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APA Citation Style

APA citation style refers to the rules and conventions established by the American Psychological
Association for documenting sources used in a research paper. APA style requires both in-text
citations and a reference list. For every in-text citation there should be a full citation in the
reference list and vice versa.

Reference Citations in Text

In APA style, in-text citations are placed within sentences and paragraphs so that it is clear what
information is being quoted or paraphrased and whose information is being cited.

Works by a single author

The last name of the author and the year of publication are inserted in the text at the appropriate
point.

from theory on bounded rationality (Simon, 1945)

If the name of the author or the date appear as part of the narrative.

Simon (1945) posited that

Works by multiple authors

When a work has two authors, always cite both names every time the reference occurs in the
text. In parenthetical material join the names with an ampersand (&).

as has been shown (Leiter & Maslach, 1998)

In the narrative text, join the names with the word "and."

as Leiter and Maslach (1998) demonstrated

When a work has three, four, or five authors, cite all authors the first time the reference occurs.

Kahneman, Knetsch, and Thaler (1991) found

In all subsequent citations per paragraph, include only the surname of the first author followed
by "et al." (Latin for "and others") and the year of publication.

Kahneman et al. (1991) found

Below is a chart showing when to use et al., which is determined by the number of authors and
whether it is the first time a reference has been cited in the paper. Specifically, articles with one
or two authors include all names in every in-text citation; articles with three, four, or five authors
include all names in the first in-text citation but are abbreviated to the first author name plus et
al. upon subsequent citations; and articles with six or more authors are abbreviated to the first
author name plus et al. for all in-text citations.

Number of authors First text citation (either Subsequent text citations (all)
parenthetical or narrative)
One or two Palmer & Roy, 2008 Palmer & Roy, 2008
Three, four, or five Sharp, Aarons, Wittenberg, & Sharp et al., 2007
Gittens, 2007
Six or more Mendelsohn et al., 2010 Mendelsohn et al., 2010
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Works by associations, corporations, government agencies, etc.

The names of groups that serve as authors (corporate authors) are usually written out each time
they appear in a text reference.

(National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2007)

When appropriate, the names of some corporate authors are spelled out in the first reference and
abbreviated in all subsequent citations. The general rule for abbreviating in this manner is to
supply enough information in the text citation for a reader to locate its source in the Reference
List without difficulty.

(NIMH, 2007)

Works with no author

When a work has no author, use the first two or three words of the work's title (omitting any
initial articles) as your text reference, capitalizing each word. Place the title in quotation marks if
it refers to an article, chapter of a book, or Web page. Italicize the title if it refers to a book,
periodical, brochure, or report.

on climate change ("Climate and Weather," 1997)

Guide to Agricultural Meteorological Practices (1981)

Anonymous authors should be listed as such followed by a comma and the date.

on climate change (Anonymous, 2008)

Specific parts of a source

To cite a specific part of a source (always necessary for quotations), include the page, chapter,
etc. (with appropriate abbreviations) in the in-text citation.

(Stigter & Das, 1981, p. 96)

De Waal (1996) overstated the case when he asserted that "we seem to be reaching ... from the

hands of philosophers" (p. 218).

If page numbers are not included in electronic sources (such as Web-based journals), provide the
paragraph number preceded by the abbreviation "para." or the heading and following paragraph.

(Mönnich & Spiering, 2008, para. 9)

Short direct quotations

Quotations of less than 40 words should be incorporated in the text and enclosed
with double quotation marks. Provide the author, publication year and a page
number.

She stated, "The 'placebo effect,' ...disappeared when behaviors were studied in
this manner" (Miele, 1993, p. 276), but he did not clarify which behaviors were
studied.

Miele (1993) found that "the 'placebo effect,' which had been verified in previous
studies, disappeared when [only the first group's] behaviors were studied in this
manner" (p. 276).
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Long direct quotations

When making a quotation of more than 40 words, use a free-standing "block

quotation" on a new line, indented five spaces and omit quotation marks.

Miele (1993) found the following:

The "placebo effect," which had been verified in previous studies, disappeared
when behaviors were studied in this manner. Furthermore, the behaviors were
never exhibited, even when reel [sic] drugs were administered. Earlier studies
were clearly premature in attributing the results to a placebo effect. (p. 276)

Indirect citations

When citing a work which is discussed in another work, include the original
author's name in an explanatory sentence, and then include the source you
actually consulted in your parenthetical reference and in your reference list.

Smith argued that...(as cited in Andrews, 2007)

Reference List

References cited in the text of a research paper must appear in a Reference List or bibliography.
This list provides the information necessary to identify and retrieve each source.

