how to write references for a research paper apa style

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Information

How to cite references using apa style.

• Getting Started
• Finding Help
• Books, E-Books (including book chapters & encyclopedia entries) & Dissertations/Theses
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• Government Reports, Legal Citations & Regulations, Lecture Notes, Interviews, ERIC Documents, archival materials and other miscellaneous
• Images, film, music, media
• Citing ChatGPT and Other AI Tools in APA Style
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• In-text citation help
• APA 6th Edition

APA Examples Handout

• APA References 7th Edition (PDF)
• APA Citation Style Guide (Word) [Handout]

Available for print or download.

Other Relevant Guides

• How to Cite References Using MLA Style
• How to Cite Reference Using Chicago Style/Turabian
• Reference Tools - Citation Style Guides

About Citing References Using APA Style

Welcome to the guide for Citing References Using APA Style!

We hope that you will find this guide a useful starting place for information on APA Style, 7th edition. We have assembled a core collection of resources available through the Wayne State University Library System, as well as high quality, freely available web resources. This guide is a collaborative work-in-progress, developed with the suggestions and feedback from students and faculty.

Note: APA 7th Edition requires Double-Spacing throughout your paper.

AI Disclaimer

Do not use AI to suggest references to read/cite

Please be aware that ChatGPT and other AI services can produce incorrect, made-up references that cannot be sourced. While some individual parts of an AI-generated reference may be accurate (such as the journal name, article or book title or an author) the whole reference does not usually exist so cannot be found by our library team.

If you have a reference that you cannot find, our team may ask where it came from so that we can ensure it is legitimate before attempting to find it. If you need assistance, please use our 24/7 library chat service. 

More APA Style Guides

• Academic Writer Tutorial: Basics of Seventh Edition APA Style This tutorial takes you through the basics of writing an APA style paper, from paper format and organization to in-text citations and references.
• APA Style Guide, 7th Ed. This is the website for the 7th edition of the APA Style manual.
• APA Style, 7th ed., Handouts & Guides Instructional aids in PDF format; guides to introduce writers to APA Style or provide a brief overview of specific topics; checklists to use during the writing process; interactive activities to improve APA formatting or writing.
• APA Style and Grammar Guidelines
• Instructional Aids for 7th Edition
• Notable Changes in APA 7th Edition
• Excelsior Online Writing Lab This resource offers examples of the general format for papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and reference pages.
• Sample Papers in APA Style Includes samples of an Annotated Bibliography, a variety of essays, literature review and more.

Citation Management Software

• Citation Management Options Links to citation management software, tutorials, downloads, etc. available to assist you with citing your sources.
• How to Use Refworks Refworks is a cloud-based citation management tool that formats your bibliographies in APA, MLA, and many other citation styles, and use the saved references with Microsoft Word and other word processing software.. It is free to Wayne State University students, faculty, staff and other affiliated users.
• How to Use Zotero Zotero is a free open-source online citation management software that helps you gather, organize, and analyze sources and use the saved references with Microsoft Word and other word processing software.
• How to Use EndNote EndNote citation management software available at a discount to all WSU students, faculty and staff. It allows you to manually enter citation information, or export directly from the library's online databases. EndNote can format bibliographic entries in almost every citation style and works with most word processors to insert citations and build reference lists as you write.

Format and Citation Tools

• Paper Formatting Guide to formatting papers in APA 7th Edition. Developed by University of Texas Arlington Libraries.
• ZoteroBib ZoteroBib creates a bibliography in the style you need, including APA, MLA and Chicago/Turbaian. Just enter the from URL, title, DOI and other information, select your style and Zotero will compile a formatted citation list.
• Next: Finding Help >>

Helpful Videos

Digital Object Identifiers

A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a unique and permanent set of numbers and letters that will always lead you to the location of a document on the Internet.

• Finding & Using DOIs This article explains how to find DOIs and incorporate them in APA citations.
• DOIs & URLs This article explains the difference between DOIs and URLs and when to use them in APA citation.
• Last Updated: Jun 5, 2024 9:57 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.wayne.edu/apastyle
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Format Your Paper & Cite Your Sources

• APA Style, 7th Edition
• Citing Sources
• Avoid Plagiarism
• MLA Style (8th/9th ed.)

APA Tutorial

Formatting your paper, headings organize your paper (2.27), video tutorials, reference list format (9.43).

• Elements of a Reference

Reference Examples (Chapter 10)

Dois and urls (9.34-9.36), in-text citations.

• In-Text Citations Format
• In-Text Citations for Specific Source Types

NoodleTools

• Chicago Style
• Harvard Style
• Other Styles
• Annotated Bibliographies
• How to Create an Attribution

What is APA Style?

APA style was created by social and behavioral scientists to standardize scientific writing. APA style is most often used in:

• psychology,
• social sciences (sociology, business), and

If you're taking courses in any of these areas, be prepared to use APA style.

For in-depth guidance on using this citation style, refer to Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th ed. We have several copies available at the MJC Library at the call number  BF 76.7 .P83 2020 .

APA Style, 7th ed.

In October 2019, the American Psychological Association made radical changes its style, especially with regard to the format and citation rules for students writing academic papers. Use this guide to learn how to format and cite your papers using APA Style, 7th edition.

You can start by viewing the  video tutorial .

For help on all aspects of formatting your paper in APA Style, see   The Essentials  page on the APA Style website.

• sans serif fonts such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, or
• serif fonts such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern (the default font for LaTeX)
• There are exceptions for the  title page ,  tables ,  figures ,  footnotes , and  displayed equations .
• Margins :  Use 1-in. margins on every side of the page.
• Align the text of an APA Style  paper to the left margin . Leave the right margin uneven, or “ragged.”
• Do not use full justification for student papers.
• Do not insert hyphens (manual breaks) in words at the end of line. However, it is acceptable if your word-processing program automatically inserts breaks in long hyperlinks (such as in a DOI or URL in a reference list entry).
• Indent the first line of each paragraph of text 0.5 in . from the left margin. Use the tab key or the automatic paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program to achieve the indentation (the default setting is likely already 0.5 in.). Do not use the space bar to create indentation. 
• There are exceptions for the  title page ,  section labels ,  abstract ,  block quotations ,  headings ,  tables and figures ,  reference list , and  appendices .

Paper Elements

Student papers generally include, at a minimum: 

• Title Page (2.3)
• Text (2.11)
• References  (2.12)

Student papers may include additional elements such as tables and figures depending on the assignment. So, please check with your teacher!

Student papers generally  DO NOT  include the following unless your teacher specifically requests it:

• Running head
• Author note

For complete information on the  order of pages , see the APA Style website.

Number your pages consecutively starting with page 1. Each section begins on a new page. Put the pages in the following order:

• Page 1: Title page
• Page 2: Abstract (if your teacher requires an abstract)
• Page 3: Text 
• References begin on a new page after the last page of text
• Footnotes begin on a new page after the references (if your teacher requires footnotes)
• Tables begin each on a new page after the footnotes (if your teacher requires tables) 
• Figures begin on a new page after the tables (if your teacher requires figures)
• Appendices begin on a new page after the tables and/or figures (if your teacher requires appendices)

Sample Papers With Built-In Instructions

To see what your paper should look like, check out these sample papers with built-in instructions.

APA Style uses five (5) levels of headings to help you organize your paper and allow your audience to identify its key points easily. Levels of headings establish the hierarchy of your sections just like you did in your paper outline.

APA tells us to use "only the number of headings necessary to differentiate distinct section in your paper." Therefore, the number of heading levels you create depends on the length and complexity of your paper.

See the chart below for instructions on formatting your headings:

Use Word to Format Your Paper:

Use Google Docs to Format Your Paper:

Placement:  The reference list  appears at the end of the paper, on its own page(s). If your research paper ends on page 8, your References begin on page 9.

Heading:  Place the section label References  in bold at the top of the page, centered.

Arrangement:  Alphabetize entries by author's last name. If source has no named author, alphabetize by the title, ignoring A, An, or The. (9.44-9.48)

Spacing:  Like the rest of the APA paper, the reference list is double-spaced throughout. Be sure NOT to add extra spaces between citations.

Indentation:  To make citations easier to scan, add a  hanging indent  of 0.5 in. to any citation that runs more than one line. Use the paragraph-formatting function of your word processing program to create your hanging indent.  

