Citing Sources: APA
APA Templates
- APA Handouts & Checklists from apa.org
Instructional aids for the seventh edition Publication Manual, Concise Guide to APA Style, and Mastering APA Style Student Workbook.
- APA Template for Google Docs
Make a copy of the template so you can edit it.
APA 7 Updates - 5 minute video
Books and General Resources
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition is the official source for APA Style. With millions of copies sold worldwide in multiple languages, it is the style manual of choice for writers, researchers, editors, students, and educators in the social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, nursing, communications, education, business, engineering, and other fields. Known for its authoritative, easy-to-use reference and citation system, the Publication Manual also offers guidance on choosing the headings, tables, figures, language, and tone that will result in powerful, concise, and elegant scholarly communication. It guides users through the scholarly writing process--from the ethics of authorship to reporting research through publication. The seventh edition is an indispensable resource for students and professionals to achieve excellence in writing and make an impact with their work. The seventh edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect best practices in scholarly writing and publishing. All formats are in full color, with a new tabbed spiral version Improved ease of navigation, with many additional numbered sections to help users quickly locate answers to their questions Resources for students on writing and formatting annotated bibliographies, response papers, and other paper types as well as guidelines on citing course materials Dedicated chapter for new users of APA Style covering paper elements and format, including sample papers for both professional authors and student writers New chapter on journal article reporting standards that includes updates to reporting standards for quantitative research and the first-ever qualitative and mixed methods reporting standards in APA Style New chapter on bias-free language guidelines for writing about people with respect and inclusivity in areas including age, disability, gender, participation in research, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality More than 100 new reference examples covering periodicals, books, audiovisual media, social media, webpages and websites, and legal resources More than 40 new sample tables and figures Expanded guidance on ethical writing and publishing practices, including how to ensure the appropriate level of citation, avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism, and navigate the publication process Guidelines that support accessibility for all users, including simplified reference, in-text citation, and heading formats as well as additional font optionsISBN: 9781433832178Publication Date: 2019-10-01
Best APA Online General Resources:
- APAstyle.org - online companion to the book
- OWL Purdue Writing Lab APA 7th Edition
Citation Elements
In APA citation style, print and electronic sources are treated the same.
Articles from a periodical are often the most common source to be cited in an APA paper. If a DOI has been assigned to the article that you are using, you should include this after the page numbers for the article. If no DOI has been assigned and you are accessing the periodical online, use the URL of the website from which you are retrieving the periodical.
Formatting for an article (spacing has not yet been formatted):
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy
- Reference Examples This is a useful PDF for formatting every type of reference. From apa.org
DOIs and URLs
What do I add to the end of my citation?
- If there is a DOI number (check the article or database record for the DOI), add it to the end of the citation as a hyperlink (this is new to the 7th Edition of APA). Do not put a period after the URL.
- If there is no DOI, add the homepage URL instead.
- Learn more about working with DOIs and URLs from from apa.org. This is a good source for learning about what to do when your source does not have a DOI.
Citing References In-Text
The Basics:
- For a complete overview and comprehensive help with of in-text citation, visit the apa.org in-text citation webpages.
- APA Style uses the author-date citation system. This system allows readers to find the sources cited in text in the reference list, where each source is listed alphabetically.
- To insert a citation in text, include the author’s surname and year of publication.
- For a direct quotation, include the page number or specific location, or the phrase or sentences in the original work.
- Here are some examples of using the author-date in-text citation when paraphrasing (look here for direct quote examples):
Helpful chart on citing authors from APA Publication Manual:
- When you need to cite two or more works together, arrange the in-text citations alphabetically in the same order in which they appear in the reference list:
To learn more, Purdue Owl Writing Lab has a good tutorial on APA in-text citation basics.