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Guide to APSA American Political Science Association
APSA style generally follows Chicago Manual of Style’s author-date citation
practice. It requires parenthetical references within the text of the paper and a list
of references at the end.
Table of Contents______________________________________________________________
Parenthetical Citations 2-3
Books 3-4
Electronic Sources 4-6
Interviews 7
Government Documents 7-8
Legal Proceedings, Statute, Hearings 8-9
Headings /Examples 10-15
_APSA Format Guidelines___________________________________________________
1. The reference list is located on a page by itself at the end of the paper. Type the word
“References” centered at the top of the page.
2. Use hanging indent form. First line of each reference is set flush left and subsequent lines
are indented. References are double spaced on all lines.
3. Arranged alphabetically, not by format of publication (book, journal, etc.).
4. The author should be first element. If no author is present, use the editor’s name. If no
editor is present, start with the book title or article title.
5. List author’s last name, followed by a comma then the author’s first and/or middle
name. Spell out authors’ names. Do not use initials unless they are used by the author.
6. Book and periodical titles should be in italics.
7. Chapter and article titles should be contained in quotation marks.
8. The date is always the second element in a citation.
9. Capitalize each word in the titles of articles, books, etc… This rule does not apply to
indefinite or definite articles (a, an, the).
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Parenthetical Citations: Citations are brief notes on sources that appear in the text as citations, providing immediate
source information without interrupting the flow of the sentence.
The Basic Form
Insert the name of the author(s) and the year of publication in parentheses following the quote or
idea. If using a direct quote, a page number might be needed. The parentheses come immediately
after the quotation and before the final period that closes the sentence; there is no comma
separating the author and the year from the pages. Please note that p and pp are not used.
Example
“…the transmogrifying of mayoral power” (Bailey 1987, 85).
Citing an Entire Article or Book
Omit the page numbers if you are referring to the entire article or book.
Example
In the presidential election of 2004, the Electoral College results varied little from those
of 2000, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on campaign ads in
battleground states (Azima 2005).
Author’s Name in Sentence
If you use the author's name in your sentence, place only the date in parentheses.
Example
Harper (2009) was strongly dissatisfied with the arrangement.
Citing Multiple Authors and Works
Multiple Authors
Two or Three Authors:
Include all of their names in each citation: Example (Kelly, Colter, and Lane 1980)
Four or More Authors:
Use only the first author’s name and “et al.” in all citations including the first. Example
(Brooks et al. 2004)
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Multiple Works Different Authors with Different Years Arrange the citations in alphabetical order-not chronological order, and separate items with
semi-colons. Example
(Confucius 1951; Gurdjieff 1950; Wanisaburo 1926)
Same Author in Same Year
Assign a lowercase letter to the year of publication (in alphabetical order by title), and use the
same letters in the reference list. Example
(Frankly 1957a, 1957b)
Citing Government Documents Government Document
Use the standard author-date format. If the name of the government agency that authored a
document is long, you may use a short form or acronym in subsequent references. Example
(U.S. International Trade Commission 1978, 12; hereafter USITC)
Court Case
Give the name of the case and the year.
Example
(Baker v. Carr 1962)
**Note that the name of the case, except for the "v.," is in italics or underlined. Statute
Give the name of the statute and the year.
Example
(Budget and Improvement Act 1987)
Reference List
Reference List Entry: Book Book (Single author):
Kessel, John H. 1968. The Goldwater Coalition: Republican Strategies in 1964. Indianapolis:
Bobbs-Merrill.
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Book (Two authors, later edition):
Sorauf, Frank J., and Paul Allen Beck. 1988. Party Politics in America. 6th ed. Glenview, IL:
Scott, Foresman.
Edited collection
Ball, Terence, James Farr, and Russell L. Hanson, eds. 1988. Political Innovation and
Conceptual Change. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Corporate author
American Political Science Association. 1993. Style Manual for Political Science. Rev ed.
Washington: American Political Science Association.
Reference List Entry: Articles Journal Article
Aldrich, John H. 1980. "A Dynamic Model of Presidential Nomination Campaigns." American
Political Science Review **74:651-69.
**The "74" is the volume number; what follows are the inclusive page numbers for the article.
Magazine Article
Prufer, Olaf. 1964. "The Hopewell Cult." Scientific American, December.