See Sample References Page (from APA Sample Student Paper):

Elements of Reference List Entries: (Chapter 9)

References generally have four elements, each of which has a corresponding question for you to answer:

• Author:   Who is responsible for this work? (9.7-9.12)
• Date:   When was this work published? (9.13-9.17)
• Title:   What is this work called? (9.18-9.22)
• Source:   Where can I retrieve this work? (9.23-9.37)

By using these four elements and answering these four questions, you should be able to create a citation for any type of source.

For complete information on all of these elements, checkout the APA Style website.

This infographic shows the first page of a journal article. The locations of the reference elements are highlighted with different colors and callouts, and the same colors are used in the reference list entry to show how the entry corresponds to the source.

To create your references, you'll simple look for these elements in your source and put them together in your reference list entry.

American Psychological Association.  Example of where to find reference information for a journal article  [Infographic]. APA Style Center. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/basic-principles

Below you'll find two printable handouts showing APA citation examples. The first is an abbreviated list created by MJC Librarians. The second, which is more comprehensive, is from the APA Style website. Feel free to print these for your convenience or use the links to reference examples below:

• APA Citation Examples Created by MJC Librarians for you.
• Common References Examples (APA Handout) Printable handout from the American Psychological Association.
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Edited Book Chapter
• Webpage on a Website

Classroom or Intranet Sources

• Classroom Course Pack Materials
• How to Cite ChatGPT
• Dictionary Entry
• Government Report
• Legal References (Laws & Cases)
• TED Talk References
• Religious Works
• Open Educational Resources (OER)
• Archival Documents and Collections

You can view the entire Reference Examples website below and view a helpful guide to finding useful APA style topics easily:

• APA Style: Reference Examples
• Navigating the not-so-hidden treasures of the APA Style website
• Missing Reference Information

Sometimes you won't be able to find all the elements required for your reference. In that case, see the  instructions in Table 9.1 of the APA style manual in section 9.4 or the APA Style website below:

• Direct Quotation of Material Without Page Numbers

The DOI or URL is the final component of a reference list entry. Because so much scholarship is available and/or retrieved online, most reference list entries end with either a DOI or a URL.

• A  DOI  is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies content and provides a persistent link to its location on the internet. DOIs can be found in database records and the reference lists of published works.
• A  URL  specifies the location of digital information on the internet and can be found in the address bar of your internet browser. URLs in references should link directly to the cited work when possible.

When to Include DOIs and URLs:

• Include a DOI for all works that have a DOI, regardless of whether you used the online version or the print version.
• If an online work has both a DOI and a URL, include only the DOI.
• For works without DOIs from websites (not including academic research databases), provide a URL in the reference (as long as the URL will work for readers).
• For works without DOIs from most academic research databases, do not include a URL or database information in the reference because these works are widely available. The reference should be the same as the reference for a print version of the work.
• For works from databases that publish original, proprietary material available only in that database (such as the UpToDate database) or for works of limited circulation in databases (such as monographs in the ERIC database), include the name of the database or archive and the URL of the work. If the URL requires a login or is session-specific (meaning it will not resolve for readers), provide the URL of the database or archive home page or login page instead of the URL for the work. (See APA Section 9.30 for more information). 
• If the URL is no longer working or no longer provides readers access to the content you intend to cite, try to find an archived version using the Internet Archive , then use the archived URL. If there is no archived URL, do not use that resource.

Format of DOIs and URLs:

Your DOI should look like this: 

https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040251

Follow these guidelines from the APA Style website.

APA Style uses the  author–date citation system , in which a brief in-text citation points your reader to the full reference list entry at the end of your paper. The in-text citation appears within the body of the paper and briefly identifies the cited work by its author and date of publication. This method enables your reader to locate the corresponding entry in the alphabetical reference list at the end of your paper.

Each work you cite  must  appear in the reference list, and each work in the reference list must be cited in the text (or in a table, figure, footnote, or appendix) except for the following (See APA, 8.4):

• Personal communications (8.9)
• General mentions of entire websites, whole periodicals (8.22), and common software and apps (10.10) in the text do not require a citation or reference list entry.
• The source of an epigraph does not usually appear in the reference list (8.35)
• Quotations from your research participants do not need citations or reference list entries (8.36)
• References included in a statistical meta-analysis, which are marked with an asterisk in the reference list, may be cited in the text (or not) at the author’s discretion. This exception is relevant only to authors who are conducting a meta-analysis (9.52).

