Guidelines for Citations and References

When one author is referred to in the middle of a sentence list the citation like this, “Kessler (2003) found that among epidemiological samples . . .”

When the citation is referenced without mentioning the author in the sentence list the citation like this, “Early onset results in a more persistent and severe course (Kessler, 2003).”

When two authors are referred to in the middle of a sentence list the citation like this, “. . . as Kurtines and Szapocznik (2003) demonstrated. . .”

When the citation is referenced without mentioning the authors in the sentence list the citation like this, “. . . as has been shown (Jeskog and Som, 2007). . .”

Cite all the authors the first time the work is mentioned. After that use only the surname of the first author followed by “et al.” For example, Kisangau, Lyaruu, Hosea, and Joseph (2007) found [Use as first citation in text.] Kisangau et al. (2007) found [Use as subsequent first citation per paragraph thereafter.]

Order sources alphabetically as they are in the reference list. For example, “Kosslyn, Koenig, Barrett, Cave, Tang, and Gabrieli (996).”

List the direct quote in quotation marks followed by the citation including the author, year, and page. For example, “Behavior has been referred to as “blah blah” (Bradley, 1998, p. 276).”

Refer to both sources in the text, but only put the one source you used in the References list. For example, Allport’s diary (as cited in Nicholson, 2003).

In this case, if Allport’s work is cited in Nicholson and you did not read Allport’s work, list the Nicholson reference in the reference list.

Use the title of the article, or part of the title, and the year. Make sure that the title or title part corresponds to the name in the Reference list. This often occurs with daily newspaper articles. For example, “It was recently reported that a new drug appears to cut the risk of heart failure (“New Drug,” 1993).”

These include private letters, memos, some electronic communication (e.g., e-mails or electronic bulletin boards), personal interviews, and telephone conversation. For example, “T. K. Lutes (personal communication, April 18, 2001)” or “(V. G. Nguyen, personal communication, September 28, 1998).”

The citation of interviews depends on the nature of the interview.

If the interview is in a form that is recoverable (e.g., a recording, transcript, published Q&A), use the reference format appropriate for the source in which the interview is available.

If you have interviewed someone for information about your topic and that person has agreed to be identified as a source, cite the source as a personal communication (in text only). For example, “(G. Fink-Nottle, personal communication, April 5, 2011).”

Personal communications do not have reference list entries because they cannot be retrieved.

No citation is needed for remarks made by participants in the research on which you’re reporting. Do not cite these as personal communications; this would breach the participants’ guarantee of confidentiality.

For more information on interviews, see APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, section 1.11, pp. 16-17; section 6.20, p. 179; section 7.10, Examples 69 and 70, p. 214.

Given the rich and varied online publishing environment, APA Publication Manual, sixth edition recommends including the same elements, in the same order, as a reference to a fixed-media source and add as much electronic retrieval information as needed for others to locate the sources cited.

Here are basic guidelines of the APA Publication Manual, sixth edition for citing electronic sources in the reference list.

For a passing reference to a website in text, the URL is sufficient; no reference list entry is needed. For example, “(http://gfnnfg.livejournal.com/).”

However, when you are citing a particular document or piece of information from a website, include both a reference list entry and an in-text citation. The key to creating the reference list entry is to determine the type of content on the web page. Basically, provide the following four pieces of information:

1. Author, A.
2. (date).
3. Title of document [Format description].
4. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx

The in-text citation includes the author and date (Author, date), as with any other APA Style citation.

For more information see APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, section 6.32, pp. 189–192; Chapter 7, Examples 29, 30, 54, 55, and 76, pp. 198–215.

The reference list entry for an e-book includes the author, date, title, and source (URL or DOI). For a chapter in an e-book, include the chapter title and page numbers (if available). The in-text citation includes the author and date, as with any other APA Style citation.

For a whole e-book

• With DOI: Author, A. (date). Title of book. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx
• Without DOI: Author, A. (date). Title of book. doi:xxxxxxxxxxxx

For a chapter in an e-book

• With DOI: Author, A. (date). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). doi:xxxxxxxxxx
• Without DOI: Author, A. (date). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx

For more information see: APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, section 7.02, pp. 202–205.

Although the APA Publication Manual (sixth edition) does not include specific Facebook citation formats, you can adapt the basic reference format to fit. For more information see APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, p. 193.

