APA Citation Guide
When to cite: Citing is a must-have for most academic papers, and knowing when to cite is crucial. Not
citing or citing too little may result in suspicions about plagiarism. Over-citing may be helpful at first, but
may become cumbersome and may obscure the flow of the piece. The APA Publication Manual, 6th
Edition says the following about citations:
Cite the work of those individuals whose ideas, theories, or research have directly influenced
your work. They may provide key background information, support…or offer critical definitions
and data…In addition to crediting the ideas of others that you used to build your thesis, provide
documentation for all facts and figures that are not common knowledge (American
Psychological Association [APA], 2010, p. 169).
Note: Be sure to include both the in-text citation and the reference page. If students fail to provide
both components, then they may be accused of plagiarism.
In-Text Citations
Authors
In-Text Citation
Example
1 Author:
2 Authors:
(last name, date)
(last name & last name, date)
3-5 Authors:
(last name, last name, last name, last name, & last name,
date)
(Walker, 2007)
(Walker & Allen,
2004)
(Bradley, Ramirez, &
Soo, 1999)
3-5 Authors
(Last name et al., date)
SECOND time they
are mentioned:
(Bradley et al., 1999)
6 or more
authors:
(last name, et al., date)
(Wasserstein et al.,
2005)
Organization:
(Organization name, date)
(National Institute of
Mental Health
[NIMH], 2003)
(NIMH, 2003)
Organization
(Organization’s Abbreviations, date)
SECOND time they
are mentioned:
Direct Quotations (Author, Date, Page number)
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Reference List:
Books (whole)
Author last name, Author’s Initials (date). Title of work. Location: Publisher.
Example: Shotton, M.A. (1989). Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency. London, England:
Taylor & Francis.
Electronic-only book:
Author last name, Author’s Initials (date). Title of work. Retrieved from http://www.xxxxx
Example: Shotton, M.A. (1989). Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency.
Retrieved from http://ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/html/index.asp
Book with an editor
Editor last name, editor’s initials (Ed.). (date). Title of work. Location: Publisher.
Example: Shotton, M.A. (Ed.). (1989). Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency.
London, England: Taylor & Francis.
Periodicals
Author’s last name, Author’s initials. (year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, xx, pp-pp.
doi: xx.xxxxxxx
Example: Herbst-Damm, K.L. (2005). Volunteer support, marital status, and the survival times of
terminally ill patients. Health psychology, 24, 225-229. Doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.225
Newspaper Article(Online)
Author’s last name, Author’s initials. (Date of article publication). Article title. Newspaper Title, pp. A1,
A4.
Example: Brody, J.E. (2007, December 11). Mental reserves keep brain agile. The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
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