Formatting Your In-Text Citations

Parenthetical and Narrative Citations: ( See APA Section  8.11)

In APA style you use the author-date citation system for citing references within your paper. You incorporate these references using either a  parenthetical   or a  narrative  style.

Parenthetical Citations

• In parenthetical citations, the author name and publication date appear in parentheses, separated by a comma. (Jones, 2018)
• A parenthetical citation can appear within or at the end of a sentence.
• When the parenthetical citation is at the end of the sentence, put the period or other end punctuation after the closing parenthesis.
• If there is no author, use the first few words of the reference list entry, usually the "Title" of the source: ("Autism," 2008) See APA 8.14
• When quoting, always provide the author, year, and specific page citation or paragraph number for nonpaginated materials in the text (Santa Barbara, 2010, p. 243).  See APA 8.13
• For most citations, the parenthetical reference is placed BEFORE the punctuation: Magnesium can be effective in treating PMS (Haggerty, 2012).

Narrative Citations 

In narrative citations, the author name or title of your source appears within your text and the publication date appears in parentheses immediately after the author name. 

• Santa Barbara (2010) noted a decline in the approval of disciplinary spanking of 26 percentage points from 1968 to 1994.

In-Text Citation Checklist

• In-Text Citation Checklist Use this useful checklist from the American Psychological Association to ensure that you've created your in-text citations correctly.

In-Text Citations for Specific Types of Sources

Quotations from Research Participants

Personal Communications

Secondary Sources  

Use NoodleTools to Cite Your Sources  

NoodleTools can help you create your references and your in-text citations.

• NoodleTools Express No sign in required . When you need one or two quick citations in MLA, APA, or Chicago style, simply generate them in NoodleTools Express then copy and paste what you need into your document. Note: Citations are not saved and cannot be exported to a word processor using NoodleTools Express.
• NoodleTools (Login Full Database) This link opens in a new window Create and organize your research notes, share and collaborate on research projects, compose and error check citations, and complete your list of works cited in MLA, APA, or Chicago style using the full version of NoodleTools. You'll need to Create a Personal ID and password the first time you use NoodleTools.

See How to Use NoodleTools Express to Create a Citation in APA Format

Additional NoodleTools Help

• NoodleTools Help Desk Look up questions and answers on the NoodleTools Web site
• << Previous: MLA Style (8th/9th ed.)
• Next: Chicago Style >>
• Last Updated: Jul 10, 2024 5:03 PM
• URL: https://libguides.mjc.edu/citeyoursources

Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and CC BY-NC 4.0 Licenses .

APA Style (7th ed.)

• Cite: Why? When?
• Book, eBook, Dissertation
• Article or Report
• Business Sources
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools
• In-Text Citation
• Format Your Paper

American Psychological Association (APA) Style is used by writers in the social sciences:

Business, Communications, Education, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology & Anthropology, and Women's & Gender Studies

Editable Template Documents for Student Papers

• APA 7th ed. Template Document This is an APA format template document in Google Docs. Click on the link -- it will ask for you to make a new copy of the document, which you can save in your own Google Drive with your preferred privacy settings.
• APA 7th ed. Template Document A Microsoft Word document formatted correctly according to APA 7th edition.
• APA 7th ed. Annotated Bibliography template A Microsoft Word document formatted correctly for an annotated bibliography.

Example Student Paper

• APA Example Paper An annotated sample student paper from APA.

Printable Handouts & Tutorial

• Citing References: APA Style [PDF]

Get the Book

• << Previous: Cite: Why? When?
• Next: Book, eBook, Dissertation >>
• Last Updated: Aug 19, 2024 4:18 PM
• URL: https://libguides.uww.edu/apa

Welcome to the new OASIS website! We have academic skills, library skills, math and statistics support, and writing resources all together in one new home.

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• Faculty Portal

Reference List: Common Reference List Examples

Article (with doi).

