APA Citations

Examples of How to Document Sources 

Need more help with APA in-text citations? Here are some additional in-text citation examples:

1 Author (Books and Articles) | 2 Authors (Books and Articles) | 3-6 Authors (Books and Articles) | More than 6 Authors (Books and Articles) | No Author | No Date | Personal Communication | Multiple Works in the Same Parenthesis |Specific Part of a Print Source (Including Exact Quotes) |Specific Part of an Electronic Source (Including Exact Quotes) | Bible and Other Classical Works |Translated Work

Need more help? Try Asking a Librarian and other resources.

Examples

Book with One Author

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A.  (Year of Publication).  Title of book.  Place of Publication:  Name of Publisher.

Reference List Example:

Bigelow, B.  (2006).  The line between us:  Teaching about the border and Mexican immigration. Milwaukee:  Rethinking Schools Publisher.

In-text Citation Example:

(Bigelow, 2006)

Or

Bigelow (2006) discusses the Mexican immigrant experience.

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Book with Two Authors

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B.  (Year of Publication).  Title of book.  Place of Publication:  Name of Publisher.

Reference List Example:

Mock, D. W., & Parker, G. A.  (1997).  The evolution of sibling rivalry.  Oxford:  Oxford University Press.

In-text Citation Example:

(Mock & Parker, 1997)

Or

Mock and Parker (1997) discuss the origins of family structure . . .

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Book with Three to Six Authors

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C.  (Year of Publication).  Title of book.  Place of Publication:  Name of Publisher.

Reference List Example:

Garner, J. F., Smith, H. L., &  Piland, N. F. (1990).  Strategic nursing management:  Power and responsibility in a new era. Rockville, MD:  Aspen Publishers.

In-text Citation Example:

For the first in-text citation, cite all of the authors.

(Garner, Smith, & Piland, 1990)

For subsequent in-text citations, cite the first author followed by et al.

(Garner et al., 1990)

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Book with More than 6 Authors

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., Author, C. C., Author, D. D., Author, E. E., Author, F. F., et al.  (Year of Publication).  Title of book. Place of  Publication:  Name of Publisher.

After the sixth author's name, use et al. 

Reference List Example:

Dacso, S. T., Dacso, C. C., Brelhan, C. U., Harlow, K. C., Jaffee-Neer, M. S., Rumsey, M., et al. (1995). Managed care answer book. New York: Panel Publishers.

In-text Citation Format:

(Dacso, et al., 1995)

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Book with Organization as Author

Reference List Format:

Name of Organization. (Year of Publication). Title of book. Place of Publication:  Name of Publisher.

Reference List Example:

American Psychiatric Association. (1998). Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with panic disorder. Washington, DC:  Author.

When the publisher is the same as the author, use the word Author for the name of the publisher.

In-text Citation Examples:

For the first in-text citation use:

(American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1998)

For subsequent citations use:

(APA, 1998)

For universities as authors do not abbreviate the name.

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Chapter of a Book

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of chapter. In A. A. Editor & B. B. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. chapter page numbers). Place of Publication:  Name of Publisher.

Reference List Example:

Kozminski, A. K. (1994). High-speed management and global competition. In S. S. King & D. P. Cushman (Eds.), High-speed management and organizational communications in the 1990s:  A reader (pp. 41-67). Albany:  State University of New York Press.

In-text Citation Example:

(Kozminski, 1994)

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Secondary Source (A Source that Cites Another Source)

In the reference list cite the secondary source (the source that you have read).  In the text of the paper, name the original source of information.  An example would be Sontag's On Photography cited in Zelizer's book Remembering to Forget, and you have not read Sontag's original work.

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of book. Place of Publication:  Name of Publisher.

Reference List Example:

Zelizer, B. (2003). Remembering to forget:  Holocaust memory through the camera's eye. Chicago:  University of Chicago Press.

In-text Citation Example:

. . . asserts Sontag (as cited in Zelizer, 2003)

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Edited Book

Reference List Format:

Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (Year of Publication). Title of book. Place of Publication:  Name of Publisher.

For more than one editor, use Eds.

Reference List Example:

Madan, T. N. (Ed.). (1991). Religion in India. Delhi:  Oxford University Press.

In-text Citation Example:

(Madan, 1991)

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No Author or Editor

Reference List Format:

Title of book (edition number ed.).  (Year of Publication). Place of Publication:  Name of Publisher.

Reference List Example:

The American heritage dictionary of the English language (4^th ed.). (2000). Boston:  Houghton Mifflin. 

Within the reference list, alphabetize works with no author by the first significant word in the title (American in this case). 

In-text Citation Example:

(American Heritage Dictionary, 2000)

For the in-text citation, use a few words of the title in place of the author's name.

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Edition other than First

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of book (edition number ed.). Place of Publication:  Name of Publisher.

