The American Psychological Association (APA) provides a method for source documentation that is used in most social sciences courses. The social sciences place emphasis on the date a work was created, so most APA citation involves recording the date of a particular work in the physical text. The date is usually placed immediately after the author’s name in the “References” page at the end of an essay.

Essays following the APA style of formatting

typically include a title page, abstract, main body, and references.

APA uses a title page.

The title page contains the following information, centered:

› the title of the paper (centered, no more than 12

words)

May take up one or two lines

› Your name (first name, middle initial, last name)

› institutional affiliation (where research was

conducted)

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Create a title page for your analysis

essay

The page header at the top of every page

contains the “TITLE OF YOUR PAPER” on the

left hand side in all capital letters. This

page header is usually a shortened version

of the essay’s title and cannot exceed 50

characters including spacing and

punctuation.

Create a an APA style header for your

title page

APA adds to MLA style by including an author name(s), page number(s), and date. The date is generally provided parenthetically whenever the author’s name is given while page numbers always appear at the end of the sentence. The date is important in social science because it helps demonstrate the relevance (newness) of the work being cited.

Example (Author named in a signal phrase): Philosopher Stephen C. Pepper (1961) refers to this phenomenon as a “cumulative collaboration of evidence” (p. 49).

Example (Author not named in a signal phrase): This phenomenon is best referred to as a “cumulative collaboration of evidence” (Pepper, 1961, p. 49).

Example (unknown page number): This

phenomenon is best referred to as a

“cumulative collaboration of evidence:”

(Pepper, Evidence and Corroboration

section, para. 22).

However, if only referring to an idea but not

directly quoting the material, only make

reference to the author and year of

publication and not the page number in

the in-text citation.

1. The student is quoting from page 26 of an article by Peter Greasley published in 2000.

a. Greasley (2000) pointed out that clients who

seek out mediums are so inclined to find the sessions impressive that “few can blame them for leaving the consultation expressing unequivocal satisfaction.” (p. 26).

b. Greasley (2000) pointed out that clients who

seek out mediums are so inclined to find the sessions impressive that “few can blame them for leaving the consultation expressing unequivocal satisfaction” (p. 26).

1. The student is quoting from page 26 of an

article by Peter Greasley published in 2000.

b. Greasley (2000) pointed out that clients

who seek out mediums are so inclined to find

the sessions impressive that “few can blame

them for leaving the consultation expressing

unequivocal satisfaction” (p. 26).

In APA style, the period comes after the

parenthetical citation.

2. The student is summarizing information from page 176 of a 1980 book with two authors, Marks and Kammann.

a. The psychological phenomenon known as selective exposure occurs when people choose source material and authorities that reflect what they already believe (Marks & Kammann, 1980, p. 176).

b. The psychological phenomenon known as selective exposure occurs when people choose source material and authorities that reflect what they already believe (Marks and Kammann, 1980, p. 176).

2. The student is summarizing information

from page 176 of a 1980 book with two

authors, Marks and Kammann.

a. The psychological phenomenon known as

selective exposure occurs when people

choose source material and authorities

that reflect what they already believe

(Marks & Kammann, 1980, p. 176).

In an APA parenthetical citation for a work

with two authors, an ampersand (&) is

placed between the authors’ names.

3. The student is quoting from page 29 of an article published in 2000 by Paul Kurtz.

a. Kurtz has observed that “science has been investigating our ability to communicate with the dad for at least 150 years and it has attempted to discover empirical evidence in support of the claim” (2000, p. 29).

b. Kurtz (2000) has observed that “science has been investigating our ability to communicate with the dad for at least 150 years and it has attempted to discover empirical evidence in support of the claim” (p. 29).

3. The student is quoting from page 29 of an

article published in 2000 by Paul Kurtz.

b. Kurtz (2000) has observed that “science

has been investigating our ability to

communicate with the dad for at least 150

years and it has attempted to discover

empirical evidence in support of the claim”

(p. 29).

In APA style, when the author’s name is given

in a signal phrase, the name is followed by

the date in parentheses.

4. The student is summarizing information from a 2001 article by Gary E. R. Schwartz, Linda G. S. Russek, Lonnie A. Nelson, and Christopher Barnetsen. This is the first citation of the source in the paper.

a. Schwartz et al. (2001) insisted that the study had eliminated fraud and coincidence as possible explanations for the success of the mediums tested.

b. Schwartz, Russek, Nelson, and Barentsen (2001) insisted that the study had eliminated fraud and coincidence as possible explanations for the success of the mediums tested.