Here’s the general format for creating a reference for a video found on YouTube and other video-posting websites:

If both the real name of the person who posted the video and the screen name are known: Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (year, month day). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx.

If only the screen name of the person who posted the video is known: Screen name. (year, month day). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx The in-text citations include the author name outside of brackets (whichever that may be) and the date.

A digital object identifier (DOI) is a unique string of letters, numbers, and symbols assigned to a published work to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the Internet. The DOI is typically located on the first page of an electronic document near the copyright notice and on the database landing page for the document. When DOIs are available, include them in the reference information. Place the DOI at the end of the reference, and don’t add a period at the end of it. For example, “Author, A. (year). Title of article. Journal Title, X, xxx–xxx. doi:xxxxxx.”

How does this look in practice?

Brownlie, D. (2007). Toward effective poster presentations: An annotated bibliography. European Journal of Marketing, 41, 1245-1283. doi:10.1108/03090560710821161

Note: If there is no DOI, provide the URL for the journal homepage as the second choice. The retrieval date is not required in this type of reference

For more information see APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, sections 6.31–6.32, pp. 187–192

For electronic sources that do not provide page numbers, use the paragraph number, if available, proceeded by the paragraph symbol (¶) or the abbreviation para. For example, “As Myers (2000, ¶ 5) aptly phrased it, “positive emotions are both an end…”

If neither paragraph nor page numbers are visible, cite the heading and the number of the paragraph following it to direct the reader to the location of the material. For example, “The current system of managed care and the current approach to defining empirically supported treatments are shortsighted” (Beutler, 2000, Conclusion section, para 1).”

When there is no author for a web page, the text citation would then just cite a few words of the title. For example, “…are most at risk of contracting the disease (“New Child,” 2001).”

When discussing—but not citing—an entire web site (but not a specific document on that site), it is sufficient to give the address of the site in just the text (no entry in the reference list is needed). For example, “Kidspsych, which can be found at http://www.kidspsych.org, is a wonderful interactive web site for children.”

Here are additional guidelines on citing electronic sources (APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, section 6.32):

• You may need to do a quick web search to locate the website URL. Transcribe the URL correctly by copying it directly from the address window in your browser and pasting it into your working document.
• Do not insert a hyphen if you need to break a URL across lines; instead, break the URL before most punctuation. Do not add a period after the URL, to prevent the impression that the period is part of the URL.
• In general, it is not necessary to include database information. Journal coverage in a particular database may change over time; also, if using an aggregator such as EBSCO, OVID, or Pro Quest (each of which contain many discipline-specific databases, such as PsycINFO), it may be unclear exactly which database provided the full text of an article.
• Some archival documents (e.g., discontinued journals, monographs, dissertations, or papers not formally published) can only be found in electronic databases such as ERIC or JSTOR. When the document is not easily located through its primary publishing channels, give the home or entry page URL for the online archive.
• Do not include retrieval dates unless your instructor requires it and the source material may change over time (e.g., Wikis).
• As with references to material in print or other fixed media, it is preferable to cite the final version (i.e., archival copy or version of record; see APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, section 6.24).

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for journal articles with a DOI is listed as authors (Year, found..). For example, “Herbst-Damm and Kulik (2005, found…”

Reference Entry

Herbst-Damm, K.L., and Kulik, J. A. (2005). Volunteer support, marital status, and the survival times of terminally ill patients. Health Psychology, 24, 225-229. doi: 10.1037/027S-6 1 33.24.2.225

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for journal articles with a DOI and more than seven authors is listed as the first author (et. al., year). For example, “… (Gilbert et al., 2004)…”

Reference Entry

Gilbert, D.G., McClernon, J. F., Rabinovich, N.E., Sugai, C., Plath, L.C., Asgaard, G., Botros, N. (2004). Effects of quitting smoking on EEG activation and attention last for more than 31 days and are more severe with stress, dependence, DR D2 A1allele, and depressive traits. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 6, 249-267 Doi:10.1SO/14622200410001676305

Note: Give the URL of the home page if no DOI is assigned. No retrieval date is needed.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for journal articles without DOI is listed as the aauthors (year). For example, “Sillick and Schutte (2006) described…”

Reference Entry

Sillick, T.J., and Schutte, N. S. (2006). Emotional intelligence and self-esteem mediate between perceived early parental love and adult happiness. E-Journal of Applied Psychology, 2(2), 38-48.

