Lena Savoie
The American Psychological Association (APA) citation style is widely used in academic writing and involves specific rules for in-text citations and reference lists. When citing sources in APA style, it is important to include the author's last name and the year of publication, such as (Field, 2005). Direct quotations also require the inclusion of page or paragraph numbers, for example, (Field, 2005, p. 14). APA style also provides guidelines for citing web pages, sources with multiple authors, and situations without specific author or date information. The 7th edition of the APA manual, published in 2019, is the most recent version, offering comprehensive guidance on various citation scenarios, including paraphrasing and direct quotations.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| In-text citation style | Author's last name and year of publication, e.g., (Field, 2005) |
| Direct quotations | Include page number, e.g., (Field, 2005, p. 14) |
| No page numbers | Use a paragraph number, e.g., (Field, 2005, para. 1) |
| Multiple authors | Spell out the word "and" when using multiple authors' names in the narrative |
| Web pages | Cite as you would any other source; use the author and date if known; if no author, use the title in place of the author; if no date, use "n.d." |
| No author or date | Use "n.d." (no date) in place of the year: (Smith, n.d.) |
| In-text reference placement | Immediately follow the title, word, or phrase to which they are directly relevant, and always precede punctuation marks |
| Paraphrasing | Not required to provide a page or paragraph number, but you may include one to help readers locate the relevant passage |
| Direct quotes | Include author, date, and specific part being quoted; use an en dash for page ranges, e.g., 21–27 |
| Hyphens and dashes | See APA Manual p. 157 for guidance |
| Quotation accuracy | Match wording, spelling, and punctuation of the original source; note spelling errors with [sic] |
| Reference list | All references cited in the text must be listed, and vice versa |
| Latest edition | APA 7th edition (as of 2019) |
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What You'll Learn
Citing web pages
When citing web pages in APA style, the general format is as follows:
Author Last Name, First initial. (Year, Month Date Published). Title of web page. Name of Website. URL.
For example:
Austerlitz, S. (2015, March 3). How long can a spinoff like 'Better Call Saul' last? FiveThirtyEight. http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-long-can-a-spinoff-like-better-call-saul-last/
Note that this format is specifically for web pages and may not apply to other types of online sources, such as videos, newspapers, or magazines.
If a web page does not have a listed publication or revision date, use "n.d." ("no date") in place of the date. If the content of the web page is likely to change over time, include the date on which you accessed it. For example:
BirdLife Australia. (n.d.). Survey results. Birds in Backyards. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/surveys/Survey-Results
When referring to a specific part of a web page, use in-text citations to indicate the location of the passage within the page. If there are no traditional page numbers, you can use section headings, paragraph numbers, or a combination of both. For example:
O'Neil, J. M., & Egan, J. (1992). Men's and women's gender role journeys: Metaphor for healing, transition, and transformation. In B. R. Wainrib (Ed.), Gender issues across the life cycle (pp. 107-123). Springer.
If a web page has no identifiable author, but the source is attributed to an organization, use the organization's name as the author in both the reference entry and in-text citations. For example:
National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Title of web page. https://www.nimh.nih.gov
Finally, when referring to a website in general terms without citing a specific page or passage, simply provide the name of the website followed by the URL in parentheses. For example:
Instagram is a popular social media platform (https://www.instagram.com).
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Referencing multiple authors
APA style has specific rules for citing works by multiple authors. Here are some guidelines to help you correctly cite such works in the text:
When a work has multiple layers of group authorship (e.g., an office within a department), list the most specific agency as the author and the parent agency as the publisher. For example:
> Bureau of International Organization Affairs. (2018). U.S. contributions to international organizations, 2017 [Annual report]. U.S. Department of State. https://www.state.gov/u-s-contributions-to-international-organizations/
When a work has up to twenty authors, list all authors in your references using last names and initials. Separate author names with commas, and precede the last author name with an ampersand. For example:
> Nguyen, T., Carnevale, J. J., Scholer, A. A., Miele, D. B., & Fujita, K. (2019). Metamotivational knowledge of the role of high-level and low-level construal in goal-relevant task performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 117(5), 879-899. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000166
For in-text citations, use the first author's last name followed by "et al." (meaning "and others"). For example:
> According to Nguyen et al. (2019), ...
>
> Nguyen et al. (2019) found that ...
If you have multiple sources by the same author(s) published in the same year, first check for more specific dates. List works with specific dates chronologically, and works with the same date alphabetically by title. Then, assign letter suffixes to the year when referring to these sources in your essay:
> Berndt (2004a) makes similar claims ...
>
> Berndt, T. J. (2004a). Children’s friendships: Shifts over a half-century in perspectives on their development and their effects.
If you are citing multiple works with similar groups of authors, and using "et al." would create ambiguity, write out more author names. For example:
> Gass and Varonis (1984) found that ...
>
> Gass, Varonis, and Garcia (1985) argued that ...
