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APA Style Guide

Guide to American Psychological Association Style

APA Reference Examples

Elements: Author. (Year, Month Date). Title. Publication, vol/issue, page number(s).

Note (from APA Online Style Guide): 

  • Do not include database information in the reference unless the journal article comes from a database that publishes works of limited circulation or original, proprietary content, such as UpToDate.
  • If the journal article does not have a DOI but does have a URL (e.g., it is from an online journal that is not part of a database), include the URL of the article at the end of the reference.

Examples

One Author

Boggs, C. G. (2016). Public reading and the Civil War draft lottery. American Periodicals, 26(2), 149-166.

Two Authors

Abdo, D., & Bobroff, M. (2018). Cross-disciplinary teaching of Mariama Ba's So Long a letter. ADFL Bulletin, 45(1), 171-83. https://doi.org/10.1632/adfl.45.1.171

Three or more Authors (list all names)

De la Fuente, R., Bernad, A., Garcia-Castro, J., Martin, M. C., & Cigudosa, J. C. (2010, August 15). Retraction: Spontaneous human adult stem cell transformation. Cancer Research, 70(16), 6682. https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-10-2451

No Author (Title goes first)

The Mozart effect myth: Listening to music does not help against epilepsy. (2023, March 26). NewsRx Science, 539.

without page number

Alpert-Abrams, H. (2016). Machine reading the primeros libros. Digital Humanities Quarterly, 10(4). https://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/10/4/000268/000268.html

with + nonconsecutive pagination

Migone, A., & Howlett, M. (2022). Policy shops, hired guns, and gatekeepers: The organization and distribution of policy analysts in Ontario. Canadian Public Administration, 65(4), 690+.

with article number

Jerrentrup, A., Mueller, T., Glowalla, U., Herder, M., Henrichs, N., Neubauer, A., & Schaefer, J. R. (2018, March 13). Teaching medicine with the help of "Dr. House". PLoS ONE, 13(3), Article e0193972. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193972

Magazine or Newspaper Article from the database (same as for a print article: do not include database info and a URL)

Lyons, D. (2009). Don’t “iTune” us. Newsweek, 153(24), 27.

Newspaper Article on Website

Carey, B. (2019, March 22). Can we get better at forgetting? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/health/memory-forgetting-psychology.html

Article from an Online Magazine

Schulman, M. (2019, September 9). Superfans: A love story. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/16/superfans-a-love-story

Article from a web page (include Retrieval date)

Stein, M. B., & Taylor, C. T. (2019). Approach to treating social anxiety disorder in adults. UpToDate. Retrieved September 31, 2023, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/approach-to-treating-social-anxiety-disorder-in-adults

Article Written by the Organization - on a Webpage

Mayo Clinic. (2023, June 28). Belly fat in women: Taking-and keeping-it off. Healthy Lifestyle Women’s Health. www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/belly-fat/art-20045809

Article on Blog (include Retrieval date)

Ouellette, J. (2019, November 15). Physicists capture first footage of quantum knots unraveling in superfluid: Research has implications for future topological quantum computers. Ars Technica. Retrieved October 1, 2023, from https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/11/study-you-can-tie-a-quantum-knot-in-a-superfluid-but-it-will-soon-untie-itself/

Book Chapter in an Edited Book

Aron, L., Botella, M., & Lubart, T. (2019). Culinary arts: Talent and their development. In R. F. SubotnikP. Olszewski-Kubilius, & F. C. Worrell (Eds.), The psychology of high performance: Developing human potential into domain-specific talent (pp. 345–359). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000120-016

5 main elements: Author. (Year, Month Date). Title. Publication. URL

Retrieval Date (Month date, year, from URL): When contents of a page are designed to change over time.

 

Examples

Webpage, with Author and Date

Denchak, M. (2022, June 7). Ocean pollution: The dirty facts. Natural Resources Defense Council. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/ocean-pollution-dirty-facts

Website - No Author (Title goes first)

Deaths from cardiac arrests have surged in New York City. (2020, April 13). The Economist. https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/04/13/deaths-from-cardiac-arrests-have-surged-in-new-york-city

Webpage, Organization as the Author

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook. (2022, September 8). Registered Nurses. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm

National Institute of Mental Health. (2018, July). Anxiety disorders. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders

Mayo Clinic. (2023, June 28). Belly fat in women: Taking-and keeping-it off. Healthy Lifestyle Women’s Health. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/belly-fat/art-20045809

Florida Department of Education. (2016). Rule 6A-10.081, Florida administrative code, principles of professional conduct for the education profession in Florida. https://www.fldoe.org/teaching/professional-practices/code-of-ethics-principles-of-professio.stml

Webpage, Organization as the Author, no date

United Nations. (n.d.). What is climate change?  Retrieved August 24, 2023, from https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

OER Open Educational Resource, with Retrieval Date

Fagan, J. (2019, March 25). Nursing clinical brain. OER Commons. Retrieved January 7, 2023, from https://oercommons.org/authoring/53029-nursing-clinical-brain/view

5 main elements: Author(Year). Title. Publication. URL

 

Examples

Book (hard copy)

Davis, A. Y. (1998). Blues legends and black feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday. Pantheon.

