs of North America. (4th ed.). Toronto: Dog Press.
Book – Two authors:
Last Name, Initials, & Last Name, Initials. (Date). Title of Book. City: Publisher.
Smith, J.A., & Jones, J.C. (2002) Great Dogs of North America. Toronto: Dog Press.
Book – Multiple authors:
Last Name, Initials, Last Name, Initials, Last Name, Initials, & Last Name, Initials. (Date).
Title of Book. City: Publisher.
Smith, J.A., Dorosz, C., Mann, T.T. (2008). The Way it Is. Toronto: ABC Press.
Journal Article – Single author:
Last Name, Initials. (Date). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume, page number range.
Smith, J.A. (2004). Great Labradors. Dogs for All, 14, 12-50.
Journal Article – Multiple authors:
Last Name, Initials, Last Name, Initials, & Last Name, Initials. (Date). Title of article.
Title of Periodical, volume, page number range.
Smith, J.A., Jones, J.C., & Campbell, S.D. (2002). Great Labradors. Dogs for All, 12, 9-16.
Chapter in edited book:
Last Name, Initials. (Date). Title of Chapter. In Initials Last Name (Ed.), Title of book (pp.
range). City: Publisher.
Smith, J.A. (1999). Dogs of Canada. In P.A. Jones (Ed.), Dogs (pp. 34-56). City: Publisher.
Abstract:
Last Name, Initials. (Date). Title [Abstract]. Periodical Title, volume, page.
Smith, J.A. (2004). Great Labradors [Abstract]. Dogs for All, 14, 12.
Entire Edited Book:
Last Name, Initials, & Last Name, Initials. (Eds.). (Date). Title of work. City: Publisher.
Smith, J.A., & Jones, J.C. (Eds.). (2002). Dogs of the World. Toronto: Dog Press.
Reference Book with no author:
Title (ed.). (Date). City: Publisher.
Dogs of North Canada (2nd ed.). (2001). Toronto: Dog Press.
Review of a Book:
Last name, Initials. (Date). Title of review [Review of the book/article Title]. Journal Title,
volume, pages.
McDonald, K. (2005). Dog Days [Review of Great Dogs of North America]. New York Review of Books, 25, 13-15.
Electronic Sources: References
The following information is based on the APA’s 2007 modifications of rules governing the documentation of electronic sources.
- Generally, online articles follow the same rules for printed articles. For example, if an online journal has volume and issue numbers, then you should include that information in your entry.
- Retrieval dates are necessary only for sources that are likely to change (blogs, institutional websites, etc.). Online periodicals are unlikely to change once they are published, and so retrieval dates are not necessary.
- URLs often change, so you should try to include a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) in your entry. Many publishers include DOIs on the first page of a document.
Online Periodical (with DOI):
Last Name, Initials. (Date). Title of Article. Title of Periodical, volume number, page range.
Doi: 000000000/000000.
Smith, J.A. (2004). Great Labradors. Dogs for All, 14, 12-50. doi:
99.1234/1234567898836.
Online Periodical (no DOI):
Last Name, Initials. (Date). Title of Article. Title of Periodical, volume number, from URL.
Smith, J.A. (2004). Great Labradors. Dogs for All, 14, from http://www.dogs.com/docs
Online Periodical (no DOI; exists as printed and electronic versions)
Smith, K. (2008). The world is round. [Electronic version]. Earth and Planetary Studies, 66, 123-132.
Article from a Database (i.e., retrieved from library’s online database):
Last Name, Initials. (Date). Title of work. Retrieved month day, year, from source.
Smith, J.A. (2005). . (2004). Great Labradors. Dogs for All, 14, 12-50. Retrieved January 17, 2006, from Zoological Record database.
Online Newspaper Article
Last Name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Title of Article. Name of Newspaper. Retrieved URL.
Summerji, P. P. (2008, August 1). New Crime Legislation Criminal. Nowhereville Times. Retrieved from http://nowherevilletimes.ca
For more information and / or models of other entries, consult the Style Guide published by OWL Purdue at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/