Reference List Example:

Bukatko, D. & Daehler, M. W. (2004). Child development: A thematic approach (5th ed.). Boston:  Houghton Mifflin.

In-text Citation Example:

(Bukatko & Daehler, 2004)

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Translated Book

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication for English Translation). Title of book (Name of Translator, Trans.). Place of Publication:  Name of Publisher. (Original work published [Date of Original Publication])

Reference List Example:

Freud, S. (1999). The interpretation of dreams (J. Crick, Trans.). New York:  Oxford. (Original work published 1899)

In-text Citation Example:

(Freud, 1899/1999)

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Multivolume Work

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A. (Year(s) of Publication). Title of book (Vols. X-X).  Place of Publication:  Name of Publisher.

Reference List Example:

Cook, B. W. (1992-1999). Eleanor Roosevelt (Vols. 1-2). New York:  Viking.

In-text Citation Example:

(Cook, 1992-1999)

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Encyclopedia Entry

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of encyclopedia article. In Title of encyclopedia (Vol. Volume Number, pp. page numbers). Place of Publication:  Name of Publisher.

Reference List Example: 

Mayes, A. R. & Hunkin, M. M. (2003). Amnesia. In Encyclopedia of cognitive science (Vol. 1, pp. 90-97). London:  Nature Publishing Group.

In-text Citation Example: 

(Mayes & Hunkin, 2003)

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Article from Journal Paginated by Volume

Journals paginated by volume use continuous pagination from issue to issue.  For example issue one starts with page one and goes to page 252.  Issue two starts with page 253 and goes to page 506.  For journals paginated by volume, do not include the issue number in the reference list entry.

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of article. Journal Title, volume, page numbers.

Reference List Example:

Zhao, Z. (2006). Income inequality, unequal health care access, and mortality in China. Popoulation and Development Review, 32, 401-446.

In-text Citation Example:

(Zhao, 2006)

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Journals paginated by issue start with page one for every issue.  For these journals, include the issue number in the reference list entry. 

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A.  (Year of Publication).  Title of article.  Journal Title, volume(issue number), page numbers.

Reference List Example:

Greenberg, A. (2001). Race, religiosity, and the women's vote. Women & Politics, 22(3), 59-82. 

In-text Citation Example:

(Greenberg, 2001)

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Magazine Article

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A. (Full Date of Publication). Title of article.  Magazine Title, volume, page numbers.

Reference List Example:

Ravilious, K. (2006, November/December).  Scots on the rocks:  Mountaineering archaeologists reach new heights of discovery. Archaeology, 27, 16-21.

In-text Citation Example:

(Ravilious, 2006)

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Newspaper Article

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A. (Full Date of Publication). Title of article.  Newspaper Title, page number(s) preceded by p. or pp.

Reference List Example:

Donelly, J. (2006, November 9). SARS authority picked to lead health group. Boston Globe, p. A14.

In-text Citation Example:

(Donelly, 2006)

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Newspaper Article with Unknown Author

Reference List Format:

Title of article. (Full Date of Publication). Newspaper Title, page number. 

Reference List Example:

Number of out-of-wedlock births a record. (2006, November 26). Hartford Courant, p. A7.

Within the reference list, alphabetize works with no author by the first significant word in the title.

In-text Citation Example:

("Number of Out-of-Wedlock Births," 2006) 

For the in-text citation, use a few words of the title in place of the author's name. Include double quotation marks around the title of the article.

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Letter to the Editor

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A. (Full Date of Publication). Title of article [Letter to the editor]. Newspaper Title, page number.

Reference List Example:

Arsham, J. (2006, November 9) At last she has reason to wave a flag [Letter to the editor]. Boston Globe, p. A16.

In-text Citation Example:

(Arsham, 2006)

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Review

Reference List Format:

Author of the Review. (Date of Publication). Title of article [Review of Title of book being reviewed].  Journal Title, volume, page numbers.

Reference List Example:

Ellis, N. (2006). London chiming [Review of the book Postcolonial London: Rewriting the metropolis].  Postcolonial Studies, 9, 337-342. 

In-text Citation Example:

(Ellis, 2006) 

If citing a review of another medium, such as a motion picture, use Review of the motion picture in brackets.  Example:  [Review of the motion picture To catch a thief]

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Article from Online-Only Journal

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of article. Journal Title, volume.  Retrieved [date accessed], from [URL].

Reference List Example: 

Henry, P. (2006). The sociological implications for contemporary Buddhism in the United Kingdom:  Socially engaged Buddhism, a case study. Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 13. Retrieved December 11, 2006, from http://jbe.gold.ac.uk/13/henry-article.html

In-text Citation Example:

(Henry, 2006)

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Journal Article from Electronic Database

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A.  (Year of Publication).  Title of article. Journal Title, volume(issue number), print page numbers.  Retrieved [date accessed], from [Database Name].

