APA Style

In-Text Citations

APA style is sometimes called the "author/date" method. When you refer to a source in your paper, mention its author, the date of its publication, and when possible the page numbers as well. Such mention is called a citation.

You should provide a citation whenever you use facts, ideas, opinions, or any other material from an outside source.  For paragraphs based on sources, there must be at least one citation per paragraph. One citation will not suffice for more than one paragraph, even if several paragraphs are from the same source.

Use a citation when you paraphrase from a source – that is, when you use another writer's ideas or information but rephrase it almost entirely in your own words. Do not use a few of the author's words followed by a few of your own words, a few of the author's words, a few of your own words, etc. This is not acceptable as paraphrase.

Material paraphrased from page 103 of the book Jung at Heart by Chris Krepp, published in 1985, for example, would be cited as follows. Note the comma between name and date. Also note the period after the parentheses, signifying that the sentence is over. The APA encourages the inclusion of page numbers in citations of paraphrased material.

. . . end of paraphrased sentence, in which you convey the author's ideas in your own words (Krepp, 1985, p. 103).

Complete information on the book would be found at the end of your paper on a page or pages labeled "References."

Also use a citation when you quote from a source, that is, when you use the exact words of another writer. Always end the citation with the page number from which the quotation was taken:

" . . . end of quoted sentence" (Krepp, 1985, p. 103).

There are several commonly used variants on these formats. For paraphrase you may do it this way (wordings may vary, of course):

Krepp (1985) tells us that . . . (p. 103).

or this way:

In 1985, Krepp reported that . . . (p. 103).

If you are quoting, add quotation marks – and a page reference after the quotation is finished. A period follows everything.

According to Krepp (1985), ". . ." (p. 103).

If the source has no author, cite it by title, and list it by title in the References (the title may be shortened in the text for convenience).  An anonymous article on page B16 of the Boston Globe, September 19, 1991, entitled "Stocks Lose Again; Investors Worried," would be cited as

("Stocks Lose Again," 1991, p. B16).

If your paragraph integrates information from a variety of sources, all of which say approximately the same thing, you can use a multiple citation, listing several author/date references at once, in the same order in which they appear in the References. Separate them with semicolons:

Studies (Jones, 1966; Smith, 1973; Krepp 1985) have shown that . . .

If your source is an interview or other personal communication, identify it as such. As long as they are cited properly, interviews do not have to be listed in the References.

SNHU President R. Gustafson explained that . . . (personal communication, 2001).

 

Reference Style

In APA format, the sources are listed in a section labeled "References" in bold face on a new page at the end of the paper.

References are double spaced and first lines overhang on the left so the alphabetized names are easily seen. Periods are followed by a single space. Internal punctuation varies from one source-type to another; however, periods usually denote the endings of major sections (author, date, title, publication, pages – in that order). Titles of articles and books are generally not capitalized, while titles of journals, magazines and newspapers are. Proper names are always capitalized, but first names are abbreviated in initials. There are no quotation marks around the titles of articles. Titles of books and periodicals are italicized, as are volume numbers of journals. Use Digital Object Identifier (DOI) numbers when provided for both print and electronic articles.

 

Sample Reference Entries

The following examples (mostly publications by or about people from Southern New Hampshire University) will illustrate generic APA formats, as well as simplified formats for commonly used electronic sources not specifically covered by the APA Publication Manual (2010). Refer to this book, available at Shapiro Library, for complete information on APA style, which in its complete form is much more complex than what follows here.

Whole Book

Rogers, D. S., Gamans, L. R., & Grassi, M. (1992). Retailing: New perspectives. New York: Dryden.

Article in a Book

Sieker, D. W. (1986). The Handel and Haydn Society. In R. R. Craven (Ed.), Symphony orchestras of the United States,(pp. 170-173). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Article in a Magazine

Johnson, R. L. (1986, February 1-15). Outside directors in family firms: Friends or foes? New Hampshire Business Review, 10.

