Suggestions & CommentsAPA Style Guide
APA - American Psychological Association
Social Sciences- APA Style Guide from Long Island University
- APA Writer's Handbook from University of Wisconsin-Madison
Citing References in Text
Sources are acknowledged by brief parenthetical citations including author's last name and the publication date (authors' names may be omitted if they appear in the text). For three to five authors, use all names the first time a source is cited and use first author, et al. for subsequent citations. For six or more authors, use first author, et al. for all citations:- In a recent study of reaction times, Walker (2000) described the method . . .
- Some researchers have recorded EEG activity while participants performed tasks (Doktor & Bloom, 1977) . . .
- Wasserstein, Zappulla, Rosen, Gerstman, and Rock (1994) found . . .
- This procedure has been used to classify analytic persons in past research (Hymes, et al., 1977) . . .
- She stated, "The 'placebo effect' . . . disappeared when behaviors were studied in this manner" (Miele, 1993, p. 276), but she did not clarify which behaviors were studied.
Reference List – Examples
References should be collected in an alphabetical list at the end of the paper.
Only include items cited in the paper.
Double-space all entries and between entries.
PRINT SOURCES
Journal Article
List up to six authors. For seven or more authors, list first six authors, et al.
Saywitz, K. J., Mannarino, A. P., Berliner, L., & Cohen,
J. A. (2000). Treatment for sexually abused children
and adolescents. American Psychologist, 55, 1040-1049.
Dissertation
Ross, D. F. (1980). Unconscious transference and mistaken
identity: When a witness misidentifies a familiar but
innocent person from a lineup (Doctoral dissertation,
Cornell University, 1990).
Book
List up to six authors. For seven or more authors, list first six authors, et al.
Mitchell, T. R., & Larson, J. R., Jr. (1987). People in
organizations: An introduction to organizational
behavior (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.
Article or chapter - from a book
Bjork, R. A. (1989). Retrieval inhibition as an adaptive
mechanism in human memory. In H.L. Roediger III &
F.I.M. Craik (Eds.), Varieties of memory &
consciousness (pp. 309-330). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Encyclopedia Article
Bergmann, P. G. (1993). Relativity. In The new
encyclopaedia Britannica (Vol 26. pp. 501-508).
Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Government Document
National Institute of Mental Health. (1990). Clinical
training in serious mental illness (DHHS Publication
No. ADM90-1679). Washington, DC: U.S. Government
Printing Office.
Report available from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)
Mead, J. V. (1992). Looking at old photographs:
Investigating the teacher tales that novice teachers
bring with them (Report No. NCRTL-RR-92-4). East
Lansing, MI: National Center for Research on Teacher
Learning. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service
No. ED34682).
Technical and Research Reports
Mazzeo, J., Druesne, B., Raffeld, P. C., Checketts, K. T.,
& Muhlstein, A. (1991). Comparability of computer
and paper-and pencil scores for two CLEP general
examinations (College Board Rep. No. 91-5).
Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
Newspaper Article - no author
New drug appears to sharply cut risk of death from heart
failure. (1993, July 15). The Washington Post, p. A12.
ELECTRONIC OR INTERNET RESOURCES
Electronic journal article with Digital Object Identifier (DOI) - Article DOI lookup: http://www.crossref.org/guestquery/
Stultz, J. (2006). Integrating exposure therapy and
analytic therapy in trauma treatment. American
Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(4), 482-488.
doi:10.1037/0002-9432.76.4.482
Electronic journal article from a subscription (no DOI - use URL of journal homepage)
Hager, M. H. (2007). Therapeutic diet order writing:
Current issues and considerations. Topics in Clinical
Nutrition, 22(1), 28-36. Retrieved from http://www
/topicsinclinicalnutrition.com
Electronic journal article from an open access journal (no DOI - use URL of actual article)
Wong, S. E. (2007). Scientific Discovery, Social Change,
and Individual Behavior Change. Behavior and Social
Issues, 16(2) 190-196. Retrieved from http://www.uic.edu
/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/bsi/article/viewFile/1951/1912
Dissertation or thesis retrieved from a database
Include name of database and accession number (or publication number) if available
McNiel, D. S. (2006). Meaning through narrative: A personal
narrative discussing growing up with an alcoholic mother.
Retrieved from ProQuest Digital Dissertations. (AAT 1434728)
Electronic Books - Entire book (use n.d. if no publication date given)
O'Keefe, E. (n.d.). Egoism & the crisis in Western values.
Available from http://www.onlineoriginals.com/showitem.asp
?itemID=135
Electronic Books - Book chapter
Mitchell, H. W. (1913). Alcoholism and the alcoholic psychoses.
In W. A. White & S. E. Jelliffe (Eds.), The modern treatment
of nervous and mental diseases (Vol. 1, pp. 287-330).
Retrieved from PsycBooks Database.
Online Encyclopedia
Graham, G. (2005). Behaviorism. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.),
The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Retrieved
January 28, 2007, from http://plato.stanford.edu
Electronic government document, technical or research report
U.S. General Accounting Office. (1997, February).
Telemedicine: Federal strategy is needed to guide
investments (Publication No. GAO/NSAID/HEHS-97-67).
Retrieved October 27, 2008, from U.S. Government
Accountability Office: http://www.gao.gov/archive/1997
/n397067.pdf
Document available on a web site
Chou, L., McClintock, R., Moretti, F., & Nix, D. H. (1993).
Technology and education: New wine in new bottles: Choosing
pasts and imagining educational futures. Retrieved August 24,
2000, from http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/publications/papers
/newwine1.html
Dvoretsky, D. P. (n.d.). History: Pavlov Institute of Physiology
of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved January 27,
2007, from http://www.infran.ru/history_eng.htm
For other electronic sources refer to:
Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the American Psychological Association http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html
Examples taken / modified from:
APA style guide to electronic references. (2007).
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (5th ed.). (2001). Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.