The definitive source for information on citing sources and formatting a research paper in any discipline is a style manual. For APA style such a manual is: American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC. : American Psychological Association. The manual is located in the reference section of the library; its call number is: REF Z253.P83 2001.
APA style also has a website: http://www.apastyle.org. It should be consulted for updates on citation formats, especially for documenting electronic sources.
In-Text (Parenthetical) Citations
APA style uses the author-date in-text system of citation: authors last name and the year of publication are placed in parentheses immediately after the cited material. For direct citations, some paraphrases, a specific illustration, table or part of text, a page number is given as well.
Examples:
Internet source with no author and no date:
In 1846 the Applegate Trail was considered an alternate and a safer route to Oregon (Applegate, n.d.)
Note: The Internet source title can be abbreviated. Titles of journal articles and chapters are put in quotation marks. Abbreviation "n.d." stands for "no date."
Electronic publication:
Sohmer expressed a controversial opinion that Shakespeares play Julius Caesar "was expressly intended to open the new Globe theatre in June 1599" (para. 3).
Note: Some electronic publications have numbered paragraphs; in this case paragraph numbers might be used instead of missing page numbers.
Book or journal article with one author:
The whole plant is flat, like an upright feather (Kimmerer, 2003). Or: According to Kimmerer (2003), the whole plant is flat, like an upright feather.
Book or journal article with two authors:
Concept of diagnosis in psychiatry is treated as "the cornerstone of treatment" (Bauer & McBride, 2003, p. 3). Or: Bauer and McBride (2003) treat concept of diagnosis in psychiatry as "the cornerstone of treatment" (p. 3).
Book or journal article with more than two, but less than six authors:
For the first citation:
These alternative approaches resolve the problem at the expense of minor disadvantages (Goodwin, Seron, & Dona, 2005). Or: Goodwin, Seron, and Dona (2005) state that . . .
For subsequent citations:
(Goodwin et al., 2005). Or: Goodwin et al. (2005) state that
Note: "Et al." is Latin for "and others"; it is used to indicate the rest of the authors.
Book or journal article with six or more authors:
For the first and subsequent citations:
Trumpeter Swans often build their nests on muskrat houses (Csuti et al., 1997). Or: Csuti et al. (1997) point out, that . . .
Book or journal article with a corporate author:
For the first citation:
Not all children enjoy the "carefree" days of childhood (American Psychological Association [APA], 2007).
For subsequent citations:
(APA, 2007).
Book or journal article with no author:
Defining anxiety as a distinct emotional state has been a topic of considerable debate (Comparative Treatments, 2002).
Note: An abbreviated title is used.
Specific part of a source:
During the 1960s stratospheric research received a boost from the Atomic Energy Commission (Conway, 2005, chap. 5).
A less intensive monitoring scheme can be used (Wilson et al., 2004, table 7).
Citation of a work discussed in a secondary source:
Cooper and McAlister's study (as cited in Collins, Schwartz, & Temple, 2005) demonstrates . . .
Note: In the Reference list only the work by Collins et al. will be included.
Personal communication:
(R.D. Meyer, personal communication, May 10, 2006).
Note: Personal communication includes personal interviews, e-mails, letters, etc., and is not included in the Reference list.
Reference List
The Reference list is located at the end of the paper and contains complete citations of all the works referred to in the paper by the in-text citations.
APA style recommends the Reference list to be double-spaced, with a hanging indent. It means that all entries should begin flush left, and the second and subsequent lines should be indented.
All items should be listed in alphabetical order, by the author's or editor's last name.
If no author or editor is given, citation is started with the title, and then the date.
Examples: Internet Sources
Document from a web site with one author and a date:
Keppen, D. (2004). The Klamath Project at 100: Conserving our resources,
preserving our heritage. 1905-2005: The first century of water for the
Klamath Project. Retrieved December 21, 2006, from:
http://www.klamathbucketbrigade.org/KWUA_TheKlamathProjec
tat100041805.htm
Stand-alone document with no author and no date:
The Applegate trail. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2006,
from: http://www.webtrail.com/applegate/
Internet article based on a journal or magazine print source:
Morimoto, R., Ash, J., & Hope, C. (2005). Corporate social responsibility
audit: From theory to practice [Electronic version]. Journal of
Business Ethics, 62, 315-325.
Document available on university program or department Web site:
Kaplan, D.E., & Black, J. B. (2001). Computer-based tools for the development
and investigation of scientific reasoning skills. Retrieved
December 21, 2006, from Columbia University, Institute for Learning
Technologies Web site: http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/publications/
publications/papers/kaplanblack.html Electronic version of U.S. government report:
U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. (2005, December).
