Citing Print Sources in APA Style

The APA (American Psychological Association) style of documentation includes 3 kinds of entries:

    • A short parenthetical reference in the text;
    • A section entitled "References" at the end of the paper describing full publication information about
      the sources; and
    • A superscript in the text to indicate that a comment about that point is in the text in a
      corresponding "Footnotes" section at the end of the paper.

For additional examples and detailed descriptions of the APA style, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association available in the Reference collection: REF BF 76.7 .P83 2001.

REFERENCES IN THE TEXT

A short reference in parentheses is used to document quotations or ideas. Include the author, year, and page number.

• Reference to a direct quotation from one work by a single author

A recent study of student success confirms that "students who read succeed" (Smith, 1983, p. 51).

Smith (1983) found that "students who read succeed" (p. 51).

• Reference to an idea (indirect quotation) from one work by a single author

Smith (1983) compared student success with time spent in the library (p. 51).

• Reference to a work by two or more authors

Scholars have found that students who read mystery novels develop strong problem-solving skills (Smith
& Jones, 1983, p. 99)

• Reference to an anonymous work

College grads spend more time in leisure reading than those with high school degrees (Winning the semester sprint, 2002, p. 19).

REFERENCES

The "References" list at the end of a paper provides the information necessary to identify each source.

    • List works in alphabetical order by the authors' last names.
    • Begin each entry at the left margin and continue the entry on an indented line (hanging indent).
    • Italicize the titles of books and periodicals.
    • Double-space the entire list unless otherwise instructed.

I. BOOKS

    • Book with one author (If the author is an editor, use ed. after his or her name.)

      Author's last name, first and middle initials. (copyright date). Title. Place of publication: Publisher.

      Smith, H. (1987). The community college student. New York: Atheneum.

    • Book with two authors (If the authors are editors, use eds. after their names.)

      Smith, H., & Jones, E. (2002). A study guide for New York State civil service examinations.

          (5th ed.). New York: ARCO.

    • Book with three to six authors

      Smith, H., Jones, E., & Farnsworth, A. G. (1976). The preservation of southern antiquities after the

          Civil War. New York: Harper & Row.

• Book with more than six authors

Ho, J., Wu, R., Cho, T., Li, N., Han, Y., Tzu, S., et al. (2006). Law. Detroit: Gale.

    • Article in a reference book

      Prouse, M. R. (2000). Plantagenets. In The Cambridge encyclopedia (pp. 743-747). New York:

          Cambridge University Press.

      Quebec City. (1988). In The Canadian encyclopedia (Vol. 3, pp. 501-508). Edmonton: Hurtig.

II. ARTICLES

    • Article in a magazine

      Author's last name, first initials. Title of article. Name of Periodical, volume number, page number(s).

      McGrath, E. (1983, June). Higher education for lower cost. Money, 245, 150, 164-165, 174.

    • Article in a newspaper

      Author's last name, first initials. Title of article. Name of Periodical, section and page number(s).

      Jacques, M. (1996, December 30). Buying a computer. The New York Times, pp. D1, D3-D4.

• Article in a scholarly journal with continuous pagination throughout volume

Reichert, J. & Hallahan, S. (1981). Academic libraries and student success. ELH, 48, 83-109.

• Article in a scholarly journal that pages each issue separately (include issue number)

Barum, R. M. (1986). Alcoholism and family abuse. Mosaic, 19 (3), 91-105.

III. MEDIA

    • Videorecording or motion picture

      Producer & Director. (Date). Title [format]. Country of origin: Studio.

      Bernam, R. (Producer), & Carson, D. (Director). (1995). Star trek generations [Videorecording].

          United States: Paramount.

    • Sound recording:

      Author's last name, first initials. (Copyright date). Title of song [Recorded by Artist last name, first initial

          if different from author]. On Title of album [medium]. Location: Label (recording date if different from

          copyright date).

      Goodenough, J.B. (1982). Tails and trotters [Recorded by G. Bok, A. May, & E. Trickett]. On And so

          will we yet [CD]. Sharon, CT: Folk-Legacy Records. (1990)

FOOTNOTES

Occasionally, information that is peripheral may be included in a section of content footnotes. Footnotes are indicated in the text with a superscript, and arranged by number on a separate page, entitled "Footnotes" at the end of the paper.

[Sample Paper]

Studies have shown a correlation between reading and education. College graduates¹ spend more time reading than those with only a high school diploma. Other studies have focused on gender differences in reading habits. One study² conducted by the Carnegie Mellon Foundation in 2001 found that, on average, women spend two to three hours . . .

Footnotes

¹ Although this study examined four-year college graduates, community college graduates follow similar patterns of reading behavior.

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