This page contains resources that can guide you through writing your entire paper in APA format. These resources can show you, by example, how to format references in APA style. For complete guidance consult the APA Manual in the library. Note the 7th edition of the Publication Manual was published in October 2019. Links to both the 6th and 7th editions are below.
Also be aware there are many "tools" that can help you to create citations.
This handout contains most of the examples found on this page. It has examples of (1) citing within text and (2) references for articles, reports, books, dissertations, audiovisual material, on-line resources, and legal documents.
ONE AUTHOR
Mellers, B.A. (2000). Choice and the relative pleasure of consequences.
Psychological Bulletin, 126, 910-924.
TWO AUTHORS, JOURNAL PAGINATED BY ISSUE
Klimoski, R., & Palmer, S. (1993). The ADA and the hiring process in organizations.
Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 45(2), 1-36.
THREE TO SIX AUTHORS
Saywitz, K.J., Mannarino, A.P., Berliner, L. & Cohen, J.A. (2000). Treatment for sexually
abused children and adolescents. American Psychologist, 55, 1040-1049.
MORE THAN SIX AUTHORS
Wolchik, S.A., West, S.G., Sandler, I.N., Tein, J., Coatsworth, D., Lengua, L., et al. (2000).
An experimental evaluation of theory-based mother and mother-child programs for
children of divorce. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 843-856.
PERIODICAL PUBLISHED ANNUALLY
Fiske, S.T. (1993). Social cognition and social percpetion. Annual Review
of Psychology, 44, 155-194.
ENTIRE ISSUE OR SPECIAL SECTION OF JOURNAL
Barlow, D.H. (Ed.) (1991). Diagnoses, dimensions, and DSM-IV: The science of
classification [Special Issue]. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100(3).
BOOK REVIEW
Scatz, B.R. (2000). Learning by text or context? [Review of the book The
Social Life of Information]. Science, 290, 1304.
MAGAZINE ARTICLE
Kandel, E.R., & Squire, L.R. (2000, November 10). Neuroscience: Breaking down
scientific barriers to the study of brain and mind. Science, 290, 1113-1120.
NEWSLETTER ARTICLE, NO AUTHOR
The new health-care lexicon. (1993, August/September). Copy Editor, 4, 1-2.
DAILY NEWSPAPER ARTICLE, NO AUTHOR
New drug appears to sharply cut risk of death from heart failure. (1993,
July 15). The Washington Post, p. A12.
DAILY NEWSPAPER ARTICLE, DISCONTINUOUS PAGES
Schwartz, J. (1993, September 30). Obesity affects economic, social status.
The Washington Post, pp. A1, A4.
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ARTICLE, LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Berkowitz, A.D. (2000, November 24). How to tackle the problem of
student drinking [Letter to the editor]. The Chronicle of Higher
Education, p. B20.
ABSTRACT AS A PRIMARY SOURCE
Woolf, N.J., Youung, S.L., Fanselow, M.S., & Butcher, L.L. (1991). MAP-2
expression in cholinoceptive pyramidical cells of rodent cortex and
hippocampus is altered by Pavlovian conditioning [Abstract]. Society
for Neuroscience Abstracts, 17, 345.
ABSTRACT FROM A SECONDARY SOURCE (PERIODICAL)
Nakazato, K. Shimonaka, Y. & Homma, A. (1992). Cognitive functions of
centenarians: The Tokyo Metropolitan Centenarian Study. Japanese
Journal of Developmental Psychology, 3, 9-16. Abstract obtained from
PsycSCAN: Neuropsychology, 1993, 2, Abstract No. 604.
REPORT AVAILABLE FROM ERIC (EDUCATION RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER)
Mead, J.V. (1992). Looking at old photographs: Investigating the teacher
tales that novice teachers bring with them (Report No. NCTRL-RR-92-4).
East Lansing, MI: National Center for Research on Teacher Learning.
(ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED346082).
There are a variety of citation managers available. Some are free, some cost money. Some have free versions that have basic functionality and offer advanced versions for a fee.
EasyBib: Provides forms to create citations in MLA 8 or MLA 9 format. Just type in the title of the work and let it do the work. Or you can add information manually. MLA is a free service but to to use this for APA or Chicago you have to create a fee-based account. They also provide a Citation Guide to explain how it is done. This is a simple, web-based product.
BibMe: Provides forms to create citations in MLA 9 format. Just type in the title of the work and let it do the work. Or you can add information manually. They also provide a Citation Guide to explain how it is done. This is a simple, web-based product, very similar to Easybib and owned by the same vendor. Vhegg Group.
Zotero: Zotero automatically senses content in your web browser, allowing you to add it to your personal library with a single click. Whether you're searching for a preprint on arXiv.org, a journal article from JSTOR, a news story from the New York Times or a book from your university library catalog, Zotero has you covered with support for thousands of sites. Zotero also has a Plugin so that it integrates with Microsoft Word or LibreOffice, allowing you to use it to insert citations and create bibliographies as you are writing your paper. There are web-based and stand-alone versions. Works with Firefox and has "connectors" for Chrome, Safari, Opera, and Bookmarklet. See the Download page for details.
