APA Format for Sources in a Reference List
Basic Rules
1. Always provide the last name and first initials of all authors of a
work unless the work has more than six authors. In
this case, list the first six
authors and use “et al.” after the sixth author’s name to represent the rest of
the authors.
2. The reference list should always be alphabetized according to the last name of the first author of each work.
3. If you have more than one work by the same author or authors, list
them in order by the publication year, starting with
the earliest.
4. When the author appears as the sole author of one work AND the first
author of a group of authors for another work,
list the one-author entries
first. When a group of works share the same first author and different second or
third authors,
list the works alphabetically by the last name of the second
author or the third author if the second authors are the same.
5. Capitalize all major words in journal titles.
Referencing by Author
Works by a Single Author
Berndt, T. J. (2002). Friendship quality and social development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11, 7-10.
Works by Two Authors
Wegener, D. T., & Petty, R.
E.
Mood management across affective states: The hedonic contingency hypothesis.
Journal of
Personality & Social Psychology, 66, 1034-1048.
Remember to use the ampersand instead of “and.” Always capitalize the first word of the title or subtitle of a work. Lowercase all other words unless they are proper nouns or the first word after a colon or dash in a title.
Works by Three to Six Authors
Kernis, M. H., Cornell, D. P., Sun, C. R., Berry, A., & Harlow, T. (1993).
There’s more to self-esteem than whether it is
high or low: The importance of
stability of self-esteem.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
65, 1190-1204.
Remember, the last author is always preceded by the ampersand.
Works by More than Six Authors
Harris, M., Karper, E., Stacks, G., Hoffman, D., DeNiro, R., Cruz, P., et al.
(2001). Writing labs and the Hollywood
connection.
Journal of Film and Writing, 44(3), 213-245.
Remember not to put a period after “et” in “et al.” “Et al.” stands for “and others.”
Organization as an Author
American Psychological Association. (2003).
Unknown Author
Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
Referencing Articles in Periodicals
Basic Form
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article.
Title of Periodical, volume number (issue number),
pages.
Magazine Article
Henry, W. A., III. (1990, April 9). Making the grade in today's schools. Time, 135, 28-31.
Article in a Newspaper
Schultz, S. (2005, December 28). Calls made to strengthen state energy policies. The Country Today, pp. 1A, 2A.
There is a difference between a newspaper article and other articles. For a newspaper article, p. or pp. always precedes page numbers. Single pages take p.; multiple pages take pp.
Referencing Books
Basic Form
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher.
Edited Book, No Author
Duncan, G. J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (Eds.). (1997). Consequences of growing up poor. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Edited Book with an Author or Authors
Plath, S. (2000). The unabridged journals (K.V. Kukil, Ed.). New York: Anchor.
Edition Other than the First
Helfer, M.E., Keme, R.S., & Drugman, R.D. (1997). The battered child (5th ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Referencing Other Print Sources
Government Document
National Institute of Mental Health. (1990).
Clinical training in serious mental illness (DHHS Publication No.
ADM 90-
1679). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Report from a Private Organization
American Psychiatric Association. (2000).
Practice guidelines for the treatment of patients with eating disorders
(2nd ed.).
Washington, D.C.: Author.
Conference Proceedings
Schnase, J.L., & Cunnius, E.L. (Eds.). (1995). Proceedings from CSCL '95:
The
First International Conference on
Computer Support for Collaborative Learning.
Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Referencing Electronic Resources
Article from an Online Periodical
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article.
Title of Online Periodical, volume number (issue
number if available). Retrieved month day, year, from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
Article from a Database
Smyth, A. M., Parker, A. L., & Pease, D. L. (2002). A study of enjoyment of
peas.
Journal of Abnormal Eating, 8(3).
Retrieved February 20, 2003, from PsycARTICLES database.
Web Page
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication).
Title of document. Retrieved month day, year, from
http://Web
address
Remember, you must list as much of this information as possible. Finding the information is not always easy.
Sometimes, you have to search around the entire site before finding the information. Don’t be lazy! Also,
when an internet document is more than one Web Page, always provide a URL that links to the ENTRY page
for the document. The goal is to direct the reader as close as possible to the cited material.
Chapter or Section of a Web Document
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. In Title
of book or larger document (chapter or section
number). Retrieved month day,
year, from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
To Clarify:
Engelshcall, R. S. (1997). Module mod_rewrite: URL Rewriting Engine. In
Apache HTTP Server Version 1.3
Documentation
(Apache modules.)
Retrieved March 10, 2006, from http://httpd.apache.org/docs/1.3/mod/mod_
rewrite.html
Online Forum or Discussion Board Posting
Frook, B. D. (1999, July 23). New inventions in the cyberworld of toylandia [Msg
25]. Message posted to
http://groups.earthlink.com/forum/messages/00025.html
Entire Electronic Book Retrieved from Database
Nieswiadomy, R. M. (2008). Foundations of nursing research (5th ed.). Retrieved from STAT!Ref database.
Entire Electronic Book with Direct Link
Vogel, C.G. (1999.) Legends of landforms: Native American lore and the
geology of the land. Retrieved from http:
//www.netlibrary.com/AccessProduct.aspx?ProductId=28788
Electronic Book Chapter
Symonds, P. M. (1958). Human drives. In C. L. Stacey & M. DeMartino (Eds.),
Understanding human
motivation
(pp. 11-
22). Retrieved from PsycBOOKS database.
Individual Work Available on University Program or Departmental Web Site
Trapp,
Y. U.
(2005).
Multiple intelligences: The learning process
in our students.
Retrieved July 1, 2006, from Yale
University, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute Web site:
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/
2001/6/01.06.10.x.html
APA Style for In-Text Citations
Basic Rules
1. Always follow the author-date format of in-text citation. In other words, the author’s last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text.
2. When citing a direct quotation, include the page number in addition to the author’s last name and year of publication. Unless you are dealing with a block quote, the citation always appears after the end quotation mark and before the period.
3. Once an author has been formally cited in a paragraph, you do not have to include the date again until you begin a new paragraph.
Sample Paragraph:
Problems with different-ness arise when the married couple begins to see in each other “the twenty-four-hour-a-day
characteristics which do not usually show up during courtship and do not fit each mate’s expectations of the other” (Satir,
1983, p. 13). Satir explained that when individuals begin to sense that they are different in ways that detract from their
images rather than add to them, different-ness begins to look bad. In effect, different-ness is identified as a major source of
disagreement.
Or:
Bitter (1998) reported that Satir focuses on the relationship of the parents and the self-esteem exhibited in that relationship. According to Bitter, children are extremely reactive to parental influence, and when a couple’s relationship is marred by disappointment, the experience is often dealt with through the use of incongruent communication and defensive posturing. In effect, the spousal relationship thrives on communication that is altered by low self-worth, and the couple’s overwhelming defensiveness is a product of the difficulty of existing as an independent individual in an interdependent relationship. Bitter further explained that the child, having a continual need to survive, is forced to adjust to whatever the parents are willing to give.
Block Quotation
Place direct quotations longer than forty words in a free-standing block of typewritten lines and omit quotation marks.
Start the quotation on a new line, indented five spaces from the left margin. Type the entire quotation on the new margin,
and indent the first line of any subsequent paragraph within the quotation five spaces from the new margin. Maintain double
spacing throughout. The parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.
Sample Paragraph:
Taylor (2002) contended that family reconstruction is important for its transformative possibilities. Satir, Banmen, Gerber, and Gomori (1991) stated:
Family
reconstruction provides a way of seeing ourselves and our parents with new eyes
and thus seeing the present and the future in a new perspective. This
new perspective
provides us with access to greater opportunities, more
freedom, and an enhanced sense of
responsibility. We can always change
crap to compost! (p. 205)
Citing a Work by Three to Five Authors
List all the authors in parentheses the first time you cite the source.
(Kernis, Cornell, Sun, Berry, & Harlow, 1993)
In subsequent citations, only use the first author's last name followed by "et al.” in parentheses.
(Kernis et al., 1993)
Citing a Work by Six or More Authors
Use the first author's name followed by et al. in parentheses.
Harris et al. (2001) argued… OR (Harris et al., 2001)