how to cite sources in essay apa

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APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition)

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In-Text Citations

Resources on using in-text citations in APA style

Reference List

Resources on writing an APA style reference list, including citation formats

Other APA Resources

APA Citation Style 7th Edition: Welcome

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• Books & eBooks
• Book Reviews
• Class Handouts, Presentations, and Readings
• Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
• Government Documents
• Images, Charts, Graphs, Maps & Tables
• Journal Articles
• Magazine Articles
• Newspaper Articles
• Personal Communication (Interviews, Emails)
• Social Media
• Videos & DVDs
• Paraphrasing
• No Author, No Date etc.
• Sample Papers
• Annotated Bibliography

What is APA?

APA style was created by the American Psychological Association. It is a set of rules for publications, including research papers.

In APA, you must "cite" sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places:

• In the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text citation.
• In the Reference list at the end of your paper where you give more complete information for the source.

Acknowledgement

What's new in the 7th edition of apa.

Below is a summary of the major changes in the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual.

Essay Format:

• Font - While you still can use Times New Roman 12, you are free to use other fonts. Calibri 11, Arial 11, Lucida Sans 10, and Georgia 11 are all acceptable.
• Headers - No running headers are required for student papers.
• Tables and Figures - There is a standardized format for both tables and figures.

Style, Grammar, Usage:

• Singular "they" required in two situations: when used by a known person as their personal pronoun or when the gender of a singular person is not known.
• Use only one space after a sentence-ending period.

Citation Style:

• Developed the 'Four Elements of a Reference" (Author, Date, Title, Source) to help writers to create references for source types not explicitly examined in the APA Manual.
• Three or more authors can be abbreviated to First author, et al. on the first citation.
• Up to 20 authors are spelled out in the References List.
• Publisher location is not required for books
• Ebook platform, format, or device is not required for eBooks.  
• Library database names are generally not required
• No "doi:" prefix, simply include the doi.
• All hyperlinks retain the https://
• Links can be "live" in blue with underline or black without underlining

Commonly Used Terms

Citing : The process of acknowledging the sources of your information and ideas.

DOI (doi) : Some electronic content, such as online journal articles, is assigned a unique number called a Digital Object Identifier (DOI or doi). Items can be tracked down online using their doi.

In-Text Citation : A brief note at the point where information is used from a source to indicate where the information came from. An in-text citation should always match more detailed information that is available in the Reference List.

Paraphrasing : Taking information that you have read and putting it into your own words.

Plagiarism : Taking, using, and passing off as your own, the ideas or words of another.

Quoting : The copying of words of text originally published elsewhere. Direct quotations generally appear in quotation marks and end with a citation.

Reference : Details about one cited source.

Reference List : Contains details on ALL the sources cited in a text or essay, and supports your research and/or premise.

Retrieval Date : Used for websites where content is likely to change over time (e.g. Wikis), the retrieval date refers to the date you last visited the website.

• Next: How Do I Cite? >>
• Last Updated: Apr 2, 2024 11:08 AM
• URL: https://libguides.msubillings.edu/apa7

• MJC Library & Learning Center
• Research Guides

Format Your Paper & Cite Your Sources

• APA Style, 7th Edition
• Citing Sources
• Avoid Plagiarism
• MLA Style (8th/9th ed.)

APA Tutorial

Formatting your paper, headings organize your paper (2.27), video tutorials, reference list format (9.43).

• Elements of a Reference

Reference Examples (Chapter 10)

Dois and urls (9.34-9.36), in-text citations.

• In-Text Citations Format
• In-Text Citations for Specific Source Types

NoodleTools

• Chicago Style
• Harvard Style
• Other Styles
• Annotated Bibliographies
• How to Create an Attribution

What is APA Style?

APA style was created by social and behavioral scientists to standardize scientific writing. APA style is most often used in:

• psychology,
• social sciences (sociology, business), and

If you're taking courses in any of these areas, be prepared to use APA style.

For in-depth guidance on using this citation style, refer to Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th ed. We have several copies available at the MJC Library at the call number  BF 76.7 .P83 2020 .

APA Style, 7th ed.

In October 2019, the American Psychological Association made radical changes its style, especially with regard to the format and citation rules for students writing academic papers. Use this guide to learn how to format and cite your papers using APA Style, 7th edition.

You can start by viewing the  video tutorial .

For help on all aspects of formatting your paper in APA Style, see   The Essentials  page on the APA Style website.

• sans serif fonts such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, or
• serif fonts such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern (the default font for LaTeX)
• There are exceptions for the  title page ,  tables ,  figures ,  footnotes , and  displayed equations .
• Margins :  Use 1-in. margins on every side of the page.
• Align the text of an APA Style  paper to the left margin . Leave the right margin uneven, or “ragged.”
• Do not use full justification for student papers.
• Do not insert hyphens (manual breaks) in words at the end of line. However, it is acceptable if your word-processing program automatically inserts breaks in long hyperlinks (such as in a DOI or URL in a reference list entry).
• Indent the first line of each paragraph of text 0.5 in . from the left margin. Use the tab key or the automatic paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program to achieve the indentation (the default setting is likely already 0.5 in.). Do not use the space bar to create indentation. 
• There are exceptions for the  title page ,  section labels ,  abstract ,  block quotations ,  headings ,  tables and figures ,  reference list , and  appendices .

Paper Elements

Student papers generally include, at a minimum: 

• Title Page (2.3)
• Text (2.11)
• References  (2.12)

Student papers may include additional elements such as tables and figures depending on the assignment. So, please check with your teacher!

Student papers generally  DO NOT  include the following unless your teacher specifically requests it:

• Running head
• Author note

For complete information on the  order of pages , see the APA Style website.

Number your pages consecutively starting with page 1. Each section begins on a new page. Put the pages in the following order:

• Page 1: Title page
• Page 2: Abstract (if your teacher requires an abstract)
• Page 3: Text 
• References begin on a new page after the last page of text
• Footnotes begin on a new page after the references (if your teacher requires footnotes)
• Tables begin each on a new page after the footnotes (if your teacher requires tables) 
• Figures begin on a new page after the tables (if your teacher requires figures)
• Appendices begin on a new page after the tables and/or figures (if your teacher requires appendices)

Sample Papers With Built-In Instructions

To see what your paper should look like, check out these sample papers with built-in instructions.

APA Style uses five (5) levels of headings to help you organize your paper and allow your audience to identify its key points easily. Levels of headings establish the hierarchy of your sections just like you did in your paper outline.

APA tells us to use "only the number of headings necessary to differentiate distinct section in your paper." Therefore, the number of heading levels you create depends on the length and complexity of your paper.

See the chart below for instructions on formatting your headings:

Use Word to Format Your Paper:

Use Google Docs to Format Your Paper:

Placement:  The reference list  appears at the end of the paper, on its own page(s). If your research paper ends on page 8, your References begin on page 9.

Heading:  Place the section label References  in bold at the top of the page, centered.

Arrangement:  Alphabetize entries by author's last name. If source has no named author, alphabetize by the title, ignoring A, An, or The. (9.44-9.48)

Spacing:  Like the rest of the APA paper, the reference list is double-spaced throughout. Be sure NOT to add extra spaces between citations.

Indentation:  To make citations easier to scan, add a  hanging indent  of 0.5 in. to any citation that runs more than one line. Use the paragraph-formatting function of your word processing program to create your hanging indent.  

See Sample References Page (from APA Sample Student Paper):

Elements of Reference List Entries: (Chapter 9)

References generally have four elements, each of which has a corresponding question for you to answer:

• Author:   Who is responsible for this work? (9.7-9.12)
• Date:   When was this work published? (9.13-9.17)
• Title:   What is this work called? (9.18-9.22)
• Source:   Where can I retrieve this work? (9.23-9.37)

By using these four elements and answering these four questions, you should be able to create a citation for any type of source.

For complete information on all of these elements, checkout the APA Style website.

This infographic shows the first page of a journal article. The locations of the reference elements are highlighted with different colors and callouts, and the same colors are used in the reference list entry to show how the entry corresponds to the source.

To create your references, you'll simple look for these elements in your source and put them together in your reference list entry.

American Psychological Association.  Example of where to find reference information for a journal article  [Infographic]. APA Style Center. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/basic-principles

Below you'll find two printable handouts showing APA citation examples. The first is an abbreviated list created by MJC Librarians. The second, which is more comprehensive, is from the APA Style website. Feel free to print these for your convenience or use the links to reference examples below:

• APA Citation Examples Created by MJC Librarians for you.
• Common References Examples (APA Handout) Printable handout from the American Psychological Association.
• APA Style Quick Reference Guide See how to format three typical types of references.
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Edited Book Chapter
• Webpage on a Website

Classroom or Intranet Sources

• Classroom Course Pack Materials
• How to Cite ChatGPT
• Dictionary Entry
• Government Report
• Legal References (Laws & Cases)
• TED Talk References
• Religious Works
• Open Educational Resources (OER)
• Archival Documents and Collections

You can view the entire Reference Examples website below and view a helpful guide to finding useful APA style topics easily:

• APA Style: Reference Examples
• Navigating the not-so-hidden treasures of the APA Style website
• Missing Reference Information

Sometimes you won't be able to find all the elements required for your reference. In that case, see the  instructions in Table 9.1 of the APA style manual in section 9.4 or the APA Style website below:

• Direct Quotation of Material Without Page Numbers

The DOI or URL is the final component of a reference list entry. Because so much scholarship is available and/or retrieved online, most reference list entries end with either a DOI or a URL.

• A  DOI  is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies content and provides a persistent link to its location on the internet. DOIs can be found in database records and the reference lists of published works.
• A  URL  specifies the location of digital information on the internet and can be found in the address bar of your internet browser. URLs in references should link directly to the cited work when possible.

When to Include DOIs and URLs:

• Include a DOI for all works that have a DOI, regardless of whether you used the online version or the print version.
• If an online work has both a DOI and a URL, include only the DOI.
• For works without DOIs from websites (not including academic research databases), provide a URL in the reference (as long as the URL will work for readers).
• For works without DOIs from most academic research databases, do not include a URL or database information in the reference because these works are widely available. The reference should be the same as the reference for a print version of the work.
• For works from databases that publish original, proprietary material available only in that database (such as the UpToDate database) or for works of limited circulation in databases (such as monographs in the ERIC database), include the name of the database or archive and the URL of the work. If the URL requires a login or is session-specific (meaning it will not resolve for readers), provide the URL of the database or archive home page or login page instead of the URL for the work. (See APA Section 9.30 for more information). 
• If the URL is no longer working or no longer provides readers access to the content you intend to cite, try to find an archived version using the Internet Archive , then use the archived URL. If there is no archived URL, do not use that resource.

Format of DOIs and URLs:

Your DOI should look like this: 

https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040251

Follow these guidelines from the APA Style website.

APA Style uses the  author–date citation system , in which a brief in-text citation points your reader to the full reference list entry at the end of your paper. The in-text citation appears within the body of the paper and briefly identifies the cited work by its author and date of publication. This method enables your reader to locate the corresponding entry in the alphabetical reference list at the end of your paper.

Each work you cite  must  appear in the reference list, and each work in the reference list must be cited in the text (or in a table, figure, footnote, or appendix) except for the following (See APA, 8.4):

• Personal communications (8.9)
• General mentions of entire websites, whole periodicals (8.22), and common software and apps (10.10) in the text do not require a citation or reference list entry.
• The source of an epigraph does not usually appear in the reference list (8.35)
• Quotations from your research participants do not need citations or reference list entries (8.36)
• References included in a statistical meta-analysis, which are marked with an asterisk in the reference list, may be cited in the text (or not) at the author’s discretion. This exception is relevant only to authors who are conducting a meta-analysis (9.52).

Formatting Your In-Text Citations

Parenthetical and Narrative Citations: ( See APA Section  8.11)

In APA style you use the author-date citation system for citing references within your paper. You incorporate these references using either a  parenthetical   or a  narrative  style.

