APA (American Psychological Association) Citation and Format Style Guide

This guide provides examples of citations you might use in research papers following the APA standard. Explanations and formats are based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, fifth edition (BF76.7 .P82 2001), which is located at the Reference Desk.

Examples for Quick Reference

Book: Cone, J. D. & Foster, S. L. (1993). Dissertations and theses from start to finish: Psychology and related fields. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Journal Article from print source: Bekerian, D. A. (1993). In search of the typical eyewitness. American Psychologist, 48, 574-576.

Journal Article from online source:

Bekerian, D. A. (1993). In search of the typical eyewitness. American Psychologist, 48, 574-576. Retrieved February 26, 2008 from JSTOR database.

Website: University of California, San Francisco, Institute for Health and Aging. (1996, November). Chronic Care in America: A 21st century challenge. Retrieved September 9, 2000, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Web Site: http://www.rwjf.org/library/chrcare/.

In-Text Citation (direct quote): The inner world of children suffering from abuse has been described as one in which "organized images and thoughts can be punctured without warning by fragmented pictures, flashes, sounds, and feelings" (Heineman, 1998, p. 144).

In-Text Citation (paraphrased idea): Human behavior can be seen as an ongoing interaction between an individual and her environment (Bandura, 1977).

*Note: these are examples of citations that are most frequently used; however, APA contains many different conditions and nuances for in-text citations and the reference list. If your citation does not fit the examples below (i.e. encyclopedia, magazine, etc.), see the APA guide in print or other online sources.

Paper Format and Reference List

A research paper written in the APA format consists of a title page, an abstract page, the main body of the paper, and final page(s) of references (the References list). The American Psychological Association outlines specific rules for writing each of these parts.

Reference citations identify (by author and date) the source and enable the reader to find it in the alphabetical list of references at the end of the paper. In-text citations must appear in the list of references, and any source included in the list of references must also be cited in the text.

The reference list (headed "References") appears at the end of the article and lists sources alphabetically by author’s last name. If there are multiple entries by the same author, they should be arranged chronologically by publication date.