Alvarez, E., & Tippins, S. (2019). Socialization agents that Puerto Rican college students use to make financial decisions. Journal of Social Change , 11 (1), 75–85. https://doi.org/10.5590/JOSC.2019.11.1.07

Laplante, J. P., & Nolin, C. (2014). Consultas and socially responsible investing in Guatemala: A case study examining Maya perspectives on the Indigenous right to free, prior, and informed consent. Society & Natural Resources , 27 , 231–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2013.861554

Use the DOI number for the source whenever one is available. DOI stands for "digital object identifier," a number specific to the article that can help others locate the source. In APA 7, format the DOI as a web address. Active hyperlinks for DOIs and URLs should be used for documents meant for screen reading. Present these hyperlinks in blue and underlined text (the default formatting in Microsoft Word), although plain black text is also acceptable. Be consistent in your formatting choice for DOIs and URLs throughout your reference list. Also see our Quick Answer FAQ, "Can I use the DOI format provided by library databases?"

Jerrentrup, A., Mueller, T., Glowalla, U., Herder, M., Henrichs, N., Neubauer, A., & Schaefer, J. R. (2018). Teaching medicine with the help of “Dr. House.” PLoS ONE , 13 (3), Article e0193972. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193972

For journal articles that are assigned article numbers rather than page ranges, include the article number in place of the page range.

For more on citing electronic resources, see  Electronic Sources References .

Article (Without DOI)

Found in a common academic research database or in print.

Casler , T. (2020). Improving the graduate nursing experience through support on a social media platform. MEDSURG Nursing , 29 (2), 83–87.

If an article does not have a DOI and you retrieved it from a common academic research database through the university library, there is no need to include any additional electronic retrieval information. The reference list entry looks like the entry for a print copy of the article. (This format differs from APA 6 guidelines that recommended including the URL of a journal's homepage when the DOI was not available.) Note that APA 7 has additional guidance on reference list entries for articles found only in specific databases or archives such as Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, UpToDate, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, and university archives. See APA 7, Section 9.30 for more information.

Found on an Open Access Website

Eaton, T. V., & Akers, M. D. (2007). Whistleblowing and good governance. CPA Journal , 77 (6), 66–71. http://archives.cpajournal.com/2007/607/essentials/p58.htm

Provide the direct web address/URL to a journal article found on the open web, often on an open access journal's website. In APA 7, active hyperlinks for DOIs and URLs should be used for documents meant for screen reading. Present these hyperlinks in blue and underlined text (the default formatting in Microsoft Word), although plain black text is also acceptable. Be consistent in your formatting choice for DOIs and URLs throughout your reference list.

Weinstein, J. A. (2010).  Social change  (3rd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield.

If the book has an edition number, include it in parentheses after the title of the book. If the book does not list any edition information, do not include an edition number. The edition number is not italicized.

American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.).

If the author and publisher are the same, only include the author in its regular place and omit the publisher.

Lencioni, P. (2012). The advantage: Why organizational health trumps everything else in business . Jossey-Bass. https://amzn.to/343XPSJ

As a change from APA 6 to APA 7, it is no longer necessary to include the ebook format in the title. However, if you listened to an audiobook and the content differs from the text version (e.g., abridged content) or your discussion highlights elements of the audiobook (e.g., narrator's performance), then note that it is an audiobook in the title element in brackets. For ebooks and online audiobooks, also include the DOI number (if available) or nondatabase URL but leave out the electronic retrieval element if the ebook was found in a common academic research database, as with journal articles. APA 7 allows for the shortening of long DOIs and URLs, as shown in this example. See APA 7, Section 9.36 for more information.

Chapter in an Edited Book

Poe, M. (2017). Reframing race in teaching writing across the curriculum. In F. Condon & V. A. Young (Eds.), Performing antiracist pedagogy in rhetoric, writing, and communication (pp. 87–105). University Press of Colorado.

Include the page numbers of the chapter in parentheses after the book title.

Christensen, L. (2001). For my people: Celebrating community through poetry. In B. Bigelow, B. Harvey, S. Karp, & L. Miller (Eds.), Rethinking our classrooms: Teaching for equity and justice (Vol. 2, pp. 16–17). Rethinking Schools.

Also include the volume number or edition number in the parenthetical information after the book title when relevant.

Freud, S. (1961). The ego and the id. In J. Strachey (Ed.),  The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud  (Vol. 19, pp. 3-66). Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1923)

When a text has been republished as part of an anthology collection, after the author’s name include the date of the version that was read. At the end of the entry, place the date of the original publication inside parenthesis along with the note “original work published.” For in-text citations of republished work, use both dates in the parenthetical citation, original date first with a slash separating the years, as in this example: Freud (1923/1961). For more information on reprinted or republished works, see APA 7, Sections 9.40-9.41.