Light, M. A., and Light, I. H. (2008). The geographic expansion of Mexican immigration in the United States and its implications for local law enforcement. Law Enforcement Executive Forum Journal, 8(1), 73-82.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for abstracts as original sources is listed as the abstract title (year). For example, “According to the Society for Neuroscience (1991)…”

Reference Entry

Woolf, N. J., Young, S. L., Fanselow, M. S., and Butcher, L. L. (1991). MAP-2 expression in cholinoceptive pyramidal cells of rodent cortex and hippocampus is altered by Pavlovian conditioning [Abstract]. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 17, 480.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for magazine articles is listed as author (year). For example, “Novotney and Price (2008) argue that…”

Reference Entry

Chamberlin, J., Novotney, A., Packard, E., and Price, M. (2008, May). Enhancing worker well-being: Occupational health psychologists convene to share their research on work, stress, and health. Monitor on Psychology, 39(5), 26-2.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for online magazine articles is listed as author (year). For example, “Clay (2008) finds…”

Reference Entry

Clay, R. (2008, June). Science vs. ideology: Psychologists fight back about the misuse of research. Monitor on Psychology, 39(6).

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for newspaper articles with no authors is listed as the title (hyperlink). For example, “Several…met at a comprehensive anti- gang conference (http://www. ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/ne wsacglance/216684/topstory.htm)…”

Reference Entry

Six sites meet for comprehensive anti-gang initiative conference. (2006, November/December). OJJDP News @ a Glance. Retrieved from http://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/newsac glance/216684/topstory.html

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for newspaper articles is listed as title (author, year). For example, “Obesity is found to
…(Schwartz, 1993).”

Reference Entry

Schwartz, J. (1993, September 30). Obesity affects economic, social status. The Washington Post, pp. A1, A4.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for online newspaper articles is listed as author (year). For example, “According to J.E. Brody (2007)…”

Reference Entry

Brody, J. E. (2007, December 11). Mental reserves keep brain agile. The New York Times.

Reference Entry

• Author, A. A. (1967). Title of work. Location: Publisher.
• Author, A. A. (1997). Title of work. Retrieved from http://www.xxxxxxx
• Author, A. A. (2006). Title of work. doi:xxxxx
• Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (1986). Title of work. Location: Publisher.

Reference Entry

• Author, A. A., and Author, B. B. (1995). Title of chapter or entry. In A Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). Location: Publisher.
• Author, A. A., and Author, B. B. (1993). Title of chapter or entry. In A Editor & B. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). Retrieved from http ://www.xxxxxxx
• Author, A. A., and Author, B. B. (1995). Title of chapter or entry. In A Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). doi:xxxxxxxx

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for entire printed book is listed as author (year). For example, “Shotton (1989) asserts ….”

Reference Entry

Shotton, M. A. (1989). Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency. London, England: Taylor and Francis.

Reference Entry Format and Components: Note carefully the use of italics and punctuation.

Author’s last name and initial(s). (Publication date). Book title in italics and using capital letters for the first word of the title and subtitle and for any proper nouns. City, state of publication: Publisher.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for electronic version of a print book is listed as author (year). For example, “…as is mentioned by Shotton (1989)…”

Reference Entry

Shotton, M. A. (1989). Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency [DX Reader Version]. Retrieved from http://www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/ html/index.asp

Schiraldi, G. R. (2001). The post-traumatic stress disorder sourcebook: A guide to healing, recovery, and growth [Adobe Digital Editions version].doi: 10.1036/0071393722

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for electronic only books is listed as author (n.d). For example, “O’Keefe (n.d.) found…”

Reference Entry

O’Keefe, E. (n.d.). Egoism & the crisis in Western values. Retrieved from http://www.onlineoriginals.com/showitem.asp??itemID=35

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for a chapter in a print version of a book is listed as author (year, pp. xx-xx). For example, “Haybron (2008, pp. 17-43) found…”

Reference Entry

Haybron, D. M. (2008). Philosophy and the science of subjective well- being. In M. Eid and R. Larsen (Eds.). The science of subjective well-being (pp. 17-43). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for government reports is listed as department (year) report. For example, “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, (2003) report…”

Reference Entry

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2003). Managing asthma: A guide for schools (NIH Publication No. 02-2650). Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/asthma/asth_sch.pdf

Use this form for issue briefs, working papers, and other corporate documents, with the appropriate document number for retrieval in parentheses.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for issue briefs is listed as institute name (year). For example, “The Employee Benefit Research Institute (1992) report…”

