Quick Reference for APA Citations

(American Psychological Association)

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological

Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
(Available at the Research-Writing Studio, Haggard 2 and Ref. BF 76.7 .P83 2010)

The following are examples of the more common citations. When in doubt your
final word is the Publication Manual, the official website, and your professor.

Ask for assistance in the Research-Writing Studio on Haggard 2.

In Text Citations (pp. 174-179)

The APA style uses the author-date in text method of citation: the last name of the author and the year of
publication are inserted in the text. Page numbers should always be included for direct quotations or
paraphrasing materials you are using from a long or complex source.

One author:
A single gene controls the restriction of the compound to the leaves and stems (Barham, 1953).
OR
According to Barham (1953), a single gene controls the restriction of the compound to the leaves and
stems.

Two authors:
Cite both names every time: (6.12, p. 175)
Brabant and Mooney (1986) have used the comic strip to examine evidence of sex role stereotyping.
OR
The comic strip has been used to examine evidence of sex role stereotyping (Brabant & Mooney, 1986).

Three, four, or five authors: (6.12, p. 175)

List every author the first time. After that, cite only the last name of the first author followed by "et al."
Example of a first citation: Cramer, Jackson, Smith, and Jones (1992) found evidence that ...
For subsequent citations: Cramer et al. (1992) found evidence that ...

NOTE: Et al. is Latin for and others; “et” is a full word, but “al.” is an abbreviation and therefore
needs to be followed by a period.

Six or more authors:

Cite only the surname of the first author followed by "et al."

No author: (6.15, p. 176)

Cite the first few words of the reference entry (usually the title) and the year. Use double quotation marks
around the title of an article or chapter, and italicize the title of a periodical, book, brochure, or report.
Examples: From the book Study Guide (2000) ... or ("Reading," 1999).

Citing more than one source in the same parenthesis: (6.16, pp. 177-178)
Citations are placed in the order that they are appear in the Reference List and are separated with

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semicolons. Example:
Several studies (Adams, 1999; Jones & James, 2000; Miller, 1999) . . .

To cite a specific part of a source: (6.19, p. 179)

Indicate the page, chapter, figure, table, or equation at the appropriate point in text. Examples: (James,
2001, p. 231), (Gouge, 1999, chapter 3), and (Bates, 2001, table 3).
See Web examples in last section.

Citation of a Work Discussed in a Secondary Source: (6.17, p. 178) It is always best to cite an
original source. Ask for help at the Reference Desk when you have difficulty locating the original. When
it is necessary to cite a secondary source, APA recommends the following:

Within the text, name the original source and provide a citation for the secondary source.
Example:

In-Text Citation: Kirscht and Joseph's review (as cited in Thompson, Geher, Stevens, Stem & Lintz, 2001,
p. 55) . . .

Reference List Entry:

Thompson, K. L., Geher, G., Stevens, K. F., Stem, S. T., & Lintz, M. K. (2001). Psychological
predictors of sexual behaviors related to AIDS transmission. Psychological Reports, 88(1), 51-67.

Reference List (6.22-6.26)

A Reference list contains all the items you have made a direct reference to in your paper (by using in-text
citations as shown above).

 Begin your Reference list on a separate sheet of paper with the header References centered at the
top of the page. Use page numbers that continue the numbering of the text.
 APA requires the hanging indent. Entries should begin flush left, and the second and subsequent
lines should be indented.
 The 6th edition of the APA style requires double-spacing references. To save space all examples
shown below are single-spaced.
 All items are listed alphabetically by the first author's last name. If there is no author, start with
the title and then the date.
 For examples of documents and situations not found here, see the printed version of the
Publication Manual.

Journal Articles
DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier, “a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency
(International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the
Internet (6.31, p. 189).” When a DOI is available for a journal article, it eliminates the need for a database
name or Journal Homepage URL in the citation. Examples are shown below.

How to locate a DOI: DOI numbers are often found on the first page of the article, or in the citation or the
abstract of an article. You can also try Cross Ref Free DOI Look Up.

When you cannot locate the DOI number for an article, treat the citation is like a print article. For a web
based journal, use the URL of the journal.

