The following examples are basic formatting rules for Reference List citations. For more indepth information on reference list entries, in-text citations, and/or how to set up your paper, please see the above APA Resources list.
Books
The basic format for books is:
Author, A. A. (Publication Year). Title of book: Capitalize just the first word in the title and subtitle and italicize.
Location: Publisher.
For example:
Canada, G. (1995). Fist stick knife gun: A personal history of violence in America.
Boston: Beacon Press.
The basic format for articles is:
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical in italics,
volume number(issue number) , pages.
Articles
Journal articles that are paginated by volume
This example refers to journals that begin numbering the pages in the first issue , and continue numbering through all the issues of the volume.
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical in italics, volume number,
pages.
Journal articles that are paginated by issue
This example refers to journals that begin numbering the pages at one for each issue. Due to this it is essential to indicate the issue number in order for the reader to locate the correct pages of the article.
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical in italics, volume number(issue
number), pages.
Article from a Library Database
When referencing an article from a library database follow the guidelines for the appropriate print citation. This is for a couple of reasons: 1) if an online article also appears as a printed version the electronic information is not necessarily needed; 2) this will allow readers to retrieve the print version of the article if they do not have access to the online database. You can include the item or accession number at the end of the citation, however the APA manual says this is not required.
Article from an Online Periodical
Online articles are cited in the same way as printed articles, however you also need to include the information regarding online access and availability.
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical in italics,
volume number(issue if available) , pages. Retrieved from
http://www.thewebsitewherethearticlewasfound.org
Article from an Online Periodical with DOI
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical in italics,
volume number, pages. doi:12.34567:891011121314
Article from an Online Periodical without DOI
If the scholarly article does not have an DOI, then the URL needs to be cited.
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical in italics,
volume number, pages. Retrieved from
http://www.thewebsitewherethearticlewasfound.org
Other Print Sources
Citing a work that is discussed in a secondary source
Include a reference to the source the work was discussed in accourding to its type (book, article, etc).
"NOTE: Give the secondary source in the references list; in the text, name the original work, and give a citation for the secondary source. For example, if Seidenberg and McClelland's work is cited in Coltheart et al. and you did not read the original work, list the Coltheart et al. reference in the References. In the text, use the following citation:
("OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab", April 21, 2010)
