Developed by the American Psychological Association, this style is most widely used for research papers in psychology and social sciences.
Citing a source in this style consists of two parts:
See How to Format In-Text Citations, How to Format the Reference List, and the Examples in the left navigation for details.
Note: Click here for guidance on the 7th ed. of the Publication Manual of the APA!
For more detailed information see Publication Manual sections 6.11-6.21.
An in-text citation provides your reader with two pieces of information:
Myrick (2015) examined the guilty pleasures of watching Internet cats.
Viewing online cats could help to regulate emotions, much like pet therapy in real life (Myrick, 2015).
(Hinsch & Sheldon, 2013)... Hinsch and Sheldon (2016) found....
(Nabi, Finnerty, Domschke, & Hull, 2006) ..... Nabi et al. (2006) demonstrated ....
(J. Moher, 2012 )
(M. Moher & Feigenson, 2013)
Children with bipolar disorder are treated in similar ways as adults (National Institute of Mental Health, 2015).
Polls show that black workers approve of labors unions more than white workers ("Black Workers Matter," 2016).
For more detailed information see Publication Manual sections 6.03-6.10.
When paraphrasing, APA style does not require page numbers in the in-text citation. However, authors are encouraged to include page numbers if it will help the reader locate the relevant information in longer texts. Consult with your professor regarding the need for page numbers for paraphrased information.
For direct quotations, the author, year and page number must be included. The page number can be given in parentheses at the end of the exact quotation or incorporated into the in-text citation.
Newman (1994) concluded "sibling conflict is so common that its occurrence is taken for granted" (p. 123).
Such findings have prompted one researcher to conclude, “Sibling conflict is so common that its occurrence is taken for granted” (Newman, 1994, p. 123).
For direct quotations from sources without page numbers, use paragraph numbers, if visibly numbered in the document. Otherwise, use the heading name and count the number of paragraphs after the heading to the paragraph containing the quotation.
(Smith, 2016, para. 1)
(Lee 2015, Discussion section, para. 4)
The reference list provides the full details on the sources you used in the research for your paper.
Each entry should include the following reference components:
See the examples in the left navigation for the required elements for each type of source. Continue reading below for details on formatting each reference component and ordering the reference list.
For more information see: Publication Manual, 6.27, 184.
Dillard, J. P., & Shen, L.
Guastello, D., Braun, S., Gutierrez, J., Johnston, K., & Olbinski, B.
National Institute of Mental Health.
Black workers matter.
For more information see: Publication Manual, 6.28, 185.
(2016, January).
(2016, March 7).
(2016, Summer).
(n.d.).
For more information see: Publication Manual, 6.29, 185-186.
Factors influencing infants’ ability to update object representations in memory.
Computers in Human Behavior,
The media equation: How people treat computers, television, and new media like real people and places.
For more information see: Publication Manual, 6.30, 186-187.
Computers in Human Behavior, 52, 168–176.
Parenting for High Potential, 5(3), 2-4.
New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Washington, DC: Author.
For more information see: Publication Manual, 2.11, 37 and 6.25, 181-183.
Brown, L. (2016).
Brownfield, G. (2015).
Browning, R. (2013).
Brown, L. (2013).
Brown, L. (2016).
Oliver, M. B. (2003).
Oliver, M. B., Ash, E., & Woolley, J. K. (2013).
Oliver, M. B., Ash, E, Woolley, J. K., Shade, D. D., & Kim, K. (2014).
Feigenson, L., & Carey, S. (2003).
Feigenson, L., & Carey, S. (2005).
Bartsch, A. (2012a). As time ....
Bartsch, A. (2012b) Emotional gratification...
Alphabetize by first initial.
Moher, J. (2012).
Moher, M., & Feigenson, L. (2013).
Alphabetize by the first significant word; do not abbreviate name.
Moher, J. (2012).
National Institute of Mental Health. (2015).
Oliver, M. B. (2003).
In general, if one of the core citation elements is missing, you may skip that element in the works-cited entry.
It is always better to consult the original source, but if it cannot be obtained, cite the secondary source in the works-cited list. If you are citing a quotation, use "qtd. in" (quoted in) in the in-text citation. Example: (qtd. in Smith 22). (MLA Handbook 124)
For more information see: Publication Manual, chapter 7.02, pp. 202-205.
