Learning Outcome: Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution
Core Objective: Communication Skills (Written)
APA Style for Documenting Sources
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
APA (American Psychological
Association)

Uses two-part system to credit
sources:
1. Cites author and date of source
2. Leads from this brief identification,
through author’s name, to full description
of sources called “References”

Key to citation is author’s name then
the source’s date
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
Cite the source in the paper
In Cummings et al.’s (2002) summary article
reviewing three empirical studies on online
social relationships, it was found that CMC,
especially email, was less effective than FtF
contact in creating and maintaining close social
relationships. Two of the three reviewed studies
focusing on communication in non-Internet and
Internet relationships mediated by FtF, phone, or
email modalities found that the frequency of
each modality’s use was significantly linked to
the strength of the particular relationship
(Cummings et al., 2002).
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
Match the citation to
References page
References
Cummings, J. N., Butler, B., & Kraut, R. (2002). The quality of online social
relationships. Communications of the ACM, 45(7), 103-108.
Hu, Y., Wood, J. F., Smith, V., & Westbrook, N. (2004). Friendships through IM:
Examining the relationship between instant messaging and intimacy. Journal of
Computer-Mediated Communication, 10, 38-48.
Tidwell, L. C., & Walther, J. B. (2002). Computer-mediated communication effects on
disclosure, impressions, and interpersonal evaluations: Getting to know one
another a bit at a time. Human Communication Research, 28, 317-348.
Underwood, H., & Findlay, B. (2004). Internet relationships and their impact on primary
relationships. Behaviour Change, 21(2), 127-140.
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
APA: Who Wrote It?
(How entries should appear in your paper)

Individual author not named in sentence


Individual author named in sentence


Finding lying without other pathologies is unlikely (Healy, 2008,
p. 11).
As Healy (2008) notes, other pathologies typically
accompany lying (p. 11).
Two authors: list in order they appear in text


Legal professionals may fear that psychologists’
testimony will unfairly influence juries (Fulero &
Wrightsman, 2009, p. 18). --OR--In Forensic Psychology, Fulero and Writsman (2009) note
that attorneys are wary of influential testimony of
psychologists (p. 18).
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
APA: Who Wrote It?

Three authors or more:


Learning disabilities occur with each other, with
emotional or attention disorders, or with social
deficits (Fletcher, Lyon, Fuchs, & Barnes, 2006, p.
9). Thus Fletcher et al. characterize this likelihood
as “co-morbidity” (p. 9).
Organization author: (be sure to look
carefully because sometimes authors’ names
are listed at the end of an article)
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
APA: Who Wrote It?

Author of an essay from a reader or
collection (called an anthology). Cite the
author of the article or story, NOT the editor.


Studies have yet to investigate why campus
fraternity houses are more likely venues for rape
than other college gathering places (Martin &
Hummer, 2003).
Unidentified author: just use title of article.

Parents need to monitor their child’s online
activities (“Social Networking” 2012).
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
APA: Who Wrote It?

Same author with multiple works

Three significant trends in parent-school relations
evolved (Grimley, 2007) after the original
multistate study (Grimley, 1987).
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
What Type of Source Is It?

Indirect source: if you can’t find the
original source, add “as cited in”


According to Claude Fischer, the belief in
individualism favors “the individual over the
group or institution” (as cited in Hansen,
2005, p. 5).
Government or organizational document

The 2005 National Gang Threat Assessment
(National Alliance of Gang Investigators
Associations [NAGIA], 2005, pp. vii-viii)
identified specific regional threats.
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
What Type of Source Is It?


Source without a date: use “n.d.” to indicate “no
date”
A classic





If the original date is unknown, use “n.d.”
If it is known, show it with your edition’s date (Burton,
1621/1977).
For ancient texts, use the year of translation
Classics, including ancient or sacred texts, need not
be listed as references.
Visual material

Teenagers who play video games with a high degree
of violence ar more likely to show aggressive behavior
(Anderson & Bushman, 2001, Table 1).
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
What type of source is it?

Database


Alcohol use and abuse. (2007). In World of
Health. Gale. Retrieved from
http://ic.galegroup.com
According to the article “Alcohol use and
abuse” (2007) published in World of Health,
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
How Are You Capturing
the Source Material?


Overall summary or important ideas
Blended paraphrase and quotation



According to Hoffman (2003), Mann’s
movement sought to develop the “informal
rural schools supported by parents” (p. 30)
and establish a state-sponsored school
system.
Brief quotation integrated in sentence
Long quotations
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
Listing Sources in APA Style:
References page






List sources on new page with hanging indent
Use only initials of author’s first and middle
names
Use “&” before the name of the last of several
authors
Spell out names of months but abbreviate
terms such as “p.m.,” “Vol.,” and “No.”
Capitalize only the first word, proper names,
and first word after a colon in book titles
Italicize Web site, book, or periodical titles
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
Listing Sources in APA Style:
References page






Do not use quotation marks for article
titles
Use only the first city of publisher’s
location
Shorten the name of publisher, but
include “Press” and “Books”
For article, give volume, issue, and any
digital object identifier (DOI)
If no DOI is available, use URL of website
Omit final period after URL
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
Who Wrote It?
What entries in a Reference page should look like
NOTE: Not all examples are illustrated in the slides.
Refer to OWL often for specific examples.

Individual author (note the hanging indent)
O’Reilly, B. (2006). Culture warrior. New York, NY:
Broadway Books.


Two authors: Boggs, C., & Pollard, T.
Three authors or more: name three to six authors, but
follow the names of more than six of the first author
with the abbreviation “et al.”
Schiller, B., Hill, C., & Wall, S. (2012). The economy today.
New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
Example References Page
References
Barclay, L. and T. Odle. (2011). Alcohol-Related Neurologic Disease. In
Laurie J. Fundukian (Ed.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine.
Retrieved from http://http://galenet.galegroup.com/
Kashtan, A. (2011). This Living Hand: Fantasies of Handwriting in the
Comics of Kevin Huizenga. Forum for World Literature Studies,
3(1), 81+. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com
What Can We Learn From Videogames? (2012, April 18). Tell Me More.
Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
What Type of Source Is It?
Part of a Book

Selection from a printed book
Martin, P. Y., & Hummer, R. A. (2003).
Fraternities and rape on campus. In M.
Silberman (Ed.), Violence and society: A
reader (pp. 215-222). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall.

Selection from an online book
Brown, M. (2005). Learning spaces. In D.G.
Oblinger & J. L. Oblinger (Eds.), Educating the
Net generation (chap. 12). Retrieved from
http://www.educause.edu/educatingthenetgen/
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
What Type of Source Is It?








Printed government document
Online government document
Research report
Online research report
Online research from a database
Report from an academic institution
Pamphlet
Doctoral dissertation
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources
Core Objective: Communication Skills (Oral)
Core Objective: Communication Skills (Visual)
What Type of Source Is It?



Internet or electronic source
 Section or page from an online document
 Document from a campus Web site
 Computer software
Visual or audio source
 Audiotape or recording
 Television or radio program
 Film
Conversation or field artifact
 Personal interview
 E-mail or electronic posting
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Chapter 37: APA Style for Documenting Sources