APA Citation Format

This is the most commonly used referencing style in the sciences. Sources should be listed alphabetically by author and the list must be titled, “References.” Use a hanging indent (five spaces or one half inch indent) for the second and all subsequent lines in each reference. The paper must include four main sections including: Title Page, Abstract, Main Body, and References. Citations on the Reference list should have italicized titles and the date after the author’s name.

On the Reference page use only the last name and initials for the author and if the author is unknown begin with the title followed by the date. Only the first word of article and book titles should be capitalized but for periodicals all significant words should be capitalized. For websites include the date accessed and the date written or updated if known. If the creation date is unknown use the initials n.d., instead.

In-text citations using APA format requires the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, for example: (Jones, 1998). The page(s) from which the information comes must also be included if the passage is a direct quote; for example, (Jones, 1998, p. 24). The citation should correspond to the reference in the list at the end of the paper.

Reference Chart

Author(s)	The individual(s) who wrote the text. Sometimes there are two, three, or even more authors, and they must all be cited correctly in your paper.	Date	The date the text was published.
Title of Book	The exact title of the book, complete with all words (even "small" words such as "and" and "the").	Title of Article	The exact title of the article, complete with all words (even "small" words such as "and" and "the").
Title of Periodical	The exact title of the magazine or journal, complete with all words (even "small" words such as "and" and "the").	Volume	For an article, the volume (and/or number) of the magazine or journal in which the article appears (e.g. Vol. XII, No. 3)
Pages	For an article, the entire span of page(s) upon which the particular article appears in the journal or magazine; for a chapter in a book, the entire span of page(s) upon which the chapter appears in the book.	Place of Publication	For a book, the city of publication (and the state and/or country if the city is not well-known).
Publisher	For a book, the name of the publishing house (e.g. "Random House").	Other Information	Any additional information, such as the URL of a reputable website, which is not included elsewhere.

APA Format Examples

Hover over any areas of the examples to see more information!

Journal Article

Boyle, P. J, Callahan D. (1993). Minds and hearts: priorities in mental health services. The Hastings Center Report. 3+.

Online Encyclopedia Article

Cascio, J. (2010, May 14). Jamais Cascio on Geoengineering: The potential and risks of manipulating mother nature. The Futurist.

Book Article or Chapter

Coleridge, S. T. (1957) The rhyme of the ancient mariner. In ed. B C Diltz, Word magic, 123-143. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.

Magazine or Journal Article Retrieved from a Database

CTV.ca Newstaff. (2010, May 25) G8/G20 security bill to hit $833 million. MacLeans Magazine, 15-30.

Encyclopedia Article

Kumar, R. (2000). Inflammation D Bateman In Anatomica, 79-63. Albany: David Bateman Ltd,.

YouTube Video

For videos, provide the author only if you are sure that person created the video. Do not list the person posting the video online as the author. If you are unsure, treat the citation as having no author.

bigthink. Video, (2009). Directed by Ray Kurzweil. Performed by Ray Kurzweil. Retrieved from YouTube.

Book with an Editor

LoBello, A, ed. (2003). The commentary of Al-Nayrizi on book 1 of Euclid's elements of geometry: With an introduction on the transmission of Euclid's elements in the Middle Ages. Boston: Brill.

Newspaper Article

Sang-Hun, C. (2010, May 25). North Korea cuts all ties with South. The New York Times National Herald Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/world/asia/26korea.html?ref=global-home (accessed 2010, May 26).

Blog

Sonier, H. (2010, May 25). Tablet meets telephone! – iPads and tablet PC’s. Netbook Accessories. 18 May 2010. Retrieved from http://www.netbookaccessories.co.uk/tablet-meets-telephone-ipads-tablet-pcs

Website

University of Alberta. (2007, August 15). Centre for Health Evidence. Retrieved from http://www.cche.net/ (accessed 2010, May 25).

eBook

USA Gardnener. (2009). Guide to growing your favorite vegetables. USAGARDENER.COM.

Movie

Hunger. Movie, directed by Steve McQueen. (2006). London, Blast Films.

Book

Webster, R. (1998) Astral travel for beginners. St. Paul: Llewelyn.

Footnotes / Endnotes

Endnotes and footnotes are not encouraged in APA. If explanatory notes are necessary a footnote can be used. A superscript number is used following the punctuation in-text. If the punctuation is in parenthesis then the footnote should be as well. Footnotes should appear on the final page of the document after the References page. Each double spaced footnote should be indented 5 spaces on the first line.