Print Book
Author, A. A. (Year). Book title. Location: Publisher.
Ebook
Author, A. A. (Year). Book title. Location: Publisher. Retrieved from http://xxx.xxx.xxx
Anderson, A. (2018). Psyche and ethos: Moral life after psychology. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Brace, L. (2018). The politics of slavery. Edinburgh, United Kingdom: Edinburgh University Press. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt1tqxvk1
Whetham, E. H. & Currie, J. I. (1969). The economics of African countries. London, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Author, A. A. (Year). Chapter or entry title. In A. Editor, & B. Editor (Eds.), Book title (pp. xx-xx). Location: Publisher.
Loxley, J. (2018). The 1970s: Shocks, stagflation, and the second UN decade of development. In J. A. Ocampo, A. Chowdhury, & D. Alcarón (Eds.), The world economy through the lens of the United Nations (pp. 86-117). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Markus, H., & Oyserman, D. (1989). Gender and thought: The role of the self-concept. In M. Crawford, & M. Gentry (eds.), Gender and thought: Psychological perspectives (pp. 100-127). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
For more information see: Publication Manual, chapters 6.27 and 7.02, pp. 184, 202-205.
Editor, A. A. (Ed.). Book title. Location: Publisher.
Ferber, M. A. & Nels, J. A. (Eds.). (1993). Beyond economic man: Feminist theory and economics. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
For more information see: Publication Manual, chapter 7.01, pp. 198-202.
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, vv, pp-pp. doi:xx.xxxx/xxxxxx
The vv after the title of the journal is the volume number; pp is the pages. If no DOI is assigned and you retrieved it online, give the URL of the journal's home page.
Anderson, P. M., Butcher, K. F., Hoynes, H. W., & Schanzenbach, D. W. (2016). Beyond income: What else predicts very low food security among children? Southern Economic Journal, 82(4), 1078–1105. https://doi.org/10.1002/soej.12079
Chen, S. H., Hua, M., Zhou, Q., Tao, A., Lee, E. H., Ly, J., & Main, A. (2014). Parent–child cultural orientations and child adjustment in Chinese American immigrant families. Developmental Psychology, 50(1), 189–201. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032473
For more information see: Publication Manual, chapter 7.01, pp. 198-202.
Author, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of article. Title of Magazine, vv(ii), pp-pp.
The vv after the title of the magazine is the volume number, ii is the issue number, and pp is the pages. If you retrieved it online, include the URL.
Clay, R. A. (2019, August). Moving assessment out of the clinic. Monitor on Psychology, 50(7). Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/07-08/moving-assessment
Tufekci, Z. (2019, July 1). False promise. Wired, 27(7), 20.
For more information see: Publication Manual, chapter 7.01, pp. 198-202.
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper, pp. xx, xx.
For newspapers, include "p." or "pp." before the page numbers. If the article appears on discontinuous pages, give all page numbers, separated by a comma. If retrieved online, include "Retrieved from" statement and the URL.
Finucane, M. (2019, May 14). Study looks at creative peaks. Boston Globe, p. B.2.
Murray, M. M. (2019, July 23). Why are native Hawaiians protesting against a telescope? New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/22/us/hawaii-telescope-protest.html
For more information see: APA Style Blog
Author, A. (Year, Month Day). Title of document [Format description]. Retrieved from http://www.xxx.xxx
"Format description" is only necessary if it is something out of the ordinary, such as a brochure or data file. Italicize the title if the item stands alone (such as a report, brochure, or data set) versus being part of a larger whole (such as a news story). If you are not sure, don't italicize. See APA Style Blog for more information.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2019, August 1). HHS Secretary Azar statement on National Immunization Awareness Month [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2019/08/01/azar-statement-on-national-immunization-awareness-month.html
For more information see: APA Style Blog and Publication Manual, chapter 7.11, example 76, p. 215.
