American Psychological
Association [APA]
Citation Guide
Based on the APA Manual 5th Edition
ISBN-13 : 9781557987914
March 12, 2016
Overview

Paper Format:


In-Text Citations:


Slides 4-9
Slides 10-41
References:

Slides 42-76
March 12, 2016
APA Websites
American Psychological Association. (2003). APAstyle.org. Retrieved January
25, 2007, from http://apastyle.apa.org/
The OWL at Purdue. (2007). APA formatting and style guide. Retrieved
January 25, 2007, from Purdue University:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
The Writing Center. (2006). APA documentation. Retrieved January 25, 2007,
from University of Wisconsin-Madison:
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPA.html
March 12, 2016
Formatting a Scholarly
Paper
Part 1
March 12, 2016
Format: Basics

Font: Courier, Times New Roman, 12 point.

1 space after periods.

Margins, 1.0” all around.

Jagged right-edge text alignment: Do not justify.

Left margin can be l.5 inches if instructor has
requested the paper to be bound.

Everything is double spaced, including quotes and
reference page.
March 12, 2016
Format: Title Page

Include author’s name (byline) and institutional
affiliation.


Author’s name should include full first name, middle
initial, and last name.
Affiliation identifies the location where the author, or
authors, conducted the investigation. If there is no
institutional affiliation, list the city and state of the
author’s residency below the author’s name.
March 12, 2016
Format: Title Page



Page numbers start with title page by setting header
feature in your software.
Header includes 2 or 3 words from title, then 5
spaces and page number.
See example of a title page on in APA Manual, p.
306.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations
Part 2
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations

2 things to remember above all:


If an entry appears in text, it must have a
corresponding entry in the Reference list unless it is a
“personal communication.” Similarly, if an item
appears in the References, then it must be cited
somewhere in text.
Enough information must be given in text for the
reader to locate the item on the Reference list without
difficulty.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Why Use
Sources?
AARCTIC
 Authority
 Accountability
 Reasonableness
 Credibility
 Trustworthiness
 Integrity
 Confidence
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations

Purpose: In-text citations give the author the
AARCTIC without the frostbite of plagiarism.

Consequently, any borrowed information,
whether quoted directly, summarized, or
paraphrased must exhibit a clear indication of
its origin.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations

Include as much of the following information in a citation
within the body of a paper as possible:

Author.



Copyright Year.
Location within the source document (e.g. page, paragraph, or
section number, etc.).


Absence of an author allows the use of a truncated version of the
source document’s Title.
Summaries and paraphrases do not necessarily require the location
element, but it is not wrong to include it.
Standard citation: (Author’s last name, Year, p. #).
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Authors

General Rules:




An author mentioned within the body of a sentence can include
a first name, if desired.
Only surnames are represented in a parenthetical citation.
If two or more authors share the surname, then use first and
middle initials to differentiate them.
Examples:


Sentence body: A. B. Smith (2004) contradicted C. D. Smith
(2006) when she said…
Parenthetical: (Smith, A. B., 2004) (Smith, C. D., 2006).
 Note: inverted name order and the space between the initials.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Authors

1-2 authors.



Always use the surnames of both authors throughout
the paper.
Always cite them in the order they appear on the
source material.
Multiple author punctuation.


March 12, 2016
Authors of a source mentioned within a sentence use
the word “and.”
Authors represented in the parenthetical use the
ampersand (&) (APA, 2001, pp. 208-209).
In-Text Citations: Authors

3-5 authors.

Cite all authors the first time a reference occurs within
an entire paper; subsequent citations require only the
surname of the first author followed by et al.

March 12, 2016
Note: there is no period following the “et” but there is a
period after the “al.”
In-Text Citations: Authors

6 or more authors.

Cite only the surname of the first author followed by
et al.


Note: there is no period following the “et” but there is a
period after the “al.”
No author


Use a few words of the item’s title or the entire title if
it is short in place of the author.
Do not use quotation marks around the title identifier.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Authors

Groups as authors.



Corporations, associations, government agencies,
study groups, etc.
Usually spelled out each time they are used in-text.
Remember: The key is to be absolutely sure that the
reader can match an in-text citation to its entry in the
reference list.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Authors

Groups as authors, continued.

Familiar or readily-understandable acronyms and abbreviations
can be used in the second and subsequent citations, but it must
be established as follows:

1st text citation:
 (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 1999).
 Note: the use of brackets avoids nested parentheses (APA, 2001,
p. 85).
 The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) was founded…
 Note: the use of parentheses to establish the acronym when not
nested within a set of parentheses (APA, 2001, p. 84).

