What Type of Source Is It?

Once you have found the author format that fits, look for the type of source that matches. Mix and match the patterns illustrated as needed. For example, the revised edition of an edited collection of articles might send you to several examples until you have identified all of its elements.

Article in a Printed or an Electronic Periodical

Article from a Journal Paginated by Volume

If the pages for the year’s volume are numbered consecutively, no issue number is needed. Italicize the volume number as well as the journal title.

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Article from a Journal Paginated by Issue

If each issue begins with page 1, add the issue number in parentheses, without italics, leaving no space after the volume number.

Kissam, E. (2005). The fulcrum for immigrant civic engagement. Journal of Latino-Latin American Studies, 1(4), 191-205.

If you want to list a special issue about a topic, rather than singling out an article, begin with the issue editor or, if none, with the issue title.

Latinos in rural America [Special issue]. (2005). Journal of Latino-Latin American Studies, 1(4).

Article from a Journal with a DOI

Give volume, issue (if needed), and digital object identifier (DOI) numbers.

Het, S., & Wolf, O. T. (2007). Mood changes in response to psychosocial stress in healthy young women: Effects of pretreatment with cortisol. Behavioral Neuroscience, 121(1), 11-20. doi:10.1037/0735-7044.121.1.11

Article from a Journal without a DOI

If an article you found online has no DOI, add the journal’s home page URL.

Doherty, S. D., & Rosen, T. (2006). Shark skin laceration. Dermatology Online Journal, 12(6), 6. Retrieved from http://dermatology.cdlib.org

See how to create the listing for a journal article from a database.

Article Accessed through a Library or Subscription Database

Supply any DOI, or search for and identify the home page for the journal. Name the database only for a source otherwise hard to find.

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Abstract for an Article

If you use only the abstract, cite it, not the full article. Add “Abstract” in brackets after the title, or use it to begin the retrieval line.

Chion, M. (2010). No man’s France. Studies in French Cinema 10(3), 251-256. Abstract retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database.

See how to create the listing for a magazine article.

Article from a Printed Magazine

Stewart, D. C. (2012, May). Airport 2052. Discover, 33, 44-49.

Article from an Online Magazine

Levine, B. E. (2012, October 30). Does TV actually brainwash Americans? Salon.com. Retrieved from http://www.salon.com

Article from a Newsletter

Responding to historic flooding in Thailand. (2011, December). Pacific Disaster Center: PDC in Print, 6(4), 1.

Article from a Printed Newspaper

Broadwater, L. (2012, November 8). City awards new traffic-camera contract. The Baltimore Sun, p. A6.

Article from an Online Newspaper

Davidson, A. (2012, November 20). Skills don’t pay the bills. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

Editorial

Rushed primaries. [Editorial]. (2007, March 19). The Nation, 284, 3.

Letter to the Editor

Lardner, G. (2007, March 19). Impeach, impeach, impeach [Letter to the editor]. The Nation, 284, 24.

Review

Wertheim, M. (2012, October 23). Science strange and dangerous [Review of the book The pseudoscience wars]. The Wall Street Journal, p. A15.

Printed or Electronic Book

See how to create the listing for a magazine article.

Printed Book

Zelden, C. L. (2009). The Supreme Court and elections. Washington, DC: CQ Press.

Online Book

Oblinger, D. G., & Oblinger, J. L. (Eds.). (2005). Educating the Net generation. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/educatingthenetgen/

E-book

Goldemberg, J. (2012). Energy: What everyone needs to know. Retrieved from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/energy-jose-goldemberg/1110866917

Multivolume Work

Fink, G. (Ed.). (2007). Encyclopedia of stress (Vols. 1-4). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Revised Edition

Conrad, P., & Leiter, V. (2013). The sociology of health and illness: Critical perspectives (9th ed.). New York, NY: Worth.

Book without a Date

Reade, T. (n.d.). American Originals. Wichita, KS: Midtown Press.

Part of a Printed or an Electronic Book

Selection from a Printed Book

See the citation.

Martin, P. Y., & Hummer, R. A. (2003). Fraternities and rape on campus. In M. Silberman (Ed.), Violence and society: A reader (pp. 215-222). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Selection from an Online Book

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Selection from an E-book

Ikeda, Y. (2001). Names. In The Quakebook Community (Ed.), 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan earthquake. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Aftershocks-Stories-Japan-Earthquake-ebook/

Preface, Introduction, Foreword, or Afterword

Napier, M. (2011). Foreword. In M. Hicks, Chicago comedy: A fairly serious history (pp. 9-10). Charleston, SC: History Press.