Author, A. [screen name or given name]. (Year, Month Day). Title. [Content form]. Retrieved from http://xxx.xxx.xxx
Hong, S. (2019, August 5). Do yield curve inversions predict recessions in other countries? [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2019/august/yield-curve-inversions-predict-recessions-other-countries
For more information see: APA Style Blog
Author, A. [Social media identity]. (Year, Month Day). Title [Content form]. Retrieved from http://xxx.xxx.xxx
Wellesley College [Wellesley]. (2019, July 25). How can #editwars and #vandalism turn a common good for the free flow of information into a tool for molding political bias? Computer science professor @enimust and Khonzodakon Umarova ’20 discuss their research about the Wikipedia pages of news sources [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/Wellesley/status/1154383860731396096
For more information see: APA Style Blog and Publication Manual, chapter 7.07, pp. 209-210.
Songwriter, A. A. (Copyright year). Title of song [Recorded by B. B. Artist if different from writer]. On Title of Album [Medium of recording]. Location: Label. (Date of recording if different from song copyright date)
If the songwriter and recording artist are the same, skip the "Recorded by" statement.
Robinson, J. M., Friedman, M., Fredriksson, R., Trantor, J., & Michaels, J. (2018). Make Me Feel. On Dirty Computer [Compact disc]. New York, NY: Bad Boy Records.
For more information see: Publication Manual, chapter 7.07, pp. 209-210.
Producer, A. A. (Producer), & Director, B. B. (Director). (Year). Title of film [Motion picture]. Country of Origin: Studio.
Rudin, S., Bush, E., & O’Neill, E. (Producers), & Gerwig, G. G. (Director). (2017). Lady Bird [Motion picture]. United States: IAC Films.
For more information see: APA Style Blog: Citing YouTube, APA Style Blog: Citing TED Talks, and Publication Manual, chapter 7.07, pp. 209-210.
Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://xxx.xxx.xxx
Who you put as the author depends on where you viewed the video. If a person or organization that posted the video is needed to find the exact version you viewed, such as on YouTube, use them as the author.
Della Flora, O. (2019, January). Creative ways to get kids to thrive in school [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/olympia_della_flora_creative_ways_to_get_kids_to_thrive_in_school
For more information see: Publication Manual, chapter 7.07, pp. 209-210.
Writer, A. A. (Writer), & Director, B. B. (Director). (Year). Title of episode [Television series episode]. In C. Executive producer (Executive producer), Title of television show. Location: Television Network.
Miller, B. (Writer), & Morano, R. (Director). (2017). Offred [Television series episode]. In Ilene Chaiken (Executive producer), The Handmaid’s Tale. Toronto, Ontario: Hulu.
For more information see: APA Style Blog
Artist, A. A. (Year of creation). Title of work [Medium]. Location: Museum.
If the image was retrieved online, replace the location information with "Retrieved from" and the URL. If the image comes from a print source, cite that work (no need to include details about the image; just cite the page number in the in-text citation).
Wiley, K. (2007). Officer of the Hussars [Painting]. Detroit, MI: Detroit Institute of Arts.
See Publication Manual 7.07, pp. 209-210 and the APA Style Blog
Person, A. A. (Role). (Year, Month Day). Title of podcast [Format description]. Retrieved from http://xxx.xxx.xxx
Favreau, J. [Host]. (2019, July 26). Pod save America. Retrieved from https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-america/
For more information see: Publication Manual, chapter 7.08, pp. 210-211.
Rightsholder, A. A. (Year). Title of data set [Data file and codebook]. Retrieved from http://xxx.xxx.xxx
Marshall, N., Roberts, J., & Robeson, W.W. (2013). Massachusetts early care and education and school readiness study, 2001-2008 [Data file and codebook]. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR33968.v1
For more information see: Publication Manual, chapter 7.03, pp. 205-206.
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of report (Report No. xxx). Location: Publisher.
Corporate Author/Agency. (Year). Title of report (Report No. xxx). Retrieved http://xxx.xxx.xxx
Elliott, C., Worker, J., Levin, K., & Ross, K. (2019). Good governance for long-term low-emissions development strategies. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute.
For more information see: Publication Manual, chapter 7.10, pp. 212-214.
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of material [Description of Material]. Name of Collection (Call number, Box number, File name or number, etc.). Name of Repository, Location.
If there is no title on the document, include a description of the material in square brackets.
History department. (1974, December). First Semester Final Examination. History Department Records (30, box 1, folder 14). Wellesley College Archives, Wellesley, MA.
Publicity office. (1971). Slides for admissions representatives. [Photographic slides]. Publicity Office Records (1SD 1969-1975, box 21). Wellesley College Archives, Wellesley, MA.
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