Guide to APA Format
The citation style recommended for general use at OCOM is the standard developed by
the American Psychological Association (APA). This style is widely used at educational
institutions where a single, uniform standard is desired for teaching purposes.
The recommendation of APA style for use at OCOM was made with full appreciation
that many journals (biomedical, AOM and CAM) use citation styles other than APA. Any
researcher or author seeking to submit an article for publication should read and conform
to the in-print or on-line instructions to authors for the specific journal to which their
article will be submitted.
APA IN-TEXT CITATION STYLE
Single author:
(Maciocia, 2009)
Two authors:
(Su & Li, 2011)
Three to five:
The first time the article is cited, use: (Cao, Liu & Lewith, 2010)
If the article is cited again, use: (Cao et al., 2006)
More than five:
Always use (Zhang et al., 2010)
Organization:
The first time the article is cited, use: (Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention [CDC], 2011)
If the article is cited again, use: (CDC, 2011)
Note: If author(s) names are mentioned in the text outside of parentheses, the year must
be placed in parentheses.
Example: Research by Maciocia (2009) showed that…
Or: Research by Su and Li (2011) indicated that…
Or Research by Zhang et al. (2010) demonstrated that…
Yes, “&” is used inside parentheses while “and” is used within the text (outside of the
parentheses).
Created by the OCOM Library, 2011
APA END-OF-TEXT CITATION STYLE: REFERENCE LIST
Notice that the following citations are hanging. If you are using MS Word, you can auto
format your citations by selecting from the menu Format  Paragraph  Indentation 
Special  Hanging.
BOOKS
Book with one author
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle.
Location: Publisher.
Sagar, S. M. (2001). Restored harmony: An evidence based approach for integrating
Traditional Chinese medicine into complementary cancer care. Hamilton,
Ontario: Dreaming DragonFly Communications.
Note: For “Location,” you should always list the city, but you should also include the
state if the city is unfamiliar or if the city could be confused with one in another state.
Book with two authors
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also
for subtitle. Location: Publisher.
Birch, S. J., & Felt, R. L. (1999). Understanding acupuncture. Edinburgh: Churchill
Livingstone.
Note: Use “&”, not “and” when listing more than one author.
Book with three to six authors
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., Author, C. C., & Author, D. D. (Year of publication). Title
of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher.
Ulrich, H., Hecker, A., Steveling, E., & Kastner, J. (2001). Color atlas of acupuncture:
Body points, ear points, trigger points. Stuttgart, Germany: Thieme Medical
Publishers.
Again, list last names and initials; commas separate author names, with the last author
name preceded, as above, by “&”.
Created by the OCOM Library, 2011
Book with more than six authors
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., Author, C. C., Author, D. D., Author, E. E., Author, F. F.,
et al. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle.
Location: Publisher.
List the first six as above and then “et al.,” which stands for “and others”. Remember not
to place a period after “et” in “et al.”
Edited book
Editor, A. A., & Editor, B. B. (Eds.). (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter
also for subtitle. Location: Publisher.
Stux, G., & Hammerschlag, R. (Eds.). (2001). Clinical acupuncture: Scientific basis.
Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag.
Book chapter
Author of chapter, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of chapter: Capital letter also for
subtitle of chapter. In A. A. Editor (Eds.), Title of book: Capital letter also for
subtitle. (pp.xxx-xxx). Location: Publisher.
Weibo, L. (1999). Traditional Chinese medicine and the goals of medicine. In M. J.
Hanson & D. Callahan (Eds.), The goals of medicine: The forgotton issue in
health care reform. (pp.198-206). Washington, DC: Georgetown University
Press.
Created by the OCOM Library, 2011
JOURNALS AND PERIODICALS
Journal article – Paginated by issue
Journals paginated by issue begin with page one in every issue; therefore, the issue
number gets indicated in parentheses after the volume. The parentheses and
issue number are not italicized.
Basic format:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, Volume
Number(issue number), 1-21.
Pletcher, S. D., Goldberg, A. N., Lee, J., & Acquah, J. (2006). Use of acupuncture in the
treatment of sinus and nasal symptoms: Results of a practitioner survey. American
Journal of Rhinology, 20(2), 235-237.
Witt, C., Brinkhaus, B., Jena, S., Linde, K., Streng, A., Wagenpfeil, S., et al. (2005).
Acupuncture in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: A randomized trial.
Lancet, 366, 136-143.
Notes: If a journal article has more than 6 authors, include the first 6 authors followed by
“et al.” Include the full name of the journal (no abbreviations).
Online article:
The new edition of the APA recognizes that online articles are the primary format for
journal use. Anywhere you access an online journal article (website, database, interlibrary
loan link, anything), will be cited the same way. The format is the same as print, but you
should include the DOI if available.
Kwokming, J.C. (2009). Neuroanatomical basis of acupuncture treatment for some
common diseases. Acupuncture in Medicine, 27(2), 61-64.
doi:10.1136/aim.2009.000455
If no DOI is provided, you can use the URL. Note: If you have a long url that spans over
a line, you can break it right after a slash or before a period.
Vaghela, S.A., Donnellan, C.P. (2008). Acupuncture for back pain, knee pain and
insomnia in transverse myelitis-A case report. Acupuncture in Medicine, 26(3),
188-192. www.acupunctureinmedicine.org.uk/volindex.php
Whether a DOI is available or not, you do not have to include the retrieval date.
Created by the OCOM Library, 2011
Abstract:
Cao, H., Liu, J., & Lewith, G. T. (2010). Traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of
fibromyalgia: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials [Abstract].
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 16(4), 397-409.
Magazine article
Author, A. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Magazine name, Volume Number, xx-xx.
Gorman, C. (2007, February 26). Are doctors just playing hunches? Time, 169, 52-54.
Newspaper article
Author, A. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Newspaper Name, p.1A.
Bor, J. (2006, March 31). Distant prayer for patients in heart study failed to help. Denver
Post, p. 1A.
Note: Unlike other periodicals, p. or pp. precedes page numbers for a newspaper
reference in APA style. Single pages are noted by p. (for example p.B2); and
multiple pages are noted by pp., (for example pp.B2, B4 or pp. C1, C3-C4).
Created by the OCOM Library, 2011
WEBSITES
General rule:
At a minimum, provide a document title or description, a date (either date of publication
or update), and a URL. Whenever possible, identify the authors as well. Hint: If you
can’t find the above information you must question the source!! Be sure to look for
references any time information is listed as fact, and use the primary research whenever
possible.
Websites with a listed author:
Gregoire, H. (2005). Acupuncture techniques. Retrieved from http://www.goldenneedle.
ca/technique.htm
Corporate author or government report:
If the website is a governmental or organizational website, treat the organization as the
author:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
(FASDs): Data & statistics. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/
data.html
Blog post:
Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. OR Author screen name {as it appears on
the blog}. (Year, Month Day {of post}). Title of specific post [Web log post].
Retrieved from URL of specific post
Staniford, T. (2009, March 6). Acupuncture and fibromyalgia [Web log post]. Retrieved
from http://sfacupuncture.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/acupuncture-andfibromyalgia/
No author:
If the website you are using is not from a verified source (such as a governmental
website) and does not list an author, proceed with caution. If you have determined the site
is a necessary resource, the title should move into the first position:
New child vaccine gets funding boost. (2001). Retrieved from http://news.ninemsn.com
.au/health/story_13178.asp
Again: If you have a long url that spans over a line, you can break it right after a slash or
before a period.
Created by the OCOM Library, 2011