Article in a Journal without a Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

Seidman, R. H. (1991). Computer programming and logical reasoning: unintended cognitive effects. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 18 (2), 123-141.

Article in a Newspaper

Dadkhah, K. M., and Samii, M. V. (1988, August 16). Persian Gulf peace and the price of oil. The Boston Globe, 44.

Article in an Encyclopedia, Dictionary, or Reference Work

Industrial Polymers. (1998). Encyclopedia britannica (Vol. 21, pp. 308-343). Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.

Government Document

U. S. Department of Health & Human Services. (1986, March). Occupational exposure to cotton dust (Handout 29 CFR 1910.1043). Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office.

General Form for Electronic Sources, Including the Internet

For a complete explanation of how to list electronic sources, see  the APA's official website.

The general order of items for Internet sources with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

Author, A.A [if available].  date [if available].  Title of periodical. Title of Periodical, vol  and issue,pages. doi: xxxx

The general order of items for Internet sources with no DOI:

Author, A.A [if available].  date [if available].  Title of periodical. Title of Periodical, vol  and issue,pages. Retrieved from URL

The idea is to allow your reader to find the source on his or her own.

 

Article with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

Pepin, E., & Banyard, V. (2006, August). Social support: A mediator between child maltreatment and developmental outcomes. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 35(4), 612-625.doi:10.1007/s10964-006-9063-4

Article from a Website

Frost, P., Sparrow, S., & Barry, J.(2006).     Personality characteristics associated with susceptibility to false memories. American Journal of Psychology, 119(2), 193-204. Retrieved from http://ajp.press.illinois.edu

Article from EBSCO, LexisNexis or Other On-Line
Library Database

Jowdy, E., & McDonald, M. (2002, December). Relationship marketing and interactive fan festivals: The Women's United Soccer Association's 'Soccer Sensation.'. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship, 4(4), 295-311.

Article or Report from Institutional Archive:

Mazzola, Gregg. (2003, January 3). Educational continuum extends new offerings. Retrieved  from Southern New Hampshire University website:http://www.snhu.edu/Archive/2003/1/
3-511029.html

An Unpublished Report, Term Paper, or Other Manuscript

Rosen, A. L. (1991). Selecting a retail site in Hooksett. Unpublished New Hampshire College term paper.

 

Example of APA Style

Following is a brief sample of text and "References" from a paper documented in APA style. Note the textual source introductions ("According to . . ."), citations for paraphrases and not only quotations, and citations that refer to the first alphabetized word in the corresponding "References" entry.

Big Business in Art

The buoyant late-1990s economy has created a bull market in high-priced art, especially in New York ("Fresco Frenzy," 1996, p. 76). For example, Art in America writer Walter Robinson (1996) reported that in the fall of 1995, the leading auction houses, Sotheby's and Christie's, moved a combined $300 million in fine art, more than in any year since 1990 (p. 19).

Leading the herd is Microsoft's Bill Gates, who bought Winslow Homer's Lost on the Grand Banks in 1998 for $30 million, the record for an American painting. Gates's other recent high-profile purchases include a $30+ million Leonardo da Vinci manuscript (Luscombe, 1998). According to Carol Vogel (1998), the Homer sale was followed shortly by another record, the highest price ever paid for an Andy Warhol work, as his Orange Marilyn went for over $17 million. Sotheby's called the Warhol "a wise buy. . . . It will soon be worth as much as a Picasso or any landmark work of this century" (p. A27). Will a new all-time price record be set soon? If so, the buyer will need deep pockets to top the $82.5 million commanded by Van Gogh's portrait of Dr. Gachet (Luscombe, 1998).

References

Fresco frenzy: The art market. (1996, November 30). The Economist,76.

Luscombe, B. (1998, May 18). People.  Retrieved from Time.com: http://www.pathfinder.com/time/magazine
/1998/dom/980518/people.people_.14.html

Robinson, W. (1996, January). Back to the boom? Art in America, 19.

Vogel, C. (1998, May 15). Warhol record set by $17.3 million "Marilyn." New York Times, A27.