For sources with more than twenty authors, list the first twenty authors, followed by an ellipsis and the last author on your references page. In your in-text citations, use only the first author's last name followed by "et al."
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Quoting a specific part of a source
When quoting a specific part of a source in APA style, it is essential to provide an in-text citation that includes the author's last name, the date of publication, and, if applicable, the page number or other location information. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this:
Step 1: Include the Author's Last Name and Date of Publication
Start by providing the author's last name and the year of publication in parentheses. For example: (Field, 2005). If there are multiple authors, separate their last names with ampersands, like this: (Derwing et al., 2002).
Step 2: Add Page Numbers or Other Location Information
If you are quoting directly from a specific page or paragraph, include the page number or paragraph number after the date. For example: (Field, 2005, p. 14) or (Field, 2005, para. 1). If the source does not have page numbers, you can use other location information, such as a chapter, table, or figure number.
Step 3: Place the Citation After the Quoted Material
The in-text citation should immediately follow the quoted material. For example: "Students often had difficulty using APA style" (Jones, 1998, p. 199). If you are introducing the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author's last name and date, place only the page number or location information in parentheses after the quotation. For example: Jones (1998) writes, "Students often had difficulty using APA style" (p. 199).
Step 4: Handle Longer Quotations Differently
If your quotation exceeds 40 words, format it as a block quotation. Start the quotation on a new line, indented from the left margin, and omit the quotation marks. Place the author's last name, year of publication, and page number or location information in parentheses at the end of the quotation. For example:
> This suggests that familiarity with nonnative speech in general, although it is clearly not as important a variable as topic familiarity, may indeed have some effect. That is, prior experience with nonnative speech, such as that gained by listening to the reading, facilitates comprehension. (Gass & Varonis, 1984, p. 77)
Step 5: Cite Specific Parts of a Source
When citing a specific part of a source, such as a table, figure, or page range, include this information in your in-text citation. However, do not include this specific part in the reference list entry. For example, if you are citing data from a table in a government report, write a reference list entry for the report itself, and then add the table number to your in-text citation.
Step 6: Handle Sources with Missing Information
If the source you are quoting has no author, use the title in place of the author's last name. For sources with no date, use "n.d." (meaning "no date") in place of the year: (Title, n.d.).
By following these steps, you can effectively quote specific parts of a source in APA style, ensuring that your readers can easily identify and locate the information you are referencing. Remember to adapt the location information as needed depending on the type of source you are quoting, whether it is a book, webpage, or other format.
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Citing an organisation
When citing an organisation in APA style, the basic format is:
Author = organisation name, name of committee
Date = date of the publication/meeting
Publication info = whatever information is necessary to retrieve the source
For example:
> Paperboard Packaging Council. (2008, July 9). Meeting of the PPC Board of Directors. Archives of the American Forest Products Association, Washington, DC.
Note that if the author is unknown, use the title in place of the author. If the date is unknown, use 'n.d.' (for no date) in place of the year. For example:
> Heavy social media use can be linked to depression and other mental disorders in teens (Social media use may harm teens' mental health, n.d.).
In-text citations should include the organisation's name and the date. For example:
> Establishing regular routines, such as exercise, can help survivors of disasters recover from trauma (American Psychological Association [APA], n.d.).
If the organisation's name is long, it can be shortened to an acronym after the first mention. For example:
> According to the American Psychological Association (APA, n.d.), regular exercise can help disaster survivors recover from trauma.
For direct quotations, include the page number or paragraph number, if available. For example:
> The APA (2015) states that "familiarity with the topic is the most important element in comprehending non-native speech" (p. 23).
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Citing sources with no date
When citing a source with no date in APA style, you should use the initials "n.d." in place of the year. For example:
> (Smith, n.d.)
If no author or creator is provided, start the citation with the title or name of the item you are citing instead. For instance, if you were citing a chapter from a book, you would put the shortened title in quotation marks in your in-text citation. If you are citing an entire work (e.g. a book, website, video, etc.), italicize the shortened title in your in-text citation.
> ("The Best Chapter," n.d.)
Note that when alphabetizing citations with titles that begin with numbers, you should treat the number as if it were spelled out. For example, "5 Ways to Succeed in Business" would be alphabetized under "F" as if it had started with "Five."
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Frequently asked questions
For sources with multiple authors, use the following format: (Author, Author, & Author, Year). For example, (Rehm, Room, & Taylor, 2008).
Cite web pages as you would any other source, using the author and date if known. For example: (Asmelash, 2019). If there is no author, use the title in place of the author. If there is no date, use "n.d." in place of the year.
When directly quoting a source, your in-text citation should include the author, date, and page or paragraph number. For example: (Field, 2005, p. 14). If there are no page numbers, use a paragraph number. For example: (Field, 2005, para. 1).
If there is no author, use the first few words of the reference entry (usually the title) and the year. For example: ("Method for Moderation", 2008).