 Order: Entries should be arranged in alphabetical order by authors' last names. Sources
without authors are arranged alphabetically by title within the same list.
 Authors: Write out the last name and initials for all authors of a particular work. Use an
ampersand (&) instead of the word "and" when listing multiple authors of a single work.
e.g. Smith, J. D., & Jones, M.
 Titles: Capitalize only the first word of a title or subtitle, and any proper names that are
part of a title.
 Pagination: Use the abbreviation p. or pp. to designate page numbers of articles from
periodicals that do not use volume numbers, especially newspapers. These abbreviations
are also used to designate pages in encyclopedia articles and chapters from edited books.
 Indentation*: The first line of the entry is flush with the left margin, and all subsequent
lines are indented (5 to 7 spaces) to form a "hanging indent".
 Underlining vs. Italics*: It is appropriate to use italics instead of underlining for titles of
books and journals.

Two additional pieces of information should be included for works accessed online.

 Internet Address**: A stable Internet address should be included and should direct the
reader as close as possible to the actual work. If the work has a digital object identifier
(DOI), use this. If there is no DOI or similar handle, use a stable URL. If the URL is not
stable, as is often the case with online newspapers and some subscription-based
databases, use the home page of the site you retrieved the work from.
 Date: If the work is a finalized version published and dated, as in the case of a journal
article, the date within the main body of the citation is enough. However, if the work is
not dated and/or is subject to change, as in the case of an online encyclopedia article,
include the date that you retrieved the information.

Books

References to an entire book must include the following elements: author(s) or editor(s), date of
publication, title, place of publication, and the name of the publisher.

Book with one author

Bernstein, T. M. (1965). The careful writer: A modern guide to English usage (2nd ed.).
New York, NY: Atheneum.
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Electronic book

Replace place and publisher information with the DOI.

Anderson, C.A., Gentile, D.A., & Buckley, K.E. (2007). Violent video game effects on
children and adolescents: Theory, research and public policy.
doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195309836.001.0001

Work with two authors

Beck, C. A. J., & Sales, B. D. (2001). Family mediation: Facts, myths, and future
prospects. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Two or more works by the same author

Arrange by the year of publication, the earliest first.

Postman, N. (1979). Teaching as a conserving activity. New York, NY: Delacorte

Press.

Postman, N. (1985). Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of show
business. New York, NY: Viking.
If works by the same author are published in the same year, arrange alphabetically by title and
add a letter after the year as indicated below
McLuhan, M. (1970a). Culture is our business. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

McLuhan, M. (1970b). From cliché to archetype. New York, NY: Viking Press.

Book by a corporate author

Associations, corporations, agencies, government departments and organizations

are considered authors when there is no single author

American Psychological Association. (1972). Ethical standards of psychologists.

Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Edited book

Gibbs, J. T., & Huang, L. N. (Eds.). (2001). Children of color: Psychological interventions with

culturally diverse youth. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

No Author or editor, in print

Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (11th ed.). (2003). Springfield, MA: Merriam-

Webster.

Essays or chapters in edited books

References to an essay or chapter in an edited book must include the following elements: essay
or chapter authors, date of publication, essay or chapter title, book editor(s), book title, essay or
chapter page numbers, place of publication, and the name of the publisher.

One author
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Labajo, J. (2003). Body and voice: The construction of gender in flamenco. In T. Magrini (Ed.),

Music and gender: perspectives from the Mediterranean (pp. 67-86). Chicago, IL: University of

Chicago Press.

Two editors

Hammond, K. R., & Adelman, L. (1986). Science, values, and human judgment. In H. R. Arkes
& K. R. Hammond (Eds.), Judgement and decision making: An interdisciplinary reader (pp.
127-143). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers

References to periodical articles must include the following elements: author(s), date of
publication, article title, journal title, volume number, issue number (if applicable), and page
numbers.

Journal article, two authors, accessed online

Sanchez, D., & King-Toler, E. (2007). Addressing disparities consultation and outreach

strategies for university settings. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 59(4),

286-295. doi:10.1037/1065- 9293.59.4.286

Journal article from a subscription database (no DOI)

Colvin, G. (2008, July 21). Information worth billions. Fortune, 158(2), 73-79. Retrieved from

Business Source Complete, EBSCO. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com

Magazine article, in print

Kluger, J. (2008, January 28). Why we love. Time, 171(4), 54-60.

Newspaper article, no author, in print

As prices surge, Thailand pitches OPEC-style rice cartel. (2008, May 5). The Wall Street

Journal, p. A9.

Newspaper article, multiple authors, discontinuous pages, in print

Delaney, K. J., Karnitschnig, M., & Guth, R. A. (2008, May 5). Microsoft ends pursuit of

Yahoo, reassesses its online options. The Wall Street Journal, pp. A1, A12.

Dissertations

References for dissertations should include the following elements: author, date of publication,

title, and institution (if you accessed the manuscript copy from the university collections). If

there is a UMI number or a database accession number, include it at the end of the citation.
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Dissertation, accessed online

Young, R. F. (2007). Crossing boundaries in urban ecology: Pathways to sustainable cities

(Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database. (UMI No.