E-Book

Christensen, A., & Wolff, T. (Eds.). (2010). American lives: A reader. University of Nebraska Press. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/broward-ebooks/detail.action?docID=496570

Book with Edition

Jackson, L. M. (2020). The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000168-000

Book with Editor(s)

Baron, S. A., Lindquist, E. N., & Shevlin, E. F. (Eds.). (2007). Agent of change: Print culture studies after Elizabeth L. Eisenstein. University of Massachusetts Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5vk8sv

Book with Multiple Volumes

Miller, D., Costa, E., Haynes, N., McDonald, T., Nicolescu, R., Sinanan, J., Spyer, J., Venkatraman, S., & Wang, X. (2016). How the world changed social media (1st ed., Vol. 1). UCL Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1g69z35

Book Chapter in an Edited Book (need to include page numbers)

Aron, L., Botella, M., & Lubart, T. (2019). Culinary arts: Talent and their development. In R. F. Subotnik, P. Olszewski-Kubilius, & F. C. Worrell (Eds.), The psychology of high performance: Developing human potential into domain-specific talent (pp. 345–359). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000120-016

 

Video - App (Netflix, Hulu, Xfinity) (p. 343)

Simon, D., Colesberry, R. F., & Kostroff Noble, N. (Executive Producers). (2002-2008). The wire [TV series]. Blown Deadline Productions; HBO.

Video - YouTube (p. 344)

University of Oxford. (2018, December 6). How do geckos walk on water? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch=qm1xGfOZJc8 

5 main elements: Author. (Year, Month Date). Title. Publication. URL

Retrieval Date (Month date, year, from URL): When contents of a page are designed to change over time.

 

Examples

Facebook Post

World Wildlife Fund. (2020, July 14). Five things to know on Shark Awareness Day. Facebook. Retrieved October 21, 2023, from www.facebook.com/worldwildlifefund/videos/745925785979440/

Facebook Page, no date

Community of Multiculturalism. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved October 14, 2023, from https://www.facebook.com/communityofmulticulturalism/

Instagram

National Geographic [@natfeo]. (n.d.). IGTV [Instagram profile]. Instagram. Retrieved December 14, 2023, from https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/channel/

TikTok/X (formerly Twitter)

Cook, P. [@chemteacherphil]. (2021, September 17). Fighting fire with fire. #sciencetok#learnontiktok [ Video]. TikTok. Retrieved December 24, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@chemteacherphil/video/7008953610872605957

Podcast 

Seales, A. (Host). (2018-present). Small doses with Amanda Seales [Audio podcast]. Urban One Podcast Network. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-doses-with-amanda-seales/id1333316223

Webster, M., & Abumrad, J. (Hosts). (2020, September 11). Bringing gamma back, again [Audio podcast episode]. In Radiolab. WNYC Studios. https://radiolab.org/podcast/bringing-gamma-back

Blog Post

Ouellette, J. (2019, November 15). Physicists capture first footage of quantum knots unraveling in superfluid. Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/11/study-you-can-tie-a-quantum-knot-in-a-superfluid-but-it-will-soon-untie-itself/

 

Image from a database (Artstor)

Fusco, P. (1991). USA. San Francisco, California. 1991. Homelessness [Photograph]. Paul Fusco/Magnum Photos.

Image from a Google search (p. 347)

McCurry, S. (1985). Afghan girl [Photograph]. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/national-geographic-magazine-50-years-of-covers/#/ngm-1985-jun-714.jpg

Please confirm with your Professor that using a generative AI tool (ex: ChatGPT) is allowed for your assignment. Some Professors do not allow these tools to be used. If a generative AI tool is allowed, you must cite the information to avoid plagiarism.

 

APA does not consider information from a generative AI tool to be a personal communication as there’s no person communicating. Instead, APA considers the information from an AI tool to be an “algorithm’s output” and therefore the author is the creator of the AI tool. 

For more information, please see:

https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt


Name of creator of generative AI Tool. (Year). Tool name (Month Date version) [Large language model]. General URL of tool
 

Example:

 OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (June 16 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat