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WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT:
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT:
The reference list can be challenging to students new to APA. These resources will help you understand the order of each element, or piece, and will explain some of the most common exceptions. By breaking a citation down element by element and highlighting its formatting and punctuation, it takes some of the confusion away and gives you the knowledge needed to cite any source correctly!
WHAT TO DO:
WHAT TO DO:
Watch the video.
Review the Pieces of the Puzzle and the Examples. These are the "pieces" you need to put your reference list "puzzle" together.
You don't need to memorize all this information, but read through it carefully to understand the differences between various kinds of sources.
For each section you should:
Look at the pieces for each source type and how they can be different based on what information you have.
Review the examples and see what the pieces look like in real life!
Answer the self-check questions at the end.
Go to Part 3, The Reference List: Formatting.
Video: An Introduction to APA Citations
Video: An Introduction to APA Citations
Books and eBooks
Books and eBooks
Pieces of the Puzzle
Pieces of the Puzzle
Author: Smith, S.
Author: Smith, S.
Or multiple: Smith, S., Vincent, M., & Means, M.
Or corporate/organization: Center for Feline Studies.
No author? Start with the title: Book title. (2020). Publisher...
Date: (2002). or (2002, July 2). or (2020, Summer).
Date: (2002). or (2002, July 2). or (2020, Summer).
No date? (n.d.).
Title: Title of the book.
Title: Title of the book.
If it has a subtitle: Title of book: Capitalize subtitle's first word.
Proper nouns in the title? Capitalize them!
Publisher: Name of Publisher.
Publisher: Name of Publisher.
No doi? Use the URL if it has one.
Library database? Do not include the database name or the URL.
Examples
Examples
Basic format for book
Basic format for book
Smith, S. (2017). The coolest things out there in the world. Penguin Books.
Basic format for eBook
Basic format for eBook
Smith, S. (2017). The coolest things out there in the world. Penguin Books. https://doi.org/sfrn.45rf
Edited Books and eBooks
Edited Books and eBooks
Pieces of the Puzzle
Pieces of the Puzzle
Author of chapter: Smith, S.
Author of chapter: Smith, S.
Or multiple: Smith, S., Vincent, M., & Means, M.
Or corporate/organization: Center for Feline Studies.
Date: (2002). or (2002, July 2). or (2020, Summer).
Date: (2002). or (2002, July 2). or (2020, Summer).
No date? (n.d.).
Title of chapter: Dog noses: How they sniff.
Title of chapter: Dog noses: How they sniff.
Editor of book: In M. Jones (Ed.).
Editor of book: In M. Jones (Ed.).
Or multiple: In M Jones & J. Picard (Eds.).
Title: Title of the book.
Title: Title of the book.
If it has a subtitle: Title of book: Capitalize subtitle's first word.
Proper nouns in the title? Capitalize them!
Edition and page numbers: (4th ed., pp. 145-161).
Edition and page numbers: (4th ed., pp. 145-161).
No edition? Sometimes there is no edition listed, so leave it off.
Publisher: Name of Publisher.
Publisher: Name of Publisher.
No doi? Use the URL if it has one.
Library database? Do not include the database name or the URL.
Examples
Examples
Basic format for edited book
Basic format for edited book
Jones, M. (2020). Who let the dogs out. In G. T. Smith (Ed.), The psychology of dogs (2nd ed., pp. 35-54). Best Book Publisher.
Journal Articles
Journal Articles
Pieces of the Puzzle
Pieces of the Puzzle
Author: Smith, S.
Author: Smith, S.
Or multiple: Smith, S., Vincent, M., & Means, M.
Or corporate/organization: Center for Feline Studies.
No author? Start with the article title: Article title. (2020). ...
Date: (2002). or (2002, July 2). or (2020, Summer).
Date: (2002). or (2002, July 2). or (2020, Summer).
No date? (n.d.).
Title of article: Dog noses: How they sniff.
Title of article: Dog noses: How they sniff.
Title: Title of the Journal or Magazine,
Title: Title of the Journal or Magazine,
Volume and issue: 45(4).
Volume and issue: 45(4).
NOTE: volume is in italics. Issue is not!
No volume or issue? Sometimes there may be no volume or issue. Leave it off.
Page numbers: 243-248.
Page numbers: 243-248.
No doi? Use the URL if it has one.
Library database? Do not include the database name or the URL.
Examples
Examples
Basic format for article
Basic format for article
Smith, S., Vincent, M., & Means, M. (2018). Teaching cool stuff: How to use powerpoint. Journal of Cool Stuff, 13(3), 4-8. https://doi.org/12.454/545
Websites
Websites
Pieces of the Puzzle
Pieces of the Puzzle
Author: Smith, S.
Author: Smith, S.
Or multiple: Smith, S., Vincent, M., & Means, M.
Or corporate/organization: Center for Feline Studies.
No author: In rare cases, you would start with the title of the webpage, but often the name of the website is considered the corporate author!
Date: (2002). or (2002, July 2). or (2020, Summer).
Date: (2002). or (2002, July 2). or (2020, Summer).
No date? (n.d.).
Title of Webpage: Title of the webpage.
Title of Webpage: Title of the webpage.
Title of Website: Title of the Website.
Title of Website: Title of the Website.
Note: If the website is also the organization name used as author, leave it off.
URL: www.webofstuff.com/legos
URL: www.webofstuff.com/legos
Examples
Examples
Basic format for webpage on a website with an individual author
Basic format for webpage on a website with an individual author
Smith, S. (2019, January 4). Cats in the sunbeam: A study of purring. Center for Feline Studies. www.felinestudies.com
Basic format for webpage on a website where the website is the corporate author
Basic format for webpage on a website where the website is the corporate author
Center for Feline Studies. (2019, January 4). Cats in the sunbeam: A study of purring. www.catstudies.com
Images
Images
Pieces of the Puzzle
Pieces of the Puzzle
Artist/Creator: Smith,S.
Artist/Creator: Smith,S.
Or screen name: BuildsWithLegos
No Artist/Creator? Leave it off and start with the title!
Date: (2002). or (2002, July 2). or (2002, Fall).
Date: (2002). or (2002, July 2). or (2002, Fall).
No date? (n.d.).
Title of work & format: This is my image title [Format].
Title of work & format: This is my image title [Format].
Format = type of work, like: [Painting]. [Clip Art]. [Video].
No title? Use brackets with format/description together: [Video of cat sleeping].
Location or Website: Museum Name. or Website Name.
Location or Website: Museum Name. or Website Name.
No location? Leave it off... but you must have a website name!
Library database? Do not include the database name or URL.
Examples
Examples
Basic Format for Artwork
Basic Format for Artwork
Smith, S. (2020). Cat flower [Painting]. Big Museum, Rome, GA, United States. www.museum.com/catflower
Basic Format for Web Image
Basic Format for Web Image
CatPhotoGirl. (2020). Cat and dog [Photograph]. Cats Website. www.kitty.com/meow
Basic Format for Web Image With No Author, Title, or Date
Basic Format for Web Image With No Author, Title, or Date
[Line drawing of cat with flower]. (n.d.). Cat Fun Website. www.whichcat.com/cat
Basic Format for Web Video
Basic Format for Web Video
CatFanGeorgia. (2020, July 15). Cat paws [Video]. YouTube. https://www.vid.com/video
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