Subsequent citations:
 (NIMH, 1999).
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citation: Authors

Anonymous vs. Unknown:

Authors are only ever referred to as anonymous when they have
chosen to be so.



In-text citation will list the author in the parenthetical as
Anonymous.
Reference list will list the author as Anonymous.
An author is unknown when there is no identifying information
at all.


March 12, 2016
In-text citation will replace the author designation with one or two
words from the title of the work.
Reference list will promote the title of the work to the location of
the author.
In-Text Citation: Dates

Placement of the date in a citation is always directly
linked to the mention of the author.

If the author’s name appears in the signal phrase,
follow it immediately by a parenthetical representation
of the date.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citation: Dates

4-digit year is standard.



Add alphabetical designation for works by the same
author published in the same year.
Ex: (Johnson, 1991a, 1991b, 1991c).
n.d. for no date.


This is only acceptable if no date is represented
anywhere on a work, website, etc.
Use periods after the n and the d, and do not put a
space between the two.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citation: Page Numbers



Provide a location reference (e.g. page numbers, or “part”
references) for all quotations.
There is a space between the location reference designation
and its number or title.
Notations & Abbreviations:



Page: p.
Chapter: chap.
Paragraph: para. or ¶
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Examples
(Cheek & Hoa, 1981, p. 332)*
(Sadler, Fine, & Grace, 1999)
(Jones, 1989, chap. 3)
(Myers, 2000, ¶ 5)
(Bow, 2000, para. 1)
* Note: there is no comma between the first author and the ampersand
when there are only two authors in the citation.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Personal
Communication


Includes anything from letters, memos, e-mail,
telephone conversations, personal interviews, etc.
Because it is non-retrievable data, personal
communications do not appear in the Reference list.
They appear in-text only.

Note: Personal communications can be called into
question for validity and credibility. Use it sparingly.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Personal
Communication

Provide the initials, the surname, and provide as
exact a date as possible.


J. Burnitz (personal communication, September 20,
2007) indicated …
A recent interview (J. Burnitz, personal
communication, September 20, 2007) revealed the
reluctance …
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Capitalization

Applies to Titles and Headings.





Capitalize major words.
Conjunctions, articles, and prepositions are not
considered major.
Capitalize all words of four letters or more.
Capitalize both words in a hyphenated compound.
Capitalize the first word after a colon or dash. (APA,
2001, p. 95).
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Quotes

Definition:
A precise, word-for-word, punctuation-for-punctuation,
error-for-error reproduction of source material for use in
one’s own work.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Quotes – Signal
Phrases

Signal Phrases (It’s only POLITE!)



Signal phrases introduce the quote, or provide information
relevant to the citation that can then be omitted from the
parenthetical insertion.
Though the placement and appearance may differ,
ALWAYS use a signal phrase to signal a reader about
information borrowed from a source.
Think of it as no quote bombing, or dropping of selfcontained, unannounced quotations.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Signal Phrases

Signal phrases may require an in-text citation to be
broken apart (APA, 2001, pp. 117-118).


Standard citation: (Author’s last name, Year, p. #).
Author in signal phrase:


Schwartz (2003) contends, “…” (p. 3).
Research (Cummings, 2002) suggests that “…” (chap.
2), but there are still conclusions yet to be reached.
 Note: a comma is not needed before a quote when a quotation
falls seamlessly into the flow of the sentence.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Short Quotes



Short quotes with fewer than 40 words are incorporated
into text and enclosed by double quotation marks.
Parenthetical citations appear after the end quotation
marks, but before the final punctuation, such as a period
or a comma.
Citation information not contained within a signal phrase
immediately follows the quote after the end double
quotation marks, no matter where it appears in the
sentence.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Block Quote




Used for 40 words or more (APA, 2001, pp. 117,
292).
Indent the entire quotation one tab, or the same as an
indentation at the beginning of a regular paragraph.
If the block quote incorporates more than one
paragraph, indent the first line an additional tab, or 5
spaces.
Omit enclosing quotation marks.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Block Quote

Punctuation.


