APA 6 Format and Citation Guide Made Easy
APA 6 Reference Guide
Books Citation
One author
Drewett, P. (2012). Field archaeology: An introduction. London, England: UCL Press.
Note:
- Locations in the U.S.: City, 2-letter State Abbreviation.
- Locations outside the U.S.: City, Country.
- Provide the name of the publisher after a colon, excluding Co. and Inc., which are not necessary for the
The APA Citation Style Guide (7th ed.) is a comprehensive manual for writers and researchers to follow when formatting and Read more
The MLA Format and Citation Style Guide 9th Edition is an authoritative resource provided by the Modern Language Association for Read more
The Chicago Citation Style Guide (17th ed.) - Notes-Bibliography is a referencing guide developed in accordance with The Chicago Manual Read more
The Chicago Citation Style Guide (17th ed.)-Author-Date is a referencing format developed in accordance with The Chicago Manual of Style, Read more
identification of the publisher. However, do not omit the words Books and Press.
Two authors
Greene, J., & Scott, D. (2004). Finding Sand Creek. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press.
Three to five authors
McNeil, A. J., Frey, R., & Embrechts, P. (2015). Quantitative risk management: Concepts, techniques, and tools.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Six or seven authors
Bixby, C., Nigel, E., Smith, K., Rodgers, G. A., Williams, H., & Robinson, J. (2005). Referencing and
Plagiarism: A complete guide. London, England: Sage Publications.
More than seven authors
Provide last names and initials for the first six authors of the work. Insert three ellipsis points after the sixth author’s name, followed by the last author’s name.
Mehrer, M., Flatman, J., Flemming, N., Baxter, J., Orser, C., Wescot, K., … Wescott, K. (2006). GIS and archaeological site location modeling. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis.
Corporate/organization author
When the author and the publisher are the same, use the word “Author” instead of the publisher’s name.
Ministry of Health. (2008). Future directions for eating disorders services in New Zealand. Wellington, New Zealand: Author
Unknown author
Alluvial archaeology in Europe. (2009). New York, NY: Routledge.
Two or more works by the same author
Works by the same author are arranged chronologically by year of publication. The earliest years come first.
Malhotra, Y. (2012). Knowledge management and virtual organizations. Naperville, IL: SAGE.
Malhotra, Y. (2014). Managing organizations: An introduction to theory and practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Two or more works by the same author, same year
Works by the same author and with the same publication date are listed alphabetically by the title (disregarding articles). Add a, b, to the publication year to distinguish citations.
Gabarro, J. (2011a). Criminal justice organizations: Administration and management. Reston, VA: Routledge.
Gabarro, J. (2011b). Managing and organizations: An introduction to theory and practice. Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Edited book, no author
In a reference to an edited book with no author, move the editor’s name to the author position and follow it with the parenthetical abbreviation (Ed.) for one editor or (Eds.) for multiple editors.
Palenchar, M., & Greenwald, H. (Eds.). (2009). The management of organizations: Responsibility for performance. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
Edited book with an author/authors
When citing an edited source, place the editor’s initials and last name immediately after the book’s title, followed by the parenthetical abbreviation (Ed.) for one editor or (Eds.) for multiple editors.
Example:
Calfee, M. (2011). Strategic issues management: A systems and human resources approach. K. V. Emory (Ed.). Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Author with a translator
In a reference to a translated book, place the name(s) of the translator(s) immediately after the book’s title, add the abbreviation Trans., and enclose it in parentheses.
If the book is republished, provide both publishing dates.
Leary, P. (2009). Metaphors in the history of psychology. (A. W. Burt & F. L. Kernberg, Trans.). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. (Original work published 1921).
Note:
- In-text referencing of a republished source also includes both publishing dates. Example: Leary (1921/2009).
Different Editions
Include information about the edition in parentheses immediately after the title.
Example:
Shotton, M. L., & Schiraldi, G. (2016). The need for revision (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: Dover.
Chapter in an edited book
When citing a chapter in an edited book, do not invert the editors’ names and do not place them in the author’s position. The editors’ names are preceded by the word In and followed by the parenthetical abbreviation (Ed.) for one editor or (Eds.) for several editors.