Reference List Example:

Chavez, L.  (2006).  The realities of immigration.  Commentary, 122(1), 34-41.  Retrieved September 25, 2006, from Expanded Academic ASAP.

In-text Citation Example: 

(Chavez, 2006)

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Journal Article, Electronic Facsimile (PDF)

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A.  (Year of Publication).  Title of article [Electronic version].  Journal Title, volume(issue number), print page numbers.

Reference List Example:

Chavez, L.  (2006).  The realities of immigration [Electronic version].  Commentary, 122(1), 34-41.

In-text Citation Example:

(Chavez, 2006)

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Newspaper Article from Electronic Database

Reference List Format:

Author, A. A. (Full Date of Publication). Title of article.  Newspaper Title, page number. Retrieved [date accessed], from [Database Name].

Reference List Example:

Harmon, A. (2006, December 10). DNA gatherers hit a snag:  The tribes don't trust them. New York Times, p. 1.1. Retrieved December 11, 2006, from Proquest Newspapers.

In-text Citation Example:

(Harmon, 2006)

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Website

Reference List Format:

Author's name.  (Date of Posting/Revision).  Title of website.  Retrieved [date accessed], from [URL].

Reference List Example:

The White House, United States Government.  (2006).  Comprehensive immigration reform. Retrieved September 25, 2006, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/immigration/

In-text Citation Example:

(The White House, United States Government, 2006)

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Electronic Mailing List (LISTSERV)

Reference List Format: 

Author, A. A. (Date of Posting). Subject line of message. Message posted to [Name of Electronic Mailing List] electronic mailing list, archived at [URL]

Reference List Example: 

Linseele, V. (2006, September 6). Cattle mandible with unusual wear. Message posted to ZOOARCH electronic mailing list, archived at http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ZOOARCH.html

In-text Citation Example: 

(Linseele, 2006)

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E-mail 

E-mails (like other personal communication) are not included in the reference list; however, cite the e-mail in the text and include the author's initials in addition to the author's last name and provide a specific date.

In-text Citation Example:

(C. A. Roberts, personal communication, December 6, 2006)

Or

As C. A. Roberts said in his e-mail . . . (personal communication, December 6, 2006)

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Video from YouTube Website (unknown producer*)

Reference List Format:

Title of video [Video]. (Date of Posting). Retrieved [date accessed], from [URL]

Reference List Example:

Fairfield University students at NASA [Video]. (2007, June 20). Retrieved November 12, 2007, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgq1FYuWd1c

In-text Citation Example:

(Fairfield University Students at NASA, 2007)

* Provide the producer or primary contributor only if you are sure that person created the video. Do not list the person posting the video online as the producer. If you are unsure, treat the citation as having no producer.

Video from YouTube Website (known producer*)

Reference List Format:

Name of Producer (Producer). Title of video [Video]. (Date of Posting). Retrieved [date accessed], from [URL]

Reference List Example:

HAM Channel of Fairfield University (Producer). News64 - Feature on Craig Romney [Video]. (2007, October 31). Retrieved November 13, 2007, from http://youtube.com/watch?v=kiUVGeTIw8g

In-text Citation Example:

(HAM Channel of Fairfield University, 2007)

* Provide the producer or primary contributor only if you are sure that person created the video. Do not list the person posting the video online as the producer. If you are unsure, treat the citation as having no producer.

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Personal Communication

Personal communication (such as letters, memos, e-mails, personal interviews and telephone conversations) are not included in the reference list.  Cite the personal communication in the text, and include the author's initials in addition to the author's last name and provide a date as specific as possible.

In-text Citation Example:

(C. A. Roberts, personal communication, December 6, 2006)

Or

As C. A. Roberts wrote in a letter . . . (personal communication, December 6, 2006)

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Motion Pictures

Reference List Format:

Name of Originator or Primary Contributor (Function of Originator or Primary Contributor). (Copyright date). Title of motion picture [Motion Picture]. Motion Picture's Country of Origin:  Name of Movie Studio.

Reference List Example: 

Hitchcock, A. (Director/Producer). (1954). Rear window [Motion picture]. United States:  Paramount Pictures.

In-text Citation Example: 

(Hitchcock, 1954)

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Television Series

Reference List Format:

Name of Producer of Television Series (Producer). (Date). Title of television series [Television series].  Place of Origin: Studio Name.

Reference List Example:

Weiner, M. (Producer) and Weiner, H. (Producer). (1999). Journey to planet Earth [Television Series]. Washington, DC:  Screenscope.