Parenthetical Citations

• In parenthetical citations, the author name and publication date appear in parentheses, separated by a comma. (Jones, 2018)
• A parenthetical citation can appear within or at the end of a sentence.
• When the parenthetical citation is at the end of the sentence, put the period or other end punctuation after the closing parenthesis.
• If there is no author, use the first few words of the reference list entry, usually the "Title" of the source: ("Autism," 2008) See APA 8.14
• When quoting, always provide the author, year, and specific page citation or paragraph number for nonpaginated materials in the text (Santa Barbara, 2010, p. 243).  See APA 8.13
• For most citations, the parenthetical reference is placed BEFORE the punctuation: Magnesium can be effective in treating PMS (Haggerty, 2012).

Narrative Citations 

In narrative citations, the author name or title of your source appears within your text and the publication date appears in parentheses immediately after the author name. 

• Santa Barbara (2010) noted a decline in the approval of disciplinary spanking of 26 percentage points from 1968 to 1994.

In-Text Citation Checklist

• In-Text Citation Checklist Use this useful checklist from the American Psychological Association to ensure that you've created your in-text citations correctly.

In-Text Citations for Specific Types of Sources

Quotations from Research Participants

Personal Communications

Secondary Sources  

Use NoodleTools to Cite Your Sources  

NoodleTools can help you create your references and your in-text citations.

• NoodleTools Express No sign in required . When you need one or two quick citations in MLA, APA, or Chicago style, simply generate them in NoodleTools Express then copy and paste what you need into your document. Note: Citations are not saved and cannot be exported to a word processor using NoodleTools Express.
• NoodleTools (Login Full Database) This link opens in a new window Create and organize your research notes, share and collaborate on research projects, compose and error check citations, and complete your list of works cited in MLA, APA, or Chicago style using the full version of NoodleTools. You'll need to Create a Personal ID and password the first time you use NoodleTools.

See How to Use NoodleTools Express to Create a Citation in APA Format

Additional NoodleTools Help

• NoodleTools Help Desk Look up questions and answers on the NoodleTools Web site
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• Next: Chicago Style >>
• Last Updated: Mar 20, 2024 11:36 AM
• URL: https://libguides.mjc.edu/citeyoursources

Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and CC BY-NC 4.0 Licenses .

Citing Sources: APA, MLA & Chicago Styles

Apa 7 handouts and additional sources, apa 7 manual in print, apa 7 paper format, why citations, quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing, in-text citations: 2 types, in-text citation format, reference list: basic principles, reference list: basic format, reference list: author format, dois and how to find them, print books, edited book as a whole, part of an edited book (chapters/essays/articles), dictionaries/encyclopedias (including wikipedia), journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles, news webpage (online news sources), social media, audiovisual materials, personal communications (including interviews), dissertations and theses, government reports, legal sources, creating flawless citations.

• PREVIOUS APA Style (6th Edition)
• MLA Style, 9th edition (work in progress)
• MLA Style (8th edition)
• Citing Legal Materials (Bluebook)
• Chicago Style
• Citation Tools in Databases and on the Web
• Avoiding Plagiarism

APA 7 HANDOUTS:   If your professor requests APA 6th edition, please click here for our  APA Style 6th edition .   For further assistance, contact a  John Jay librarian  or the  John Jay Writing Center .

APA 7 Reference List: Common Sources   (click for handout)

APA 7 Reference List: Social Media and Audiovisual Materials (click for handout)

APA 7 In-Text Citations   (click for handout)

Additional sources:  

APA Style Blog   and  APA Twitter Feed  (American Psychological Association)

APA 7th Style  (Excelsior College Online Writing Lab)

APA 7th Style Referencing Guide , AUT Library (Auckland University of Technology):

APA Style (7th ed.) , Albert S. Cook Library (Towson University):

APA Style (7th ed.) , OWL (Online Writing Lab at Purdue University) 

Many databases now create a citation for you.  Watch our video,  How to Use Citation Tools in Databases  and read the screen carefully in each database to locate the citation tool.  ALWAYS check the database citation for errors by checking it against our Library citation guides--learn how by watching our video  Creating Flawless Citations .

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition)  

APA 7 is the CURRENT version of APA style.   Print copies are available in our Library both on reserve (3 hour loan) and at the Reference Desk (2nd floor) under the call number  BF76.7 .P83 2020  

APA 7 has two paper formats--student and professional.  This guide presents how to format student papers . *

APA format dictates the style of your title page, headings and References list. Consult the APA Style Blog for how to format tables, figures and abstract if requested by your professor. Requirements for how many and what kind of sources, sections and number of pages, etc. are determined by your professor.

View  SAMPLE STUDENT PAPERS  from the APA Style Blog:

Sample Paper ( DOCX ,  38KB  )

Sample Paper with explanation (PDF, 2MB)

ORDER OF ARRANGEMENT:

• abstract (if requested)

TITLE PAGE :

APA r equires a title page.  Students should follow the student format  unless otherwise requested by their professor. (Find additional s tudent title page example from the APA Style Blog .)

(Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association p. 32)

Title : c entered, bold print, 3-4 lines from top of page.  ​ Capitalize major words.

Author's name : centered and 2 d oubled space lines under title.

Author's affiliation : centered and 1 double spaced line under author's name. Include d epartment and institution separated by comma.

Course number and name (separated by a colon) centered and 1 double spaced line under author's affiliation, as they are written on course material.

Instructor name : centered on 1 d ouble spaced line under course information, as it is written on course material. ​

Assignment due date : centered on separate line under instructor's name.  

PAGINATION:

Title page is page number  1 . 

Set HEADER to add page numbers  in sequence in the top right hand corner of each page.   HEADER IS PAGE NUMBER ONLY.  

LINE SPACING:

Double-space all parts of an APA Style paper--abstract, text, block quotations, table and figure (numbers, titles, and notes) and reference list. See  APA Style Blog for line spacing exceptions .

Running title headers are NOT required for student papers.     HEADER IS PAGE NUMBER ONLY .

S hort student papers may not require any headings . 

Headings outline different sections in your paper.  Make headings concise and descriptive.  There are 5 heading levels (see APA Style Blog information on headings  for more details) . Use only when necessary to differentiate distinct parts of your paper. 

Your first paragraph is understood to be the introduction--the heading “Introduction” is not needed.  Do not use numbers or letters in your headings. Double space headings with no added blank lines above or below.

Use title case for all headings--most words are capitalized (e.g., Beyond the Melting Pot).

( Format of Headings , APA Style) 

• *  Consult the  APA Style Blog for specifics on an APA  professional paper  with examples: Professional Paper (DOCX, 96KB)  and  Annotated Professional Paper (PDF, 3MB)

When using outside sources or others’ ideas to strengthen an argument in your paper, you must give the author(s) credit to avoid any charges of plagiarism (see John Jay College’s policy on Academic Integrity ).

APA (American Psychological Association) is one style of formatting citations for outside sources for your Reference  list (list of your sources at the end of your paper) and  in-text citations (references,  within the body of your paper, to a source you have listed on your Reference list).

This guide provides citation examples to the most common sources.  Use the tabs on the left for help with formatting your paper, citing different types of source and creating in-text citations.

If you need more guidance, contact your instructor, a Lloyd Sealy librarian  or  the John Jay Writing Center .

Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing are three ways to incorporate outside sources into your paper. See   In-Text Citations: 2 Ways for options in the placement of your in-text citations and the   In-Text Citation Format   box  for proper formatting.

Quoting is reproducing text verbatim  (exactly as written) from another source.  You must include an in-text citation  to direct quotes that gives credit to the author/source AND  refers the reader to  you r References page so they may find that source and the quote you've included.

(a) Short Quotations  fewer than 40 words :  Incorporate the quote into the narrative of your text by using quotation marks. Place the in-text citation in parentheses after the author's name or at the end of the quote:

According to Geppert (2019, p. 116) , "it is imperative that development economists extend their research beyond purely economic factors and focus their attention on creating more inclusive, and hence more accurate, measures of development  and national well-being." 

In ancient Egypt, black pigment “was the best-known form of makeup…used by people of all classes” ("Egyptian Body Decorations," 2013, p. 39).

(b) Long Quotations   more than 40 words : Separate the quote by creating a double-spaced indented block  without quotation marks . Indent 5 spaces from the left margin. Place the in-text citation in parentheses after the author's name or at the end of the quote:

According to Geppert:

Although this analysis has revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between a variety of economic, political and social factors and happiness, it is important to note it is almost impossible to make a clear distinction between economic, political and social variables (2019, p. 116).

Jewelry was a form of body decoration ("Egyptian Body Decorations," 2013, p. 39):

Another way that Egyptians ornamented themselves was through the use of jewelry. The best-known pieces of jewelry were the highly decorated collars and pectorals (jewelry that was hung over the chest by a chain around the neck) that both men and women wore on their upper chests, under and around their necks.

Paraphrasing and Summarizing

Paraphrasing is using your own words to present someone else's idea(s). Summarizing is stating the essence of another's idea(s). You need an in-text citation each time you paraphrase or summarize another's idea.  The citation refers  the reader to that  source on your References list  and may include the specific page, chapter, section, etc. of the source being discussed. Use quotation marks for original words or phrases that come directly from the author or source:

According to Zapf & Jung (2006), “criminal responsibility” can be evaluated by referring to information from the defendant’s interview, and forensic test results (p.340).

Clifford Geertz (1973) is well known for discussing ethnography as “thick description.”

When incorporating external sources in the body of your paper you must include   in-text citations  that gives credit to those sources. In-text citations refer the reader to the  source's listing on your References list .   It, therefore, helps to complete your References page listing all your sources first.

There are two ways to incorporate your in-text citations: 

Parenthetical  Citations: Using parentheses ( within or at the end of a sentence) with  author(s) or title, publication year, and part quoted, summarized or paraphrased  without naming that work in your sentence:

Among ancient Egyptians, "kohl, a black pigment, was the best-known form of makeup" ("Egyptian Body Decorations," 2013, p. 39). 

• Author : follow Author Format  in box below
• Shorten long titles
• Use title case *  
• Use italics if the title is italicized on your References list OR q uotation marks if not italicized
• Publication YEAR only
• Usually page number(s)--s ee APA 7 Manual for citing a paragraph (para.), major heading (Introduction), entire chapter, figure or table as well as sources with no pagination
• Use timestamp f or video/audio sources
• Use slide number for PowerPoint sources

Narrative Citations:   Some examples: 

Smith (2015) surveyed this phenomenon.

A famous survey of this phenomenon (Smith, 2015) showed that...

In 2015, Smith demonstrated that...

"White rats are the best subjects for this test," said Smith (2015, pp. 50-51).

Smith went on to explain, "Hamsters make better pets than lab rats" (2015, p.51).

(from  APA Style (7th Edition , Albert S. Cook Library, Towson University)

* TITLE CASE:  Beyond the Melting Pot .  (m ost words are capitalized)

    SENTENCE CASE:  Beyond the melting pot.  (only f irst word is capitalized with the exception of proper nouns) 

Formating In-text Citations

See the Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing:  Incorporating External Source s  box in this guide for how to properly incorporate outside sources within the body of your paper. See the In-Text Citations: 2 Types  box in this guide for detailed information.  For information and examples of how to cite parts of a source ot her than page numbers , see the APA Style Blog:   https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles/parts-source

APA 7 Basic Rules

Follow author  Reference List: Author Format  in this guide for author(s) name--lastname, initial(s). 

Capitalize group author (s) such as an organization, association, corporation, government agency, etc. as a proper name.

Use title of the work when there is no author.  Make sure to check the About section of websites for group author if you do not see named individual(s).

When citing an edited work as a whole , format editor name(s) same as author(s)--lastname, initial(s).  See  Edited Book as a Whole  in this guide.

When citing part of an edited work (essay/article/chapter) the author of the part is listed first.  Editor(s) of the work as a whole is named as initial(s). lastname.  Include page number(s) for part you are citing.  See  Part of an Edited Book  in this guide.

Include those separately credited (translators/introduction or foreword authors) with name and role in parentheses after the title as follows: (with A. A. Author, Trans.).

Include edition information (revised/update/number) after title of work. 

List publisher name only ; do not include place of publication.

If author and publisher are the same, omit the publisher.

DOIs and URLs (for PRINT and ELECTRONIC sources)

Include DOI (digital objective identifier) as a hyperlink if available (p: https://doi.org/xxxxxxx. See  DOIs and How to Find Them in this guide for more information.

Include URL   only if link is stable and material is freely accessible to everyone.

Do NOT include database name or database URL. 

