APA Without Agony
Reference List Entries
Overview

Basic Principles
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

Follow author-date system
Credit words and ideas from other authors
Give complete information on source location
What about…
 How to Create APA-style References



Models
Free citation makers
How does it work?

Based on publication criteria for American
Psychological Association (APA)

Used in social sciences to


Acknowledge sources of information
Allow readers to locate original sources
Ferrari (2000) has classified
procrastinators as arousal types,
avoiders, and decisional
procrastinators.
Ferrari, J. (2000, Special Issue).
Procrastination and attention: Factor
analysis of attention deficit,
boredomness, intelligence, selfesteem, and task-delay frequencies.
Journal of Social Behavior &
Personality, 15(5), 185-196. Retrieved
from Academic Search Elite database.
intext citation
reference entry
Author-date system
How does it work?
Within a paper
Can you see the problem(s)?
Recently Steel (2009)
found that traditional
explanations of
procrastination, including
fear of failure, self-handicapping, and rebelliousness,
were not supported by research. In his view, only
Temporal Motivation theory has been validated.
Steel, P. (2009). Theories of procrastination. Retrieved from
http://www.procrastinus.com
What are APA’s principles?


Acknowledge any words or ideas
from other sources.
Provide enough information
to locate your sources.
Author-date system
Principle 1: Credit twice
Parenthetical
citations point to
the reference list.
According to Bennis
(1997), sixteen
assistants worked with
him to create this
masterpiece.
References
Bennis, W. (1997, Winter).
The secrets of great
groups. Leader to Leader,
3. Retrieved from
http://www.leadertoleader.org/
knowledgecenter/L2L/
winter97/bennis.html
Reference list
entries point to the
original.
Principle 2: Locate the source
Like Hansel and
Gretel, follow the
breadcrumb trail
Reference List Format
Author. (Date). Retrieval information.
Book
Perrin, R. (2006). Pocket guide to APA style. New
York: Houghton Mifflin.
Journal
Cuddy, C. M. (2002). Demystifying APA style.
Orthopaedic Nursing, 21(5), 35-42. Retrieved
from Academic Search Premier database.
Web article
APA documentation. (2006). Retrieved from
University of Wisconsin Writing Center Web
site: http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/
DocAPA.html
Be Complete
http://www.uwisc.edu
http://www.uwisc.edu/writing/
Handbook/DocAPA.html
Be Complete
Terrace, H. S., Petitto, L. A.,
Sanders, R. J., & Bever, T.
G. (1979). Can an ape
create a sentence? Science,
206, 891-902.
Washoe: The signing chimp.
(n.d.) Retrieved
February 5, 2005, from
Mrs. Smith’s class Web site:
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/
classprojects.html
Nonretrievable Info
Retrievable
Nonretrievable
Include in reference list
• books
• web articles
• magazines
• newsgroup postings
• videos
Cite only in text
(S. Oh, personal communication, August 27, 2007)
• letters
• in-person interviews
• emails
• phone calls
What’s the error?
Plotz, D. (2002, December 11). The plagiarist:
Why Stephen Ambrose is a vampire. Slate.
Retrieved from http://www.google.com
Plotz, D. (2002, December 11). The plagiarist:
Why Stephen Ambrose is a vampire. Slate.
Retrieved from
http://slate.msn.com/?id=2060618
INTEXT CITATION
(Plotz, 2002)
What’s the error?
Gesundheit, A. (2009, August 28). Interview
with Kaplan librarian.
Plotz, D. (2002, December 11). The plagiarist:
Why Stephen Ambrose is a vampire. Slate.
Retrieved from
http://slate.msn.com/?id=2060618
INTEXT CITATION ONLY
(A. Gesundheit, personal communication,
August 28, 2009).
Details, details
•
•
•
•
•
•
No author
No date
Many authors
One chapter
Sponsored site
DOI (digital object
identifier)
What about… no author?

Usually APA is author-date.
 A correct citation never begins with a date.
 If no author is given, move title before date.
The basics of APA style. (n.d.). Retrieved
from APA Style Web site:
http://flash1r.apa.org/
apastyle/basics/index.htm
What about…no date?

Use n.d.
Steel, P. (n.d.). Definition. Retrieved
August 28, 2009, from Procrastination
Central Web site: http://procrastinus.com
What about…many authors?

Consult the Publication Manual, Table 6.1
 Diana Hacker’s site
 Uwisconsin handout
What about…one chapter?
If it’s by one author, cite the book.
 If it’s a chapter in a book with many authors,
cite the chapter and the book.
Benedict, J. (2000). Sports culture
contributes to domestic violence. In T. L.
Roloff (Ed.), Domestic violence:
Opposing viewpoints (pp. 82-90).
Greenhaven, CT: Greenhaven.

Titles of books, movies, and other complete works are italicized.
What about…sponsored site?

Site sponsor is identified just before URL
 Readers can judge source credibility
Serial murder: Multidisciplinary perspectives for
investigators. (2005). Retrieved from Behavioral
Analysis Unit, National Center for the Analysis of
Violent Crime Web site:
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/serial_murder.htm
What’s a DOI?
• first spotted in EBSCO
Mayer, D. (2007, June). Why write?
To impact patient care! Clinical
Mayer, Journal
D. (2007,ofJune).
Why Nursing,
Write? 323.
Oncology
ToRetrieved
Impact Patient
Care!
Clinical
May 20,
2008.
Journal
of Oncology Nursing, 323.
doi:10.1188/07.CJON.323
Retrieved May 20, 2008,
doi:10.1188/07.CJON.323
Citations: Follow the model
Quality: Too much missing?

If several elements of a full citation are missing,
is the source credible enough to use?
Road rage and teens. (n.d.). Retrieved August
28, 2007, from http://www.angelfire.com/al/
alyplace/mystory.html
Citation Machine
http://www.citationmachine.net
Dig before leaving a
blank.
Disclaimer
None are perfect.
NoodleBib Express
(www.noodletools.com)
Bedford Bibliographer
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/bbibliographer/
Has built-in hints
Is most accurate
Allows you to save, edit,
and export
Account is free
Dig Before Omitting
Author
• check beginning and end
of article
• visit the home page
• check links like “About Us”
• check beginning and end of article
• visit the home page
• check links like “About Us”
Where Info Hides
Author
• check beginning and end
of article
• visit the home page
Title
• distinguish site titles and
subheads from article titles
• check “About Us”
Date
• check beginning and
end of article
• look for “last updated”
• use most recent copyright
date (not 1997–2007)
• generally, title is closest
to article
• be alert to external links
Resources
http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocAPA.html
Resources
http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c09_o.html
or google Hacker APA query
Resources
http://apastyle.org