Introduce with a colon.
Parenthetical citation appears after the final
punctuation mark within the block quote.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citation: Block Quote
Miele (1993) found the following:
The “placebo effect,” which had been verified in
previous studies disappeared when behaviors were
studied in this manner. The behaviors were not
exhibited again even when real drugs were given. (p.
40)

Note: the use of double quotes within the block quote
is permissible, and the comma appears within the
double quotation marks.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Quotes


Altering the appearance of quotations is permissible
with the appropriate notation.
Errors in the Original text.


Because quotations must be an exact duplication of
original material, sometimes it is necessary to indicate
the legitimacy of the reproduction, such as a special
spelling or an error that appears in the original.
Insert [sic] immediately after the error appears within
the quote.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Quotes

Omission:

For an omission of a word or words, use the ellipses
(. . .), not 3 periods in a row.



March 12, 2016
If the omission appears in the middle of a sentence, use
only the three period ellipses.
If the omission appears at the end of a sentence in the
quote, use a four-period ellipses to indicate that the
final point is the end of the sentence.
Do NOT use ellipses at the very beginning or at the
very end of a quotation.
In-Text Citations: Quotes

Inserting material


Use brackets, not parentheses, to enclose inserted
material, such as additions or explanations.
Adding Emphasis


If you want to emphasize a word or words anywhere
in an APA paper, italicize them. Do not put them in
quotations marks or use a bold font.
Within a quote, insert [italics added] immediately
after the italicized words.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Quotes

Alterations to quotations that do not require a
notation:


Making the first letter of the first word in a quotation
uppercase or lower case depending on the context.
Change ending punctuation to fit the syntax.
March 12, 2016
In-Text Citations: Summaries and
Paraphrases



Borrowed information that is not reproduced
verbatim must be changed significantly in structure
when used in-text.
It must still be cited using the rules previously
mentioned, though a location reference (i.e. page or
chapter number) is not mandatory.
Signal phrases are not mandatory for all paraphrases
and summaries, but it is still wise to use them.
March 12, 2016
References
Part 3
March 12, 2016
References

Purpose:



References are the map to the AARCTIC.
References provide readers the path to directly access
any and all source materials used within a document.
Bear in mind: Knowing the basics and finding the
patterns behind APA citations will make it easier to
cope with all of the “exceptions.”
March 12, 2016
References: Must-Haves

Elements represented in Reference entries in order of importance:
 Author
 Editor
 Copyright date
 Title of work directly ascribed to the author
 Edition
 Title of “harboring” entity (e.g. magazine, journal name, newspaper,
website, etc.)
 Publication information
 Publisher information
 Volume and issue numbers
 Retrieval address or location (e.g. website address or housing
database)
March 12, 2016
References: Must-Haves

Because of the unique ability for electronic sources
to update rapidly, they require a date of last access,
or date of retrieval (APA, 2001, p. 231).
March 12, 2016
References: Cardinal Rule

Remember the Cardinal Rule: References cited in
text must appear in the reference list; conversely,
each entry in the reference list must be cited in text
(APA, 2001, p. 215).
March 12, 2016
References: Format


Begin the reference list on a new page (APA, 2001, p. 299).
Using “References” as the title or “Reference” if there is only
a single source:






Title is center aligned.
If the references take up more than one page, do not re-type
References on sequential pages, simply continue the list.
For each entry, use a hanging indent: The first line is flush left
with remaining lines of the reference indented 5 spaces.
Alphabetize entries by author’s last name.
Double space.
Use one space after all punctuation.
March 12, 2016
References
Elkind, D. (1978). The child's reality: Three developmental
themes. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Issac, G. (1995). Is solar disorder timed? Adolescents, 30 (118),
273-276.
March 12, 2016
References: Authors

Single Author.




Use only a complete surname and the first and middle initials of
any author.
Surname appears first followed by a comma.
First initial – period – space – middle initial – period – space.
Multiple Authors.



Invert the order of the surnames and the initials of all authors.
Separate authors from one another with a comma.
Use an ampersand (&) before the last author.
March 12, 2016
References: Authors

Editor with no author.


Place and represent the editor’s name as if it were the author.
Immediately follow the name with (Ed.). for a single editor and
(Eds.). when there is more than one editor.


Note: the E is capitalized, there is a period after the abbreviation
and a period after the closing parentheses.
No author or editor:


Promote the title of the piece to main importance.
Alphabetize by the first word of the title that is not an article
(e.g. the, a, an).
Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993).
Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
March 12, 2016
References: Authors

Same Author Variables

Same author, same year



Apply an alphabetized designation immediately after
the year.
Use this identifier in-text, as well.
Arrange alphabetically by title
References
Jones, J. R. (2001a). Control….
Jones, J. R. (2001b). Roles of ….
March 12, 2016
References: Authors

Same Author Variables

Same Authors, Different Year of Publication: list
oldest or birth order publication first.