Mendeley: Mendeley is a free reference manager and an academic social network. Generate your citations and bibliography as you write, in the style of your choice - with just a few clicks. Compatible with Microsoft Word, LibreOffice and BibTeX. Extensive help guides, tutorials, and videos show how to use Mendeley.
Not sure what style guide is? Looking for some more help with citations and online tools?
Then check out our intro page here!
NOTE: Many of the databases will format your citations for you from within the database. Look for a "Cite this" button.
JOURNAL ARTICLE RETRIEVED FROM DATABASE
Brown, E. (2004, June). The Relationship of Self-Concepts to
Changes in Cultural Diversity Awareness: Implications for
Urban Teacher Educators. Urban Review, 36(2), 119-145.
Retrieved August 11, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
NOTE: the 6th edition (2010) no longer requires a retrieval date
or database name. Please check with your instructor.
JOURNAL ARTICLE WITH DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)
Herbst-Damm, K.L. & Kulik, J.A. (2005). Volunteer support, marital
status, and the survival times of terminally ill patients.
Health Psychology, 24, 225-229. doi:10.1037/0278-
6133.24.225
INTERNET ARTICLE BASED ON PRINT SOURCE
VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements
in the selection of resources by psychology undergraduates [Electronic
version]. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123. Retrieved
October 13, 2001, from http://jbr.org/articles.html
ARTICLE IN INTERNET-ONLY JOURNAL
Fredrickson, B.L. (2000, March 7). Cultivating positive emotions to
optimize health and well-being. Prevention & Treatment, 3, Article
0001a. Retrieved November 20, 2000, from http://Journals.apa.org/
prevention/volume3/pre0030001a.html
DOCUMENT CREATED BY PRIVATE ORGANIZATION, NO DATE
Greater New Milford (Ct) Area Healthy Community 2000, Task Force on
Teen and Adolescent Issues. (n.d.). Who has time for a family meal?
You do! Retrieved October 5, 2000, from http://www.Familymealtime.org
DOCUMENT ON UNIVERSITY OR DEPARTMENT WEBSITE
Chou, L., McClintock, R., Moretti, F., & Nix, D.H. (1993) Technology and
education:New wine in New bottles: Choosing pasts and imagining
educational futures. Retrieved August 24, 2000, From Columbia
University, Institute for Learning Technologies Web site: http://
www.ilt. Columbia.edu/publications/papers/newwine1.html
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
Jeffords, Sen. [VT]. (1995, August 1). Jeffords (and others) Amendment No.
2054. Congressional Record], 141, S11120 (3 screens). Retrieved August 9,
1995 from Mead Lexis/LEGIS/RECORD: http://frwebgate1.access.gpo.gov/
cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=743443810+6+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve
ENTIRE BOOK, ONE AUTHOR
Bernstein, T. M. (1965). The careful writer: A modern guide to English
usage. New York: Atheneum.
ENTIRE BOOK, TWO AUTHORS
Cone, J. D., & Foster, S. L. (1993). Dissertations and theses from
start to finish: Psychology and related fields. Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.
EDITED BOOK
Gibbs, J. T., & Huang, L. N. (Eds.). (1991). Children of color:
Psychological interventions with minority youth. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
NO AUTHOR OR EDITOR
Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993).
Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
BOOK, REVISED EDITION
Rosenthal, R. (1987). Meta-analytic procedures for social research
(Rev. ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
VOLUMES IN MULTIVOLUME EDITED WORK, MULTIPLE YEARS
Koch, S. (Ed.). (1959-1963). Psychology: A study of science (Vols. 1-6).
New York: McGraw-Hill.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OR DICTIONARY
Sadie, S. (Ed.). (1980). The new Grove dictionary of music and
musicians (6th ed., Vols. 1-20). London: Macmillan.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF A BOOK
Laplace, P. -S. (1951). A philosophical essay on probabilities
(F. W. Truscott & F. L. Emory, Trans.). New York: Dover.
(Original work published 1814)
BROCHURE, CORPORATE AUTHOR
Research and Training Center on Independent Living. (1993).
Guidelines for reporting and writing about people with disabilities
(4th ed.) [Brochure]. Lawrence, KS: Author.
ARTICLE OR CHAPTER IN EDITED BOOK
Hartley, J. T., Harker, J. O., & Walsh, D. A. (1980). Contemporary
issues and new directions in adult development of learning and
memory. In L. W. Poon (Ed.), Aging in the 1980s: Psychological
issues (pp. 239-252). Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
ENTRY IN ENCYCLOPEDIA
Bergmann, P. G. (1993). Relativity. In The new encyclopedia Britannica
(Vol. 26, pp. 501-508). Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.
UNPUBLISHED DOCTORAL DISSERTATION
Wilfley, D. E. (1989). Interpersonal analyses of bulimia: Normal-weight
and obese. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri,
Columbia.
DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS ABSTRACTED IN DAI
Bower, D. L. (1993). Employee assistant programs supervisory referrals.
Dissertation Abstracts International, 54(01), 534B. (UMI No. 9315947)