APA reference list example: Letter to the editor. The author is listed by last name and first initials. Carter, R. The date of publication is given in year, month format: 2006, July in parentheses. The article title is Lost in translation? The label Letter to the editor appears in square brackets followed by a period. The magazine title is Scientific American and it is italicized. The volume is 295 and it is italicized. It is followed by the issue number, 1, in parentheses and a comma. The page is 12.