Citing sources, APA style

The American Psychological Association recommends an author-date system of citations. Here, very briefly, is how the author-date system usually works.

1. The source is introduced by a signal phrase that includes the last names of the authors followed by the date of publication in parentheses.

2. The material being cited is followed by a page number in parentheses.

3. At the end of the paper, an alphabetized list of references gives complete publication information about all the references the writer cites in the text of the paper. The list is arranged alphabetically by authors’ last names.

In-text citation

As researchers Yanovski and Yanovski (2002) have explained, obesity was once considered “either a moral failing or evidence of underlying psychopathology” (p. 592).

Entry in the list of references

Yanovski, S. Z., & Yanovski, J. A. (2002). Drug therapy: Obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine, 346, 591-602.

Show me

The guidelines presented here are consistent with advice given in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed. (2010).

Directory to APA in-text citation models

Exercise: APA documentation: identifying elements of sources

Exercise: APA documentation: reference list 1

Exercise: APA documentation: reference list 2

Exercise: APA documentation: reference list 3

Exercise: APA documentation

Exercise: APA documentation: in-text citations 1

Exercise: APA documentation: in-text citations 2

Exercise: APA documentation: in-text citations 3

Related topics:

APA in-text citations

APA reference list