Avoid punctuation after the DOI or URL to avoid corrupting the link.

If URL is neither stable nor freely accessible to everyone, treat as print source even if you read it online.

WEBSITES:  

• If you mention a website in your paper without quoting or paraphrasing , simply provide the website name and URL in parentheses--not necessary to list it in your References page. 

Use Webpage format ONLY when no other format applies ---follow other formats in this guide if your source is an  eBook ; online  Dictionary/Encyclopedia ; online  Journal ,  Magazine  or  Newspaper  article; article from an  Online News Source ;  Social Media  page/post;  Audiovisual  item, or online government report.

Follow Newspaper Article  format ONLY for online articles published from a newspaper website  associated with a daily or weekly newspaper .

Follow  News Webpage (Online News Sources) format for articles from ONLINE NEWS SOURCES such as CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, Reuters or HuffPost, that are  NOT associated with a daily or weekly newspaper .

* List sources on separate page at end of your paper with title,  References  (centered in bold)

* List sources alphabetically by author (last name or group author) or title when there is no author (ignore initial articles like "A," "An," or "The")

* Double space throughout

* Follow examples for how to cite different types of sources using the format tabs on the left in this guide

* Use sentence case * --capitalize ONLY first word of title AND subtitle (word after a colon : or dash -), all other title words are lower case except for proper nouns

* Format entires with a hanging indent

*   SENTENCE CASE: Beyond the melting pot.  (only first word is capitalized with the exception of proper nouns) 

   TITLE CASE: Beyond the Melting Pot.  (most words are capitalized)

Format author(s) name(s) as last name, first initial. middle initial. (if provided):

Single author: 

Schutt, R. K.  

2 authors: List both authors, separated by a comma and an ampersand (&) instead of “and:”  

Bachman, R., & Schutt, R. K.                    

3 to 20 authors: List each author up to 19 authors, separated by a comma, adding an ampersand (&) before the last author’s name:  

Kan, K. J., Beijsterveldt, C., Bartels, M., & Boomsma, D.

More than 20 authors:  List first 19 authors, separated by a comma.  Use an ellipsis (...) in the place of all additional authors,  ending   with  the final author's name directly after the ellipsis (no ampersand):

Juárez, U., Riyaziyyat, E., Wang, C., Zhang, I., Li, P., Yang, R., Kumar, B., Xu, A., Martinez, R., McIntosh, V., Ibáñez, L. M., Mäkinen, G., Virtanen, E., . . . Kovács, A. *

*Source provided by the APA Style website 

Scholarship is becoming more available online often with an assigned DOI or  "digital object identifier." A DOI is a  unique alphanumeric string and  persistent link to a permanent location on the internet. 

APA recommends ending each citation with a DOI if available.   DOIs remains fixed over a publication's lifetime where URLs may change over time.  

Not every publication has a DOI but many databases do include them. You may also find DOIs online by viewing the publication's webpage o r searching here:  https://doi.crossref.org/simpleTextQuery    

DOIs may look like any of the following formats ( “xxxxx” refers to the DOI number) : 

https://doi.org/ xxxxx

http:/dx.doi.org/xxxxx 

doi:xxxxx or DOI: xxxxx

Whatever version you find, APA recommends using this format :

https://doi.org/xxxxx

 See Reference List: Basic Principles , Reference List: Basic Format and Reference List: Author Format for additional information.

  Author, A. A. (Year).  Title of book: Subtitle of book . Publisher. DOI  (if available) 

  Single Author

Saunders, G. (2000).  Pastoralia : Stories.   Riverhead  Books.

  Two Authors *

Anaya , R., &  Márquez , A. (1984).  Cuentos  Chicanos: A short story anthology  (Rev. ed.).   University of New Mexico Press.

  Group Author ( include DOI if available for print books)

American Psychiatric Association. (2013).  Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental   disorders  (5 th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 **

   Additional Named Authors and Reprint

Weber, M. (with  Giddons , A.). (1992).  The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism   (T. Parsons, Trans.).  Routledge . (Original work published 1930).

 * see  Reference List: Author Format  in this guide for 3 to 20 authors, and 21 or more authors

 **  Omit publisher name when same as author

See  Reference List: Basic Principles ,  Reference List: Basic Format  and  Reference List: Author Format  for additional information.

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle of book. Publisher. DOI  (if available)   or URL  (if stable and freely accessible)

  eBook with DOI

Thomas, H., & Ahmed, J. (Eds.). (2004).  Cultural bodies: Ethnography and theory . Blackwell Publishing.  https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470775837

  eBook with URL (stable and freely accessible)

Haffner-Ginger, B. (2012).  California Mexican-Spanish cook book: Selected Mexican and Spanish recipes . Citizen Print Shop.  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39586

   eBook without DOI or URL (treat as print book)

Menendez, D., & Marcella, A. J. (2008).  Cyber forensics: A field manual for collecting, examining, and preserving evidence of computer crimes  (2nd ed.). Auerbach Publications.

Saunders, G. (2000).  Pastoralia: Stories.  Riverhead Books.

 See  Reference List: Basic Principles ,  Reference List: Basic Format  and  Reference List: Author Format  for additional information.  

  Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (Year).  Title of book: Subtitle of book.  Publisher. DOI (if available)   or URL   (if stable and freely accessible)

 Two Editors (without DOI or stable and freely accessible URL)

Bowers, J. M., & Tick, J. (Eds.). (1986).  Women making music: The Western art tradition,   1150-1950.  University of Illinois Press.

 Three to 20 Editors *

Cullen, F., Agnew, R., & Wilcox, P. (Eds.). (2018).  Criminological theory: Past to   present: Essential readings  (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.

 Edited eBook with DOI

Thomas, H., & Ahmed, J. (Eds.). (2004).  Cultural bodies:   Ethnography and theory . Blackwell Publishing.  https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470775837

 Edited eBook with URL (stable and freely accessible)

Kroop, S., Mikroyannidis, A., & Wolpers, M. (Eds.). (2015).  Responsive open learning   environments: Outcomes   of research from the ROLE project . SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-319-02399-1

* see Reference List: Author Format in this guide for 21 or more authors

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of part: Subtitle of part. In Editor Name (Ed.),  Title of book: Subtitle of book  (pp. pages). Publisher. DOI (if available) or URL   (if stable and freely accessible)

Part in Edited work (within specific edition)

Anderson, E. (2018). The code of the street. In F. Cullen, R. Agnew, & P. Wilcox (Eds.),  Criminological theory: Past to present--Essential readings  (6th ed., pp. 93-104). Oxford University Press.

Part in Edited work with DOI

Ali, S. (2004). Reading radicalized bodies. In H. Thomas & J. Ahmed (Eds.),  Cultural bodies: Ethnography and theory  (pp. 76-97). Blackwell Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470775837

Part in Edited work with URL (stable and freely accessible)

Nussbaumer, A., Dahn, I., Kroop, S., Mikroyannidis, A., & Albert, D. (2015). Supporting self-regulated learning. In S. Kroop, A. Mikroyannidis & M. Wolpers (Eds.), Responsive open learning environments: Outcomes of research from the ROLE project (pp. 17 48). SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-02399-1_2

*Compare these entries with their Edited Book as a Whole counterpart above.*

PRINT, DATABASE or without DOI/URL (stable and freely accessible) :

Author, A. A. (Date). Title of entry. In  Title of book: Subtitle of book  (Edition, Vol., p. page or pp. pages). Publisher (if not au thor). 

Named Author   (with volume number)

Collins, E. F. (2012). Tattooing and piercing. In M. Juergensmeyer & W. C. Roof (Eds.),  Encyclopedia of global religion  (Vol. 2, pp. 1265-1267). SAGE Reference.  

Publisher as Author (omit publisher name, with edition)

Merriam-Webster. (1997). Goat. In  Merriam Webster’s collegiate dictionary  (10th ed., pp. 499-500). 

Individually Titled Volume

St. George, J., & Canavan, F. P. (2005). Crisis Intervention. In L. E. Sullivan & M. S. Rosen (Eds.),  Encyclopedia of law enforcement: Vol. 1. State and local  (pp. 122-125). SAGE Reference.

ONLINE Exact date:

Author, A. A. (Date). Title of entry. In  Title of book or Website name (Edition, Vol.). Publisher (if not author) . DOI (if available)   OR URL   (if stable and freely accessible)

ONLINE NO DATE:

Author, A. A. (n.d.). Title of entry. In  Title of book or Website name (Edition, Vol.) . Publisher (if not author) . Retrieved date, from URL   (if stable and freely accessible) *

Named Author (with date and edition)

Speaks, J. (2019). Theories of meaning. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The  Stanford encyclopedia of   philosophy  (Winter 2019 ed).  Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2019/entries/meaning/

Publisher as Author (omit publisher name, no date)

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Phobic avoidance. In  APA dictionary of psychology . Retrieved January 18, 2020, from  https://dictionary.apa.org/phobic-avoidance * ​

Title Entry (no author, no date)

Force majeure. (n.d.). In  Thesaurus.com.  Retrieved April 9, 2020, from https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/force%20majeure?s=t *

Wikipedia Title Entry for Archived Page **

Folk music. (2020, February 16). In  Wikipedia .  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_music

* If there is no date, use n.d. for “no date” and add “Retrieved” followed by your date of access before the URL.

** Use a permanent (archived) page with date and URL whenever possible. For Wikipedia, click "View History” for archived pages.

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article: Subtitle of article.  Title of Journal ,   Vol. Number (Issue Number), Pages. DOI (if available) or URL   (if stable and freely accessible)

Print Article, Article from Database without DOI or Online without (stable or freely accessible)  URL

Lawson, N. (2016). It’s a man’s prison: How the traditional incarceration model fails female  offenders in Kansas.  Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy, 25 (2), 273–288.

Article with DOI (print or electronic)

Abraham, M., Bahr, S., &  Trappmann , M. (2019, June 25). Gender differences in willingness to   move for  interregional  job offers.  Demographic Research, 40 , 1537-1602. https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.53

Article with URL  (no DOI and only stable and freely accessible URL)

Geppert , K. (2019). Does money buy happiness? A cross-country look at the relationship   between income and happiness.  Issues in Political Economy, 28 (2), 102–121.  https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ Does-money-buy-happiness-A-cross-country- look-at-Geppert / d1e15e62f5d4457c769d96ae5c0a11bc473ef464

Article with 3 to 20 authors (with DOI)

Philips, L., Allen, R., Bull, R.,  Hering , A . ,  Kliegel ,  M., &  Channon , S. (2015). Older adults have   difficulty in decoding sarcasm.  Developmental Psychology, 51 (12), 1840-1852. https://doi.org/10.1037 / dev0000063

Article with 21 or more authors (with DOI)

Pegion , K.,  Kirtman , B. P., Becker, E., Collins, D. C.,  LaJoie , E.,  Burgman , R., Bell, R.,   DelSole , R., Min, D., Zhu, Y., Li, W.,  Sinsky , E.,  Guan , H.,  Gottschalck , J.,  Metzger , E. J.,   Barton, N. P.,  Achuthavarier , D.,  Marshak , J.,  Koster , R., . . .  Kim, H. (2019). The   subseasonal   experiment  ( SubX ): A multimodel subseasonal  prediction experiment.   Bulletin of the  American Meteorological Society, 100 (10), 2043-2061.   https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0270.1 *

Article, Online Advance Publication

Standaert, W., Vlerick, S. M., & Cox, A. B. (2021). Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually? Business Horizons . Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.047        

Article in Press

Pachur, T., & Scheibehenne, B. (in press). Unpacking buyer-seller differences in valuation from experience: A cognitive modeling approach. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review . **

* source provided by Owl Purdue Online Writing Lab

**  source from APA 7 Publication Manual, p. 318

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Article title.  Magazine Title ,   Vol. Number (Issue Number), Pages. URL  (if stable and freely accessible) 

Article in Print, from Database or without DOI or URL  (stable and freely accessible)

Shell, E. R. (2019). Obesity on the brain. Scientific American, 321 (4), 38–45.