Note: if an editorial board consists of more than three members, include the name of the lead editor and follow it by et al.
Example:
Wiener, P. (2013). Gender issues across the globe. In A. A. Krugman & F. D. Kempe (Eds.), Gender identity and gender politics (pp. 134–146). Frankfurt, Germany: Springer.
Multivolume work
Enclose information about volume number(s) in parentheses immediately after the book’s title.
Example:
Haybron, D. M. (2011). Perspectives on Piaget’s theory (Vols. 1–4). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Encyclopedia/dictionary
Graham, T. (Ed.). (2009). Encyclopedia of psychology: The great discoveries (Vols. 1–3). Santa Barbara, CA:
ABC-CLIO.
Foreword, introduction, preface, or afterword
Provide the names of the authors of the book and follow the date of the book’s publishing with the word Foreword (or Introduction, Preface, or Afterword). Add the page numbers after the book’s title.
Example:
Brooks, G. (2013). Introduction. Consequences of government spending (pp. 3–11). Frankfurt, Germany: Peter Lang.
Online Books
Provide the version of your e-book.
Example:
Taubman, M. (2015). The psychoanalytic vision: The experiencing subject, transcendence and the therapeutic process [EBSCO NetLibrary version]. Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost.com
Electronic book
When citing an electronic book, keep in mind that it may be retrieved from a personal website, a self-publishing website, or provided in an audio form. If it must be purchased, write “Available from.”
Examples:
Kopf, R. (2013). Low blood pressure—Hypotension treated with homoeopathy and Schuessler salts (Homeopathic cell salts). Available from https://www.bookrix.com/_ebook-robert-kopf-low-blood-pressure-hypotension-treated-with-homeopathy-and-schuessler-salts-homeopathic/
Haggard, H. (2014). The brethren. Retrieved from https://www.bookrix.com/_ebook-h-rider-haggard-thebrethren-20/
Chapter in an online book or web document
Example:
National Research Center. (1997). How teachers teach: Specific methods. In Science, teaching reconsidered: A handbook (Chapter 2). Retrieved from https://www.nap.edu/read/5287/chapter/3
Online encyclopedia/dictionary
Example:
Kashmiri Shaiva philosophy. (n.d.). In Internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Retrieved from http://www.iep.utm.edu/kashmiri/
Citing Articles in Periodicals
Scholarly journal article
Example
Williams, P. (2014). Emotions and consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(5), 8–11.
Magazine article
Example:
Columbus, L. (2016, March 16). A roundup of cloud computing forecasts and market estimates. Forbes Magazine, 215, 1–3.
Newspaper article
Example:
Gellman, B., & Nakashima, E. (2013, July 25). U.S. spy agencies mounted 231 offensive cyber operations in 2011, documents show. Washington Post, pp. C3–C4.
Letter to the editor of a magazine
Example:
Jenkins, J. (2017, January). It’s time for the president to take responsibility for his words and actions [Letter to the editor]. The Washington Post, 233, 17.
Review article
Example:
Raab, J. (2014). Extending our knowledge on network governance [Review of the book Uniting Diverse Organizations: Managing goal-oriented advocacy networks, by A. Saz-Carranza]. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 24(2), 1–4.
Abstract
Example:
Schürch, R., Ratnieks, F. L., Samuelson, E. E., & Couvillon, M. J. (2016). Dancing to her own beat: Honey bee foragers communicate via individually calibrated waggle dances [abstract]. Journal of Experimental Biology, 219(9), 1287–1289.
