Forms of Citations

1. In-text citation – requires the writer to cite the details of the reference used in a certain part of his/her essay. The format of in-
text citaton vary per style.
a. Direct quotation – use quotation marks around the quote and include page numbers
Samovar and Porter (1997) point out that “language involves attaching meaning to symbols” (p.188). Alternatively,
“Language involves attaching meaning to symbols” (Samovar & Porter, 1997, p. 188)
b. Indirect quotation/paraphrasing – no quotation marks
Attaching meaning to symbols is considered to be the origin of written language (Samovar & Porter, 1997).
c. Citations from a secondary source
As Hall (1977) asserts, “culture also defines boundaries of different groups” (as cited in Samovar & Porter,
1997, p. 14)
APA (American Psychological Association) style is most frequently used within the social sciences, in order to cite various
sources.

MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and
humanities.

APA In-text Citations

Single Author
 One scholar argued that it is impossible to measure social class (Calvert, 1982).
 Calvert (1982) argued that it is impossible to measure social class.

Two Authors
For two authors, notice in the examples and use of “&” when the citation are inside the parenthesis. (in-text citation)
 A well-known study argued that social class is rapidly becoming obsolete (Calvert & Liu, 1987).
 Calvert and Liu (1987) argued that social class is rapidly becoming obsolete.

Three to Five Authors

With three to five authors, the first reference to an article includes all authors. Subsequent citations in the same document may refer to
the article by the principal author only plus “et al.” (Latin abbreviation for “and others”; there is no period after “et.”) However, all authors
must be present in the references section.
 A well-known study argued that social class is rapidly becoming obsolete (Calvert, Liu, & Smith, 1987).
 Calvert, Liu, and Smith (1987) argued that social class is rapidly becoming obsolete.
 Calvert et al. (1987) argued that social class is rapidly becoming obsolete.
 A recent study argued that the concept of social class is rapidly becoming obsolete (Calvert et al., 1987).

Six Authors or more

Starting with the first author mentioned in the text, the correct format is (Author et al., Year). In the reference section, all six authors’
names should be included.
 Calvert et al. (1987) argued that the concept of social class is rapidly becoming obsolete.

Multiple Publications, Same Author

If an author has multiple publications that you wish to cite, you use a comma to separate the years of publication in chronological order
(oldest to most recent). If the publications occur in the same year, the APA Manual recommends using suffixes a, b, c, etc
 A recent study argued for the abolition of social class (Calvert, 2004, 2005a, 2005b).
 Calvert (2004, 2005a, 2005b) argued for the abolition of social class.

Multiple Publications, Different Authors

Follow the rules for one author, and use a semicolon to separate articles. The authors should be cited in alphabetical order, and the
years of publication in chronological order.
 A recent study argued for the abolition of social class (Calvert, 1987; Liu, 2004, 2005; Smith, 2003).

Personal Communications 
Personal communications, which are considered “nonrecoverable data” by the APA, are information that readers cannot typically
access. These include personal interviews, emails, letters, and phone calls. This information should be cited within the text, but not
included in a References list.
When citing a personal communication within the text, include the following information: (Author’s first initial. Author’s last name,
personal communication, Date of publication).

 Opinions vary when it comes to the correct way to baste a turkey (J. Doe, personal communication, December 8, 2018).
 Doe confided that turkey basting is not a precise art (personal communication, December 8, 2018).
 Writing APA References

PRINT BOOKS
Authored
Single Author
Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initials. (Year of publication). Title italicized. Place of publication: Publisher.

Larson, M. S. (1977). The rise of professionalism. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Multiple Authors (two to seven)

List up to seven authors by their last names followed by initials. Use an ampersand (&) before the last author.

Rivano, N. S., Hoson, A., & Stallings, B. (2001). Regional integration and economic development. New York, NY: Palgrave.

Multiple Authors (eight or more)

If there are eight or more authors, you should list by last names and initials, with commas separating the author’s names. After the sixth
author, use ellipses (…) instead of author names. Then list the last author. There should be no more than seven authors listed.