Classroom Resources

Citing classroom resources.

If you need to cite content found in your online classroom, use the author (if there is one listed), the year of publication (if available), the title of the document, and the main URL of Walden classrooms. For example, you are citing study notes titled "Health Effects of Exposure to Forest Fires," but you do not know the author's name, your reference entry will look like this:

Health effects of exposure to forest fires [Lecture notes]. (2005). Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com

If you do know the author of the document, your reference will look like this:

Smith, A. (2005). Health effects of exposure to forest fires [PowerPoint slides]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com  

A few notes on citing course materials:

• [Lecture notes]
• [Course handout]
• [Study notes]
• It can be difficult to determine authorship of classroom documents. If an author is listed on the document, use that. If the resource is clearly a product of Walden (such as the course-based videos), use Walden University as the author. If you are unsure or if no author is indicated, place the title in the author spot, as above.
• If you cannot determine a date of publication, you can use n.d. (for "no date") in place of the year.

Note:  The web location for Walden course materials is not directly retrievable without a password, and therefore, following APA guidelines, use the main URL for the class sites: https://class.waldenu.edu.

Citing Tempo Classroom Resources

Clear author: 

Smith, A. (2005). Health effects of exposure to forest fires [PowerPoint slides]. Walden University Brightspace. https://mytempo.waldenu.edu

Unclear author:

Health effects of exposure to forest fires [Lecture notes]. (2005). Walden University Brightspace. https://mytempo.waldenu.edu

Conference Sessions and Presentations

Feinman, Y. (2018, July 27). Alternative to proctoring in introductory statistics community college courses [Poster presentation]. Walden University Research Symposium, Minneapolis, MN, United States. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/symposium2018/23/

Torgerson, K., Parrill, J., & Haas, A. (2019, April 5-9). Tutoring strategies for online students [Conference session]. The Higher Learning Commission Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, United States. http://onlinewritingcenters.org/scholarship/torgerson-parrill-haas-2019/

Dictionary Entry

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Leadership. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary . Retrieved May 28, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leadership

When constructing a reference for an entry in a dictionary or other reference work that has no byline (i.e., no named individual authors), use the name of the group—the institution, company, or organization—as author (e.g., Merriam Webster, American Psychological Association, etc.). The name of the entry goes in the title position, followed by "In" and the italicized name of the reference work (e.g., Merriam-Webster.com dictionary , APA dictionary of psychology ). In this instance, APA 7 recommends including a retrieval date as well for this online source since the contents of the page change over time. End the reference entry with the specific URL for the defined word.

Discussion Board Post

Osborne, C. S. (2010, June 29). Re: Environmental responsibility [Discussion post]. Walden University Canvas.  https://waldenu.instructure.com  

Dissertations or Theses

Retrieved From a Database

Nalumango, K. (2019). Perceptions about the asylum-seeking process in the United States after 9/11 (Publication No. 13879844) [Doctoral dissertation, Walden University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

Retrieved From an Institutional or Personal Website

Evener. J. (2018). Organizational learning in libraries at for-profit colleges and universities [Doctoral dissertation, Walden University]. ScholarWorks. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6606&context=dissertations

Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis

Kirwan, J. G. (2005). An experimental study of the effects of small-group, face-to-face facilitated dialogues on the development of self-actualization levels: A movement towards fully functional persons [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center.

For further examples and information, see APA 7, Section 10.6.

Legal Material

For legal references, APA follows the recommendations of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation , so if you have any questions beyond the examples provided in APA, seek out that resource as well.

Court Decisions

Reference format:

Name v. Name, Volume Reporter Page (Court Date). URL

Sample reference entry:

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/347us483

Sample citation:

In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in schools unconstitutional.

Note: Italicize the case name when it appears in the text of your paper.

Name of Act, Title Source § Section Number (Year). URL

Sample reference entry for a federal statute:

Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq. (2004). https://www.congress.gov/108/plaws/publ446/PLAW-108publ446.pdf

Sample reference entry for a state statute:

Minnesota Nurse Practice Act, Minn. Stat. §§ 148.171 et seq. (2019). https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/148.171

Sample citation: Minnesota nurses must maintain current registration in order to practice (Minnesota Nurse Practice Act, 2010).