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Basic Format Author. (Year of Publication). Title of Article. Title of
7.01, pp. 198-202 Journal, volume, page numbers. doi:xx.xxxxxxxxxxx

One Author: with DOI Bizjak, M. C. (2009). Understanding emotional health and
7.01, no. 1, p. 198 psychological adjustment in students with or without a specific
hearing deficiency. Journal of Developmental and Physical
Disabilities, 21, 213–224. doi:10.1007/s10882-009-9136-x

Two Authors found with a Article found with a web search:

Database Search - no DOI Last Name, I. I. (Date of publication). Title of Article. Title of
7.01, no 3, p. 199 Journal, volume number. Retrieved from
6.32, p. 192 http:www.journalhomepage.com/url

Database article cited as a print article (PsycInfo):

Do not include the database Brabant, S., & Mooney, L. A. (1997). Sex role stereotyping
information as database contents can in the Sunday comics: A twenty year update. Sex
change over time. Cite as a print Roles, 37, 269-281.
document.

Article from a Print Journal with Tolin, D. F., Abramowitz, J. S., Brigidi, B. D., Amir, N.,
up to Seven Authors Street, G. P., & Foa, E. B. (2001). Memory and
7.01, page 198 memory confidence in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Behaviour Research & Therapy, 39, 913-927.
(include DOI when available)

Article with DOI and More than Lein, E. S., Hawrylycz, M. J., Ao, N., Ayres, M., Bensinger, A.,
Seven Authors Bernard, A., . . . Jones, A. R. (2007). Genome-wide
7.01, no. 2, p. 198. atlas of gene expression in the adult mouse brain. Nature, 445
(7124), 168-176. doi:10.1038/nature05453

Note: The first six authors are listed; all subsequent authors except
the last are omitted and replaced with an ellipsis; then list name of
the last author.

In-text example: (Lein et al., 2007)

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Magazine Articles

Basic Format Author, I. I. (Year, Month). Article title. Magazine Title,

volume(issue no.), page numbers.

Magazine Article Adams, J. R. (1998, May). The once and future scandal. American
7.01, no. 7, p. 200 Spectator, 31(5), 42-48.

Magazine Article With Conventional wisdom. (2003, August 18). Newsweek, 142 (7), 6.
No Author
7.01, p. 200

Wilkerson, R. (2009, April 27). Are my dreams premonitions?

Online Magazine Article SelfHelp Magazine. Retrieved from
7.01, no. 8, p. 200 http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/article/dream-meaning

Newspaper Articles

Basic Format Author, I. I. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Newspaper Title,
page numbers.

Newspaper Article With Author and Ayers, S. (1998, May 7). Eagles rebound across county.
Discontinuous Pages The Bellingham Herald, pp. A1, A4.
7.01, no. 10, p. 200

Newspaper Article from a Altman, L. K. (2001, January 18). Mysterious illnesses

Subscription Database (ProQuest often turn out to be mass hysteria. New York Times.
Newspapers) Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/
6.32, pp. 189-192.

Books

Basic Format Author, I. I. (Year of Publication). Title. City, State Abbreviation:

7.02, p. 202 Publisher.

Authored Book: Stehle, P. (1994). Order, chaos, order: The transition from
7.02, no. 18, p. 203 classical to quantum physics. New York, NY: Oxford
University Press.

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Book with Two Authors Mannell, R. C., & Kleiber, D. A. (1997). A social psychology of
7.02, pp. 202-05 leisure. State College, PA: Venture.

Book with More than Two Authors Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Pullen, P. C. (Eds.).
(or editors in this example) (2009). Exceptional learners: An introduction to special
6.27, p. 184 education. Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.

Book with No Author or Editor Encyclopedia of medical organizations and agencies.

7.02, pp. 203 (2001). Detroit, MI.: Gale Research.

Corporate Author as Publisher American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and

6.30, p. 187 statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.).
Washington, DC: Author.

If the author and publisher are the same, use the word "Author"
as the publisher.

Ebook Dashorst, M., & Hillenius, E. (2008). Wicket in action.

Greenwich, CT: Manning Publications. Retrieved
7.19-22, pp. 203-4 from http://www.safaribooksonline.com/

Horwitz, A. V., & Wakefield, J. C. (2012). All we have to

fear: Psychiatry's transformation of natural anxieties into
mental disorders. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
USA. Retrieved from ELB E-Book Library.

Chapter or Article in an Edited Fonagy, P. (2004). Psychodynamic therapy with children. In

Book or Anthology H. Steiner (Ed.), Handbook of mental health
7.02, no. 25, p. 204 interventions in children and adolescents: An integrated
developmental approach (pp. 621-658). San Francisco,
CA: Jossey-Bass.

Steinberg, D. (2008). Mac attack! (B. Smith, illus.). New York:

Authored Book with Illustrator Grosset & Dunlap.

Republished Book Butler, J. (1999). Gender trouble. New York: Routledge.

4.11, p. 95 (Original work published 1990).