Article in an online journal (DOI)
According to the 6th edition of the APA Style Guide, it is advisable to provide an article’s DOI if it is available. There are two formats of doi that you can choose from:
1. doi:0000000/000000000000
2. http://dx.doi.org/10.0000/0000
Example:
Baldwin, D. S., Anderson, I. M., & Nutt, D. J. (2014). Evidence-based pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder: A revision of the 2005 guidelines from the British Association for Psychopharmacology. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 28(5), 403–439. doi:10.1177/0269881114525674
Article in an online journal (without DOI)
Example:
Round, J. (2015). Apocatastasis: Redefining tropes of the Apocalypse in Neil Gaiman and Dave Mckean’s Signal to Noise. International Online Journal of Comic Art, 15. Retrieved from http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/26013/
Online newspaper/magazine article
Example:
Tuchman, P. (2017, January 27). How do you sell a work of art built into the earth? The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/arts/design/robert-smithson-earthwork-art.html?smid=pl-share&_r=0
Online book review
Example:
Ascher, M. (2011). But I thought the earth belonged to the living [Review of the book Dead Hands: A Social History of Wills, trusts, and Inheritance Law, by L. M. Friedman]. Texas Law Review, 89(2), 1149–1177. Retrieved from http://www.texaslrev.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Ascher-89-TLR-1149.pdf
Note:
- Alternatively, provide a DOI instead of a link.
Citing Dissertations and Theses
Dissertation/thesis
Published dissertation/thesis available from a database service:
Examples:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation or thesis (Doctoral dissertation or Master’s thesis). Retrieved from the name of the database. (Accession or Order No.)
Patel, B. (2016). A computational pipeline to uncover genomic regulatory regions that modulate the WNT signaling pathway (Undergraduate Thesis). Retrieved from Stanford Digital Dissertations. (PTN 3495214)
Citing published dissertation/thesis available from an institutional repository:
Examples:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation or thesis (Doctoral or Master’s thesis, University, city, country/state). Retrieved from http://xxxxx
Patel, B. (2016). A computational pipeline to uncover genomic regulatory regions that modulate the WNT signaling pathway (Undergraduate Thesis, Stanford University, Stanford, CA). Retrieved from https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/jz288sd3151
Citing Unpublished dissertation/thesis:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of doctoral dissertation or Master’s thesis (Unpublished doctoral dissertation or Master’s thesis). Name of Institution, Location.
Citing Learning Environment
Citing Online lecture notes/presentation slides
Examples:
Arnold, D. (2010). Functional analysis [PDF document]. Retrieved from http://wwwusers.math.umn.edu/~arnold/502.s97/functional.pdf
Pomije, B. (2011). Online shopping [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/pobr0702/online-shopping-presentation-10492184
Citing Web Sources
Page from website
If a document has more than one page, provide a URL that will be linked to the entry page of this document.
Example:
Preston, J. (2017). John Preston on the Thorpe affair. Retrieved from https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/onwriting/why-i-write/2016/john-preston-on-the-thorpe-affair/
Page from a website with an unknown author
Example:
How sibling rivalry made Anne the ‘neglected’ Brontë. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/on-writing/times-and-life/2017/jan/how-sibling-rivalry-made-anne-theother-bronte/
Citing Blog Post
Example:
Cush, A. (2016, August 17). You’ll never guess who’s angry about CNN “deceptively” editing a video of Sylville Smith’s sister [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://gawker.com/youll-never-guess-whos-angry-about-cnndeceptively-ed-1785416442
Citing Video or film
You may include a Producer, Director, Sponsor, etc.
Example:
Glass, T. (Director). (2010). A Todd Glass Halloween: Animashups [Video file]. Retrieved from http://videopodcastnetwork.com/a-todd-glass-halloween/
Podcast/YouTube
Example:
Alcock, P. (2012, June 29). Electromagnetic levitation quadcopter [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCON4zfMzjU
Personal communication
Personal communication is not included in the reference list. Instead, when citing information from an email, cite the source of information in parentheses.
Example:
(K. Dawson, personal communication, April 24, 2010).
Citing Governmental Sources
Government publication
Example:
United States Congress House Committee on Energy and Commerce. (2017). DOE for the 21st century: Science, environment, and national security missions (E&C Publication No. 114–119). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Publishing Office.
The APA Citation Style Guide (7th ed.) is a comprehensive manual for writers and researchers to follow when formatting and Read more
The MLA Format and Citation Style Guide 9th Edition is an authoritative resource provided by the Modern Language Association for Read more
The Chicago Citation Style Guide (17th ed.) - Notes-Bibliography is a referencing guide developed in accordance with The Chicago Manual Read more
The Chicago Citation Style Guide (17th ed.)-Author-Date is a referencing format developed in accordance with The Chicago Manual of Style, Read more