APA Style Electronic Formats
Dr. Mary Ellen Guffey*
[First published in Business Communication Quarterly, March 1997, pp. 59-76. Online version
completely revised, August 25, 2001 (last minor revision, October 5, 2001).]
The following formats and examples are offered as models for references that might appear in
the text and in the “References” section (bibliography) of a business writer's research paper. The
formats are based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth
Edition (2001). In the basic formats and examples presented, every effort has been made to
maintain consistency with published APA formats. When no model format for a specific kind of
electronic source could be found in the Publication Manual, I extrapolated a logical APA format.
Below are special considerations for business writers using APA formats to cite electronic sources:

Avoid dividing an electronic address at the end of a line. If absolutely necessary, divide it at
a slash (/) or before a period. (Although it might seem more logical to divide it after a
period, APA style specifically states before a period.)

For the titles of books, use italics and "sentence-style" capitalization. This means that for a
title only the first word, all proper nouns, and the first word after an internal colon are to be
capitalized. (Example: How to make money in French and German stocks: Your personal
guide)

For titles of magazines and journals, use italics and "headline" style capitalization. This
means that the first letter of each important word should be capitalized. (Example: U.S.
News & World Report)

For the titles of magazine and journal articles, do not use underlining, italics, or quotation
marks. Use "sentence-style" capitalization. (Example for an article in a magazine: Jobs in
jeopardy. Management Review)

APA suggests that writers citing Web items refer to specific Web site documents rather than
to home or menu pages. APA also advises writers to strive to provide addresses (URLs) that
are typed correctly and that work. Continually check your references to Web documents; if
the addresses of any of those documents change, update your references before you submit
your paper.

If an Internet document is undated, insert "(n.d.)" immediately after the document title.