March 12, 2016
Jones, J. R. , & Wright, K. (2000).
Jones, J. R. , & Wright, K. (2001).
References: Publication Dates



Give (in parentheses) the year the work was
published immediately after the author information.
A period belongs after the end parentheses.
Standard.


(1995).
Monthly items.

(1995, January).

March 12, 2016
Note: all months must be completely spelled out. Do
not truncate.
References: Publication Dates

Daily and weekly items.


Any work accepted for publication, but not yet
printed.


(1995, June 5).
(in press).
Work with no available date.

(n.d.).
March 12, 2016
References: Titles

Capitalization

Capitalize only the first word, the first word after a
colon, and proper nouns in titles of books and articles


Agony and you: How to survive really long, dry
presentations.
Do not capitalize the second word of a hyphenated
compound. (APA, 2001, p. 95)
March 12, 2016
References: Titles


Do not use quotation marks or underlining as title designators.
Use italics for titles of books, newspapers, magazines, and
journals.

Note: For articles in periodicals, the rules of capitalization and
italicizing are split between the title of the article and the title of
the periodical:


March 12, 2016
Use special capitalization rules for the actual article, but do not
italicize.
Italicize the name of the periodical, but use the standard Heading
capitalization rules.
References: Titles


Title components within a reference listing require
ending punctuation.
Use a period unless there is a specific ending
punctuation in the title.
Example:
Aren’t they just so tricky about their rules? Journal of
annoying citation standards and all of their
exceptions.

March 12, 2016
References: Titles

Edition.


Edition information appears in parentheses
immediately following the title before the period.
Use the designation of ed. with a lower-case e and a
period.

March 12, 2016
Picky, picky (375th ed.).
References: Publication
Information

Books


City of publication – comma – space – state
abbreviation – colon – space – name of publisher –
period.
Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Note: When a city that is well-known for publishing
can be readily linked to its state, the state abbreviation
is not necessary (e.g. Boston, San Francisco, New York,
etc.)
 For a complete list of exceptions, see p. 217 of the APA
manual.
March 12, 2016
References: Publication
Information

Periodicals (e.g. Magazines, Newspapers, etc.)



Immediately following the title of the periodical,
provide a volume number.
Include the issue number for journals if, and only if,
each issue begins on page 1.
Include range of page numbers for a citation of a
specific article within the periodical.
March 12, 2016
References: Publication
Information

Periodical title (italicized) – comma – space – volume
number (italicized) – open parentheses – issue number
– close parentheses – comma – space – page range –
period.
Note: do not include any designations or abbreviations,
such as vol. for volume number or p. or pp. for page
numbers.
Borman, W. C. (2001). Role of supervisor. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 78(2), 443-449.

March 12, 2016
References: Publication
Information

Electronic Sources

Electronic publication information comes in the form of a path.
In other words “follow this” or “go here” and you will find the
source.

Website: the “path” is in the form of a URL, or web
address.
 Note: Do not insert a terminating punctuation mark, or period, after a
web address.
 Do not insert a hyphen if you need to break a URL across lines.
Break only after a slash or a period.

March 12, 2016
Database: the “path” is the mention of the exact database.
References: Publication Information
– Websites

Electronic Sources

Direct readers as closely as possible to the information being
cited – whenever possible, reference specific documents rather
than home or menu pages.

Reasons why it may not be possible to direct the reader to the
precise document:



March 12, 2016
The URL is too long
The parent website or organization archives its articles after a
period of time
The item exists behind a firewall
References: Publication Information
– Websites

Electronic Sources




In such cases, direct the reader to the URL, usually a parent
website or the search site housing the document, that provides
information on how to obtain the cited material.
Replace the requisite “Retrieved” with “Available from” and the
name of the website.
Do not hyperlink the website.
Place a comma after the title of the site and insert the url.
Example:
Available from National Technical Information Service Web site,
http://www.ntis.gov

March 12, 2016
References: Last Access

Web sites and database citation have a special
component that depends on the last date where the
researcher knows a source was available.


