APA Citation Format Simplified
APA (2010) requires a hanging indent and double-spacing for its citations. Always use italics (not underlining) when required.
If a magazine or journal does not have a volume number, you must use the p. or pp. abbreviation.
Note: APA 2010 requires you to use DOI (Digital Object identifiers) when possible. APA 2010 Also recommends you use two spaces after a period.
Book
APA FORMAT
EXAMPLE
One Author
Author last name, First initial, Middle initial.
(Date). Title of work. Location: Publisher.
Smith, K.C. (2004). Children’s literature of the Harlem
renaissance. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Two to Seven Authors
Author last name, First initial, Middle initial., &
Author last name, First initial, Middle
initial. (Date). Title of work. Location:
Publisher.
Branson, J. J., & Larson, B. (2003). Educating Rita. New York:
Norton.
Eight or More Authors
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., Author, C. C., Author
D. D., Author, E. E., Author, F. F., . . . Last
Author, I. I. (Date). Title of work.
Location: Publisher.
German, J., Franklin, B., Sweden, A., Joseph, B., Austin, T.,
Squires, K., . . . Marsh, R. (2008). Effects of family
reunions on dysfunctional families. New York: Genealogy
Press.
Editor and/or chapter in
a book
Author, A.A. (Date). Title of chapter. In A. Editor
& B. Editor (Eds.), Title of work (pp xxxxxx). Location: Publisher.
Arthur, K. (2004). High school reform in Arizona. In A. Squires
(Ed.), Dismal state of American education (pp. 56-84).
New York: Knopf.
E-book
Possible Formats:
Editor last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Ed.).
(Date). Title of work. Location:
Publisher. Retrieved from URL.
Author, A. (Date). Title of work. Location:
Publisher. Retrieved from URL
Author, B. (Date ) Title of work. Doi:xxxxx
Author, C. (Date) Title of work. Retrieved from
URL
Careful, T. (Ed.). (2003). Children and ritalin. Doi:
10.1037/10762-000
[When doi (digital object
identifiers) is available, you
should use it at end of entry as
noted in samples]
Periodical Article
Magazine
Volz, B.D. (Ed.). (2000). Junior genreflecting: A guide to good
reads and series fiction for children. Englewood CO:
Libraries Unlimited. Doi: 10.1036/0071393724
Zimring, C.A. (2005). Cash for your trash: Scrap recycling in
America [eBook version]. Retrieved from
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cgcc
APA Format
Author last name, First initial. Middle initial (Year, Month, Day).
Title of article. Title of Magazine, Volume number, Pages.
Note: If no volume number is available, use p. or pp. before page numbers.
Rev. 2009/Based on 6th edition of APA Manual (2010)
Example
Bender, M. (2006, December). 2-minute winter
warm-ups: Wake up your hibernating
muscles, starting now. Health, 20, 3840.
Journal: Continuous
page numbers
Journal: Separate
pagination (each issue
starts with page 1)
Author last name, First initial, Middle initial. (Year). Title of
article. Title of Journal, Volume number, Pages.
Brown, P. (2002). New architecture today. Art
Digest, 25, 303-13.
Author last name, First initial, Middle initial. (Year). Title of
article. Title of Journal, Volume number (Issue number),
Pages.
Article in an online
database
Same as print but add doi or electronic retrieval information at
end.
 If doi is available, add doi to end of entry.
 If no doi is available, and it was retrieved online, add the
following phrase and the homepage url of the journal,
newsletter, or magazine: Use this format: Retrieved
from http://www.xxxxxxxx
 Note that you do not use a period after the url or the doi
Bellon-Hare, L. M., Garrett, T.M., Roberts, C. L.,
& Torres-Rivera, E. (2003, March).
Open hands, open hearts: Working with
native youth in the schools. Intervention
in School and Clinic, 38 (4), 225-235.
Vissing, Y. (2003, December). The yellow school
bus project: Helping homeless students
get ready for school. Phi Delta Kappan,
85 (4), 321-323. Retrieved from
http://www.ebscohost.com
CQ Researcher
This is a government publication. Sample show is an issue from the
electronic database without a doi.
Newspaper (Print
Version)
Note that you use p. or pp. before page numbers with newspapers.
If an article has discontinuous page numbers, list all page numbers,
but separate them with a comma (e.g. pp. A3, A5, A6-7)
Newspaper (Electronic
Version)
Give the URL of the home page if available: This strategy allows
you to avoid nonworking URLs.
Encyclopedia
APA Format
One or more Authors
Author last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Date). Article title.
In A.A. Editor (Ed.), Title of publication (Vol., pp.).
Location: Publisher.
Rev. 2009/Based on 6th edition of APA Manual (2010)
Kroon, L. (2007). Drug interactions with smoking.
American Journal of Health-System
Pharmacy, 64 (18), 1917-1921. doi:
10.2146/ajhp060414
Glazer, S. (2006, November 10). Video games. CQ
Researcher, 16, 937-960. Retrieved
from http://library.cqpress.com.
