For further explanation of APA practices associated with writing research papers and citing sources, consult the
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) and the
APA style guide to electronic references.
Tips for Using this Style Guide
- Start the reference list on a new page. Type word References (Reference, if there is only one), centered, at the top of the page. The reference list is double-spaced both between and within entries; entries have a hanging indent.
- For each reference, the first line is typed flush with the left margin, and any additional lines are indented as a group a few spaces to the right of the left margin. This is called a hanging indent.
- Entries in a reference list should appear in alphabetical order by the author's last name, or by the first significant word in the title, if there is no author. Words such as "The", "An" or "A" at the beginning of the title should be ignored, but not omitted, when alphabetizing the reference list.
In-Text Citations - Show how to cite your sources in the body of your paper.
Book, Basic Format
Capitalize the first word in the title, the first word in the subtitle and all proper nouns.
(Publication manual, 2001, p. 248
)
Author, A. A. (publication year).
Title of book:
Subtitle of book. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Book, One Author
Beaman, L.G. (2008).
Defining harm: Religious freedom and the limits
of the law. Vancouver, BC: UBC Press.
Book, Organization as Author
American Psychiatric Association. (2000).
Diagnostic and statistical manual
of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author.
Book, Two to Six Authors
Include the surnames of all the authors the first time the work is cited. In subsequent citations, use only the first author's surname followed by et al. (no italics, followed by a period). In the reference list, use the first initials and surnames of all the authors.
(Publication manual, 2001, p. 208
)
Adovasio, J. M., Soffer, O., & Page, J. (2007).
The invisible sex: Uncovering
the roles of women in prehistory. New York: Smithsonian Books.
Book, No Author
When there is no named author, cite the first few words of the title for the in-text citation. For periodicals, books, brochures or reports, italicize the title e.g. Short Stories. (
Publication manual, 2001, p. 210-211)
Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993).
Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
Book, One Editor
Newby, G. (Ed.). (2002).
Concise encyclopedia of Islam. Oxford, England:
Oneworld.
Book, Two or More Editors
Hunt, R. R., & Ellis, H. C. (Eds.). (1999).
Fundamentals of cognitive psychology.
Toronto, ON: McGraw-Hill College.
Book, Published in a Second or Subsequent Edition
Kirszner, L. & Mandell, S. (2000).
The pocket Holt handbook (5th ed.).
Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
Book, Section (i.e. Chapter, Essay, Story) Basic Format
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year of publication). Title of chapter. In A. Editor,
B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). Place of publication: Publisher.
Book, Section (i.e. Chapter, Essay, Story)
Gurman, A. S. (1981). Family therapy. In M. N. Blum (Ed.),
Handbook of
family therapy (pp. 742-775). New York: Springer.
Book, Section: Article or Chapter in an Edited Book, Reprinted from Another Source
Piaget, J. (1988). Extracts from Piaget's theory (G. Gellerier & J. Langer, Trans.).
In K. Richardson and S. Sheldon (Eds.), Cognitive development to adolescence: A reader (pp. 3-18). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. (Reprinted from Manual of child psychology, pp. 703-732, by P. H. Mussen, Ed., 1970, New York: Wiley).
Secondary Source (One Source Quoted in Another)
To cite a work discussed in a secondary source, give the secondary source in the reference list. In the text, name the original work and give a citation for the secondary source. (
Publication manual, 2001, p. 247)
If Johnson's unpublished manuscript is cited in Beatty, cite Beatty in the reference list Beatty, J. (1982). Task-evoked pupillary responses.
Psychological Bulletin,
9, 276- 292.
In the text, use the following citation:
Johnson's study (as cited in Beatty, 1982).....
Book, Book in Translation
In text, cite the original publication date and the date of translation: eg. Buci-Gluckmann, 1975/1980. (
Publication manual, 2001, p. 251).
Buci-Gluckmann, C. (1980).
Gramsci and the state (D. Fernbach, Trans.).
Lawrence and Wishart. (Original work published 1975)
Encyclopedia, Articles
Bergmann, P. G. (1993). Relativity. In
The new encyclopaedia Britannica
(Vol. 26, pp. 501-508). Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Encyclopedia, Articles - No Author
For the in-text citation, when the entry does not show the author, start the citation with the title in quotation marks (
Publication manual, 2001, p. 210-211).
Chinook. (2004). In K. Barber (Ed.),
Canadian Oxford dictionary (p. 250).
Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
Journal, Article (print) Basic Format
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Publication year). Title of article.
Title of Journal, volume(issue), page numbers.
Journal, Article (print)
Klimoski, R., & Palmer, S. (1993). The ADA and the hiring process in
organizations. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 45(2), 10-36.
Journal, Article (print) Six or More Authors
After the sixth author's name and initial, use et al. In the text, use the first author's name followed by et al. each time, including the first time, the work is cited eg Wolchik et al., 2000 (
Publication manual, 2001, p. 209)
Wolchik, S. A., West, S. G., Sandler, I. N., Tein, J., Coatsworth, D., Leguna, L.,
et al. (2000). An experimental evaluation of theory-based mother and mother-child programs for children of divorce. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 843-856.
Magazine (print)
Give the date shown on the publication (the month for monthly publications, and the month and day for weekly publications). Also, give the volume number, if there is one.
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.
Newspaper, Article (print)
Pablo, C. (2007, December 13-20). Gangland recruits.
The Georgia Straight,
pp. 45, 47.
Newspaper, Article - No Author (print)
Newspaper articles often do not have authors. If this is the case, alphabetize by the title of the article. For the in-text citation, use a shortened title, usually the first few words, enclosed in quotation marks. The comma is placed inside the quotes (
Publication manual, 2001, p. 211).
Precede page numbers for newspaper articles with p. or pp. (for multiple pages).
New drug appears to sharply cut risk of death from heart failure.
(1993, July 15). The National Post, p. A12.
Government Documents, Basic Format
Corporate Author. (Year of Publication).
Title of document: Subtitle of document.
(Document number if provided). Edition. Place of Publication: Department.
Government Documents (print)
Statistics Canada. Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division. (2006).
Women in Canada, 2005: A gender-based statistical report. Ottawa: Author.
Government Documents, Legislative (print)
Immigration Act. In
Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985. 5, (I-2). Ottawa:
Queen's Printer.
Government Documents, Department (print)
Coote, D. R. and Gregorich, L. R. (2000).
The health of our water:
Toward sustainable agriculture in Canada. Ottawa: Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Government Documents, Agency (print)
Canada. National Council of Welfare. (2007).
Solving poverty: Four
cornerstones of a workable national strategy for Canada, 126. Ottawa: Author.
- Publishers have started to assign a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to journal articles and other types of documents. A DOI is a unique alpha-numeric code given to individual online works.
- At the moment, not all publishers provide DOIs. Some library databases such as PsycINFO provide a DOI for each article. When a DOI is provided, you should provide it at the end of your APA reference. Items with a DOI no longer need the database name in the citation.
- Some databases do not provide DOIs. If the article you are citing does not include a DOI, you would include the database name. There is no need to include the database URL or the retrieval date for articles from library databases.
Journal, Article with doi (online), Basic Format
When it is available, do not include the retrieval date, the URL or the database where you retrieved the article as the doi gives the final version of the article. (
APA style guide, 2007, p. 7)
Author, A. A. (Publication year). Title of article.
Title of Journal,
volume(issue), page numbers. doi: digital object identifier
Journal, Article with doi (online)
The article in this example is available in the Academic Search Complete database. Because the DOI is provided, the database is not listed in the citation.
Borooah, V. K. (2006). What makes people happy? Some evidence from
Northern Ireland. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7(4), 427-465. doi: 10.1007/s10902-006-9008-3
Journal, Article without doi (online), Basic Format
If there is no doi assigned, give the exact URL (if the content is freely available on the Internet). If there is no doi assigned, and the content is only available via subscription database, indicate the database from which it is retrieved.
Author, A. A. (Publication year). Title of article.
Title of
Journal, volume(issue), page numbers. Retrieved from URL
Journal, Article without doi (article is available in a library database)
Holland, K. M. (2007). A history of Chinese immigration in the United States
and Canada. The American Review of Canadian Studies, 37(2), 150-160. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.
Journal, Article without doi (article is freely available on the Internet)
Sillick, T. J. & Schutte, N. S. (2006). Emotional intelligence and self-esteem
mediate between perceived early parental love and adult happiness. E-Journal of Applied Psychology, 2(2), 38-48. Retrieved from http://ojs.lib.swin.edu.au/index.php/ejap/article/view/71/100
Journal, Article (online) in Canadian Newsstand
Saunders, D. (2007, December 13). U.K. sees role for Taliban in Afghanistan.