Note: if an address or path no longer works or is invalid, the
source should be replaced and all citations updated.
Last access date appears at the end of a citation, but
before the path.
March 12, 2016
References: Last Access

Introduce the date with the word “Retrieved”

Date format: Month Day, 4-digit year,


Do not abbreviate the month

There is a comma after the day and one after the year
Follow the date with the word “from”

Do not place any punctuation between the “from” and
the path.
March 12, 2016
References: Last Access
Jones, G. (2001). Role of reference elements. Retrieved October
13, 2001, from http://jbr.org/article.html
March 12, 2016
Examples
March 12, 2016
Examples: Internet Article
Based on a Print Source
(Exact Duplication)
Incorrect:
VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference
elements in the selection of resources by psychology
undergraduates. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117123.

Correct:
VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference
elements in the selection of resources by psychology
undergraduates [Electronic version]. Journal of Bibliographic
Research, 5, 117-123.

March 12, 2016
Examples: Internet Article
Based on a Print Source
(Modified Content)
Incorrect:
VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference
elements in the selection of resources by psychology
undergraduates [Electronic version]. Journal of Bibliographic
Research, 5, 117-123.

Correct:
VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference
elements in the selection of resources by psychology
undergraduates. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117123. Retrieved October 13, 2001, from
http://jbr.org/articles.html

March 12, 2016
Examples: Database
Incorrect:
Jacobson, J. W., Mulick, J. A., & Schwartz, A. A. (1995). A history of
facilitated communication: Science, pseudoscience, and antiscience.
American Psychologist, 50, 750-765.

Correct:
Jacobson, J. W., Mulick, J. A., & Schwartz, A. A. (1995). A history of
facilitated communication: Science, pseudoscience, and antiscience.
American Psychologist, 50, 750-765. Retrieved January 12, 2001, from
PsycARTICLES database.

March 12, 2016
Examples:
Document Deposit Service

Incorrect:
Fuss-Reineck, M. (1993). Sibling communication in Star Trek:
The Next Generation: Conflicts between brothers. Miami, FL:
Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association.

Correct:
Fuss-Reineck, M. (1993). Sibling communication in Star Trek:
The Next Generation: Conflicts between brothers. Miami, FL:
Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association.
(ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 364932)
Reason: This is a report available from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)
in print, on microfiche, or other non-web-based source. Give the ERIC ID in parentheses at
the end of the entry. Do not use a period after the document number (APA, 2001, pp. 256257).
March 12, 2016
Examples: Article on Web site
Incorrect:
Henry, E. Rice confirmed as secretary of state: Ex-national security adviser
first black female to hold office. (n.d.) Retrieved January 26, 2005, from
http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/26/rice.confirmation/index.h
tml.

Correct:
Henry, E. (n.d.) Rice confirmed as secretary of state: Ex-national security
adviser first black female to hold office. Retrieved January 26, 2005, from
http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/26/rice.confirmation/index.h
tml

There is no terminating punctuation, or period, after a website.
March 12, 2016
Examples: Personal Communication
Incorrect:
Burkow, J. (2002, September 3). Personal communication.

Correct:
J. Burkow (personal communication, September 3, 2002) said…
Or
(J. Burkow, personal communication, September 3, 2002)

March 12, 2016
References
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
American Psychological Association. (2003). APAstyle.org. Retrieved January 25,
2007, from http://apastyle.apa.org/
Cornell University Library. (2005). APA citation style. Retrieved January 25, 2007,
from Cornell University:
http://www.library.cornell.edu/newhelp/res_strategy/citing/apa.html
Hacker, D. (2006). APA research paper [Electronic version]. Retrieved January 25,
2007, from http://dianahacker.com/pdfs/Hacker-Mira-APA.pdf
March 12, 2016
Hacker, D. (2007a). A writer’s reference (6th ed.). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Hacker, D. (2007b). A writer’s reference (6th ed.) [Electronic version]. Retrieved
January 25, 2007, from
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/writersref6e/Player/Pages/Main.aspx
The OWL at Purdue. (2007). APA formatting and style guide. Retrieved January 25,
2007, from Purdue University: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
University of Maryland University College. (2004). Tutorials. Retrieved January 25,
2007, from http://www.umuc.edu/library/tutorials.html
March 12, 2016
The Writing Center. (2006). APA documentation. Retrieved January 25, 2007,
from University of Wisconsin-Madison:
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPA.html
Writing Tutorial Services. (2004). Citing sources in APA style. Retrieved
January 25, 2007, from Indiana University:
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/apa_style.shtml
March 12, 2016