Brown, S. (1998, January 25). A new art.
Washington Post, p. A4.
Lublin, J. S. (2006, December 11). Untainted
firms alter how they offer options. The
Wall Street Journal, pp. B1, B3.
Shin, A. (2006, December 6). Trans fat banned in
N.Y. eateries; city health board cites
heart risks. The Washington Post.
Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com
Example
Hernandez, J., & Squires, R. (1999). House plants.
In T. Z. Zollinger (Ed.),The encyclopedia of
botany (Vol. 7, pp. 45-75). New York:
Macmillan.
No Author
Article title. (Date). Article title. In B. B. Editor (Ed), Title of
publication (Vol., pp.). Location: Publisher.
Note that the sample shown is an electronic example.
Web Site Article
With Author
APA Format
Author last name, First initial, Middle initial. (Date of
web page). Title. Retrieved from URL
Note: If source may change over time on a Web page
(such as a wiki), you can include a retrieval date. If
source will not change, you do not need to include the
retrieval date.
Achievement gap. (2006). In L.B. Johnson (Ed.),The
encyclopedia of education. Retrieved from
http://find. galegroup.com
Example
American Library Association YALSA (2005).
Outstanding books for the college bound.
Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/
yalsa/booklists/obcb
Jameson, E. (n.d.). NCH FACT sheets on
homelessness. Retrieved August 12,
1999, from http://nch.ari.net/facts.html
With no Author
Article title. (Date). Retrieved from URL
The trials and tribulation of the homeless on the
streets of Phoenix. (2003, October 13).
Retrieved from http://www.save.the.
homeless.org/trials.html
Entire Website
Note: With APA, when citing an entire Website (and not
a specific document on the website), you may cite it in
your parenthetical in-text citation and not include it on
your References page.
Example of in-text reference: The Mark Twain
Page discusses the significance of Twain’s works,
especially relating his stories to the political
controversies of his day. It especially
emphasizes racial issues (http://www.ualbertta.
ca/_dawe/twain.html).
MLA Format
Example
Other Source Types
Lecture (or Address)
(unpublished paper/poster
presentation)
Film (Movie) or Video
Presenter A. A. (year, Month). Lecture Title. Paper or
poster session presented at the meeting of
Organization Name, Location.
Producer, A. A. (Producer), & Director, B. B (Director).
(Year). Title of motion picture [Motion picture}.
Country of origin: Studio.
Rev. 2009/Based on 6th edition of APA Manual (2010)
Goddard, T. (2001, October). Phoenix Today.
Honors Forum Lecture presented at the
MCCCD Honors Program Forum, Phoenix
College.
Nevins, S. (Producer), & Anderson, J. (Director).
(2006). Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on
Goldwater. [DVD]. United States: HBO
Documentary Films.
Writer, A. (Copyright year). Title of song [Recorded by B.
B. Artist if different from writer]. On Title of
album [Medium}. Location: Label. (Date of
recording if it differs from copyright year).
Holiday, B. (1991). Billie’s blues. On Lady Day:
The best of Billie Holiday. [CD]. New
York: Sony.
You cannot include personal interviews on the References
page. You must cite them in the text as shown in
this example:
(L. Hogan, personal communication, August 18, 1999)
NOT Permitted on the References page because
this information is not “retrievable” by other
researchers.
A Review
Reviewer’s Last Name, First initial. (Date). Title of review
[Review of the book Title of book, by A. A.
Author]. Title of complete work, xx, xxx-xxx.
Kauffman, R. (2001, March 6). A new look
[Review of the book The color purple, by
A. Walker]. New Books Review, pp. 239240.
Online Posting (Message to a
newsgroup, online forum, or
discussion group).
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of post [Description
of form]. Retrieved from http;/www.xxxx
Ziegler, J. (2004, November 12). Re: Arizona
homeless information source. [Online
forum comment]. Retrieved from
http://forums.homelessness
/arizona/phoenix/issues/
msg1123494085458903.html?15
Music Recording
Personal Communications
[such as Interview (you conduct
yourself), memos, email, phone
conversations, private letters, etc.]
Note: In discussion boards, the title of the post is
referred to as the “thread”).
Note: Due to nature of posting, include a url.
Radio or Television Program
Set up is similar to a chapter in a book: list script writer
and director in the author position. List producer
(if name is available) in the editor position.
NOTE: In your in-text citations, include side & band or
track numbers: “Billie’s Blues” (Holiday, 1991, track 5).
Shatner, J. (Writer), & Haffner, C. (Director).
(1993, April 6). Frederick Douglas.
[Television broadcast.] In Civil War
Journal. Los Angeles: Arts and
Entertainment Network.
Tessler, V. (Writer), & Sojourner, J. (Director).
(2002, January 25). Death and love.
[Radio broadcast]. In Weekend Edition
Saturday. Phoenix, Arizona: KJZZ.
Rev. 2009/Based on 6th edition of APA Manual (2010)