Crocco, F., de Barros, B., McCaffery, B., Croop, P., Aldrich, L., Abeyta, M., . . . Healy, A. (2017). Creativity and design. New York, NY:
Abbeville Press.

Edited
Elements: Editor’s last name, Editor’s first and middle initial, & Last names and initials of other editors, if any. (Ed. or Eds.). (Year of
publication). Title italicized. Place of publication: Publisher.

Siskin, M. (Ed.). (1988). The alphabet of desire. New York, NY: Plenum.

Revised Editions
Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initial, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year of
publication). Title italicized  (Number of edition followed by ed.). Place of publication: Publisher.

Hochman, J. (1994). Strategies for urban farming (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Prentice Hall.

Chapter or Article in an Edited Book

Elements: Chapter author’s last name, Chapter author’s first and middle initials, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year
of publication). Title of chapter or article. In Editor(s) first and middle initials and last names (Ed. or Eds.), Book title italicized (pp.
followed by the page range for the chapter/article). Place of publication: Publisher.

Rodriguez, J. (1999). Imperfection is meaningless: On prayer and chanting. In P. Smith (Ed.), Looking ahead (pp. 107-112). New York,
NY: St. Martins Press.

ONLINE BOOK
Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initials, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year of
publication). Title of the book italicized. Retrieved from URL to the full text ebook or to the distributor’s homepage

Austen, J. (1813). Pride and prejudice. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1342

PRINT JOURNAL ARTICLE

Journal Articles with Continuous Pagination
Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initials, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year of publication).
Title of article. Title of journal italicized, Volume number italicized, Page numbers.

Sprinker, M. (1991). Inventing social class, refashioning power: The discovery of free will in Renaissance Europe. American Historical
Review, 101, 1142-1209.

Journal Articles with Non-Continuous Pagination

Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initials, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year of publication).
Title of article. Title of journal italicized, Volume number italicized(Issue Number), Page numbers.

Winans, A. D. (1992). The Mafioso and American political culture. Journal of Popular Culture, 22(1), 21-87.

ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLE

Journal Articles with Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Assigned to Some Articles
Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initials, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year). Title of
article. Title of Journal italicized, Volume number italicized(Issue number if non-consecutive pagination), Page numbers. doi:
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Herbst-Damm, K. L., & Kulik, J. A. (2005). Volunteer support, marital status, and the survival times of terminally ill patients.  Health
Psychology, 24(2), 225-229. doi: 10.1037/027806133.24.2.225

Journal Article without DOI

Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initials, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year). Title of
article. Title of Journal italicized, volume number italicized (Issue number if non-consecutive pagination), Page numbers. Retrieved from
URL to the journal’s homepage

Kelley, H. & Betsalel, K. (2004). Mind's fire: Language, power, and representations of stroke. Anthropology & Humanism, 29(2), 104-
116. Retrieved from http://www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/&28ISSN%291548-1409

PRINT MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initials, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year, Month and Day
of publication). Title of article. Title of Magazine italicized, Volume number italicized(Issue number, if available), Page numbers.

Cooper, H. (1998, May). The trouble with debt. Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, 43, 100-103.

ONLINE MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initials, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year, Month and Day
of publication, if available). Title of article. Title of Magazine italicized, Volume number italicized(Issue number, if available). Retrieved
from URL to the magazine’s homepage

Vogel, C. (2008, June). A honeymoon cut short: How one couple survived the sinking of the Lusitania. American Heritage. Retrieved
from http://www.americanheritage.com/

PRINT NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initial, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year, Month and Day
of publication). Title of article. Title of Newspaper italicized, Page numbers.

Clark, D. E. (1994, March 21). Health factor in cauliflower still elusive. New York Times, p. C1.

