Referencing Using the American Psychological Association (APA) Format


There are two important elements that make up the APA format. You must:

a) Place a citation (in brackets) within your text whenever you quote, paraphrase, or otherwise use information produced by someone else.

e.g. The cheetah has been classified as endangered because of its small population size and its lack of genetic diversity (Baldauf, 2004).

These formats should be used when constructing your citations:

One author
Isaac (2001) indicated in his research
In a recent study, research indicated (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 all further citations, include only the last name of the first author followed by et al.

When a work has no authors
Cite the first few words of what appears first for the entry in your references list (usually the title) and the year.

Specific parts of a source
(Yount and Molitor, 1982, p.19)
(Cooper, 1983, chap. 4)

b) Create a list of all the materials you cited throughout your paper, entitled “References”. This list will give more detail on publisher, journal title, etc. for each source that was not given throughout your paper. Only include sources you cited in your References list.

These formats should be used when creating your References list at the end of your paper.

Journal Article, One Author
Simon, A. (2000). Perceptual comparisons through the mind’s eye. Memory and Cognition, 23, 635-647.



Journal Article, Two Authors
Becker, M.M. and Rozek, S.J. (1995). Welcome to the energy crisis. Journal of social issues, 32, 230-343.

Magazine Article
Garner, H.J. (1997, July). Do babies have a universal song? Psychology Today, 102, 70-77.

Newspaper Article
Fletcher, I.M. (1982, April 3). Study finds free care used more. Wall Street Journal, pp. A1, A25.

Newspaper Article, no author
Study finds free care used more. (1982, April 3). Wall Street Journal, pp. A1, A25.

Book
Strunk, W. (1979). The elements of style (3rd ed.) New York: Macmillan.

Edited Book
Letheridge, S. and Cannon, C.R. (Eds.). (1980) Bilingual education. New York: Praeger.

ERIC Document
Peterson, K. (2002). Welfare-to-work programs: Strategies for success (Report No. EDO-JC-02-04). Washington D.C.: Office of Educational Research and Improvement. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED467985)

Entry in an Encyclopedia
Imago. (2000). In World Book Encyclopedia (Vol. 10, p. 79). Chicago: World Book Encyclopedia.

Report from a Private Organization
Kimberly-Clark. (2002). Kimberly-Clark (Annual Report). Dallas, Texas: I.M Fletcher.

Dissertation
Olsen, G.W. (1985). Campus child care within the public supported post-secondary educational institutions in the state of Wisconsin (dare care). (Doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1985). Dissertations Abstracts International, 47/03, 783.

Videotape/DVD
Mass, J.B. (Producer), and Gluck, D.H. (Director). (1979). Deeper into hypnosis. (Motion Picture).

Electronic Formats:

Internet Article Based on Print Source
The citation is done as if it were a paper article and then followed by a retrieval statement that identifies the date retrieved and the source.

Smith, R. (1999, January). Achoo! Better Nutrition, 61, 24. Retrieved September 17, 2001.

Web Page with Private Organization as Author
Midwest League. (2003). Pitching, individual records. Retrieved October 1, 2003, from [link]

Chapter or Section in an Internet Document
Thompson, G. (2003) Youth coach handbook. In Joe soccer. Retrieved June 17, 2001 from [link]

Web Page, Government Author
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. (2001). Glacial habitat restoration areas. Retrieved September 1, 2001 from [link]

Company Information from Database
Ripon Pickle Company Inc. (company profile). (2004). Retrieved September 18, 2002, from Business and Company Resource Centre.

Personal Communications
This includes emails, interviews, lectures, speeches etc. These do not appear in the references list, as they are not retrievable. They should appear as follows:

J. Burnitz (personal communications, Sept. 20, 2000) stated that

In a recent interview (J. Burnitz, personal communication, Sept. 20, 2000) I learned that

General Rules for APA formatting

- begin the reference list on a new page, with the title: References centred in the top middle of the page
-if the list takes up more than one page, do not re-title each page
-use one space after all punctuation
-double space between items
-single space, hanging indent, within citations
-use italics for titles of book, journals etc.
-arrange entries in alphabetical order



Book with one author
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Simon & Schuster, 1953

Book with one author
Melville, Herman Moby Dick or The Whale. New York City: Richard Bentley, 1851

Book with one author
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Bloomsbury and Scholastic, 1999

Hotmail
Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith (1995) Emailing other individuals, Retrieved March 26, 2007 from [link]

Salad Fingers
David Firth (2004) The life of a flash animation character. Retrieved March 26, 2007 from [link]

Entry in an Encyclopedia
(1988) In Hutchinson Encyclopedia