This handout will focus primarily on how to record your sources within a paper and examples of how references are listed on the reference page of a paper. The following are examples of different cases that you may need to use.

Note: The following is not a complete listing. If you have a reference or citation that does not fit the examples given here, please consult your APA Manual.

Please note that the examples used in this document are for illustration only, and should not be used for actual citations. Many are fictional or partly fictional. Check all your sources carefully.
 

IN-TEXT DOCUMENTATION

Citation within the text of a document refers the reader to an alphabetical reference list at the end of the paper. APA format uses the author-date method of citation. The surname of the author and the date of publication are inserted at the appropriate point in the text.

One work by single author

If the name of the author appears in the text, cite only the year of publication in the text.

            Shannon's (1989) historical analysis....

Otherwise, place the surname of the author and the year of publication with a comma separating the two.

                 ...lead to successful language learning (Chaudron, 1988).

Within a paragraph you need not repeat the references to an author's work as long as it cannot be confused with other work cited in the article.

One work by two or more authors

When a work has two authors, always use the surnames of both authors in all citations. Join the two names by an ampersand (&) within parentheses, or by "and" within the text.

                 ...or simply ignore it (Hill & Parry, 1988).

When a work has 3-6 authors, use the surnames of all authors in the first citation. In subsequent citations, include only the surname of the first author followed by "et al."

When a work has more than six authors, use only the surname of the first author followed by "et al."

                           ..on a test with exclusively open-ended questions (Pollit et al., 1985).

Works with no authors

When a work has no author, cite the first two or three words of the reference list entry followed by the year. The first entry is usually the title. Italicize the title of a periodical or book and use double quotation marks around the title of an article or chapter.

                           ...on language use ("World languages," 1992).

                           ... in the book (Language Use, 1991).

Specific parts of a source

To cite a specific part of a source (ex: when using a direct quote from a research article), include the page, chapter, figure, table, or equation in the citation. The words "page" and "chapter" are abbreviated in such citations (see Abbreviations).

                      ...and rewriting what is read (Freire, 1983, p. 11).

Abbreviations

                 chap. = chapter
                 ed.  = edition
                 rev. ed.  = revised edition
                 2nd ed. = second edition
                 Ed. (Eds.) = Editor (Editors)
                 Trans. = Translator(s)
                 n.d. = do date
                 p. (pp.) = page (pages)
                 Vol. = Volume (as in Vol. 4)
                 vols. = volumes (as in four volumes)
                 No. = Number
                 Pt. = Part
                 Tech. Rep. = Technical Report
                 Suppl. = Supplement
                 Geographical abbreviations: For the U.S., states and territories in the reference list should use the
                 official two-letter U.S.P.S. abbreviation. City names and country names should not be abbreviated.

Personal communications

Letters, memos, telephone conversations, etc. are not included in the Reference List, thus are cited in the text only. Include the initials as well as the surname of the author and provide as exact a date as possible.

                      ...according to D.B. Cooper (personal communication, April 15, 1969).

References in parenthetical material

If a reference appears within parentheses, use commas (not brackets) to set off the date.

                      ...the second level (see Figure 1 of Cowell & Ross, 1992, for full explanation.)
 

II. REFERENCE LIST (Section 4 in APA Manual)

The reference list should be in alphabetical order by author's surnames. With names including "de", "von", etc., those names should be alphabetized according to the rules of the language from which they originate. The reference list must be double-spaced, and entries should have a hanging indent.

See Pages 240 - 281 in your APA Manual, 5th Edition for more examples. The following is a list of the most commonly used references in IPP papers at xxxx College. In the following examples, xx = volume of publication and xxx = page number.

Periodical

Author, A.A., Author B.B., & Author, C.C. (1994). Title of article.

     Title of Periodical, xx, xxx-xxx.

Online Periodical

Author, A.A., Author, B.B., & Author, C.C. (2000). Title of article.

     Title of Periodical, xx, xxx-xxx. Retrieved month, day, year, from

     source.

Internet Articles Based on a Print Source (see p. 271 in your APA Manual)

Author, A.A., Author, B.B., & Author, C.C. (2000). Title of article.

     [Electronic version]. Title of Periodical, xx, xxx-xxx.

Online Document

Author, A.A. (2000). Title of work. Retrieved month, day, year,

     from source.

Book

Author, A.A., & Author, B.B. (2000). Title of book (edition).

     Location: Publisher.

Review of a Book

Author, A.A. (2000). Title of book review. [Review of the book

    Book Title]. Title of Periodical, xx, xxx-xxx.

Internet Articles Based on a Print Source

Author, A.A., Author, B.B., Author C.C. (2000). Title of

     work [Electronic version]. Title of Periodical, xx, xxx-xxx.
 

Last Words of Advice on Learning APA Formatting

The best way to learn how to use the APA format is to follow an example paper.  There is an example paper in APA format located in this course.  You can also find a sample paper in your APA Manual (5th ed.) on pp. 306 - 320.  Please refer to these examples when writing your IPP papers in all your courses.