E-mail messages may be cited in the text, but APA warns against listing them in the
"References" section because such messages are unrecoverable.
An in-text citation should be placed in parentheses. If a specific page is being referenced, the
citation should ideally include the author's name, the date of publication, and the number of the
specific page being referenced. Example: (Cheek & Buss, 1981, p. 332). For electronic sources
that do not provide page numbers, use the paragraph number, if available, preceded by the
abbreviation "para." Example: (Myers, 2000, para. 5). If neither paragraph nor page numbers are
provided, direct the reader to the location of the referenced material by indicating the heading that
precedes the material and, counting down from that heading, the number of the paragraph
containing the material. Example: (Beutler, 2000, "Conclusion" section, para. 1).
If an electronic document does not indicate the name of the author(s), refer to the document by
repeating the first few words of its title. Example: (“Study finds,” 2001). If the information being
referred to appears on an untitled Web page, indicate in the text of your paper where the reader is to
look if he or she wishes to find a full reference to the Web site that contains that page. Example:
More companies today are using data mining to unlock hidden value in their data.
The data mining program “Clementine,” described at the SPSS Web site, helps
organizations predict market share and detect possible fraud (SPSS, n.d).
Readers of the preceding example will know to look for the complete citation under "SPSS" in the
"References" section.
The following business-oriented examples are based on formats recommended in the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition. APA promises to
update its recommended formats at its Web site <http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html> when
future changes in electronic media warrant such revisions.
1. INTERNET ARTICLE BASED ON A MAGAZINE OR JOURNAL PRINT SOURCE
Basic Form
Author(s). (Date–indicate “n.d.” if date is unknown). Title [Electronic version]. Magazine or
Journal Title, volume (issue, if given), paging. [Add the date of retrieval and the URL only if
you believe that the print version differs from the electronic version.]
Example
Honeycutt, E. D., Glassman, M., Zugelder, M. T., & Karande, K. ( 2001, July). Determinants of
ethical behavior: A study of autosalespeople [Electronic version]. Journal of Business Ethics,
32 (1), 69-79.
2. ARTICLE IN AN INTERNET-ONLY MAGAZINE OR JOURNAL
Basic Form
Author(s). (Date). Title. Magazine or Journal Title, volume (issue), paging (if given). Retrieved
[access date] from [URL]
Example
Jensen, S. (2000). Ethical underpinnings for multidisciplinary practice in the United States and
abroad: Are accounting firms and law firms really different? Online Journal of Ethics, 3 (1).
Retrieved August 20, 2001, from http://www.stthom.edu/cbes/ethunder.html
3. MAGAZINE OR JOURNAL ARTICLE FROM A DATABASE
Basic Form
Author(s). (Date). Title. Magazine or Journal Title, volume (issue), paging. Retrieved [date], from
[database], Article No. (if given).
Example
Blackburn-Brockman, E. & Belanger, K. (2001, January). One page or two? A national study of
CPA recruiters' preferences for resume length. The Journal of Business Communication, 38
(1), 29. Retrieved June 20, 2001, from InfoTrac College Edition database, Article No.
A71327300.
4. NEWSPAPER ARTICLE (ELECTRONIC VERSION AVAILABLE BY SEARCH)
Basic Form
Author(s). (Date). Title. Name of Newspaper. Retrieved [date] from [URL]
Example
Hilts, P. J. (1999, February 16). In forecasting their emotions, most people flunk out. New York
Times. Retrieved November 21, 2000, from http://www.nytimes.com
5. INTERNET GOVERNMENT REPORT
Basic Form
Sponsoring agency. (Date). Title. (Publication data). Retrieved [date] from [name of organization
and URL]
Example
U.S. General Accounting Office. (1997, February). Telemedicine: Federal strategy is needed to
guide investments. (Publication No. GAO/NSAID/HEHS-97-67). Retrieved September 15,
2000, from General Accounting Office Reports Online via GPA Access:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces160.shtml?/gao/index.html
6. STAND-ALONE INTERNET DOCUMENT (NO AUTHOR, NO DATE)
Basic Form
Document title or name of Web page. (n.d.) Retrieved [date] from [URL]
Example
GVU's 8th WWW user survey. (n.d.). Retrieved August 8, 2000, from
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys/survey-1997-10/
7. DOCUMENT FROM COMPLEX WEB SITE (AUTHOR[S] IDENTIFIED)
Basic Form
Author(s). (Date). Title. Retrieved [date] from [Host business, agency or program]: [URL]
Example
Gordon, C. H., Simmons, P., & Wynn, G. (2001). Plagiarism: What it is, and how to avoid it.
Retrieved July 24, 2001, from Biology Program Guide 2001/2002 at the University of British
Columbia Web site: http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/bpg/plagiarism.htm
8. NONPERIODICAL MULTIPAGE WEB DOCUMENT (NO AUTHOR, NO DATE)
Basic Form
Name of sponsoring organization or title of site. (Date). Document name. Retrieved [date] from
[URL]
Example
Greater New Milford (Ct) Area Healthy Community 2000, Task Force on Teen and Adolescent
Issues. (n.d.). Who has time for a family meal? You do! Retrieved October 5, 2000, from
http://www.familymealtime.org
9. MESSAGE POSTED TO AN ONLINE FORUM OR DISCUSSION GROUP
Basic Form
Author(s). (Date of posting). Message subject line [Message ID]. Message posted to [group
address]
Example
Weylman, C. R. (2001, September 4). Make news to achieve positive press [Msg. 98]. Message
posted to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sales-marketing-tips/message/98
10. MESSAGE POSTED TO A NEWSGROUP
Basic Form
Author(s). (Date of posting). Message subject line [Message ID]. Message posted to [newsgroup
address]
Example
Yudkin, M. (2001, July 4). The marketing minute: Truth is always in season [Msg. ID:
ruf6kt0aiu5eui6523qsrofhu70h21evoj@4ax.com]. Message posted to
news://biz.ecommerce
*Dr. Guffey is the author of Business Communication: Process and Product, 3e (South-Western
College Publishing, 2000); Essentials of Business Communication, 5e (South-Western College
Publishing, 2001); and Business English, 7e (South-Western College Publishing, 2002). She and
Carolyn M. Seefer are co-authors of Essentials of College English, 2e (South-Western College
Publishing, 2002).
Developed by Dr. Mary Ellen Guffey, South-Western Publishing