Online Article without Page Number(s) *   (with stable and freely accessible URL)

Gregory, S. (2020, March 26). ‘Without empathy, nothing works.’ Chef Jose Andres wants to   feed   the world through the pandemic.  Time, 195 (12).  https://time.com/5810564/without- empathy-nothing-works-chef-jose-andres-wants-to-feed-the-world-through-the- pandemic/

Online Article without Volume and Issue Number * (with stable and freely accessible URL)

Austen, B. (2018, June 21). Peace officers.  New Republic .   https://newrepublic.com/article/148854/peace-officers

  * When missing volume, issue and/or page number(s) simply omit that piece of information. 

IMPORTANT:  ONLY articles published in print newspapers or from a newspaper website  associated with a daily or weekly newspaper . Follow News Webpage   format in this guide for articles from ONLINE NEWS SOURCES such as CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, Reuters or HuffPost, that is, news websites  NOT associated with a daily or weekly newspaper .

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Article title.  Newspaper Title , section/page(s) .   URL  (if stable and freely accessible)

Article in Print, from Database OR no DOI or URL  (stable and freely accessible)

Johnson, C. Y. (2019, October 20). 'Use it or lose it'? Study links excessive brain activity to   shortened life.  The Washington Post , A3.

Printz , L. (2012, September 30). Ready to plug in? Knowledge is power: Plenty to ponder if you plan to own electric car.  Chicago Tribune. *

Article with URL (stable and freely accessible)

Hilts, P. J. (1999, February 16). In forecasting their emotions, most people flunk out.  The New York Times , F2. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/16/science/in-forecasting-their-emotions-most-people-flunk-out.html

Article with No Author from Database or without URL (stable and freely accessible)

Voice of the people: Close Rikers, rethink mental health [Editorial]. (2019, February 18).   New York Daily News,  20.

* If section and/or page number(s) information is missing, omit that piece of information

IMPORTANT: ONLY online news websites such as BBC, MSNBC, Salon or HuffPost  not associated with a published newspaper . Use the Newspaper Articles  format in this guide for websites that are online versions of daily or weekly newspapers. 

See  R eference List: Basic Principles ,  Reference List: Basic Format  and  Reference List: Author Format  for additional information.  

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day).  News article title.  News Website Name. URL  (if stable and accessible)

Named Author

Heilweil , R. (2020, April 8).  6 things to know about  telehealth : Due to  Covid-19 , video chats   with doctors are becoming mainstream. Here’s how it all works . Vox.   https://www.vox.com/ recode /2020/4/8/21212432/telemedicine-how-to-video-chat- doctors

Oliver, T. (2020, April 5).   Why overcoming racism is essential for humanity’s survival . BBC.   https://www.bbc.com/fu ture/article/20200403-how-to-overcome-racism-and-tribalism

No Author (Publisher/Organization as Author—omit Website Name)

BBC. (2016, May 17).  How much of your body is your own?   http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/the-making-of-me-and-you

Group Author (Publisher/Organization as Author different from Website Name)

The Associated Press. (2016, February 22).  Judge bans enforcement of Biden’s 100-day deportation pause. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/judge-bans-enforcement-biden-s-100-day-deportation-pause-n1258707

IMPORTANT:  Use ONLY when no other format applies ---follow other formats in this guide if your source is an  eBook ; online  Dictionary/Encyclopedia ; online  Journal ,  Magazine   or  Newspaper   article; article from an  Online News Source ;   Social Media  page/post;  Audiovisual   item, or online government report.

Read “About Us” section for author and website information---it may be a person, institution, association, organization, government agency, etc.  When no author is listed for the specific page you are viewing, list the organization/institution/government agency/association in the "About Us" section as the author.

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day).  Webpage title: Webpage subtitle . Website Name. URL 

Named Author(s)

Brown, M., & Mendis, N. (2018, July 25).  The separation of immigrant families: Historical   anecdotes.  Center for Migration Studies.  http://cmsny.org/ from-the-cms-archive- separation-of-families /

Group Author with Date (omit Website Name if same as Author)

Bloomberg. (2020, April 7).  SBA computers crash in fresh blow to companies seeking   virus aid .  https://www.americanbanker.com/articles/sba-computers-crash-in-fresh-blow-to-companies-seeking-virus-aid  

Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases. (2019, June 13).  Food safety:   A changing landscape in a global world . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/features/worldfoodsafetyday.html

Group Author without Date (omit Website Name if same as Author, use n.d. for no date, add “Retrieved” date ONLY for webpages that may change over time)

Amnesty International. (n.d.).  Cuba . Retrieved April 13, 2020, from https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/americas/cuba/

  U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.).  U.S. and world population clock . U.S. Department of Commerce.   Retrieved January 9, 2020, from  https://www.census.gov/popclock/ *

*source provided by the APA Style website

ONLY for  content  o riginally published   on a social media site . For sources you find through a particular social media post such as an article or video, make sure to  cite that original source directly.

There are two formats for social media:

1. PROFILE, PAGE OR ACCOUNT: (“n.d.” for date with “Retrieved” and date of access because social media pages change over time).

Author, A. A. or Group Name. (n.d.).  Profile/Account/Page Title  [Description]. Title of Platform. Retrieved   date, from URL

American Library Association. (n.d.).  Home  [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved April 14,   2020, from https://www.facebook.com/ AmericanLibraryAssociation/

John Jay College Library. (n.d.) .  Photos  [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved April 16, 2020, from https://www.facebook.com/pg/johnjaylibrary/photos/?ref=page_internal

Twitter:   

Brooklyn Museum [@brooklynmuseum]. (n.d.).  Tweets  [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved   April 24, 2020, from  https://twitter.com/brooklynmuseum 

Lloyd Sealy Library [@JohnJayLibrary]. (n.d.). Likes [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved April 16, 2020, from https://twitter.com/JohnJayLibrary/likes

Food Network [@foodnetwork]. (n.d.).  Posts  [Instagram profile]. Instagram. Retrieved   April 16, 2020, from https://www.instagram.com/foodnetwork/?hl=en

National Geographic [@natgeo]. (n.d.).  IGTV  [Instagram profile]. Instagram.   Retrieved December 8, 2019, from https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/channel/ *

    Witherspoon, R. [@officialreesetiktok]. (n.d.).  vsco mom  [TikTok profile]. TikTok. Retrieved January 12, 2020, from  https://vm.tiktok.com/xS3B86 *

2. Post or published CONTENT (title is first 20 words of text; include hashtags, links and emojis, counting them as one word; provide name or description or emoji ( https://unicode.org/emoji/charts/emoji-list.html ) in square brackets (e.g. [winking face]) if unable to include actual emoji)

Author, A. A. or Group Name. (Date).  Content exactly as written up to first 20 words  [Description][Post type]. Title of Platform. URL

John Jay College Library. (2020, April 2).  Did you know that #johnjaylibrary # digitalcollections   has a collection of images from 1940-1945 of #mugshots #rapsheets & #criminalinvestigation #documents?  [Images attached] [Facebook post]. Facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/pg/johnjaylibrary/posts/?ref=page_internal 

Official Jackson Browne. (2020, February 9)  Photo from “A Human Touch” video, with   @lesliemendelson. The song was written by Leslie, Steven McEwan and   @jackson.browne.official for the  [Image attached] [Photograph]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJacksonBrowne/photos/a.1015022333865708 /101 57241626597087/?type=3&theater

Tweet:   

New York Times Arts [@nytimesarts]. (2019, February 1).  Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s Blue   House in Mexico City travels to the United States for the first time. Unearthed  [Thumbnail   with link attached] [Tweet]. Twitter.  https://twitter.com/nytimesarts/ status/1091546540215283712

NPR's Latino USA [@LatinoUSA]. (2019, February 11).  A first-of-its-kind exhibit opened at the   Brooklyn Museum gives fans of iconic artist Frida Kahlo a chance.  [Thumbnail with link   attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/LatinoUSA/ status/1095087584609517568

BBC [@bbc]. (2020, January 12).  Skywatchers have been treated to the first full moon of   2020-known as a “wolf moon”-at the same time as a  [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7OkWqbBwcf/ ** 

The New York Public Library [@nypl]. (2020, January 4).  Happy #NationalTriviaDay! Patience   and Fortitude are the beloved lions located outside of our 42nd Street location. These   timeless lions have  [Photograph]. Instagram.  https://www.instagram.com/p/B66XsTilYZG/

 Washington Post [@washingtonpost]. (2019, December 3).  News is all around us #frozen #newsroom #newspaper  [Video]. Tik Tok. https://vm.tiktok.com/x2sKUu *

*source provided by the  APA Style  website

**source provided by  Purdue Owl Writing Lab

APA distinguishes between works that stand alone works  (television series, music album, YouTube video, etc.) and works that are part of a whole (episode in a series, song from a music album or cd, etc.). 

It is not necessary to indicate how or where you listened to or viewed source.

AUTHOR: Creator(s) except YouTube (and other streaming videos platforms) where uploader (account holder) is named author.  Sources may have multiple authors and/or author roles.  Some common author categories for audiovisual works:

Film (Director) Television Series (Executive Producer) Television Episode (Writer and/or Director) YouTube or other Streaming Video (Uploader) TED Talk (Speaker if from TED website/Uploader if from YouTube) Podcast (Host) Webinar (Speaker/Instructor) Music Album or Song (Recording Artist or Composer) Artwork (Photographer, Painter, Illustrator, etc.) Conference/Presentation (Presenter) PowerPoint (Creator)

DATE: may be range (e.g. 2001-2003 or 2017-present)

DESCRIPTION:   add a description of the source's format in brackets 

PUBLISHER:   production company, record label, museum, university department, etc. Sources may have multiple production companies (separate by semicolon)

URL:   ONLY  if so urce is online, stable and freely accessible to everyone

FILM/MOVIE:

Director, A. A. (Director). (Date).  Title of film  [Film]. Production Company/Companies.

Dahl, R. (Writer), & Stuart, M. (Director). (1971).  Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory [Film]. Wolper Pictures; The Quaker Oats Company.

Fleming, V. (Director). (1939).  Gone with the wind  [Film]. Selznick International Pictures; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.*

YouTube or STREAMING VIDEO:

Uploader/Account Holder, U. U. (Date of publication).  Title of video  [Video]. Website host.  URL  (if available, stable and freely accessible)

Caged Bird Songs. (2014, September 23).  Still I rise by Maya Angelou (official lyric video) [Video ].  YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UFMB4i1AJo&feature=emb_title

Chance The Rapper. (2019, July 26).  All day long  [Video] .  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V846b5ETp-c

John Jay College. (2019, October 1).  Get to know the Prisoner Reentry Institute with Ann Jacob s  [Video]. YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=-3RD1n8j-gw

Producer, A.A. (Producer(s)/Executive Producer(s)). (Date range).  Title of series [TV series]. Production Company; Companies. 

Gorden, H., & Gansa, A. (Executive Producers). (2011-2020).  Homeland  [TV series]. Fox 21; Fox Television Studios.

Serling, R. (Executive Producer). (1959–1964).  The twilight zone  [TV series]. Cayuga Productions; CBS Productions.*

TV EPISODE:

Writer, A.A. (Writer), & Director, A.A. (Director). (Original Air Date). Title of episode (Season No., Episode No.) [TV series episode]. In A.A. Producer (Executive Producer),  Title of TV series . Production Company; Companies. 

Serling, R., Bixby, J., (Writers), & Sheldon, J. (Director). (1961, November 3). It's a good life (Season 3, Episode 8) [TV series episode]. In R. Serling (Executive Producer), The twilight zone . Cayuga Productions; CBS Productions.

Stiehm, M. (Writer), & Cuesta, M. (Director). (2011, November 13). The weekend (Season 1, Episode 7) [TV series episode]. In H. Gorden & A. Gansa (Executive Producers), Homeland . Fox 21; Fox Television Studios.

TED TALK: Author is speaker when video is  directly from TED website . Author is uploader/account holder if  video is from YouTube --add  speakers' name in the tile of the talk.

Speaker, A. A. (Year, Month Day).  Title of talk  [Video]. TED Conferences. URL

Uploader, U. U. (Year, Month Day).  Speaker: Title of talk  [Video]. YouTube. URL

Foss, A. (2016, February).  A prosecutor’s vision for a better justice system  [Video]. TED Conferences.    https://www.ted.com/talks/ adam_foss_a_prosecutor_s_vision_for_a_better_justice_system

TEDx Talks. (2018, May 23).  Michiel Vandeweert: Life's short, make the most of it  [Video]. YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZvLeMbJ_U

PODCAST:  Format differs for a podcast episode or episode within a series  AND  podcast series .