In-text Citation Example:

(M. Weiner & H. Weiner, 1999)

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Single Episode of Television Series

Reference List Format:

Name of Scriptwriter (Writer), & Name of  Director (Director). (Date). Title of episode [Television series episode]. In Name of Producer (Producer), Title of television series. Place of Origin:  Studio Name.

Reference List Example:

Weiner, H. (Writer/Director). (1999). Land of plenty, land of want [Television series episode]. In H. Weiner & M. Weiner (Producers), Journey to planet Earth. Washington, DC:  Screenscope.

In-text Citation Example:

(Weiner, 1999)

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Music Recording

Reference List Format:

Writer, A. A. (Copyright Date). Title of song [Recorded by Name of Recording Artist if different from writer].  On Album title [Recording medium]. Location:  Recording Company. (Recording date if different from copyright date)

For recording medium, use CD, record, cassette etc.

Reference List Example:

Chopin, F. (1990). Nocturne Op 55, No 2 [Recorded by V. Horowitz]. On The last recording [CD].  New York:  Sony Classical.

In-text Citation Example:

(Chopin, 1990, track 5)

For the in-text citation, include the band or track number.

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Additional In-text Citation Examples

One Author (Books and Articles)

In-text Citation Example:

In a recent book about border patrols . . . (Bigelow, 2006).

Or

Bigelow (2006) discusses the Mexican immigrant experience.

The above formats are used for the authors of both books and articles

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Two Authors (Books and Articles)

In-text Citation Example:

(Mock & Parker, 1997)

Or

Mock and Parker (1997) discuss the origins of family structure . . .

Always cite both names every time you cite the work.

The above formats are used for the authors of both books and articles

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Three to Six Authors (Books and Articles)

In-text Citation Examples:

For the first in-text citation, cite all of the authors.

(Garner, Smith, & Piland, 1990)

For subsequent in-text citations, cite the first author followed by et al.

(Garner et al., 1990)

The above formats are used for the authors of both books and articles

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Six or More Authors (Books and Articles)

In-text Citation Format:

(Dacso, et al., 1995)

Use this format for the first in-text citation and subsequent citations.

The above format is used for the authors of both books and articles

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No Author

In-text Citation Examples:

(American Heritage Dictionary, 2000)

For the in-text citation, use a few words of the title in place of the author's name. Italicize a book title and use double quotation marks around the title of an article or book chapter.

("Number of Out-of-Wedlock Births," 2006)

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No Date

Use n.d. in the place of the date.

In-text Citation Example:

(Roberts, n.d.)

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Personal Communication

In-text Citation Example:

(C. A. Roberts, personal communication, December 6, 2006)

In addition to the author's last name, include the author's initials.  Provide a date that is as specific as possible.

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Multiple Works in the Same Parenthesis

In-text Citation Example:

(Landau, 1989; Leja, 1993; Varnedoe, 1999)

When citing two or more works by different authors within the same parenthesis, list the authors alphabetically and separate each citation with a semicolon.

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Specific Part of a Print Source (Including Exact Quotes)

In-text citation examples:

(Walker, 1991, figure 2)

(Zelizer, 2003, chap. 1)

When quoting from a source, always give page numbers.

"No single memory reflects all that is known about a given event, personality, or issue" (Zelizer, 2003, p. 3). 

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Specific Part of an Electronic Source (Including Exact Quotes)

If an electronic source does not provide page numbers, use the paragraph number if given.  Precede the number with the paragraph symbol or the abbreviation para.

In-text Citation Examples:

(Smith, ¶ 2) or (Smith, para. 2)

If there are no page or paragraph numbers available, cite the section heading and count the paragraph number in which the citation falls.

In-text Citation Example:

"A key aspect of global Buddhism has been the exponential increase in the movement of Buddhism in the last five decades of the twentieth century, from Asia to Western nations" (Henry, 2006, Global Buddhism section, para. 2).

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The Bible and Other Classical Works  

An entry in the reference list is not required for the Bible and other major classical works, such as Greek and Roman works (e.g. The Iliad). For the first in-text citation, identify the version of text you used. 

In-text Citation Example:

John 3:16 (King James Version)

Or

(John 3:16 King James Version)

Instead of page numbers, use the classical work's numbering system (books, chapters, verses, lines, cantos).

For subsequent in-text citations, you no longer need to identify the version used.

(John 3:16)

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Translated Work

In-text Citation Example:

(Freud, 1899/1999)

Include the original publication date and the date of the translation.

For some ancient works, the original publication date is not applicable. Instead use the translation year.

(Plato, trans. 2004)

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Other Resources

For more examples and information on how to format your paper

Online Resource

• The OWL at Purdue

Print Resources

• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5^th ed. (Ref. BF 76.7.P83 2001)
• Concise Rules of APA Style (Ref. BF 76.7.C66 2005)

For addition help, contact a Reference Librarian

• In-person at the Reference Desk
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