APA Reference Examples

In Text: One Work by One Author Walker (2000) compared reaction times…. In a recent study of reaction times (Walker, 2000), it was determined that….. Multiple Authors When a work has two authors, always cite both names every time the reference occurs in the text (Walker & Smith, 2003). When a work has three, four, or five authors, cite all authors the first time the reference occurs; in subsequent citations, include only the surname of the first author followed by et al. (not italicized and with a period after “al”) and the year if it is the first citation of the reference in the paragraph. Wasserstein et al. (1994) found… When a work has six or more authors, cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the year for the first and subsequent citations. In the reference list, however, provide the initials and surnames of the first six authors, and shorten ay remaining authors to et al. Groups as Authors For example, in reference list: National Institute of Mental Health. (1988). In first text citation: (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 1988 In subsequent citations: (NIMH, 1988). The names of universities should always be written out. No Author: Cite in text the first few words of the reference list entry (usually the title) and the year. Use double quotation marks around the title of an article or chapter, and italicize the title of a periodical, book brochure, or report. Examples: (“Study Finds,” 1982; the book College Bound Seniors (1979). Two or More Works within the Same Parentheses: (Edeline & Weinberger, 1991, 1993; Kamil, 1988; Pepperberg & Funk, 1990). List authors alphabetically. Works by the same author in the same year: (Johnson, 1991a, 1991b, 1991c). In the reference list, these references are ordered alphabetically by title (of the article, chapter, or complete work). Personal Communications: Letters, memos, e-mail, personal interviews, telephone conversations – are not included in the reference list. Examples: T. K. Lutes (personal communication, April 18, 2001); (B.G. Nguyen, personal communication, May 4, 2000)

Reference List: Journal Article Mellers, B. A. (2000). Choice and the relative pleasure of consequences. Psychological

Bulletin, 126, 184-194. Magazine Article Kandel, E. R., & Squire, L. R. (2000, November 10). Neuroscience: Breaking down

scientific barriers to the study of brain and mind. Science, 290, 1113-1120. Report Available from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Mead, J. B. (1992). Looking at old photographs: Investigating the teacher tales that

novice teachers bring with them (Report No. NCRTL-RR-92-4). East Lansing, MI: National Center for Research on Teacher Learning. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 346082)

Unpublished Paper Presented at a Meeting Lanktree, C., & Briere, J. (1991, January). Early data on the Trauma Symptom Checklist

for Children (TSC-C). Paper presented at the meeting of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, San Diego, CA.

Internet Article Based on a Print Source VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the selection

of resources by psychology undergraduates [Electronic version]. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123.

If referencing an online article that may have been changed or that includes additional data or commentaries, the date the article was retrieved needs to be added. VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the selection

of resources by psychology undergraduates. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123. Retrieved October 13, 2001, from http://jbr.org/articles.html

Stand-Alone Document, No Author, No Date GVU’s 8th WWW user survey. (n.d.) Retrieved August 8, 2000, from

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys/survey-1997-10/ See pp. 271-281 of the APA Manual, 5th ed., for additional internet reference citation examples.

Publishers’ Locations Give the city and state for U.S. publishers and country for publishers outside of the United States. If the publisher is a university and the name of the state (or province) is included in the name of the university, do not repeat the name in the publisher location. The names of U.S. states and territories are abbreviated in the reference list using the official two-letter U.S. Postal Service abbreviations. The following locations can be listed without a state abbreviation or country: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco; Amsterdam, Jerusalem, London, Milan, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Tokyo, Vienna. Spacing and Punctuation Space once after all punctuation as follows: commas, colons, semicolons; after punctuation marks at the ends of sentences; after periods that separate parts of a reference citation; and periods of the initials in personal names (e.g., J. R. Zhang). Exception: Do not space after internal periods (e.g.,) Numbers Expressed in Figures All numbers 10 and above; all numbers below 10 that are grouped for comparison with numbers 10 and above; numbers that immediately precede a unit of measurement; numbers that represent statistical or mathematical functions, fractional or decimal quantities; percentages, ratios, and percentiles and quartiles; numbers that represent time, dates, ages, sample, subsample, or population size, specific numbers of subjects or participants in an experiment, scores and points on a scale, exact sums of money, and numerals as numerals, numbers that denote a specific place in a numbered series, parts of books and tables, and each number in a list of four or more numbers. Universally Accepted: the Twelve Apostles, the Fourth of July, the Ten Commandments Symbol for Percent (%) – Use the symbol for percent only when it is preceded by a numeral. Use the word percentage when a number is not given. Exception: In table headings and figure legends, use the symbol % to conserve space. Statistical Symbols: See pages 141-144 of APA Manual, 5th ed., for information on italicization of statistical symbols. Table Titles – Should be italicized Direct Quotes – quotes of less than 40 words should be put in quotation marks, with the author, date and page number. Example: “a disorder that affects all neurological functions” (Smith, 2002, p. 14).

Quotes of more than 40 words should be block indented, no quotation marks, but the same citation at the end of the text, unless the sentence starts with the author and date. For example: Bowe (1999) states:

SSI offers monthly checks (plus, in most states, eligibility for Medicaid, food stamps, and other benefits) for individuals who are both “poor” and “disabled” or “elderly”. The term poor refers to both to the person’s earned income and to the person’s assets, such as money in a savings account. (p. 36)