Use APA citation style when writing for business, social sciences, health, and education fields. The official guide is published by the American Psychological Association.
The full book can be found by visiting a librarian or available for check-out in the Stacks (BF 76.7 .P83 2020)
1. Reference list citation
APA reference list entries contain four main components: author, date, title, and source.
Author. (Date). Title. Source.
Many authors collaborate on publications. APA style requires you to list up to 20 authors for a source in the references list.
Smith, J., Jones, B. E., Brown, K. E., Doe, J., Chan, L., Garcia, S. M., ... Zhang, Z. Z. (Date). Title. Source.
2. In-text citation
If there is one or two authors, list names (Smith, 2019) and (Brown & Jones, 2019).
For three or more authors, list the first author’s name and et al (Smith et al., 2019).
3. Format your APA style paper
Titles of papers are in bold with a blank line before your name.
References (page title) in bold.
Make a hanging indent for your reference list.
More information at the APA Style: Student Title Page Guide
4. Other details for reference list citations
Books and eBooks
Samanez-Larkin, G. R. (Ed.). (2019). The aging brain: Functional adaptation across adulthood. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000143-000
Sacred texts
The Bhagavad Gita. (E. Easwaran, Trans.; 2nd ed.). (2007). The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation.
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)
Journal articles
Zhao, W., Garcia-Oscos, F., Dinh, D., & Roberts, T. F. (2019). Inception of memories that guide vocal learning in the songbird. Science, 366(6461), 83–89. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaw4226
If a journal article does not have a DOI, end the citation after the page numbers. If an article is open access, you may choose to link directly to the article’s full text.
Derry, K. (2018). Myth and monstrosity: Teaching indigenous films. Journal of Religion & Film, 22(3), Article 7. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2013&context=jrf
Magazine and newspaper articles
Include a URL if it goes to the full text for free. Note the newspaper or magazine title is italicized.
Gibson, J. (2019, October 9). SF College zoo works to become more inclusive. The Gainesville Sun. https://www.gainesville.com/news/20191009/sf-college-zoo-works-to-become-more-inclusive
Webpages
Include the name of the website unless it is the same as the author. Italicize the name of the webpage.
Corcodilos, N. (n.d.). Keep your salary under wraps. Ask the Headhunter. http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/hasalary.htm
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2010, February 1). Facing down PTSD, vet is now soaring high. http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/featureArticle_Feb.asp
Class materials
If the audience for the paper being written can access materials like those in your class, these can be included in the references list.
Matthews, D. (2019). [Lecture notes on evaluating Internet resources]. Canvas at Whatcom Community College. https://wcc.instructure.com/[courseID]