APA
A. P. A. STYLE
American Psychological Association (APA) Format (6th Edition)
This crib sheet is a guide to the APA style. It is not intended to replace the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition. Only selected citations were chosen for inclusion here. For other examples see the printed Manual. Use this only as a reference.
Print Formats
Journal Article, one author
Simon, A. (2000). Perceptual comparisons through the mind’s eye. Memory & Cognition, 23, 635-647.
Journal Article, two authors
Becker, M. B., & Rozek, S. J. (1995). Welcome to the energy crisis. Journal of Social Issues, 32, 230-343.
Magazine Article, one author
Jones, A. J. (1996, August 21). N.F.L. training camp report. Newsweek, 101, 25-27.
Newspaper article, one author
Blindman, S. (1995, May 26). RCMP raided printer’s home day after lead. Edmonton Journal, p. A12.
Book, two authors
Smith, E., & Wright, D. (1995). Rocks and minerals. Chicago: Macmillan
Edited book
Bell, J. B., & Buxton, E. W. (Eds.). (1995). Reflections. Toronto: Wiley.
Entry in an Encyclopedia
Eiselen, M. R. (2005). Benjamin Franklin. In World Book Encyclopedia (Vol. 2, pp. 45-47). Chicago: World
Book.
Electronic Formats
DVD
DNA: The human race [DVD]. (2003).
Journal article retrieved from a science database
Ginsberg, J. (2004, November 6). Coughs and sneezes spread mind diseases: Pick up an infection and you’d
expect to feel under the weather. But mental illness? Catching schizophrenia or depression isn’t as
fanciful as it sounds. New Scientist, 184(2472), 40(4).
Retrieved from http://galenet.galegroup.com
Magazine article retrieved from periodical database (no author given)
Alzheimer Disease; Study implicates defective synapse generator in onset of Alzheimer disease.
(2006, February 18). Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, 78.
Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/curriculumca
Newspaper article retrieved from periodical database
Boyle, T. (n.d.). Flu shot messages confusing people, medical officer says. Toronto Star.
Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com
Web site – Document
Hanna, K. E. (2006, April). Cloning/Embryonic stem cells. In National Human Genome
Research Institute [Background paper]. Retrieved October 13, 2009, from US
National Institutes of Health website: http://www.genome.gov/10004765
Web site – Article from an online periodical
Ashe, D. D., & McCutcheon, L. E. (2001). Shyness, loneliness, and
attitude toward celebrities. Current Research in Social Psychology,
6(9), 124–133. Retrieved october 21, 2009, from
http://www.uiowa.edu/~grpproc/crisp/crisp.6.9.htm
Web site – Weblog Post
West, J. (2009, March 30). Year 11 Geology: Plate tectonics, subduction
zone north of NZ to Tonga [Web log message]. Retrieved from Science
Infoblog: http://johnwest.edublogs.org/category/science-happens/
Personal Communications
Personal communications may be things such as email messages, interviews, speeches, and telephone conversations.
Because the information is not retrievable they should not appear in the reference list. They should look as follows: Example: J. Burnitz (personal communications, September 20, 2000).
Reference Citations in Text
To refer to an item in the list of references from the text an author-date method should be used. That is, use the surname of the author (without suffixes) and the year of the publication in the text at appropriate points.
One author
Issac (2001) indicated in his research.
In a recent study, research indicates (Isaac, 2001)
Two or more authors
When a work has two authors, always cite both names every time the reference occurs. For works with three, four, or five authors, cite all authors the first time the reference occurs. In subsequent citations, include only the last name of the first author followed by et al.
When a work has no authors
Cite in text the first few words of what appears first for the entry on the list (usually the title) and the year.
Some general rules for APA reference pages:
- Begin the reference list on a new page. The page begins with the word References (Reference if there is only one), centered in the top, middle of the page, using both upper and lower case. If the references take up more than one page, do not re-type the word References on sequential pages, simply continue your list.
- Use one space after all punctuation.
- The first line of the reference is flush left. Lines thereafter are indented as a group, a few spaces, to create a hanging indention.
- Double space between citations. Single space in the citations.
- Use italics for titles of books, newspapers, magazines, and journals.
- References cited in text must appear in the reference list; conversely, each entry in the reference list must be cited in text.
- Arrange entries in alphabetical order
- Give in parentheses the year the work was published. For magazines and newspapers, give the year followed by the month and date, if any. If no date is available, write n.d.
- Give volume numbers for magazines, journals, and newsletters. Include the issue number for journals if and only if each issue begins on 1.