Chapter in a Multi-Author Collection
Hermann, Margaret G. 1984. "Personality and Foreign Policy Decision Making: A Study of
Fifty-Three Heads of Government." In Foreign Policy Decision Making, ed. Donald A.
Sylvan and Steve Chan. New York: Praeger.
Reference List Entry: Electronic Sources Citation of references from Internet sites is formatted to be as similar to normal article or book
references as possible, with the addition of their Internet addresses and the date of the last
access. The latter is used because these materials may not be permanently available. To avoid
citation of materials that are no longer available in this form, or incorrect internet addresses. Be
sure to print a copy or verify your links are working before submitting a paper.
*URLs that are too long for one line should be continued on the net line without using a hyphen.
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Electronic Book
Ashiral, Sretas. 2004. Aviation and the Far East. http://www.flight_eastist.org (January 3,
2005).
Journal Article (Library Database)
1 Author: Spencer Weart
2 Publication year: 2011
3 Title of article: Global Warming: How Skepticism Became Denial
4 Name of journal: Bulletin of Atomic Science
5 Exact publication date: January
6 URL: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=112&sid=2e1...
7 Date of Access: November 03, 2011
Document Example:
Reference Format:
Weart, Spencer. 2011. “Global Warming: How Skepticism Became Denial.”Bulletin of Atomi
c Science (January): 41-50 http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid
=112&sid=2e1.../ (November 03, 2011).
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Material from a World Wide Web (WWW) Site
Basic:
Squires, Lawrence. 2004. “A Virtual Tour of the White House, circa 1900.” National Landmarks
Then and Now.http://www.natlandmk.com/hist (August 21,2001).
Newspaper Article (Web Site)
1 Newspaper title: NewsOK.com
2 Publication year: 2011
3 Article title: Dozens Arrested in Occupy Appear in Court
4 Exact Publication date: November 03, 2011
5 URL: http://newsok.com/article/feed/313692
6 Date of access: November 05, 2011
Reference Format:
NewsOK. 2011. “Dozens Arrested in Occupy Appear in Court in NYC.” November 03, 2011.
http://newsok.com/article/feed/313692 (November 05, 2011).
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E- Mail Material
The revised 2005 edition of the APSA Style Manual suggests that e-mail, bulletin board, and
electronic discussion group message be cited as personal communication in the text and left out
of the reference list.
Reference List Entry: Interviews
Published Interviews
Untitled Interview in a Book
Jorgenson, Mary. 2004. Interview by Alan McAskill. In Hospice Pioneers. Ed. Alan McAskill,
62-86. Richmond: Dynasty Press.
Titled Interview in a Periodical
Simon, John. 2004. “Picking the Patrons Apart: An Interview with John Simon.” By Selena Fox.
Media Wee, March 14, 40-46.
Interview on Television
Snopes, Edward. 2004. Interview by Klint Gordon. Oklahoma Politicians. WKY Television, 4
June.
Unpublished Interview
According to the revised 2005 edition of the APSA Style Manual, unpublished interviews should
be identified within the text of a sentence rather than in a parenthetical citation and left out
of the reference list. * Some instructors require a reference listing for personal interviews.
Please check professor guidelines.
Reference List Entry : Government Document
Congressional reports and documents
U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on Foreign Relations. 1956. The Mutual Security Act. 84th
Cong., 2d sess., S. Rept. 2273.
Congressional debate
Congressional Record. 1966. 89th Cong., 2d sess.,vol. 112, pt. 16.
Presidential proclamations and executive orders
Reagan, Ronald. 1984. Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, Proclamation 5142. Federal
Register, vol. 49, no. 2,** p. 341.
**The p. is used here to distinguish the page number from the volume and issue numbers.
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Executive department document
U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. 1975. Statistical Abstract of the United
States. Washington: Department of Commerce.
Treaties
U.S. Department of State. 1963. Nuclear Weapons Test Ban, 5 August. **TIAS no. 5433. U.S.
Treaties and Other International Agreements, vol. 14, pt. 3.
**"TIAS" indicates the treaty series.
Reference List Entry: Legal Proceeding, Statute, or Hearing
Legal Reference
Baker v. Carr. 1962.369 U.S. 186.
Statutes:
Provide the name of the statute, source (U.S. Code or Statutes at Large), volume, section a, and
(if relevant) page.