Article from a Reference Work

Norman, C. E. (2003). Religion and food. In Encyclopedia of food and culture (Vol. 3, pp. 171-176). New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

Printed or Electronic Report or Other Document

Many research reports and similar documents are collaborative products, prepared under the auspices of government, academic, or other organizational sponsors. Start with the agency name if no specific author is identified. In parentheses, add any report number assigned by the agency right after the title. Add the publisher (unless it is also the author) before the URL.

Printed Government Document

U.S. Bureau of the Census. (2009). Statistical abstract of the United States: The national data book: 2010. (129th ed.) (NTIS Order Number: PB201O-965801). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Online Government Document

U.S. Federal Trade Commission. (2010). Medical identity theft. Retrieved from http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0171-medical-identity-theft

Research Report

Liu, J., Allspach, J. R., Feigenbaum, M., Oh, H.-J., & Burton, N. (2004). A study of fatigue effects from the new SAT (RR-04-46). Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.

Online Research Report

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2012). Inhalant abuse (NIH Publication No. 10-3818). Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/rrinhalants.pdf

Online Research Report from a Database

Ross, D. B., & Driscoll, R. (2006). Test anxiety: Age appropriate interventions. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED493897)

Report from an Academic Institution

Henderson, S., & Heinonen, O. (2012). Nuclear Iran: A glossary of terms. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Kennedy School, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

Pamphlet

Label the source in brackets as a brochure.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2012). Federal benefits for veterans, dependents, and survivors [Brochure]. Washington, DC: Author.

Doctoral Dissertation

Richter, P. (2004). Improving nursing in the age of managed care (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Internet or Electronic Source

See the directory for entries for other electronic sources, including books and articles.

To help a reader find the same material you used, identify a specific document and give its URL.

Section or Page from an Online Document

For any updates on online formats, visit the APA Web site at apastyle.apa.org.

Detweiler, L. (1993). What is the future of privacy on the Internet? In Identity, privacy, and anonymity on the Internet (sec. 2.12). Retrieved from http://cyber.eserver.org/identity.txt

See how to create the listing for a Web page.

Document from a Campus Web Site

Identify the university and sponsoring program or department (if applicable) before giving the URL for the specific page or document.

Allin, C. (2012). Common sense for college students: How to do better than you thought possible. Retrieved from Cornell College, Department of Politics Web site: http://www.cornellcollege.edu/politics/resources-students/policies/common-sense-cwa.shtml

Computer Software

Microsoft Office 2010 [Computer software]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft.

Visual or Audio Source

Audiotape or Recording

Atandi Anyona, A., & Koons, R. (Writers). (2012). Singing against apartheid: An audio essay [Audio essay]. Retrieved from http://ethnomusicologyreview.ucla.edu/content/singing-against-apartheid-audio-essay

Program on Television or Radio

Tibbon, T., & Locke, J. (Director/Producer). (2012). Hurricane Sandy: Inside the megastorm [Television series episode]. In C. Schmidt & J. Cort (Executive producer), Nova. Boston, MA: WGBH.

Film

George, T., & Kitman Ho, A. (Producers). (2004). Hotel Rwanda [Motion picture]. United States: United Artists/Lions Gate.

Conversation or Field Artifact

Personal Interview

See the citation.

Omit a personal interview from your reference list because it is not accessible to readers. Instead, mention it in your paper as a personal communication.

E-mail or Electronic Posting

See the citation.

Cite inaccessible, nonpublic messages as personal communications. Otherwise, supply author, date, title, a description such as [Web log post], and a “Retrieved from” line with the URL.

RESEARCH CHECKLIST

Listing Sources in APA Style

  • Have you started each entry with the appropriate pattern for the author’s name? Have you left spaces between the initials for each name?
  • Have you used “&” (not “and”) to add the last coauthor’s name?
  • Have you included the date in each entry?
  • Have you followed the sample pattern for the type of source used?
  • Have you used capitals and italics correctly for the titles in your entries?
  • Have you included the conventional punctuation — periods, commas, colons, parentheses — in your entry?
  • Have you accurately recorded names of the author, title, and publisher?
  • Have you checked the accuracy of dates, pages, and other numbers?
  • Have you correctly typed or pasted in the DOI or URL of an electronic source? Have you split a long URL before a punctuation mark? Have you ended without adding a final period after a DOI or URL?
  • Have you arranged your entries in alphabetical order?
  • Have you checked your final list of references against your text citations so that every source appears in both places?
  • Have you double-spaced your reference list, like the rest of your paper? Have you allowed an inch margin on all sides?
  • Have you begun the first line of each entry at the left margin? Have you used your software to indent each additional line one-half inch (or five to seven spaces)?
  • Have you checked any entry from a citation management system as carefully as your own entries?