Host, H. H. (Host). (Date).  Title of podcast episode  [Audio podcast episode]. Production company. URL  (if accessed online)

Host, H. H. (Host). (Date). Title of podcast episode (Episode number if available) [Audio podcast episode]. In  Title of podcast series.  Production Company. URL  (if accessed online)

Vedantam, S., Penman, M., & Boyle, T. (2020, February 17). Liar, liar, liar [Audio podcast episode]. In  Hidden brain . NPR.  https://www.npr.org/2020/02/13/805808486/ liar-liar-liar 

Host, H. H. (Host). (Date range).  Title of podcast series  [Audio podcast series]. Production company. URL  (if accessed online)

Vedantam, S. (2015-present).  Hidden brain . [Audio podcast series]. NPR.  https://www.npr.org/podcasts/ 510308/hidden-brain 

WEBINAR (archived and available online) :

Author, A. A. (Date).  Title of webinar  [Webinar]. Producer. URL

American Psychological Association. (2019, October 24).  What’s new in APA style—Inside the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the APA. [Webinar]. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/tutorials-webinars

ARTWORK (Painting, photograph, illustration, infographic, etc.) : Format differs for artwork associated with a museum or gallery (part of a whole) and art that stands on its own, not associated with a museum or gallery. Do not use database name or database URL.

Artist, A. A. (Date).  Title of work  [Medium]. Museum Name, Museum Location. URL  (if viewed online, stable and freely accessible) 

Klimt, G. (1907).  Adele Bloch-Bauer I  [Painting]. Neue Gallery, New York, NY, United States.  https://www.neuegalerie.org/content/adele-bloch-bauer-i

Mitchell, T. (2019).  Untitled [Group hula hoop]  [Photograph]. International Center of Photography, New York, NY, United States.  https://www.icp.org/exhibitions/ tyler-mitchell-i-can-make-you-feel-good

Artist, A. A. (Date).  Title of work  [Medium]. Source. URL  (if viewed online, stable and freely accessible) 

Day, B. (2014, August 20).  Don't shoot . [Political cartoon]. Cale Cartoons. http://caglecartoons.com/sku/152568/

The Sentencing Project. (2001).  Lifetime likelihood of imprisonment for U.S. residents born in 2001 [Infographic]. https://www.sentencingproject.org/ wpcontent/uploads/2015/10/lifetime-likelihood-of-imprisonment-by-race.png

MUSIC:  Format differs between the whole (e.g. album or musical score) and piece of the whole.

Artist, A. A. (year).  Title of whole   [Description]. Recording Label.

The Beatles. (1968).  The white album  [Album]. Apple. 

Haydn, F. J. (2001).  The creation  [Musical score]. Dover Publications. (Original work published 1798).*

Artist, A. A. (year). Title of song [Song]. On  Title of whole . Recording Label.

​The Beatles. (1968). Blackbird [Song]. On  The white album.  Apple.

Los Angeles Percussion Quartet. (2017). Fear release [Song]. On  Beyond.  Sono Luminus.

POWERPOINT or GOOGLE SLIDES/CLASS LECTURE NOTES:

Author, A. A. (Date).  Title of slides or lecture  [Description]. Source or Platform. URL  (use login page for sources requiring a login)

Mack, R., & Spake, G. (2018). Citing open source images and formatting references for presentations [PowerPoint slides]. Canvas@FNU. https://fnu.onelogin.com/login *

McNeel, R. (n.d.)  New hope for fading memories: Alzheimer's disease  

         [PowerPoint slide]​. BioEd Online.  http://www.bioedonline.org/slides/hot-topics/ new-hope-for-fading- memories-alzheimers-disease /

According to APA, personal communication is defined as those conversations or statements that are not published and, therefore, cannot be retrieved or accessed by others.  They are “nonrecoverable” pieces of information.

Examples include:

• Text Messages
• Online Conversations
• Personal Interviews (not published)*
• Telephone Conversations
• Live Speeches
• Unrecorded Lectures

Because these sources cannot be retrieved, they are not listed in your References page .  Instances of personal communication such as interviews should, however, be followed by an in-text citation — citation within the body of your paper.  Follow the format below and include the following information within parentheses: **

(Author’s first initial. Author’s last name, personal communication, Date as exact as possible)

Narrative citation: E.-M. Paradis (personal communication, August 8, 2019)

Parenthetical citation: (T. Nguyen, personal communication, February 24, 2020)

*Instances of personal communication retrieved from published sources will require a citation in your References list.  Follow the specific reference format for that published source as a whole.  For example, if you are mentioning or including the text of an interview or email found in a magazine article add a citation for that magazine article in your References list in addition to an APA in-text citation in the body of your paper. 

** examples from the APA Style Blog

These sources may be  published or unpublished.   Unpublished most likely in print at author’s institution. Published sources generally found in databases ( ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global ,  EBSCO Open Dissertations ,  PQDT Open ) , institutional repositories or archives, and/or personal websites. Some descriptions: “Doctoral dissertation,” “Master’s thesis,” "Unpublished dissertation," "Unpublished master's thesis" and “ Undergraduate honors thesis.”  

Unpublished:

Author, A. A. (Date).  Title of dissertation/thesis: Subtitle of dissertation/thesis [Unpublished doctoral dissertation/master's thesis]. Institution Name.

Harris, L. (2014).  Instructional leadership perceptions and practices of elementary school leaders  [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Virginia.*

Author, A. A. (Date).  Title of dissertation/thesis: Subtitle of dissertation/thesis (Publication No. xxxxxx) [Description, Institution Name]. Source. URL   (if stable and freely accessible)

Dajani, D. (2017).  Tattoos and criminal behavior: An examination of the relationship between body art and crime  (Publication No. 10285487). [Master’s thesis, City University of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

Zambrano-Vazquez, L. (2016).  The interaction of state and trait worry on response monitoring   in those with worry and obsessive-compulsive symptoms  [Doctoral dissertation,   University of Arizona]. UA Campus Repositor y.   https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/620615 **

Zhou, X. (2018).  Leggings are the new denim: An investigation of consumer activewear experience  (Publication No. 10840578) [Doctoral dissertation, Temple University]. PQDT Open. https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/pubnum/10840578.html

* source from APA Style Blog

** source from  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th edition.

Author may be an individual(s) or government agency/department.   U se the most specific agency listed on the source as author and parent agency as publisher. Omit publisher name if same as author.

Author, A. A. (Date).  Title of report: Subtitle of report  (Report No. if available). Publisher Name. URL  (if stable and freely available to all)

Named Individual Author

Rantala, R. R. (2004, March 1).  Cybercrime against businesses: Pilot test results, 2001 computer security survey  (NCJ 200639). Bureau of Justice Statistics. http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=770

Agency Author (o mit publisher name if same as author)

National Cancer Institute. (2019).  Taking time: Support for people with cancer  (NIH Publication No. 18-2059). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health.  https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/takingtime.pdf *  

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (2019).  Health of older adults in New York City .   https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/episrv/2019-older-adult-health.pdf

APA recommends consulting  The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation   (legal citation standard) or  Cornell University's Legal Information Institution's Basic Legal Citation :  https://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/​

Find print copies of The Bluebook  in the Lloyd Sealy Library at the 2nd floor Reference Desk (KF245 .B58). Consult  The Bluebook for abbreviations and symbols.   Arrange citations alphabetically by the first significant word or abbreviation.   URLs are not required-- add when useful, if stable and freely accessible, after the date.  

See the Citing Legal Materials tab in this guide for more detailed information.   Consult  In-text Citations: 2 Types  in this guide for the difference between parenthetical and narrative citations.

The abbreviation chart below and most of the following citation examples come from The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th edition. Consult Chapter 11 (Legal References) for more information.

Court Decisions:  

U.S. Supreme Court    (published in the  United States Reports --abbreviate as “U.S.”)

Reference page:   Name v. Name, Volume U.S. Page (Year). 

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). 

Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S___(2015). *

*include three underscores for page number for cases after 2012 published without page numbers

Parenthetical citation:   ( Name v. Name , Year)

( Brown v. Board of Education , 1954)

( Obergefell  v. Hodges , 2015)

Narrative citation:   Name v. Name  (Year)

Brown v. Board of Education  (1954)

  Obergefell  v. Hodges  (2015)

  U.S. Circuit Court ( published in the  Federal Reporter --abbreviate as "F.2d" or "F.3d.")

Reference page :  Name v. Name, Volume F. [or F.2d, F.3d] Page (Court Year). 

Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 951 F.2d 1128 (9th Cir. 1991). 

Parenthetical citation :  ( Name v. Name , Year)

( Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , 1991)

Narrative citation:  Name v. Name  (Year)

           Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  (1991)  

U.S. District Court (published in the  Federal Supplements --abbreviate as "F. Supp.")

Reference page: Name v. Name, Volume F. Supp. Page (Court Year). 

Burriola v. Greater Toledo YMCA, 133 F. Supp. 2d 1034 (N.D. Ohio 2001). 

( Burriola v. Greater Toledo YMCA , 2001)

Burriola v. Greater Toledo YMCA  (2001)  

State Court Decisions (find state reporter abbreviations in  The Bluebook )

Reference page: Name v. Name, Volume Reporter Page (Court Year).

Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, 17 Cal.3d 425, 131 Cal. Rptr. 14, 551 P.2d 334 (1976). 

Parenthetical citat ion: ( Name v. Name , Year)

( Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California , 1976)

Narrative citation:  Name v. Name  (Year)

Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California  (1976)

Federal and State Statutes (l aws or acts passed by a federal or state legislative body):    Federal statutes are officially published in the  United States Code  (U.S.C.).  There are official and unofficial (commercial and/or electronic versions) publications of both federal and state codes.   The Bluebook  recommends citing official codes whenever possible--c onsult  The Bluebook T able 1 for preferred state code publications .  If citing unofficial/commercial codes, include the publisher in the parenthesis before the date (see the Equal Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities example below).  Statutes are divided into sections called titles.  Begin with the popular name of the act, if available and commonly used.  Begin with the title number and abbreviation of the code source if a popular name is neither available nor commonly used.  URLs are not necessary but may be added if helpful and freely available to all.

State statutes citations generally follow federal statute citations. For  NYS statutes,  see specific information at the bottom of this section.

Statutes Codified in Single Section/Range of Sections: Not necessary to include public law number .

Reference page:   Name of Act, Title#/Source § Section Number (Year). URL  (if freely accessible)

Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 (2015). 

Equal Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities, 42 U.S.C.A. § 12101 et seq. (West, 2005).

42 U.S.C. § 12101 (2006).

Parenthetical citation: (Name of Act, Year) 

(Every Student Succeeds Act, 2015) 

(Equal Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities, 2005)

Narrative citation: Name of Act (Year)

Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)

Equal Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities (2005)

Statutes not Codified/Codified in Scattered Sections:   Add public law number to Reference page citation

Reference page :

Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pub. L. No. 88-352, 78 Stat. 241 (1964).   

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, Pub. L. No. 111-2, 123 Stat. 5 (2009). 

Florida Mental Health Act, Fla. Stat. § 394 (1971 & rev. 2009).

Parenthetical citation : 

(Civil Rights Act, 1964)

(Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, 2009)  

(Florida Mental Health Act, 1971/2009) 

Narrative citation : 

Civil Rights Act (1964)

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (2009)

Florida Mental Health Act (1971/2009)

*NYS statutes*:   There are two official annotated codifications of New York State laws:   McKinney's Consolidated Laws of New York Annotated and the New York Consolidated Laws Service .  A free unannotated electronic version of New York Consolidated Laws Service  is available on the New York Senate website:  https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/all    

Cornell's Legal Information Institute, following The Bluebook guidance, calls for including the publisher and/or brand of any commercial compilation in parenthesis before the date.  Click here for Cornell's Legal Information Institute examples:   https://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/3-300#3-320_New_York  or consult  Cynthia Pittson's 2017 Basic Bluebooking in Legal Documents .

Bills and Resolutions:  Includes bills and resolutions not yet passed through both houses of Congress AND enacted bills and resolutions that have not yet been signed into law.  Precede bill or resolution number by “H.R.” for House of Representatives or “S.” for Senate to indicate where the bill/resolution originated. Enacted resolutions are reported in the  Congressional Record , abbreviated as “Cong. Rec.” 