Example:
Administrative Procedure Act. 1946. Statutes at Large. Vol. 62, sec. 10 p 243.
Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders
Provide the Presidents name, year, title or description, Federal Register, volume, number and
page.
Example:
Reagan, Ronald. 1984. Caribbean Basin Recovery Act, Proclamation 5142. Federal Register,
vol.49, no.2, p. 341.
Executive Department Documents
Provide corporate author, year, title, city, and publisher. If author and publisher are the same,
repeat the name or use and acronym
Example:
U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. 1975. Statistical Abstract of the United
States. Washington, D.C.: Department of Commerce.
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Senate Committee Hearing
Hearings
1 Government: United States 7 Number of Congress: 111th Congress
2&3 Legislature and House: Congress, Senate 8 Session of Congress: 2nd Session
4 Committee: Select Committee on Ethics 9 Exact date of hearing: January 31, 2011
5 Year: 2011 10 URL: http://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/
6. Hearing: Annual Report of Select 11 Access Date: November 05, 2011
Committee on Ethics
Document Example:
Reference Format:
U.S. Congress. Senate. Select Committee on Ethics. 2011. Annual Report of Select Committee on
Ethics. 111th Congress, 2nd sess. 31 January. http://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/
(November 05, 2011).
* House of Representative Committee Hearings are referenced the same, simply replace
“Senate” with “House of Representatives.”
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Examples of APSA Headings
**Check with your instructor for heading requirements.
The examples below illustrate three levels of APSA headings you can use in your papers.
Example:
Primary headings
Primary headings are:
centered
uppercase and lowercase
The diagram below illustrates primary headings.
Example:
Secondary headings
Secondary headings are:
flush left
uppercase and lowercase
followed by text on next line
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The diagram below illustrates secondary headings.
Example:
Tertiary headings
Tertiary headings are:
flush left
underlined
sentence case (only 1st letter capitalized)
followed by a period, and then immediately by text
The diagram below illustrates tertiary headings.
If you are following the style Manual for Political Science, (1993) published by the American Political Science
Association (APSA), use parenthetical citations within your text to indicate the source of borrowed ideas and
quotations. At the end of your paper you should provide a list of all of the references cited in your paper.
The sample citations and references on these pages are drawn from the Style Manual for Political Science, revised
edition, 1993, and from The Chicago Manual of style, 14th edition (1993).
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Violating Ethics: The Tuskegee Experiment
Anae Student
American Federal Government 1113
December 07, 2011
Dr. Knows Heaps
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References
Administrative Procedure Act. 1946. Statutes at Large. Vol. 62, sec. 10 p 243.
Ashiral, Sretas. 2004. Aviation and the Far East. http://www.flight_eastist.org (January 3,
2005).
Congressional Record. 1966. 89th Cong., 2d sess., vol. 112, pt. 16.
“Institutional Review Board Guidebook.” (n.d.). Hhs.gov. http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/irb/
irb_introduction.htm (August 27, 2011).
NewsOK.com. 2011. “Dozens Arrested in Occupy Appear in Court in NYC.” November
03, 2011. http://newsok.com/article/feed/313692 (November 05, 2011).
Reagan, Ronald. 1984. Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, Proclamation 5142. Federal
Register, vol. 49, no. 2, p. 341.
Squires, Lawrence. 2004. “A Virtual Tour of the White House, circa 1900.” National Landmarks
Then and Now. http://www.natlandmk.com/hist (August 21, 2001).
Weart, Spencer. 2011. “Global Warming: How Skepticism Became Denial.”Bulletin of Atomi
c Science (January): 41-50 http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid
=112&sid=2e1.../ (November 03, 2011).
U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on Foreign Relations. 1956. The Mutual Security Act. 84th
Cong., 2d sess., S. Rept. 2273.
U.S. Congress. Senate. Select Committee on Ethics. 2011. Annual Report of Select Committee on
Ethics. 111th Congress, 2nd sess. 31 January. http://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/
(November 05, 2011).
U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. 1975. Statistical Abstract of the United
States. Washington, D.C.: Department of Commerce.
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Walker, C.A. 2009. “Lest we forget: the Tuskegee Experiment.” Journal of Theory
Construction & Testing, 13 (1), 5-6. http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url+http://search
(November 05, 2011).