ONLINE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initials, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year, Month and Day
of publication). Title of article. Title of Newspaper italicized. Retrieved from URL to the newspaper’s homepage

Oppenheimer, L. (2008, July 14). Fewer golfers hear Tiger’s roar. The Oregonian. Retrieved from
http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/
WEBPAGE
Elements: Author (person or organization). (Year published or updated). Title of web page italicized. Retrieved from URL

Boyd, V. (2012). About Zora Neale Hurston. Retrieved January 22, 2011 from http://zoranealehurston.com/about/

NOTE: If the above example had no author or date, the title of the web page would be moved to the front, and (n.d.) should be used to
reflect that no date is available.

About Zora Neale Hurston. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2011 from http://zoranealehurston.com/about

TELEVISION, FILM AND VIDEO

Television Broadcast
Elements: Last name, First and middle initials, & Last names and initials of other primary contributors, if any. (Function). (Year, Month
and Day, if available). Title italicized [Television Broadcast]. Place of Recording: Television Network.

Aspell, P. (Executive producer). (1995, March 15). Nova [Television Broadcast]. Boston, MA: WGBH

Film
Elements: Last name, First and middle initials, & Last names and initials of other primary contributors, if any. (Function). (Year, Month
and Day, if available). Title of the film italicized [Motion picture]. Country of origin: Studio or Distributor.

Coen, J. & Coen, E. (Directors). (1996). Fargo. [Motion picture]. United States: Gramercy Pictures.

Video Clip
Elements: Last name, First and middle initials, & Last names and initials of other primary contributors, if any. (Function). (Year
released). Title of the video italicized [Video file]. Retrieved from URL to the video or to the distributor’s website.

Ezekiel, S. (Lecturer). (2012, March 21). MIT understanding laser and fiberoptics: Fiberoptics fundamentals [Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DCrIAxEv_Y
 THESIS AND DISSERTATION
Unpublished Master's Thesis
Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initials. (Year submitted). Title of thesis italicized (Unpublished master’s thesis).
Name of College/University, Place of College/University.

Blount, C. (1992). Genre Envy: The threat of theory and the promise of creative writing (Unpublished master's thesis). University of
South Dakota, Vermillion, SD.

Unpublished Dissertation
Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initials. (Year submitted). Title of Dissertation italicized (Unpublished doctoral
dissertation). Name of College/University, Place of College/University.

Baume, D. (1994). Cracking up the south: Irony in Eudora Welty (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill, NC.

Dissertation / Thesis from a Subscription Database

Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initials. (Year submitted). Title of Dissertation or thesis italicized  (Doctoral
dissertation or Master’s thesis). Available from Name of database. (Number identifier xxxxxxx)

Finnian, R. C. (1996). Development and depression in southern teenagers(Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest
Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. AAG9840667)

OTHER SOURCES
Abstract
Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initial, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year of publication).
Title of article [Abstract]. Title of Abstract Collection italicized, Volume number italicized, Page number.

Osborne, A. B., & Pizzacato, A. J. (1975). Distant effects of neural trauma [Abstract]. Society of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences
Abstracts, 19, 718.
Book Review
Elements: Reviewers’s last name, Reviewer’s first and middle initials. (Year, Month and Day). Title of the review [Review of the
book Title of the book italicized, by Author’s first and middle initials Author’s last name]. Title of the Periodical in which the Review is
Published italicized, Volume number italicized(Issue number if non-consecutive pagination), Page numbers. If found online, include the
DOI or a Retrieved from statement with the URL to the journal’s homepage

Flower, T. (1998, February 24). Blues sisters [Review of the book Blues legacies and black feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie
Smith, and Billie Holiday, by A.Y. Davis]. Village Voice, 8, 139-141. Retrieved from http://www.villagevoice.com

Software
Elements: Author’s last name, Author’s first and middle initial, & Last names and initials of other authors, if any. (Year of publication).
Title of program and Version if version is part of the program title [Computer software]. Place of publication: Publisher.

Adobe Photoshop 6 [Computer software]. (2000). San Jose, CA: Adobe Systems Incorporated.