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APA Citation Style

An overview of the APA style—with citation help and examples, formatting guidelines, and additional resources for more help.

What is a References Page?

References is a list at the end of your paper that lists all of the resources you quoted from in your paper. 

References will be a separate page from your paper and have your resources listed alphabetically by author (or title as needed) then by date (as needed). Consult the guide for specific resources or ask your professor.

How you create, order, and format a citation depends on the type of resource you used, how you accessed it, and what publication information the source provides. 

What is a Citation?

A citation gives credit to the source where you found the information you use to support your argument or analysis. That way, people can check the information you used to double-check your resources or to use for their own research.

Citations are composed of these parts of a resource: Author, Title, Publication Information, and Date. The elements of a citation can vary from format to format and how the resource was accessed.

In your paper, you will add a brief citation that will lead to a page of the resources you used at the end of your paper where the full citation goes into more detail. That way, your paper flows and can be easily verified.

Nowadays, most library databases have a "cite" function that will generate a full citation in the style you need. You can use that as a starting point and re-format or correct it as you need. 

Other resources don't generate a citation, but they have the information for you to create one, you simply need to look through the resource. 

DOIs and Links

These are locators for online resources. Resources on the internet can be available in more than one place or aren't always available. DOIs are the best way to track down a resource that is online. URLs and permalinks (aka stable links) can be clicked on when hyperlinked to try to take you to a specific locationbut you might not be able to access the resource. 

When a DOI is available, please include it even if you used a print version of the source. Many academic resources include one now and many older resources have been given one. 

When there isn't a DOI for an online resource, there are few options. Depending on the resource and it's location,  you can:

  • use the URL provided in the address bar
  • use the name of the database
  • or, don't add anything

There are additional rules and suggestions when using a DOI or URL. Consult the guide book or ask your professor for preferences on shortened links or access dates. 

References Citation Format

Whole Book

Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year). Title of Work. Publisher. DOI

Or

Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year). Title of Work. Publisher

Whole Book with 2 Authors

1st Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial & 2nd Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year).  Title of Work. Publisher.

Whole Book with 3 or More Authors

1st Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial, 2nd Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial, & 3rd Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year). Title of Work. Publisher.

Whole Book with Editor

Editor’s Last Name, First Initial. (Ed.). (Year). Title of Work. Publisher. DOI

E-Book

Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year). Title of Work. Publisher, DOI

Audiobook

Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. Title of Work (Narrator’s First Name Initial Last Name, Narr.)[Audiobook]. Publisher, URL.

Section of a Book

Section Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year). Title of Section. In Editor’s First Name Initial Last Name (Ed.), Title of Work (Page Range). Publisher. DOI

Journal

Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume #(Issue #), Page Range. DOI

Magazine

Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year, Month). Title of article. Title of Magazine, Volume # (Issue #), Page Range. URL

Or

Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year). Title of article. Title of Magazine. DOI

Newspaper

Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year, Month Day). Title of Article. Title of Newspaper, Page.

Or

Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year, Month Day). Title of Article. Title of Newspaper, URL

Web Page

Author’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year). Title of Page. Title of Site. URL

Organization. (Year, Month). Title of page. Title of Site. URL

Or

Author’s Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of Page. Title of Site. Retrieved Date, from URL

Social Media

User’s Last Name, First Name Initial [@handle]. (Year, Month Day). Title of Post [Type of post]. Social Media Platform. URL

Or

User’s Last Name, First Name Initial [@handle]. (n.d.). First twenty words of post [Description of post] [Type of post]. Social Media Platform. Retrieved Month Day, Year, URL

Or

Organization. (n.d.). Content of post [Type of post]. Social Media Platform. Retrieved Date, from URL

Movie

Director’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Director). (Year). Title of Movie [Description]. Studio. URL

TV Show

Executive Producer’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Executive Producer). (Years of Shows Run). Title of TV Show [TV Series]. Studio; Channel.

TV Show Episode

Writer’s Last Name, First Name Initial (Writer), & Director’s Last Name, First Name Initial (Director). (Date Aired). Title of episode (Season #, Episode #) [TV Series Episode]. Title of TV Show. Studio; Channel.

Music Album

Artist’s Name (Year). Title of Music Album [Album]. Label.

Song

Artist’s Last Name, First Name Initial (Year). Title of Song [Song]. On Music Album. Label.

Artwork

Artist’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year Range). Title of artwork [Description or Medium]. Museum, City, Country.

Or

Artist’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year). [Description of art with medium]. Museum, City, State. URL

Photo

Photographer’s Last Name, First Name Initial. (Year). Title of photograph [Photograph]. Publisher. URL