Use APA citation style when writing for business, social sciences, health, and education fields. The official guide is published by the American Psychological Association.
- Quick reference guide for APA 7
- Full APA style & grammar guide
- APA style guide books at the research help desk and in the stacks, BF 76.7 .P83 2020
1. 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).
2. 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.
3. Format your APA style paper
- Titles of papers are in bold with a blank line before the author’s name
- More information at the APA Style: Student Title Page Guide
- Title of reference lists are in bold
- Make a hanging indent for your reference list
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
Kerlis, B. (2013). Sacred spaces in virtual places: Locating religion in the financial market. Journal for the Study of Religion, 26(1), 23–44. http://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/jsr/v26n1/03.pdf
If an article has an article number, use that in place of the page numbers.
Magazine and newspaper articles
Include a URL if it goes to the full text for free. Note the newspaper or magazine title is italicized.
If a magazine or news site does not have an daily/weekly publication, use guidelines for a webpage, like CNN and Huffington Post.
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]