327681)

Encyclopedias or dictionaries and entries in an encyclopedia

References for encyclopedias must include the following elements: author(s) or editor(s), date of
publication, title, place of publication, and the name of the publisher. For sources accessed
online, include the retrieval date as the entry may be edited over time.

Encyclopedia set or dictionary

Sadie, S., & Tyrrell, J. (Eds.). (2002). The new Grove dictionary of music and musicians (2nd

ed., Vols. 1-29). New York, NY: Grove.

Article from an online encyclopedia

Containerization. (2008). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 6, 2008, from

http://search.eb.com

Encyclopedia article

Kinni, T. B. (2004). Disney, Walt (1901-1966): Founder of the Walt Disney Company. In

Encyclopedia of Leadership (Vol. 1, pp. 345-349). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Research reports and papers

References to a report must include the following elements: author(s), date of publication, title,

place of publication, and name of publisher. If the issuing organization assigned a number (e.g.,

report number, contract number, or monograph number) to the report, give that number in

parentheses immediately after the title. If it was accessed online, include the URL.

Government report, accessed online

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2005). Medicaid drug price comparisons:

Average manufacturer price to published prices (OIG publication No. OEI-05-05- 00240).

Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-05-05-

00240.pdf

Government reports, GPO publisher, accessed online

Congressional Budget Office. (2008). Effects of gasoline prices on driving behavior and vehicle

markets: A CBO study (CBO Publication No. 2883). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office. Retrieved from http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/88xx/doc8893/01-14-GasolinePrices.pdf

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Technical and/or research reports, accessed online

Deming, D., & Dynarski, S. (2008). The lengthening of childhood (NBER Working Paper
14124). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. Retrieved July 21, 2008, from
http://www.nber.org/papers/w14124

Document available on university program or department site

Victor, N. M. (2008). Gazprom: Gas giant under strain. Retrieved from Stanford University,

Program on Energy and Sustainable Development Web site:

http://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/gazprom_gas_giant_under_strain/

Audio-visual media

References to audio-visual media must include the following elements: name and function of

the primary contributors (e.g., producer, director), date, title, the medium in brackets, location or

place of production, and name of the distributor. If the medium is indicated as part of the

retrieval ID, brackets are not needed.

Videocassette/DVD

Achbar, M. (Director/Producer), Abbott, J. (Director), Bakan, J. (Writer), & Simpson, B.

(Producer) (2004). The corporation [DVD]. Canada: Big Picture Media Corporation.

Audio recording

Nhat Hanh, T. (Speaker). (1998). Mindful living: a collection of teachings on love, mindfulness,

and meditation [Cassette Recording]. Boulder, CO: Sounds True Audio.

Motion picture

Gilbert, B. (Producer), & Higgins, C. (Screenwriter/Director). (1980). Nine to five [Motion

Picture]. United States: Twentieth Century Fox.

Television broadcast

Anderson, R., & Morgan, C. (Producers). (2008, June 20). 60 Minutes [Television broadcast].

Washington, DC: CBS News.

Television show from a series

Whedon, J. (Director/Writer). (1999, December 14). Hush [Television series episode]. In

Whedon, J., Berman, G., Gallin, S., Kuzui, F., & Kuzui, K. (Executive Producers), Buffy the

Vampire Slayer. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros..

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Music recording

Jackson, M. (1982). Beat it. On Thriller [CD]. New York, NY: Sony Music.

Undated Web site content, blogs, and data

For content that does not easily fit into categories such as journal papers, books, and reports,
keep in mind the goal of a citation is to give the reader a clear path to the source material. For
electronic and online materials, include stable URL or database name. Include the author, title,
and date published when available. For undated materials, include the date the resource was
accessed.

Blog entry

Arrington, M. (2008, August 5). The viral video guy gets $1 million in funding. Message posted

to http://www.techcrunch.com

Professional Web site

National Renewable Energy Laboratory. (2008). Biofuels. Retrieved May 6, 2008, from

http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_biofuels.html

Data set from a database

Bloomberg L.P. (2008). Return on capital for Hewitt Packard 12/31/90 to 09/30/08.
Retrieved Dec. 3, 2008, from Bloomberg database.Page 8 of 8

Central Statistics Office of the Republic of Botswana. (2008). Gross domestic product per capita

06/01/1994 to 06/01/2008 [statistics]. Available from CEIC Data database.

Entire Web site

When citing an entire Web site (and not a specific document on that site), no Reference List
entry is required if the address for the site is cited in the text of your paper.

Witchcraft In Europe and America is a site that presents the full text of many essential works in
the literature of witchcraft and demonology (http://www.witchcraft.psmedia.com/