Consolidated federal funds report for fiscal year 2004: State and
county areas. Retrieved December 21, 2006, from U.S. Census
Bureau online press releases: http://www.census.gov/prod/2005
pubs/cffr-04.pdf
More information on citing electronic sources:
http://www.apastyle.org/elecsource.html
Examples: Articles from Periodicals
Journal articles with one or more authors:
Balter, M. (2005). Expression of endorphin gene favored in human
evolution. Science, 310, 1257.
Note: Both journal title and volume are italicized.
Remington, G., & Kapur, S. (2005). Remission: Whats in a name?
American Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 2393-2394.
Murabito, J.M., Yang, Q., Fox, C.S., & Cupples, C.A. (2005).
Genome-wide linkage analysis to age at natural menopause
in a community-based sample. Fertility & Sterility, 84, 1674-1679.
Curtin, J.A., Fridlyand, J., Kageshita, T., Patel, H.N., Busam, K.J.,
Kutzner, H., et al. (2005). Distinct sets of genetic alterations
in melanoma. New England Journal of Medicine, 353, 2135-2147.
Note: After the sixth authors name "et al." is used to indicate the rest of the authors.
Magazine article:
Ruvinsky, J. (2006, January). Brain scientists find single cells that
can think. Discover, 27, 46.
Note: Required publication information is the month for monthly publications, and month and date for the weekly ones.
Newspaper article:
Hulse, C. (2005, December 22). Senate, in close vote, blocks oil
drilling in Arctic. New York Times, pp.A1, A18.
Full text journal article from a library database:
Hunsinger, R.P. (2006). Culture and cultural identity in intercultural
technical communication. Technical Communication Quarterly,
15, 31-48. Retrieved December 21, 2006, from the Academic
Search Premier database.
Note: No Internet address is required for a library database.
Full text newspaper article from a library database:
Brewer, K. (2005, January 26). A good thing reaches its end.
Washington Times, The (DC). Retrieved December 21,
2006, from the Newspaper Source database.
Examples: Books
Books with one or more authors:
Kimmerer, R. W. (2003). Gathering moss: A natural and cultural
history of mosses. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University
Press.
Bauer, M. S., & McBride, L. (2003). Structured group psychotherapy
for bipolar disorder: The life goals program. New York:
Springer Publishing Company.
Goodwin, G.C., Seron, M.M., De Dona, J.A. (2005). Constrained
control and estimation. New York: Springer Publishing
Company.
Csuti, B., Kimerling, A.J., ONeil, T.A., Shaughnessy, M.M., Gaines,
E.P., Huso, M.M.P., et al. (1999). Atlas of Oregon wildlife.
Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Press.
Note: For more than six authors, "et al." is used after the name of the sixth author.
Book with a corporate author:
American Psychological Association. (2007). Graduate study in
psychology. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological
Association.
Note: In case of a professional organization being the author, the name of the organization is repeated twice: as the author, and as the publisher.
Edited book:
Beaver, K. (Ed.). (2003). Healthcare information systems. Boca
Raton, FL: Auerbach Publications.
Book with no author or editor:
Columbus world travel guide. (2005). Kent: Highbury Columbus
Travel Publications.
Chapter from a book:
Technological rivalry and the cold war. (2005). In E.M. Conway,
High-speed dreams. (pp.48-81). Baltimore: The John
Hopkins University Press.
Entry from a print encyclopedia or dictionary:
Anderson, C. (2004). Apprentice. In Historical encyclopedia
of American labor (Vol.1, p. 31). Westport, CT: Greenwood
Press.
Entry from an online encyclopedia or dictionary:
Subatomic particles. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2006, from
Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Government publication:
U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environmental and Public
Works. (2006). Captive Primate Safety Act. (109th Cong.,
2nd sess.: 109-263). Washington, DC: U.S. Government
Printing Office.
Review of a book:
Richards, R.J. (2007). Reason and reverence. [Review of the book
The language of God: A scientist presents evidence for belief].
American Scientist, 95, 173-174.
Note: Brackets are used to identify the material being reviewed: book, motion picture, television program, etc.
Examples: Other types of sources
Motion picture:
Colesberry, R. (Producer), & Schlondorff, V. (Director). (1985).
Death of a salesman [Motion picture]. United States:
Image Entertainment.
Personal interview:
Personal interviews and other types of personal communication (group discussions, telephone conversations, electronic bulletin boards, etc.) are not mentioned in the References list.
Last modified: April 2007.