Note: The § symbol stands for "section." Use §§ for sections (plural). To find this symbol in Microsoft Word, go to "Insert" and click on Symbol." Look in the Latin 1-Supplement subset. Note: U.S.C. stands for "United States Code." Note: The Latin abbreviation " et seq. " means "and what follows" and is used when the act includes the cited section and ones that follow. Note: List the chapter first followed by the section or range of sections.

Unenacted Bills and Resolutions

(Those that did not pass and become law)

Title [if there is one], bill or resolution number, xxx Cong. (year). URL

Sample reference entry for Senate bill:

Anti-Phishing Act, S. 472, 109th Cong. (2005). https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/senate-bill/472

Sample reference entry for House of Representatives resolution:

Anti-Phishing Act, H.R. 1099, 109th Cong. (2005). https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/house-bill/1099

The Anti-Phishing Act (2005) proposed up to 5 years prison time for people running Internet scams.

These are the three legal areas you may be most apt to cite in your scholarly work. For more examples and explanation, see APA 7, Chapter 11.

Magazine Article

Clay, R. (2008, June). Science vs. ideology: Psychologists fight back about the misuse of research. Monitor on Psychology , 39 (6). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2008/06/ideology

Note that for citations, include only the year: Clay (2008). For magazine articles retrieved from a common academic research database, leave out the URL. For magazine articles from an online news website that is not an online version of a print magazine, follow the format for a webpage reference list entry.

Newspaper Article (Retrieved Online)

Baker, A. (2014, May 7). Connecticut students show gains in national tests. New York Times . http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/08/nyregion/national-assessment-of-educational-progress-results-in-Connecticut-and-New-Jersey.html

Include the full date in the format Year, Month Day. Do not include a retrieval date for periodical sources found on websites. Note that for citations, include only the year: Baker (2014). For newspaper articles retrieved from a common academic research database, leave out the URL. For newspaper articles from an online news website that is not an online version of a print newspaper, follow the format for a webpage reference list entry.

OASIS Resources

Oasis webpage.

OASIS. (n.d.). Common reference list examples . Walden University. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/apa/references/examples

For all OASIS content, list OASIS as the author. Because OASIS webpages do not include publication dates, use “n.d.” for the year.

Interactive Guide

OASIS. (n.d.). Embrace iterative research and writing [Interactive guide]. Walden University. https://academics.waldenu.edu/oasis/iterative-research-writing-web

For OASIS multimedia resources, such as interactive guides, include a description of the resource in brackets after the title.

Online Video/Webcast

Walden University. (2013).  An overview of learning  [Video]. Walden University Canvas.  https://waldenu.instructure.com  

Use this format for online videos such as Walden videos in classrooms. Most of our classroom videos are produced by Walden University, which will be listed as the author in your reference and citation. Note: Some examples of audiovisual materials in the APA manual show the word “Producer” in parentheses after the producer/author area. In consultation with the editors of the APA manual, we have determined that parenthetical is not necessary for the videos in our courses. The manual itself is unclear on the matter, however, so either approach should be accepted. Note that the speaker in the video does not appear in the reference list entry, but you may want to mention that person in your text. For instance, if you are viewing a video where Tobias Ball is the speaker, you might write the following: Tobias Ball stated that APA guidelines ensure a consistent presentation of information in student papers (Walden University, 2013). For more information on citing the speaker in a video, see our page on Common Citation Errors .

Taylor, R. [taylorphd07]. (2014, February 27). Scales of measurement [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDsMUlexaMY

OASIS. (2020, April 15). One-way ANCOVA: Introduction [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/_XnNDQ5CNW8

For videos from streaming sites, use the person or organization who uploaded the video in the author space to ensure retrievability, whether or not that person is the speaker in the video. A username can be provided in square brackets. As a change from APA 6 to APA 7, include the publisher after the title, and do not use "Retrieved from" before the URL. See APA 7, Section 10.12 for more information and examples.

See also reference list entry formats for TED Talks .