Reference Entry

Employee Benefit Research Institute. (1992, February). Sources of health insurance and characteristics of the uninsured (Issue Brief No.123). Washington, DC: Author.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for paper presentations or poster sessions is listed as presenters name (year) presented… For example, “A.A. Presenter (year) presented…”

Reference Entry

Presenter, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of paper or poster. Paper or poster session presented at the meeting of
Organization Name, Location.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for videos is listed as producer (year). For example, “According to the American Psychological Association (2000), …”

Reference Entry

American Psychological Association (Producer). (2000). Responding therapeutically to patient expressions of sexual attraction [DVD]. Available from http://www.a pa.org/videos/

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for podcasts is listed as date and podcast name. For example, “During a December 19, 2007 Shrink rap radio podcast, participants…”

Reference Entry

Van Nuys, D. (Producer). (2007, December 19). Shrink rap radio [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.shrinkrapradio.com/

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for an episode from a television series is listed as series name (year). For example, “In an episode of Failure to communicate (2005) …”

Reference Entry

Egan, D. (Writer). and Alexander, J. (Director). (2005). Failure to communicate [Television series episode]. In D. Shore (Executive producer). House. New York, NY: Fox Broadcasting.

In-Text Citation

In text citations, include side and band or track numbers. For example, “Shadow and the Frame” (Lang, 2008, track 10).

Reference Entry

Lang, K.D. (2008). Shadow and the frame. On Watershed [CD]. New York, N Y: Nonesuch Records.

In-Text Citation

Photographer, F.M. (Photographer). (Year, month date of publication). Title of photograph [photograph]. City, State of publication: Publisher/museum.

Photographer, F.M. (Photographer). (Year, Month Date of Publication). Title of Photograph [digital image].
Retrieved from URL

Reference Entry

Cartier-Bresson, H. (Photograph). (1938). Juvisy, France [photograph]. New York, NY: The Museum of Modern Art

O’Shea, P. (Photographer). (2010, August 29). Rescued hedgehog [digital image]. Retrieved from http://flickr.com/photos/peteoshea/5 476076002/

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for a message posted to a newsgroup, online forum, or discussion group is listed as author (year) or (F. L, year). For example, “J.R. Drake (2014) argues that. . . . ” OR “. . . to remain competitive (J.R. Drake, 2014).”

Reference Entry

Author. A. [or Alias.] (Year, Month day). Title of discussion thread [Online forum comment]. Message posted to Web address

Drake, J.R. (2014 May 5). Re: Incidentals of XII Technologies [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from
http://forums.XII/archive/188815

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for messages posted to an electronic mailing list is listed as author (year). For example, “Smith (2006) describes…”

Reference Entry

Smith, S. (2006, January 5). Re: Disputed estimates of IQ [Electronic mailing list message]. Retrieved from http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ ForensicNetwork/message/670

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for a blog post is listed as author (year). For example, “PZ Myers (2007) found…”

Reference Entry

PZ Myers. (2007, January 22). The unfortunate prerequisites and consequences of partitioning your mind [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/ 2007/01/theunfortunateprerequisites

A blog comment would be referenced as follows:

Middle Kid. (2007, January 22). Re: The unfortunate prerequisites and consequences of partitioning your mind [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/ 2007/01/theunfortunateprerequisites.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for interviews recorded and available in an archive is listed as the name and year. For example, “Smith (1989) describes…”

Reference Entry

Smith, M.B. (1989, August 12). Interview by C. A. Kiesler [Tape recording]. President’s Oral History Project. American Psychological Association. APA Archives, Washington, DC.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation for software is listed as software title, version number. For example, “…is calculated by…  (Comprehensive Meta- Analysis, version 2).”

Reference Entry

Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (Version 2) [Computer software]. Englewood, NJ: Biostat.

Personal communications may be private letters, memos, some electronic communications (e.g., e-mail or messages from nonarchived discussion groups or electronic bulletin boards), personal interviews, telephone conversations, and the like. Because they do not provide recoverable data, personal communications are not included in the reference list. Cite personal communications in text only. Give the initials as well as the surname of the communicator, and provide as exact a date as possible.

Reference Entry

T. K. Lutes (personal communication, April 18, 2001)

(V.-G. Nguyen, personal communication, September 28, 1 998)