In text reference:
(Butler, 1990/1999)

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Entry from a Print Encyclopedia or Schneider, I. (1989). Bandicoots. In Grzimek’s
Dictionary encyclopedia of mammals (Vol.1, pp. 300-304). New
7.02, no 27, p. 204 York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Entry from an Online Encyclopedia Lee, T. M. C. (n.d.). Brain imaging of deception. In

or Dictionary AccessScience@McGraw-Hill. Retrieved from
7.02, no. 29, p. 205 http://www.accessscience.com

Note: (n.d.)= no date.

Government Documents

Government U. S. Department of Education. (2001/02). Student financial aid

Document, handbook for foreign schools. Washington D.C.: Author.
(Print Report)
In this example the corporate author is also the publisher.
7.03, p.205 For reports that have a publication number:
Author. (Date). Title (publication number). Location: Publisher.

Government U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon

Document General. (2010). How tobacco smoke causes disease: The biology and
(Online Report) behavioral basis for smoking-attributable disease.
Retrieved from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/tobaccosmoke/
7.03, no. 31, p. 205 full_report.pdf

For reports that have a publication number use this format:

Author. (Date). Title (publication number). Retrieved from URL

Government Oversight of the Safe Drinking Water Act: Hearing before the Subcommittee
Document, Senate on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water of the Committee on Environment and
Hearing Public Works, United States Senate, 106th Cong. 2 (2000).
A7.05, no. 13, p. 221

Case Decided by the United States Report:

U.S. Supreme Court Name v. Name, Vol. number U.S. Page number (Year).

A7.03, no. 8, p. 219 Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963).

ERIC Document Kavanaugh, D. (2009). Comparison of motivational factors

7.09, no. 62, p. 212 between Japanese and United States high school students.
Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED505981)

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Tests, Scales, Measurements, Questionnaires, Etc.

Note: Cite tests according to the format in which the test is published, whether it is found in a journal
article, an edited book, a university Web page or published separately. Test or inventory titles are
capitalized.

Test, Scale, Measurement, Poznanski, E. O., & Mokros, H. B. (1996). Children’s

Questionnaire etc., Published Depression Rating Scale, revised (CDRS-R). Los
Separately. Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.

Note: Tests published individually are treated as you would a book

citation.

Test, Scale, Measure, Lee, T. R., Burr, W. R., Beutler, I. F., Yorgason, F., Harker,
Questionnaire etc. from a H. B., & Olsen, J. (2003). The Family Profile II: A Self-scored,
Journal Article Brief Family Assessment Tool. Psychological Reports, 81, 467-
477.

Conference Proceedings

Published Proceedings Tschacher, W., & Kupper, Z. (2007). A dynamics-oriented

(Print – In Book Form) approach to psychopathology. In J. W. Shuart, W. D.
7.04, no. 39, p. 207 Spaulding, & S. Jeffrey (Eds.), Nebraska Symposium on
Motivation: Vol. 52. Modeling complex systems (pp. 85-122).
Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Paper Presented at a Online Gunn, C. (1997, September). Integrated multimedia for better language
Conference learning. Paper presented at the ASCILITE 97 virtual
7.04, no. 37, p. 207 conference. Retrieved from
http://www.curtin.edu.au/conference/ascilite97/

Paper Presentation or Ammon, R. L., & Vallacher, R. R. (2006, May). Go ahead

Poster Session and lie to me: Self-coherence interactions with
7.04, p. 206 interpersonal preference. Poster session presented at the
meeting of the Association for Psychological Science, New
York.

Note: APA style asks that you give the year and month of the meeting in
the reference for papers or posters that are not formally published.

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Non-Print and Web Examples

American Psychological Association. (Producer). (2006). Harm reduction

Film with high school students [DVD]. Washington, DC: Author.
7.07, no. 49, p. 209
Note: When the author is also the publisher use the word Author in place
of publisher.

Personal Communication (B. Shepard, personal communication, September 23, 2009)

(In text citation only)

6.20, p. 179

Report Published on a Tang, Y., & Choo, X. (2009). Intrinsic divergence for face recognition.
Web Site (CTN Technical Report 20090204-001). Retrieved from Centre for
7.03, no. 34, p. 206 Theoretical Neuroscience: http://compneuro.uwaterloo.ca/cnrglab

Podcast American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (Producer).

7.07, no. 50, p. 210 (2009, August 25). Protecting the hearing of the young [Audio
podcast]. Retrieved from http://podcast.asha.org/

Blog Entry/Post LabRat. (2009, August 19). The curse of knowledge:

7.11, no. 76, p. 215 Mistaking your beliefs for those of others [Web log post].
Retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/

Note: If the authors name is not available, use the screen name.

[email protected]
12/16/15