Unenacted federal bill/resolution:   (not yet passed in both houses)

Unenacted bill: Title [if relevant], H.R. or S. bill number, xxx Cong. (Year).  Unenacted resolution: Title [if relevant], H.R. or S. Res. resolution number, xxx Cong. (Year).

Reference page:   Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act, H.R. 1100, 113th Cong. (2013). 

Parenthetical citation:   (Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act, 2013) 

Narrative citation:   Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act (2013) 

Enacted federal resolution:  (passed in both houses but not signed into law)

Senate: S. Res. xxx, xxx Cong., Volume Cong. Rec. Page (Year) (enacted).  House of Representatives: H.R. Res. xxx, xxx Cong., Volume Cong. Rec. Page (Year) (enacted). 

Reference page :  S. Res. 438, 114th Cong., 162 Cong. Rec. 2394 (2016) (enacted). 

Parenthetical citation :  (S. Resolution 438, 2016)  

Narrative citation:   Senate Resolution 438 (2016) 

Federal Regulations: Rules and regulations; and executive orders.  Include the URL of regulation if available online.

Federal Regulation (Codified): (published in the  Code of Federal Regulations , abbreviated as "C.F.R.”) 

Title or Number, Volume C.F.R. § xxx (Year). 

Reference page : 

Protection of Human Subjects, 45 C.F.R. § 46 (2009). https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/sites/default/files/ohrp/policy/ohrpregulations.pdf

Parenthetical citation:   (Protection of Human Subjects, 2009) 

Narrative citation:   Protection of Human Subjects (2009) 

  Federal Regulation (Not Codified) :  (published in the  Federal Register , abbreviated as "F.R.")

Title or Number, Volume F.R. Page (proposed Month Day, Year) (to be codified at Volume C.F.R. § xxx). 

Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees, 81 F.R. 32391 (proposed May 23, 2016) (to be codified at 29 C.F.R. § 541).

Parenthetical citation :  (Defining and Delimiting, 2016) 

Narrative citation :  Defining and Delimiting (2016) 

Executive Orders:

Executive order:  Exec. Order No. xxxxx, 3 C.F.R. Page (Year). 

Reference page:  Exec. Order No. 13,676, 3 C.F.R. 294 (2014). 

Parenthetical citation:   (Exec. Order No. 13,676, 2014) 

Narrative citation:   Executive Order No. 13,676 (2014)

Constitution:   You do not need a citation in your Reference page if you are merely mentioning a federal or state constitution: "The U.S. Constitution has 26 amendments." or "The Massachusetts Constitution was ratified in 1780."   You need a citation when discussing specific articles or amendments.  The U.S. Constitution is abbreviated as “U.S. Const.”  Consult Cornell’s Legal Information Institute for state abbreviations when citing state constitutions: https://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/4-500

U.S. Constitution article and amendment numbers are Roman numerals. State constitution article numbers are Roman numerals, amendment numbers are Arabic numerals. It is not necessary to include a date  unless an amendment has been repealed  (see below). URLs are not necessary.

U.S. Constitution : U.S. Const. art. xxx, § x. 

Reference page:   U.S. Const. art. I, § 3.  

Parenthetical citation:   (U.S. Const. art. I, § 3)  Narrative citation:   Article I, Section 3, of the U.S. Constitution   

State constitution: State Const. art. xxx, § x.

Reference page:   S.C. Const. art. XI, § 3. 

Parenthetical citation:   (S.C. Const. art. IX, § 3)  Narrative citation:   Article IX, Section 3, of the South Carolina Constitution 

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: U.S. Const. amend. xxx. 

Reference page:   U.S. Const. amend. XIX.  Parenthetical citation :  (U.S. Const. amend. XIX)  Narrative citation :  Amendment XIX to the U.S. Constitution 

Repealed amendment to the U.S. Constitution: U.S. Const. amend. xxx (repealed year).

Reference page:   U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).  Parenthetical citation :  (U.S. Const. amend. XVIII, repealed 1933)  Narrative citation :  Amendment XVIII to the U.S. Constitution was appealed in 1933

Include the title as it appears on the document.  Add subcommittee and/or committee names, separating multiple names by a comma. Indicate number of the Congress, the year in parentheses, and “testimony of” with name of the person who gave the testimony in separate parentheses. If the testimony is online, include a URL. 

Federal testimony: 

Title of testimony , xxx Cong. (Year) (testimony of Testifier Name).

References page : Federal real property reform: How cutting red tape and better management could

achieve billions in savings, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ,

114th Cong. (2016) (testimony of Norman Dong). 

Parenthetical citation: ( Federal Real Property Reform , 2016)  Narrative citation: Federal Real Property Reform (2016) 

Full federal hearing:  

Title of hearing , xxx Cong. (Year).

Reference page: Strengthening the federal student loan program for borrowers: Hearing before the U.S.

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions , 113th Cong. (2014). 

Parenthetical citation: ( Strengthening the Federal Student Loan Program , 2014)  Narrative citation: Strengthening the Federal Student Loan Program (2014) 

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APA In-Text Citations and Sample Essay 7th Edition

This handout focuses on how to format in-text citations in APA.

Proper citation of sources is a two-part process . You must first cite each source in the body of your essay; these citations within the essay are called in-text citations . You MUST cite all quoted, paraphrased, or summarized words, ideas, and facts from sources. Without in-text citations, you are technically in danger of plagiarism, even if you have listed your sources at the end of the essay.

In-text citations point the reader to the sources’ information on the references page. The in-text citation typically includes the author's last name and the year of publication. If you use a direct quote, the page number is also provided.

More information can be found on p. 253 of the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Citation Rules

Direct quotation with the author named in the text.

Heinze and Lu (2017) stated, “The NFL shifted its responses to institutional change around concussions significantly as the field itself evolved” (p. 509).

Note: The year of publication is listed in parenthesis after the names of the authors, and the page number is listed in parenthesis at the end of the quote.

Direct Quotation without the Author Named in the Text

As the NFL developed as an organization, it “shifted its responses to institutional change around concussions significantly” (Heinze & Lu, 2017, p. 509).

Note: At the end of the quote, the names of the authors, year of publication, and page number are listed in parenthesis.

Paraphrase with 1-2 Authors

As the NFL developed as an organization, its reactions toward concussions also transformed (Heinze & Lu, 2017).

Note: For paraphrases, page numbers are encouraged but not required.

Paraphrase with 3 or More Authors

To work toward solving the issue of violence in prisons begins with determining aspects that might connect with prisoners' violent conduct (Thomson et al., 2019).

Direct Quotation without an Author

The findings were astonishing "in a recent study of parent and adult child relationships" ("Parents and Their Children," 2007, p. 2).

Note: Since the author of the text is not stated, a shortened version of the title is used instead.

Secondary Sources

When using secondary sources, use the phrase "as cited in" and cite the secondary source on the References page.

In 1936, Keynes said, “governments should run deficits when the economy is slow to avoid unemployment” (as cited in Richardson, 2008, p. 257).

Long (Block) Quotations

When using direct quotations of 40 or more words, indent five spaces from the left margin without using quotation marks. The final period should come before the parenthetical citation.

At Meramec, an English department policy states:

To honor and protect their own work and that of others, all students must give credit to proprietary sources that are used for course work. It is assumed that any information that is not documented is either common knowledge in that field or the original work of that student. (St. Louis Community College, 2001, p. 1)

Website Citations

If citing a specific web document without a page number, include the name of the author, date, title of the section, and paragraph number in parentheses:

In America, “Two out of five deaths among U.S. teens are the result of a motor vehicle crash” (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2004, Overview section, para. 1).

Here is a print-friendly version of this content.

Learn more about the APA References page by reviewing this handout .

For information on STLCC's academic integrity policy, check out this webpage .

For additional information on APA, check out STLCC's LibGuide on APA .

Sample Essay

A sample APA essay is available at this link .

APA Citation Guide

APA (American Psychological Association) style is used to cite sources in the field of social sciences. It can be used for research papers in the subjects of social anthropology, sociology, social psychology, political science, and economics.

In this guide, our law essay writing services team will provide you with specific directions on how to organize and properly cite different types of sources in APA format — along with citation examples. This article is a good aid for anyone who wishes to live up to high academic standards, avoid plagiarism, and cite their sources in accordance with the latest APA style rules.

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The following guide is based on the most recent 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological association.

APA Referencing Basics: Reference List

A reference list is a list of all the sources one has used in their essay. Everything in other citation styles, such as the bibliography or works cited page, are simply called a reference list in the APA format. In order to make it easier for a reader to navigate your essay and look for cited sources, there are specific rules to follow to organize it:

• First, the reference page is always the last page in your essay. At the top of the page, place the word “References”. Do not make it bold or underline it. All the text on this page should have the same spacing as the rest of your essay.
• In the reference list, the author's last name goes first and then the first name.
• Each source on the reference page must start on a new line. If the source takes up more than one line, all the lines following the first one must be indented one-half inch from the left.
• If there are multiple works by the same author, they should be listed in chronological order, from earliest to latest.
• On the reference page, the sources should be alphabetized according to the last names of the authors (or the first author, if there are multiple authors for one source).
• Always write out every title in full, and make sure to stick to the punctuation and capitalizations used by the author.
• Titles of longer sources, like books and journals, should be italicized.

You might also be interested in discovering ACADEMIC WRITING STYLE GUIDE: HOW TO FORMAT AN APA PAPER

APA Referencing Basics: In-Text Citation

• Two authors. In order to do the in-text citation, both authors should be named in parentheses after the thought is finished. Instead of using “and”, use an ampersand to combine the two last names. Then, put a coma and include the year of publication.

Example: (Smith & Jones, 2002)

If you choose to use a signal phrase, you should use “and”, and only put the year of publication in parentheses:

Example: According to Smith and Jones (2002), the circumstances of…

• Three, four or five authors. All of the authors should be listed regardless of whether you choose to do an in-text citation or signal phrase while citing your quote or information. List them all except the last one—using commas. The last one should have a comma AND ampersand in front of it, followed by the year:

Example: (Brooks, Jones, Smith, & Orozco, 2009)

In any follow-up citations throughout the text, instead of listing all of the authors, you should simply include the first name followed by “et al.” and the year:

Example: (Brooks et al., 2009)

• Six or more authors. In this case, you should not list all of the authors in the in-text citation. In parentheses, or in a signal phrase, put the last name of the first author and “et al.”, along with the year. This is the correct way to do an in-text citation for a publication with multiple authors:

Examples: Brooks et al. (2009) suggested… (Brooks et al., 2009)

• No authors. If it appears that some of your sources do not have an author, the in-text citation should be done using the name of the publication. In parentheses, you should include the two first words from the name of the publication in quotation marks, followed by the year. The same goes for a signal phrase in-text citation, but without the use of parentheses:

Example: The research was conducted in a suitable environment (“Deduction Methods”, 1996)

• Citing authors with multiple works from the same year. In the rare case you are citing multiple works by the same author, that also have the same publication date, you should use lower-case letters after the year (a, b, c, etc.)—depending on the order the sources are put in the reference list:

Examples: Findings of this research were outstanding (Brooks, 1972a)… The finding of Brooks’ research (1972a)…

• Citing multiple works in one parentheses. If a statement you created was composed out of several different sources, you need to include all of them in the parentheses of your in-text citation. You should list them alphabetically, the same way they are rendered in the reference list:

Example: (Brooks, 1995; Gandhi, 2004)

• Citing a group or organization . If the author of a publication is not a person, but rather an organization or a group, you should include the full name of the organization, along with the year of publication, in the parentheses of your in-text citation:

Examples: The laws followed by Internal Revenue Service (2002)… The laws followed by this organization (IRS, 2002)…

• Citing a secondary source. In order to cite a source that you have found within another source, you should name your source in the signal phrase. Then, mention the secondary source in parentheses, followed by the phrase “as cited”, the year of publication, and the page number:

Example: Brooks suggested that…(as cited in Smith, 2002, p.459)

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How to Cite Different Source Types

In this section you will discover how to cite different printed and digital sources.

How to Cite a Book in APA Format

• Citing a book in print. Citing a book follows this specific format:

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letters also for subtitles. Location: Publisher.

First, put the last name of the author, followed by a comma, then initial(s). In parentheses, put the year of publication. Next, the title of the book. Italicize the title — although the only capitalized letters are the first letters of the title and subtitle. Then, you should include the location of where the book was published, along with the publisher, separated by a semicolon:

Citation example: Smith, A. J. (2009). Economic in modern life: Guide to success. New York City; Manhattan press.

• Citing an e-book from an e-reader. If your source is a book from an e-reader like a Kindle, the following information has to be included: the author, date of publication in parentheses, title, e-book version, and the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number or place where you downloaded the book. This information is used instead of the information about the publisher.

Citation example: Salinger, J. J. (1897). Glass Family [Kindle DX version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com

• Citing a book found in a database. If the book you are using in your essay comes from a school library database or and online database, you should cite it in the following format: Last name of the author, initial(s), italicized name of the publication, and “retrieved from”, followed by a link to the website. If the book you are using has to be purchased, it is suggested to put “available from”, rather than “retrieved from”.

Citation example: De Puff, E. W. (n.d.). Indian Lifestyle: Traditions and myths. Retrieved from https://digital.library.sdsu.edu/indians.html

Read also about essay titles on our blog, it might be helpful for you.

How to Cite a Journal Article in APA Format

• Citing a journal article in print. For a printed article to be cited, the following format should be used: author with initial(s), date of publication in parentheses, title, title of journal (italicized), volume number (italicized), issue number, and page range:

Citation example: Scraton, J. (1993). The eclipse of understanding. The New Yorker Style, 21(4) , 5-13.

• Citing a journal article found online. According to the APA format guide, if the journal article was found online, the following format should be followed: author with initial(s), date of publication in parentheses, title, title of journal (italicized), volume number (italicized), issue number, page range, and DOI.

A DOI, or Digital Object Identifier, is a tool used in the APA format, instead of a URL. URLs tend to change; therefore, the reader is not always able to retrieve a certain online source. DOIs, on the other hand, have a long-lasting link that is unique to a specific article. If a DOI is unavailable, the use of a URL is permitted.

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number (issue number, if available), page range. doi:0000000/000000000000 or https://doi.org/10.0000/0000

Citation example: Brownie, D. (2007). French economics: An annotated bibliography. European Journal of Marketing, 41 , 1245-1283. doi:10.1108/03090560710821161

We also advise you to read about what is a definition essay .

How to Reference a Newspaper in APA Format

• Citing a newspaper article in print. According to the APA format guide, an article retrieved from a newspaper in print should be cited as follows: author, year and month of publication, the name of the article, the name of the newspaper (italicized), and pages:

Citation example: Curtis, S. (2005, October 22). Fields grown to thrive. The Country Today , pp. 1A, 2A.

• Citing a newspaper article found online is identical to a printed version, although the home address should be added. APA style format guidelines suggest using the homepage instead of the URL itself:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper . Retrieved from https://www.homeaddress.com/

Example: Galveston, T. (2008, August 6). Psychology newsletter. The New York Times . Retrieved from https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/

How to Reference a Magazine in APA Format

• Citing a magazine article in print. A magazine article in print is required to have the following structure (according to the APA format guide): author, year and month of publication in parentheses, the name of the article, the name of the magazine (italicized), issue number (italicized), and page range:

Citation example: Henry, W. A., (1990, April). Making the grade in today's schools. Time , 135, 28-31.

• Citing a magazine article found online. For a magazine article found online, you need to have the following components, in accordance with the APA format guide: author, year and month of publication in parentheses, the name of the article, the name of the magazine (italicized), issue number (italicized) and page range, followed by the DOI:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Magazine, issue number , page range. doi:0000000/000000000000 or https://doi.org/10.0000/0000

Citation example: Henry, W. A., (1990, April). Making the grade in today's schools. Time, 135 , 28-31. doi: 10.1108/03090560710821161

How to Cite a Movie/Film in APA Format

• Citing a film / Citing a movie. If a film is one of the sources of your essay, it might be challenging to cite. In order to do so in accordance with the APA format guide, you need to put the following information on the reference page: producer’s name—followed by “producer” in parentheses, director’s name—followed by “director” in parentheses, date of publication in parentheses, title (italicized)-followed by “motion picture” in brackets, country of origin, and finally, studio.

Producer, P. P. (Producer), & Director, D. D. (Director). (Date of publication). Title of motion picture [Motion picture]. Country of origin: Studio or distributor.

Citation example: Carroll, G., Giler, D., & Hill, W. (Producers), & Scott, R. (Director). (1979). Alien [Motion Picture]. United States: Twentieth Century Fox.

• Citing a film from YouTube. If you find a YouTube video that looks like a credible academic source, do not hesitate to include it. According to the APA format guide, you should start off with the name of the person who published the video, followed by their nickname or username is brackets, date of publication in parentheses, italicized name of the video and the type of media in brackets, and the URL for it.

Last Name, F.M. [Username]. (Year, Month Date). Title of video [Video File]. Retrieved from URL

Citation example: Apolon, M. [marsolon]. (2011, October 9). The tape 14 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nyGC848/

How to Cite a TV/Radio Broadcast in APA Format

• Citing an episode from TV or a radio show. Citing an episode from a TV or radio show should be done in the following format: writer’s last name and initial(s), followed by (Writer); director’s last name and initial(s), followed by (Director); the year of publication in parentheses; the name of the episode; type of series; producer’s name, followed by (Producer); italicized title; city and state of origin; and studio or distributor’s name:

Writer, W. W. (Writer), & Director, D. D. (Director). (Date of publication). Title of episode [Television series episode]. In P. Producer (Producer), Series title . City, state of origin: Studio or distributor.

Citation example: Dick, L. (Writer), & Yaitanes, G. (Director). (2009). Simple explanation [Television series episode]. In P. Attanasio (Executive producer), House, M.D. . Los Angeles, CA: Fox Broadcasting..

How to Cite a Website in APA Format

• Citing a website article with an author. If you find an article online that is not from a newspaper, magazine, or any kind of periodical, the best way to cite it is as follows (according to the APA format guide): author, date of publication in parentheses, title, format description, and “retrieved from” with the URL:

Author, A. A. & Author B. B. (Date of publication). Title of page [Format description when necessary]. Retrieved from https://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

Citation example: Eco, U. (2015). How to write a thesis [PDF file]. (Farina C. M. & Farina F., Trans.) Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/How_to_write_a_thesis/.../Umberto+Eco-How+to+Write/

• Citing a website article without an author. If the article does not have an author, cite it with the name of the page, date in parentheses or “n.d” for “no date”, and “retrieved from” with the URL:

Citation example: Spotlight Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/about/information/spotlight_resources.html/

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APA 7th Edition Citation Examples

• Volume and Issue Numbers
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• Undated Sources
• Citing a Source Within a Source

Citing a Source within a Source

• In-Text Citations
• Academic Journals
• Encyclopedia Articles
• Book, Film, and Product Reviews
• Online Classroom Materials
• Conference Papers
• Technical + Research Reports
• Court Decisions
• Treaties and Other International Agreements
• Federal Regulations: I. The Code of Federal Regulations
• Federal Regulations: II. The Federal Register
• Executive Orders
• Charter of the United Nations
• Federal Statutes
• Dissertations and Theses
• Interviews, E-mail Messages + Other Personal Communications
• Social Media
• Business Sources
• PowerPoints
• AI: ChatGPT, etc.

Scenario: You read a 2007 article by Linhares and Brum that cites an earlier article, by Klein. You want to cite Klein's article, but you have not read Klein's article itself.

Reference list citation

Linhares, A., & Brum, P. (2007). Understanding our understanding of strategic scenarios: What role do chunks play? Cognitive Science , 31 (6), 989-1007. https://doi.org/10.1080/03640210701703725

Your Reference list will contain the article you read, by Linhares and Brum. Your Reference list will NOT contain a citation for Klein's article.

In-text citation

Klein's study (as cited in Linhares & Brum, 2007) found that...

Your in-text citation gives credit to Klein and shows the source in which you found Klein's ideas.

See  Publication Manual , p. 258.

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• Next: In-Text Citations >>
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How to Cite a Source in APA Format

Last Updated: March 9, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. There are 17 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 119,712 times. Learn more...

Many organizations use the APA (American Psychological Association) format for citing references, particularly the scientific disciplines. It emphasizes equality, which is why it favors initials instead of using first names, and recent research, which is why the date is included early in the citation. Start by formatting your in-text citations, then work on your reference list by creating entries for books, journal articles, and other sources.

Citing a Book

• Ford, R. G.
• Ford, R. G., Macintosh, J. P., & Rose, P. M.

• Ford, R. G. (2015).

• Ford, R. G. (2015). The benefits of natural grass.

• Ford, R. G. (2015). The benefits of natural grass. Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon.
• This citation is complete if you have no other information.

• Ford, R. G. (2015). The benefits of natural grass (3rd ed.). Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon.

• Ford, R. G. (2015). The benefits of natural grass . (Frank Roberts, Trans.). Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon.

• As noted by Ford (2015, p. 124), AstroTurf isn't a good alternative to grass.
• AstroTurf is not a viable substitute for real grass (Ford, 2015, p. 124).
• As noted by Ford, Macintosh, & Rose (2015, p. 88), AstroTurf can be damaging to players.
• As noted by Ford et al. (2015, p. 75), AstroTurf is detrimental.

Making a Bibliographical Entry for a Journal Article

• Cole, B. R.
• Cole, B. R., Jackson, G. H., & Briar, J. P.

• Cole, B. R. (2010).

• Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields.

• Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields. Sports Field Journal,

• Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields. Sports Field Journal, 66 , 859-863.
• Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields. Sports Field Journal, 16 (6), 20-16.
• If that's all the information you have, the citation is complete.

• Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields. Sports Field Journal, 66 , 859-863. doi:10.1434234234

• Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields. Sports Field Journal, 66 , 859-863. Retrieved from http://www.sportsfieldjournal.com/why_we_should_use_grass
• Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields. Sports Field Journal, 66 , 859-863. Retrieved from http://www.sportsfieldjournal.com/home

• As noted by Cole (2013, p. 45), AstroTurf is a bad way to cover a field.
• As noted by Cole, Jackson, & Briar (2014, p. 58), AstroTurf is bad for scoring goals.
• As noted by Cole et al. (2014, p. 66), AstroTurf is a problem when playing football.

Creating Other Bibliographical Entries

• Braxton, N. K. (2011). Finding the right playing field. In J. L. Washington and M. P. Hicks (Eds.), AstroTurf versus real grass: The dilemma (55-74). Miami, OK: Small Town Press.
• You need the "Eds." in parentheses to tell the viewer that those are the editors. The numbers in the parentheses after the title (in italics) are the page numbers of the essay in the book.

• Harbor, L. R. (2010). Astroturf and the playing field (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Oregon, Eugene, OR.
• Price, H. F. (2012). Why AstroTurf should be outlawed (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Sports Central Database. (244412321)

• The Society for the Best Playing Fields. (2009). Data on injuries across different types of fields. Eugene, OR: G. H. Roberts.
• National Institute of Sports. (2001). Study of various types of turf for playing fields (DHHS Publication No. ADM 553234-131). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

• Vicks, H. R. & Jackson, G. H. (2014). The advantages of AstroTurf. Retrieved from http://www.astroturfinformationfoundation.com/advantages_of_astroturf/Vicks_Jackson

Expert Q&A

• You can also use citation-generating websites such as https://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/ , https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/citationbuilder/ , or even your word processing software. [21] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you need more information, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association or Purdue's Online Writing Lab at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html . Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_books.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_author_authors.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_the_basics.html
• ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/journal-article-references
• ↑ https://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/apa-referencing/7JournalArticles
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_articles_in_periodicals.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_electronic_sources.html
• ↑ https://libguides.unf.edu/citationguide/apasample
• ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/unpublished-dissertation-references
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_other_print_sources.html
• ↑ https://ucsd.libguides.com/c.php?g=91010&p=584738

About This Article

The right way to cite a source using APA depends on what you're sourcing. To write an in-text citation for a book in APA, start with the author’s last name, then the year the material was published, and finally the page number. Place this information in parentheses at the end of the sentence with the quoted or paraphrased material. To cite a book in your reference list at the end of your essay, start with the author’s last name, then their initials. Follow this with the year of publication and the title of the book. If this is a second edition or later, or if there was a translator, note this information after the title. Finally, add the city of publication, the state’s abbreviation, and the publisher. To learn how to punctuate your reference citations, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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CHEM 151 (Roberts): APA style 7th ed.