4. The student is summarizing information from a 2001 article by Gary E. R. Schwartz, Linda G. S. Russek, Lonnie A. Nelson, and Christopher Barnetsen. This is the first citation of the source in the paper.

b. Schwartz, Russek, Nelson, and Barentsen (2001) insisted that the study had eliminated fraud and coincidence as possible explanations for the success of the mediums tested. In APA style for a work with three to five authors,

the signal phrase includes all the authors’ last names the first time the source is cited. For subsequent citations of the source, “et al.” is used after the first author’s name.

5. The student is quoting from page 27 of an article by two authors, Wiseman and O’Keeffe, that was published in 2001.

a. According to Wiseman and O’Keeffe (2001). “The Schwartz et al. studies suffered from severe methodological problems, namely: (1) the potential for judging bias, (2) the use of an inappropriate control group, and (3) inadequate safeguards against sensory leakage” (p. 27).

b. According to Wiseman & O’Keeffe (2001). “The Schwartz et al. studies suffered from severe methodological problems, namely: (1) the potential for judging bias, (2) the use of an inappropriate control group, and (3) inadequate safeguards against sensory leakage” (p. 27).

5. The student is quoting from page 27 of an article by two authors, Wiseman and O’Keeffe, that was published in 2001.

a. According to Wiseman and O’Keeffe (2001). “The Schwartz et al. studies suffered from severe methodological problems, namely: (1) the potential for judging bias, (2) the use of an inappropriate control group, and (3) inadequate safeguards against sensory leakage” (p. 27).

In APA style, the word “and” joins two authors’ names in a signal phrase; the ampersand (&) is used in a parenthetical citation.

6. The student is quoting from page 52 of a 2001 article, “Talking to the Dead,” by Leon Jaroff. The list of references contains another article, “The Man Who Loves to Bust Quacks,” also written by Jaroff and also published in 2001.

a. Jaroff (2001b) claimed that the medium used “a sophisticated form of the game Twenty Questions, during which the subject, anxious to hear from the dead, seldom realizes that he, not the medium or the departed, is supplying the answers” (p. 52).

b. Jaroff (2001) claimed that the medium used “a sophisticated form of the game Twenty Questions, during which the subject, anxious to hear from the dead, seldom realizes that he, not the medium or the departed, is supplying the answers” (“Talking to the Dead,” p. 52).

6. The student is quoting from page 52 of a 2001 article, “Talking to the Dead,” by Leon Jaroff. The list of references contains another article, “The Man Who Loves to Bust Quacks,” also written by Jaroff and also published in 2001.

a. Jaroff (2001b) claimed that the medium used “a sophisticated form of the game Twenty Questions, during which the subject, anxious to hear from the dead, seldom realizes that he, not the medium or the departed, is supplying the answers” (p. 52).

In APA style, two or more works by the same author in the same year are listed alphabetically by the first word of the title (other than A, An, or The) in the list of references. A lowercase letter is added to the year, with “a” for the first and “b” for the second reference by the author in that year. The lowercase letter is also used with the year in the in-text citation.

7. The student is quoting from paragraph 1 of a 1998 online article by Travis Dacolias. The article has numbered paragraphs but no page numbers.

a. Dacolias (1998) noted, “Cold reading is a technique used by tarot card readers, psychics, palm readers, astrologers, and even con men to get people to believe that the cold reader knows all about them, even though they have never met” (para. 1).

b. Dacolias (1998) noted, “Cold reading is a technique used by tarot card readers, psychics, palm readers, astrologers, and even con men to get people to believe that the cold reader knows all about them, even though they have never met.”

7. The student is quoting from paragraph 1 of a 1998 online article by Travis Dacolias. The article has numbered paragraphs but no page numbers.

a. Dacolias (1998) noted, “Cold reading is a technique used by tarot card readers, psychics, palm readers, astrologers, and even con men to get people to believe that the cold reader knows all about them, even though they have never met” (para. 1).

In APA style, when an electronic source has numbered paragraphs but not page numbers, the parenthetical citation includes the abbreviation “para.” and the paragraph number.

7. The student is quoting from paragraph 1 of a 1998 online article by Travis Dacolias. The article has numbered paragraphs but no page numbers.

a. Dacolias (1998) noted, “Cold reading is a technique used by tarot card readers, psychics, palm readers, astrologers, and even con men to get people to believe that the cold reader knows all about them, even though they have never met” (para. 1).

In APA style, when an electronic source has numbered paragraphs but not page numbers, the parenthetical citation includes the abbreviation “para.” and the paragraph number.

8. The student is summarizing information from an undated online article by Ray Hyman. The article has no paragraph or page numbers.

a. Hyman pointed out that no medium has ever managed to demonstrate psychic abilities under controlled laboratory conditions, even though large cash prizes have been offered to anyone who succeeds.

b. Hyman (n.d.) pointed out that no medium has ever managed to demonstrate psychic abilities under controlled laboratory conditions, even though large cash prizes have been offered to anyone who succeeds.