The Globe and Mail, p. A21. Retrieved from Canadian Newsstand database.
Journal, Book Review
Padian, K. (1999). An enlightened buffon. [Review of the book
Buffon: A life
in natural history]. Bioscience, 49(1), 72-75. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.
Journal, Abstract in Article Index
Use this form of reference if only the abstract and not the entire article is used as the source. Use "Abstract retrieved from" instead of "Retrieved" (
APA style guide, 2007, p 13).
Briggs, M., & Dean, K. L. (1998). A qualitative analysis of the nursing
documentation of post-operative pain management. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 7, 155-163. Abstract retrieved from CINAHL database.
ERIC Documents
Jarrett, D. (1999).
The inclusive classroom: Mathematics and science
instruction for students with learning disabilities. It's just good teaching. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Lab, Mathematics and Science Education Center. (ERIC Document No. ED433647). Retrieved from ERIC database.
Website, Basic Format
Author, A. A. (date of publication).
Document Title. Retrieved from URL
At a minimum, a reference of an Internet source should provide a document title or description, the date of publication or update (when available), the date of retrieval, and the URL that leads to the entry page for the document. Wherever possible, identify the author(s) of the document. Sometimes you have to hunt around to find the information (try going up a page of the URL).
Only include the retrieval date in the following cases: if the content is likely to be changed or updated, if there is no fixed publication date, edition, or preprint articles. (
APA style guide, 2007, p. 2).
Do not put a period after the URL.
Online documents often do not include page numbers. Use headings and numbered paragraphs as location references. Omit location reference altogether, if it is unwieldy or confusing to track the location (
Publication manual, 2001, p. 120-121).
In text, if the author is an organization with a long name and a familiar abbreviation, you can use the abbreviation for the second and subsequent in text citations.
Website, Created by an Organization or Individual(s)
Reddick, A. & Boucher, C. (2002).
Tracking the dual digital divide.
Retrieved July 26, 2007, from http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/hip/lld/olt/ Skills_Development/OLTResarch/tracking_dual_digital_divide.shtml
Website, No Date
Canadian Council on Social Development. (n.d.).
A profile of health in Canada:
The health of Canadians. Retrieved July 28, 2008, from http://www.ccsd.ca/factsheets/health/index.htm
Website, Multi-Page Web Document of a Single Organization
Human Early Learning Partnership. (2008).
The CHILD project. Retrieved
March 29, 2008, from http://www.earlylearning.ubc.ca/CHILD/
Website, Section
Japanese Canadian National Museum. (2008).
Japanese Canadian
timeline. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from http://www.jcnm.ca/resources/timeline
Website, Document
City of New Westminster. Department of Planning. (2000).
Official
community plan update, May 2000. Retrieved from http://www.newwestcity.ca/cityhall/dev_services/
publications/04OCP/pdf/ocp update% 20may 2000.pdf
Website, Document on University Site
Identify the host organization and the relevant department before giving the URL for the document itself. Precede the URL with a colon (Publication manual, 2001, p. 274).
Gillen, D. (2007).
The Regulation of Airports. Retrieved from
University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business Centre for Transportation Studies Website: http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/
AM/Template.cfm?Section= Centre_for_Transportation_Studies&
Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm &ContentID=14784
Online Encyclopedia or Dictionary
Give the home or menu page URL for reference works, such as online dictionaries or encyclopedias (APA style guide, 2007, p. 15)
Reiki. (1985). In
Merriam-Webster's online dictionary. Retrieved
November 15, 2008, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict.htm
Wikipedia, Articles
Include the retrieval date as the entry may change (APA style guide, 2007, p. 15).
Parliament of Canada. (2008, July 25). In
Wikipedia: The free
encyclopedia. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Parliament_of_Canada
Website, Weblog/Blogs Entries
Blogs can be treated like webpages when citing. If the author is unknown, use the blog name.
Rush, Wilhelmina. (2008, April 23).
A god-like point of view.
Message posted to http://wilhelminarush.livejournal.com
Films, YouTube
Baker, N. (2007, February 7).
March of the librarians [Video file].
Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td92210NoDQ
Audio Podcast
Van Nuys, D. (Producer). (2006, October 13). Understanding autism
[Show 54]. Shrink rap radio. Podcast retrieved from http://shrinkrapradio.com/
Government Documents (online)
Canada. Library of Parliament. Parliamentary Information and Research
Service. (2000). Aboriginal title: The Supreme Court of Canada decision in Delgamuukw v. British Columbia. (BP-459E). Ottawa: Author. Retrieved from http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/ PRBpubs/bp459-e.htm
Government Documents, Municipal (online)
City of Vancouver. (2003).
Graffiti management program. Retrieved from
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engsvcs/streets/grafitti/
Government Documents, Parliamentary Debates (online)
Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. (2007).
Debates, 39th Parliament,
2nd Session, 142, (037-A). Retrieved from http://www2.parl.gc.ca/ HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode= 1&Parl=39&Pub=hansard&Ses=2&DocID=3216334&File=0
Government Documents, Parliamentary Documents (online)
Marleau, R. & Monpetit, C. (Eds.). (2000).
House of Commons procedure
and practice. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from Parliament of Canada Web Site: http://www.parl.gc.ca/MarleauMonpetit/Document Viewer.aspx?Docid=1001&Sec=Ch0017Seq=1&Lang=E
Government Documents, Legislative (online)
Bill C-14: An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (adoption). (2006).
1st reading May 15, 2006, 39th Parliament, 1st Session, 2006-2007. Ottawa: Public Works and Government Services Canada. Retrieved from http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/
Publication.aspx?DocId= 2334073&Language=e&Mode=1
Government Documents, Department (online)
Webb, C. L. (2001)
Environmental stewardship in the Municipal Act:
a synopsis of local governments' powers: prepared for Fraser River Action Plan, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Vancouver, B.C.: Habitat and Enhancement Branch, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region. Retrieved from http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/222958.pdf
Government Documents, Agency (online)
British Columbia. British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. (2005).
British Columbia pandemic influenza preparedness plan: Guidelines for planning, response and recovery. Victoria: Author. Retrieved from http://www.pep.bc.ca/hazard_plans/
BC_PI_Plan_Fina1_PAB_REVISED-AUG.pdf
Government Documents, CANSIM (online)
Statistics Canada. (2004).
Table 105-2004: Level of household food
insecurity, by age group and sex, household population, Canadian Community Health Survey cycle 2.2, Canada and provinces, occasional. CANSIM. Retrieved from E-Stat.
Government Documents, The Daily (online)
Statistics Canada. (2008, May 13). Canada's immigrant labour market,
2007. The Daily. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.ca/ Daily/English/080513/d080513a.htm
Films, Basic Format
Producer, A.A. (Producer) and Director, B. B (Director). (original year of release).
Title of film: subtitle of film [Motion picture]. Country of Origin: Movie Studio.
Films
In the author position, use the name of the film's producer and/or director, and the year of its release.
Bender, C., Cronenberg, D., Spink, J.C. (Producers), & Cronenberg, D. (Director).
(2005). A history of violence [Motion picture]. United States: New Line Productions.
Films, in Limited Distribution
When a video is of limited circulation, provide the distributor's name and complete address in parentheses at the end of the reference. (Publication manual, 2001, p. 266)
Harrison, J. (Producer), & Schmiechen, R. (Director). (1992).
Changing
our minds: The story of Evelyn Hooker [Motion picture]. (Available from Changing Our Minds Inc., 170 West End Avenue, Suite 25R, New York, NY 10023).
Music, Basic Format
Composer, A. A. (Date of Copyright). Title of song [Recorded by artist if different
from composer]. On Title of album [Medium of recording: CD; cassette, podcast, etc]. Location: Recording Label. (Recording date if different from copyright date).
Music
Mitchell, J. (1974). Jericho. On
Miles of Aisles [CD]. New York: Asylum.
Music, Rerecording by Artist Other Than Composer
Mitchell, J. (1974). Jericho [Recorded by K.D. Lang]. On
Hymns from the 49th
Parallel [CD]. Toronto: Nonesuch. (2004).
PowerPoint Presentation
Roberts, J. (2007, March 17).
Cultural traditions of Ukrainian Canadians.
PowerPoint presentation at a HIST 2209 lecture at Douglas College, New Westminster, BC.
PowerPoint Presentation (Online)
Hertzman, C. (2008).
