Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by
In addition to providing guidance on grammar, the mechanics of writing, and APA style, this manual offers an authoritative reference and citation system. It also covers the treatment of numbers, statistical and mathematical data, tables and figures.
American Psychological Association (APA) Style is an editorial style, or rules that a publisher uses to ensure consistent presentation of written material. Citing your sources in APA style gives credit to the works of others and helps your readers go back and find the information you present.
Getting Started
Title Page
In the APA style, the title page includes the following parts:
A running head is the condensed title of your paper on the top left of the header and is in all caps. It should not be more than 50 characters in length. It appears on all following pages. A page number should be included on the top right side of the header and should appear on all following pages as well (Section 8.03 in the APA handbook).
In the center of the upper half of the page, include the following information: Title, your name, and institutional affiliation (Spalding University), all double-spaced and on separate lines. The title should fully describe the paper in 12 words or less (Sections 2.01-2.02).
APA Style uses parenthetical, author-date citations. After a quote, add parentheses containing the author's name, the year of publication, and the page number of the work.
Example: "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" (Seuss, 2007, p. 7).
Standard in-text citations refer to an author within the text. For example: According to Walker (2007), etc..
Parenthetical in-text citations are included at the end of a text that refers to the author(s). For example: Studies show that...(Walker, 2007).
Works by multiple authors will sometimes include the abbreviation et al., which stands for the Latin phrase et alia, meaning "and others."
Works by organizations spell out the organization and its abbreviation the first time they are references, followed by only the abbreviation, if applicable.
| Type of Citation | First Citation in Text | Subsequent Citations in Text | Parenthetical Format, First Citation in Text | Parenthetical Format, Subsequent Citations in Text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One work by one author | Walker (2007) | Walker (2007) | (Walker, 2007) | (Walker, 2007) |
| One work by two authors | Walker and Allen (2004) | Walker and Allen (2004) | (Walker & Allen, 2004) | (Walker & Allen, 2004) |
| One work by three to five authors | Bradley, Ramirez, and Soo (1999) | Bradley et al. (1999) | (Bradley, Ramirez, & Soo, 1999) | (Bradley et al., 1999) |
| One work by six or more authors | Wasserstein et al. (2005) | Wasserstein et al. (2005) | (Wasserstein et al., 2005) | (Wasserstein et al., 2005) |
| Groups as authors (readily identified through abbreviation) | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2003) | NIMH (2003) | (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2003) | (NIMH, 2003) |
| Groups as authors (no abbreviation) | University of Pittsburgh (2005) | University of Pittsburgh (2005) | (University of Pittsburgh, 2005) | (University of Pittsburgh, 2005) |
Source: American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Washington, D.C.: Author.
Courtesy: Salena Coller, Sanford Brown
Basic Format
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Source, Volume (Issue), page range. Retrieved from URL web address.
Online Journal Article
Author(s). (Year). Article title. Journal Title, Volume (Issue), page range. DOI or journal homepage URL web address.
example: Gosine, K., & Tabi, E. (2016). Disrupting neoliberalism and bridging the multiple worlds of marginalized youth via hip-hop pedagogy: Contemplating possibilities. Review of Education, Pedagogy & Cultural Studies, 38, 445-467. doi:10.1080/10714413.2016.1221712.
Online Newspaper Article
Author(s). (Publication Year, Month Date). Article title. Newspaper Title. Retrieved from URL web address.
example: Cochrane, E., & Weiland, N. (2017, October 16). Hillary Clinton, the N.F.L., Roy Moore and other asides from the president. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://nyti.ms/2zf1TPB.
Web Page
Author or Organization. (Date). Title of document [Format description]. Retrieved from URL web address.
example: Spalding University. (2016). Our commitment [web page]. Retrieved from http://spalding.edu/our-mission/.
Print Book
Author(s). (Publication Year). Title. City, State of Publication: Publisher.
example: Lee, H. (1960). To kill a mockingbird (1st ed.). Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott & Co.
Images
Author (Role of Author). (Year image was created). Title of work [Type of work]. Retrieved from URL web address.
example: John, G (Artist). (1920-25). Young woman holding black cat [Painting]. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/img/grove/art/F017934
The Reference List appears at the end of an APA paper. It should begin on a new page separate from the rest of the text.
The title, References, should be centered and placed one inch from the top of the page. The title should not be underlined, italicized, or entered within quotation marks.
The entries should be arranged alphabetically by the first author's last name. Use only the authors' last names followed by a comma and initials of the author's given name(s).
Example: Brown, J. R.
Each entry should be placed flush with the left margin. If an entry is more than one line long, indent the following lines by one-half inch from the left margin.
If the author is unknown, place the title of the work in the author's position followed by the date of publication. A period should follow the title.
Use commas to separate authors and to separate last names and initials.
Example: Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R.
When no publication date is available write, (n.d.), in parentheses.
Image: University of Texas at El Paso Writing Center.
Some databases and websites will auto-generate citations for you. This is a great starting place for a citation, but they are not always accurate. Check an auto-generated citation with a stylebook or guide before submitting a paper.
Some databases, like Academic Search Complete, include a "cite" feature that will auto-generate APA, MLA, Chicago and other citations.
If there isn't an auto-generated citation within a database, try one of these free citation generator cites. You can also ask a librarian or the writing center!
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