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• Primary v. secondary sources
• Search terms
• Find sources in databases
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Creating references

MCC Library guides to APA , MLA & ACS citation styles

To edit or create citations, you need to:

1.) understand what kind of publication you are citing (is it book with 1 author? journal article from database? an essay in an anthology? etc.)

2.) find the matching publication type in a perfectly-formatted list of citation samples (eg. MCC Library's APA citation help page , Purdue OWL website )

3.) match the formatting of your source's citation elements (or parts) to that of the citation sample

• To show your reader you've done proper research by listing sources you used to get your information
• To be a responsible scholar by giving credit to other researchers and acknowledging their ideas
• To allow your reader to track down the sources you used by citing them accurately in your paper by way of footnotes, a bibliography or reference list
• To avoid plagiarism by quoting words and ideas used by other authors ( here's a MCC Library video about how to avoid plagiarism )

Video: APA In-Text citations

Using databases to create APA references

Most online / subscription-based resources will format your reference in the style of your choice. In databases produced by EBSCO, look for the icon on the right side of the record description page; it looks like this:

Other databases use different icons or words, but if you look carefully you will usually find the auto-cite button.

CAUTION! Most of the time automatically-generated citations are not perfect. It is your responsibility to search for these errors and correct them before using them in your final References list.

APA in-text citations

DOI's : Ensure you have one!

What is a DOI ?

Source:  https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/dois-urls

Note: DOI's are usually found on the first page of the article itself *or* on the database's article information page; in an EBSCO database this page is called the Detailed Record.

APA elements exercise: Scholarly article from a database

Click here for answer key

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• Last Updated: Apr 4, 2024 2:31 PM
• URL: https://library.miracosta.edu/c.php?g=1392109

Benefits of Citing Book in APA Form for Reader

A PA format stands for the American Psychological Association form, a guideline for formatting academic documents such as research papers, essays, and theses. It is to cite social science disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and education.

APA format specifies guidelines for various elements of an academic paper, including the title page, abstract, body, and reference page. The APA form intends to provide consistency in academic writing, making it easier for readers to understand the analysis presented in a paper. It also helps authors ensure that their work meets the standards of their field. 

How to Use the APA Citation Format

If you’re curious about how to cite a book in APA, this is the right section. Although many college students find it hard to cite books, there are several ways to get this done. We’ll list helpful tips below.

Paraphrasing and Reference List 

When writing data, the author’s last name and year of publication are still included in brackets, without including the page number. Example: (Smith, 2019) or Smith (2019) argued that…

A reference list is a separate page at the end of the paper that lists all data cited within. It is organized alphabetically by the author’s last name, year of publishing, the title of the work, plus publication information.

Use Proper Formatting 

APA citation needs a specific form for the referencing list, including double spacing, hanging indentation, and italicizing book and journal titles. When citing electronic sources, the author’s name, publication year, or title must be there, followed by a URL.

Outsource Your APA Style Papers 

Some find it hard to cite books in APA, especially if they are new or are unfamiliar with the guidelines. Suppose you’re a student like this who wants to get your paper written in APA format , or you need just a quality essay. In that case, you can always outsource it to academic platforms where you have an opportunity to hire a writer to help you get this done in record time. 

On these platforms, students choose writers who have years of experience. They have skills in all types of citations, like APA, so you’ll get proper value for the service. 

Use In-text Citations and Direct Quotes 

When listing ideas from a source within the text, the author’s last name and the year of publication are in brackets. For example, (Smith, 2019).

Direct quotes must be enclosed in quotation marks. Also, include the page number where quotes are found. For example, “This is a direct quote” (Smith, 2019, p. 10).

The Benefits of Citing Your Books With APA 

The APA form is essential to academic research and publication, as it promotes consistency, accuracy, and professionalism. Here are some of the benefits of using this citation for your books.

• Clear and Consistent: It provides clear guidelines for citing data that promote reference consistency.
• Avoid Plagiarism: It helps writers to avoid plagiarism by referencing their data accurately.
• Easy to Follow: It provides specific guidelines for in-text citations, reference lists, and other formatting requirements that are easy to follow.
• Widely Accepted: It is accepted across disciplines, including social sciences, education, nursing, psychology, and other fields.
• Boost Reliability: By citing sources according to APA guidelines, writers prove their professionalism by showing that they have conducted thorough probing and are well-versed in the relevant literature.
• Allows Replication: It allows other researchers to replicate the study by providing clear guidelines on how to cite the data.
• Provides a Standard Form: It provides a standard form for referencing data, which makes it easy for readers to locate the data cited in a particular work.

Why APA Citation is Used in Books Across Several Disciplines 

Writing has different citation forms, but the APA form is widely accepted because it cuts across various disciplines. Here are reasons why it is so popular in the academic sector.

Standardization

APA form provides a standard way of referencing data recognized by many disciplines. Using a common format helps ensure everyone is on the same page regarding referencing data.

Clarity and Accuracy

APA form aims to promote clarity in reference data. This is important in all aspects, ensuring readers can verify the data cited in a given work. It certifies that they can easily understand the information presented. This clearness ensures correctness since the readers know exactly what they’re reading.

Range 

One can use the APA form for different data varieties, which include books, journals, articles, and websites. APA has a range wide enough to cut across several disciplines for any type of research. One of the reasons why the APA form is so broad is that it provides specific guidelines for referencing different types of data. For example, when referencing a college book , the author’s name, publication date, book title, and publisher information when referencing a college book.

Historical Use

APA form has been used for over 80 years, making it a well-established citation form. Due to how long it has existed in academic publishing, APA is now a standard in the educational sector. The APA created the guidelines to address the need for consistency and standardization.

The first APA Publication Manual aired in 1952, with the latest being the 7th, published in 2019. Over the years, the APA form has improved to show changes in academic publishing.

Flexibility 

While APA form has specific guidelines for referencing data, it also allows variation. This means researchers can adapt it to suit the requirements of their discipline.

Conclusion 

There are many benefits to citing books in APA form for readers. The use of APA promotes accuracy across disciplines. By referencing data in APA form, readers verify the data cited in a given work, ensuring that the data is correct. This is important in a study where accuracy is crucial.

APA helps to boost clarity in analysis, making it easier for others to build upon previous work. The APA form’s uniformity also helps ensure everyone is on the same page regarding citing data. It is crucial that everyone learns how this works to ensure smooth reading.

The post Benefits of Citing Book in APA Form for Reader appeared first on Sunny Sweet Days .

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• How to Cite a Website | MLA, APA & Chicago Examples

How to Cite a Website | MLA, APA & Chicago Examples

Published on March 5, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on January 17, 2024.

To cite a page from a website, you need a short in-text citation and a corresponding reference stating the author’s name, the date of publication, the title of the page, the website name, and the URL.

This information is presented differently in different citation styles. APA , MLA , and Chicago are the most commonly used styles.

Use the interactive example generator below to explore APA and MLA website citations.

Note that the format is slightly different for citing YouTube and other online video platforms, or for citing an image .

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Table of contents

Citing a website in mla style, citing a website in apa style, citing a website in chicago style, frequently asked questions about citations.

An MLA Works Cited entry for a webpage lists the author’s name , the title of the page (in quotation marks), the name of the site (in italics), the date of publication, and the URL.

The in-text citation usually just lists the author’s name. For a long page, you may specify a (shortened) section heading to locate the specific passage. Don’t use paragraph numbers unless they’re specifically numbered on the page.

The same format is used for blog posts and online articles from newspapers and magazines.

You can also use our free MLA Citation Generator to generate your website citations.

Generate accurate MLA citations with Scribbr

Citing a whole website.

When you cite an entire website rather than a specific page, include the author if one can be identified for the whole site (e.g. for a single-authored blog). Otherwise, just start with the site name.

List the copyright date displayed on the site; if there isn’t one, provide an access date after the URL.

Webpages with no author or date

When no author is listed, cite the organization as author only if it differs from the website name.

If the organization name is also the website name, start the Works Cited entry with the title instead, and use a shortened version of the title in the in-text citation.

When no publication date is listed, leave it out and include an access date at the end instead.

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An APA reference for a webpage lists the author’s last name and initials, the full date of publication, the title of the page (in italics), the website name (in plain text), and the URL.

The in-text citation lists the author’s last name and the year. If it’s a long page, you may include a locator to identify the quote or paraphrase (e.g. a paragraph number and/or section title).

Note that a general reference to an entire website doesn’t require a citation in APA Style; just include the URL in parentheses after you mention the site.

You can also use our free APA Citation Generator to create your webpage citations. Search for a URL to retrieve the details.

Generate accurate APA citations with Scribbr

Blog posts and online articles.

Blog posts follow a slightly different format: the title of the post is not italicized, and the name of the blog is.

The same format is used for online newspaper and magazine articles—but not for articles from news sites like Reuters and BBC News (see the previous example).

When a page has no author specified, list the name of the organization that created it instead (and omit it later if it’s the same as the website name).

When it doesn’t list a date of publication, use “n.d.” in place of the date. You can also include an access date if the page seems likely to change over time.

In Chicago notes and bibliography style, footnotes are used to cite sources. They refer to a bibliography at the end that lists all your sources in full.

A Chicago bibliography entry for a website lists the author’s name, the page title (in quotation marks), the website name, the publication date, and the URL.

Chicago also has an alternative author-date citation style . Examples of website citations in this style can be found here .

For blog posts and online articles from newspapers, the name of the publication is italicized. For a blog post, you should also add the word “blog” in parentheses, unless it’s already part of the blog’s name.

When a web source doesn’t list an author , you can usually begin your bibliography entry and short note with the name of the organization responsible. Don’t repeat it later if it’s also the name of the website. A full note should begin with the title instead.

When no publication or revision date is shown, include an access date instead in your bibliography entry.

The main elements included in website citations across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the author, the date of publication, the page title, the website name, and the URL. The information is presented differently in each style.

In APA , MLA , and Chicago style citations for sources that don’t list a specific author (e.g. many websites ), you can usually list the organization responsible for the source as the author.

If the organization is the same as the website or publisher, you shouldn’t repeat it twice in your reference:

• In APA and Chicago, omit the website or publisher name later in the reference.
• In MLA, omit the author element at the start of the reference, and cite the source title instead.

If there’s no appropriate organization to list as author, you will usually have to begin the citation and reference entry with the title of the source instead.

When you want to cite a specific passage in a source without page numbers (e.g. an e-book or website ), all the main citation styles recommend using an alternate locator in your in-text citation . You might use a heading or chapter number, e.g. (Smith, 2016, ch. 1)

In APA Style , you can count the paragraph numbers in a text to identify a location by paragraph number. MLA and Chicago recommend that you only use paragraph numbers if they’re explicitly marked in the text.

For audiovisual sources (e.g. videos ), all styles recommend using a timestamp to show a specific point in the video when relevant.

Check if your university or course guidelines specify which citation style to use. If the choice is left up to you, consider which style is most commonly used in your field.

• APA Style is the most popular citation style, widely used in the social and behavioral sciences.
• MLA style is the second most popular, used mainly in the humanities.
• Chicago notes and bibliography style is also popular in the humanities, especially history.
• Chicago author-date style tends to be used in the sciences.

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / Book Citations / Learn how to cite “The things they carried” by Tim O’Brien

Learn how to cite “The things they carried” by Tim O’Brien

Learn how to create in-text citations and a full citation/reference/note for The things they carried by Tim O’Brien using the examples below. The things they carried  is cited in 14 different citation styles, including MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, APA, ACS, and many others.

If you are looking for additional help, try the EasyBib citation generator .

Popular Citation Styles

Here are The things they carried citations for five popular citation styles: MLA, APA, Chicago (notes-bibliography), Chicago (author-date), and Harvard style.

Additional Styles

Here are The things they carried citations for 14 popular citation styles including Turabian style, the American Medical Association (AMA) style, the Council of Science Editors (CSE) style, IEEE, and more.

Find citation guides for additional books linked here .

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