Aboriginal ECD in BC [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved
March 29, 2008, from http://www.earlylearning.ubc.ca/ presentations_general.htm#clyde
Course Packs, Basic Format
Treat the items in your course pack like articles or chapters in an edited book that are reprinted from another source. Use the name of the instructor as the editor. If the instructor's name is not given, use the department as editor. Use the bookstore as the publisher and the date the course pack was issued as the date of publication. If there is no date of issue, use the current semester and year for the date of publication.
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year of publication). Title of document.
In A. Instructor, (Ed.), Course Number Course Title (pp. xxx-xxx). Campus, BC: Douglas College Bookstore. (Reprinted from Title of journal, volume(issue), page numbers).
Course Pack
Collins, D. (2006). Legally speaking: Risk management in obstetrics and
gynecology. In S. Kaye (Ed.), NURS 3130: Professional Growth, Nursing Ethics Course Pack (pp. 5-8). New Westminster, BC: Douglas College Bookstore. (Reprinted from Contemporary OB/GYN, 51(11), 38-42).
Personal Communications and Unpublished Material
Personal interviews, email messages, letters, memos, telephone conversations etc. do not provide recoverable data and are not included in the reference list. Cite personal communications in text only, including as exact a date as possible.
B. Mah (personal communication, April 24, 2008) stated that...
Brochures/Pamphlets
Research and Training Center on Independent Living. (1993).
Guidelines for
reporting and writing about people with disabilities (4th ed. ) [Brochure]. Lawrence, KS: Author.
Advertisements
Adrenaline: A fragrance for men from Adidas [Advertisement]. (2004,
November 8). Sports Illustrated, 101(18). 2.
Document your work throughout the text by citing the sources used in your research by author and date. This identifies the source for the readers and enables them to locate the source of information in the alphabetical reference list at the end of the paper.
Throughout the text, you must always include a proper parenthetical reference (author and the year) unless it is within the same paragraph. Within a paragraph, you do not need to include the year in subsequent references to a study. However, you would need to include the year if the study could be confused with another study cited in the same paragraph.
e.g.
In 2000, Smith compared reaction times ... OR
Smith (2000) compared reaction times ... OR
In a recent study of reaction times (Smith, 2000) ...
Where there are
TWO AUTHORS, cite both names each time the reference occurs in text.
e.g.
The most recent study (Smith & Jones, 1983) ...
When there are
THREE TO FIVE AUTHORS, cite all the names the first time. From then on, use only the first name followed by et al. (Latin abbreviation for "and others").
e.g.
First citation: Sokolowski, Smith, Jones and Hajid (1983) discovered that ...
Later citations: Sokolowski et al. (1983) also discovered that ...
When there are
SIX OR MORE AUTHORS, cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the year for all citations in text.
e.g.
First citation: Hewitt et al. (2001) demonstrated that ...
Later citations: ... as has been shown by Hewitt et al. (2001).
Write out in full the whole name of a
GROUP THAT SERVES AS AUTHOR every time, unless the abbreviation is well known.
e.g.
First citation: The police report (Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 1979) ...
Later citations: The RCMP report (1979) ...
Where there is
NO AUTHOR, cite the first few words of the title and the date. Put quotation marks around an article title, but italicize the title of a periodical or book. Words in the title are capitalized in reference citations, but not in the reference list.
e.g.
A Time magazine article ("Brain Breakthrough," 1988) said that ...
It states in the Vancouver Social Services Directory (1988) ...
When there are
TWO OR MORE AUTHORS WITH THE SAME SURNAME, include initials to avoid confusion.
e.g.
Both G.A. Jones (1984) and B.W. Jones (1986) have studied ...
When the
DATE IS UNKNOWN, use the abbreviation `n.d.¿ ¿ for `no date¿.
e.g.
Bengston (n.d.) shows that ¿.
Quotations
Incorporate a short quotation (fewer than 40 words) into the text of your essay and enclose the quotation in double quotation marks.
Miele (1993) found that "the placebo effect, which had been verified in previous studies, disappeared when only the first group's behaviors were studied in this manner" (p. 225).
Display a quotation of 40 or more words in a freestanding block of typewritten lines and omit the quotation marks.
Miele (1993) found the following:
The placebo effect, which had been verified in previous studies, disappeared when behaviors were studied in this manner. Furthermore, the behaviors were never exhibited again, even when real drugs were administered. Earlier studies were clearly premature in attributing the results to a placebo effect (p.255).
If page numbers are not clearly marked (as in online periodical articles), omit the page location reference.