8. The student is summarizing information

from an undated online article by Ray

Hyman. The article has no paragraph or

page numbers.

b. Hyman (n.d.) pointed out that no medium

has ever managed to demonstrate psychic

abilities under controlled laboratory

conditions, even though large cash prizes

have been offered to anyone who succeeds.

For a source without a date, the abbreviation

“n.d.” is used in the parenthetical citation.

9. The student is quoting from page 12 of a 2000 report by the National Science Board. No individual author is given. The entry in the list of references begins like this: National Science Board.

a. The National Science Board (2000) cautioned that believers in paranormal phenomena are dangerously distanced from reality: “Their beliefs may indicate an absence of critical thinking skills necessary not only for informed decision making in the voting booth and other civic venues (for example, jury duty), but also for making wise choices needed for everyday living” (p. 12).

b. The National Science Board cautioned that believers in paranormal phenomena are dangerously distanced from reality: “Their beliefs may indicate an absence of critical thinking skills necessary not only for informed decision making in the voting booth and other civic venues (for example, jury duty), but also for making wise choices needed for everyday living” (Anonymous, 2000, p. 12).

9. The student is quoting from page 12 of a 2000 report by the National Science Board. No individual author is given. The entry in the list of references begins like this: National Science Board.

a. The National Science Board (2000) cautioned that believers in paranormal phenomena are dangerously distanced from reality: “Their beliefs may indicate an absence of critical thinking skills necessary not only for informed decision making in the voting booth and other civic venues (for example, jury duty), but also for making wise choices needed for everyday living” (p. 12).

The National Science Board is listed as the author in the reference list, so it appears with the date in the signal phrase. “Anonymous” is not used in this case.

Unknown Author and Unknown Date: If no author or date is given, use the title in your attributive tag or the first word or two of the title in the parentheses and use the abbreviation "n.d." (for "no date").

In the rare case the "Anonymous" is used for the author, treat it as the author's name (Anonymous, 2001). In the reference list, use the name Anonymous as the author.

10. The student is summarizing information that begins on page 29 and continues on page 30 in a 2000 article by Paul Kurtz. The student provides a page reference for this summary because the article is long.

a. Kurtz (2000) argued that mediums claiming to communicate with the dead were aided at the end of the twentieth century by mass media exposure and a credulous American public (pp. 29-30).

b. Kurtz (2000) argued that mediums claiming to communicate with the dead were aided at the end of the twentieth century by mass media exposure and a credulous American public (pp. 29+).

10. The student is summarizing information that begins on page 29 and continues on page 30 in a 2000 article by Paul Kurtz. The student provides a page reference for this summary because the article is long.

a. Kurtz (2000) argued that mediums claiming to communicate with the dead were aided at the end of the twentieth century by mass media exposure and a credulous American public (pp. 29-30).

When information is taken from more than one consecutive page in the source, the range of pages is given.

The last page is titled “References” not

“Works Cited.” It is centered at the top of

the page. Do not bold, underline, or use

quotation marks.

Only the first word of a title is capitalized.

Also capitalize the first word after a dash or

colon.

Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes

around the titles of shorter works such as

journal articles or essays in edited

collections.

Italicize titles of longer works such as books and journals.

Books: author name, publication year, work title, publication city, and publisher

If you are citing an article from a database that is available in other places, such as a journal or magazine, include the homepage's URL. You may have to do a web search of the article's title, author, etc. to find the URL. For articles that are easily located, do not provide database information. If the article is difficult to locate, then you can provide database information

While the APA manual provides many

examples of how to cite common types of

sources, it does not provide rules on how to

cite all types of sources. Therefore, if you

have a source that APA does not include,

APA suggests that you find the example

that is most similar to your source and use

that format.

Your essay is 9 pages in length. Create a complete APA References page using sources listed on Weebly (same ones used for the MLA Works Cited page)

interview in person with Robert Akins, November 19, 2010

Website article by Dr. Joshua Smith entitled The Many Uses of Pencils. It was published March 22, 2010 and viewed August 3, 2012. The URL is www.articlesonline.smith/pencils.html

Pens vs. Pencils written by Henry Goldman and Elizabeth Howard. Published by Gold House in Philadelphia in 1989.

The Beauty of Mechanical Pencils by Alexander Morrow, published by Westing Forge in Denver, CO in 2011.

Short video called The Ink of Mystery, directed by Bernard Howard and

starring Kurt Sherman, distributed by Public Video in November 2009.

Encyclopedia of Style article, “Writing Utensils,” by John Gruber, published in

2008, 5th edition

Create reference pages in class