How to cite 4 commonly used types of periodicals in APA on the references page
1. An article in a journal with continuous paging
A journal with continuous paging numbers an entire year’s worth of journals consecutively, even
though there are separately numbered issues. When an articles comes from a journal with
continuous paging, list its authors first, followed by the year and the article title. Next, include
the title of the journal, a comma, the volume number, and another comma (all italicized.) Finish
the entry by including the inclusive page numbers, without a page abbreviation.
Nussbaum, J. F., & Betterin, L, M. (1994). Shared stories of the grandparent-grandchild
relationship. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 39, 67-60.
In-text citation: (Nussbaum & Bettini, 1994)
2. An article in a journal with separate paging
A journal with separate paging begins each numbered issue with page 1, even though a year’s
worth of journals is assigned a single volume number. When a journal has separate paging for
each issue, follow the volume number with the issue number, in parentheses; no space separates
the volume from the issue, and the while the volume is italicized, the issue number is not.
Graves, D. (2000). Multiculturalism and the choral canon. Choral Journal, 41(2), 37-44.
3. A monthly magazine
You can distinguish magazines from journals because they are commercial publications and are
not usually affiliated with professional organizations. Magazines target general readers and
provide nontechnical discussions and general reactions to issues. Journals are written by and for
scholars and professionals and are reviewed by them as well.
Furlow, B. (2000, October.) The uses of crying and begging. Natural History, 109, 62 – 67.
4. A weekly magazine
The entry for a weekly magazine is presented just as that for a monthly magazine, with one
important difference: The day (along with the year and the month) is included in parentheses. In
the corresponding in-text citation, however, only the year is required.
Gest, T. (2000, October 9). Fixing your school. U.S. News and World Report, 129, 65-67.
Note on capitalization:
APA follows two distinct patterns for the capitalization of titles: one within the text of a paper
and one in the reference list.
In the reference list, the titles of periodicals are capitalized. For the titles of articles and all other
sources (such as books), only the first words of titles and subtitles and proper nouns and proper
adjectives are capitalized; all other words appear in lowercase letters.
In the text of a paper, both in your prose and in your in-text citations, the first words or titles and
subtitles and ALL major words are capitalized, whether they are periodicals, books, or electronic
sources. However, conjunctions and prepositions of fewer than four letters (and, or, but, as, for,
to) are not capitalized nor are articles (a, an, the.)
Source: Perrin, R. (2004). Pocket guide to APA style. New York: Houghton Mifflin.