APA references guidelines
Create an APA References Page
When you research a paper, you gather information sources including articles,
books and websites.
An APA References Page gives credit to those information sources.
To create an APA References Page, first construct an APA citation for each
information source used in preparing your paper. Then list those citations in
alphabetical order by the lead author's last name on a page titled
"References."
The format of an APA citation varies by type of information source.
Follow these basic formats and examples for articles, books and website
citations; consult with your librarians or APA style guides for more complex
information sources and situations.
• APA Book Citation
Basic format
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for
subtitle. Location (City then Abbreviated State): Publisher.
Example
Otto, R. (1958). The idea of the holy. New York, NY: Oxford U.P.
• APA Chapter in an Edited Book Citation
Basic format - Print Book
Author, A. A., & Author, B.B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In A.
Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book: Subtitle of book (pp. xxx-
xxx). Location: Publisher.
Example
Otto, R., & Brown, J. L. (2018). Wonderment of diversity. In. J. E. Carmichael
& W. Wilson (Eds.), Humanity at its finest: Under one skin (pp. 231 -
256). New York, NY: Wallace and Company
0
Basic format - Electronic Book
Author, A. A., & Author, B.B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In A.
Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book: Subtitle of book (pp. xxx-
xxx). Retrieved from [Link]
or
Author, A. A., & Author, B.B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In A.
Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book: Subtitle of book (pp. xxx-
xxx). doi:XXXXXXXXXXXXX
or
Examples
Maker., W. (2013). Religion and the dialectic of the enlightment. In. A. Nuzzo
(Ed.), Hegel on religion and politics (pp. 59 - 78). Retrieved from
[Link]
ebooks/[Link]?docID=3408689
or
Smith, J. (2019). Tomorrow is another day. In A. Collins (Ed.), Gone with the
wind: A southern epic (pp. 109 -110). doi:10.0110.3673
• APA Article Citation
Basic format
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Name of
Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages.
Example
Paprocki, J., & Williamson, D. (2006). The cross of Christ: Symbol of
victory. RTJ: The Magazine for Catechist Formation, 40(2), 7-9.
• APA Article from a Database Citation
Basic format
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Name of
Periodical, volume number(issue number), [Link]
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Name of
Periodical, volume number(issue number), [Link] from the URL
of the journal homepage.
Example
Paprocki, J., & Williamson, D. (2006). The cross of Christ: Symbol of
victory. RTJ: The Magazine for Catechist Formation, 40(2), 7-
9. doi:10.1037/hop0000027
1
Paprocki, J., & Williamson, D. (2006). The cross of Christ: Symbol of
victory. RTJ: The Magazine for Catechist Formation, 40(2), 7-9. Retrieved
from [Link]
• APA Newspaper Citation
Basic format
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Name of Newspaper, pp.
Example format
Schwarz, J. (1993, September 30). Obesity affects economic, social
status. The Washington Post, pp. A1, A4.
• APA Online Newspaper Citation
Basic format
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Name of Newspaper. Retrieved
from [Link]
Example format
Brody, J. E. (2007, December 11). Mental reserves keep brain agile. The New
York Times. Retrieved from [Link]
• APA Website Citation
Basic format
Author, A.A. OR Corporate Author Name. (Year of publication). Title of
webpage. Retrieved from http:// address
Example
Educational Broadcasting Corporation. (2011). Religion & ethics newsweekly.
Retrieved from [Link]
2
Generate APA In-Text Citations
When you write a paper, you sometimes include a direct quotation from one of
your information sources. And you sometimes paraphrase or summarize an
information source in your own words.
An APA In-Text Citation gives credit to those information sources within the
body of your paper and also connects the reader to your Works Cited page.
The format of an In-Text Citation varies if you are quoting directly or if you are
paraphrasing/summarizing.
Follow these examples for in-text citations; consult with your librarians or APA
style guides for more complex information sources and situations.
• Quoting Directly
Direct quote - if including author name in sentence
Otto (1958) states that believing and experiencing the holy are entirely
different phenomena--that we can "become consciously aware of it as an
operative reality, intervening actively in the phenomenal world" (p. 143).
Publication year after author name; page number - including p. -
surrounded by parentheses - inserted after quotation marks and before
period.
Direct quote - if not including include author name in sentence
Believing and experiencing the holy are entirely different phenomena, and we
can "become consciously aware of it an as operative reality, intervening
actively in the phenomenal world" (Otto, 1958, p. 143).
Author name, publication year and page number - including p. -
surrounded by parentheses and inserted after quotation marks and
before period.
Note: The above examples of in-text citations tell readers that the information
in the sentence can be located on page 143 of a work by an author named
Otto.
--
If a reader wanted more information about this source, he/she could turn to
the References page, where, under the name of Otto, they will find the
following citation:
Otto, R. (1958). The idea of the holy. London: Oxford U.P.
3
• Paraphrasing/Summarizing
Paraphrasing - if including the author name in a sentence
Otto (1958) differentiaties between believing and experiencing the holy as an
operative reality.
Paraphrasing - if not including the author name in a sentence
Believing and experiencing the holy are different phenomena (Otto, 1958).
If a reader wanted more information about this source, he/she could turn to
the References page, where, under the name of Otto, they will find the
following citation:
Otto, R. (1958). The idea of the holy. London: Oxford U.P.
• Source within a source
If you use a source that was cited in another source, name the original source
in your signal phrase. List the secondary source in your reference list and
include the secondary source in the parentheses.
Johnson argued that...(as cited in Smith, 2003, p. 102).
Note: When citing material in parentheses, set off the citation with a comma,
as above. Also, try to locate the original material and cite the original source.