Technical and Research Reports

Edwards, C. (2015). Lighting levels for isolated intersections: Leading to safety improvements (Report No. MnDOT 2015-05). Center for Transportation Studies. http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=2402

Technical and research reports by governmental agencies and other research institutions usually follow a different publication process than scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. However, they present original research and are often useful for research papers. Sometimes, researchers refer to these types of reports as gray literature , and white papers are a type of this literature. See APA 7, Section 10.4 for more information.

Reference list entires for TED Talks follow the usual guidelines for multimedia content found online. There are two common places to find TED talks online, with slightly different reference list entry formats for each.

TED Talk on the TED website

If you find the TED Talk on the TED website, follow the format for an online video on an organizational website:

Owusu-Kesse, K. (2020, June). 5 needs that any COVID-19 response should meet [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/kwame_owusu_kesse_5_needs_that_any_covid_19_response_should_meet

The speaker is the author in the reference list entry if the video is posted on the TED website. For citations, use the speaker's surname.

TED Talk on YouTube

If you find the TED Talk on YouTube or another streaming video website, follow the usual format for streaming video sites:

TED. (2021, February 5). The shadow pandemic of domestic violence during COVID-19 | Kemi DaSilvalbru [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGdID_ICFII

TED is the author in the reference list entry if the video is posted on YouTube since it is the channel on which the video is posted. For citations, use TED as the author.

Walden University Course Catalog

To include the Walden course catalog in your reference list, use this format:

Walden University. (2020). 2019-2020 Walden University catalog . https://catalog.waldenu.edu/index.php

If you cite from a specific portion of the catalog in your paper, indicate the appropriate section and paragraph number in your text:

...which reflects the commitment to social change expressed in Walden University's mission statement (Walden University, 2020, Vision, Mission, and Goals section, para. 2).

And in the reference list:

Walden University. (2020). Vision, mission, and goals. In 2019-2020 Walden University catalog. https://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=172&navoid=59420&hl=vision&returnto=search

Vartan, S. (2018, January 30). Why vacations matter for your health . CNN. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/why-vacations-matter/index.html

For webpages on the open web, include the author, date, webpage title, organization/site name, and URL. (There is a slight variation for online versions of print newspapers or magazines. For those sources, follow the models in the previous sections of this page.)

American Federation of Teachers. (n.d.). Community schools . http://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/commschools/index.cfm

If there is no specified author, then use the organization’s name as the author. In such a case, there is no need to repeat the organization's name after the title.

In APA 7, active hyperlinks for DOIs and URLs should be used for documents meant for screen reading. Present these hyperlinks in blue and underlined text (the default formatting in Microsoft Word), although plain black text is also acceptable. Be consistent in your formatting choice for DOIs and URLs throughout your reference list.

Related Resources

Knowledge Check: Common Reference List Examples

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A step-by-step guide for creating and formatting APA Style student papers

The start of the semester is the perfect time to learn how to create and format APA Style student papers. This article walks through the formatting steps needed to create an APA Style student paper, starting with a basic setup that applies to the entire paper (margins, font, line spacing, paragraph alignment and indentation, and page headers). It then covers formatting for the major sections of a student paper: the title page, the text, tables and figures, and the reference list. Finally, it concludes by describing how to organize student papers and ways to improve their quality and presentation.

The guidelines for student paper setup are described and shown using annotated diagrams in the Student Paper Setup Guide (PDF, 3.40MB) and the A Step-by-Step Guide to APA Style Student Papers webinar . Chapter 1 of the Concise Guide to APA Style and Chapter 2 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association describe the elements, format, and organization for student papers. Tables and figures are covered in Chapter 7 of both books. Information on paper format and tables and figures and a full sample student paper are also available on the APA Style website.

Basic setup

The guidelines for basic setup apply to the entire paper. Perform these steps when you first open your document, and then you do not have to worry about them again while writing your paper. Because these are general aspects of paper formatting, they apply to all APA Style papers, student or professional. Students should always check with their assigning instructor or institution for specific guidelines for their papers, which may be different than or in addition to APA Style guidelines.

Seventh edition APA Style was designed with modern word-processing programs in mind. Most default settings in programs such as Academic Writer, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs already comply with APA Style. This means that, for most paper elements, you do not have to make any changes to the default settings of your word-processing program. However, you may need to make a few adjustments before you begin writing.

Use 1-in. margins on all sides of the page (top, bottom, left, and right). This is usually how papers are automatically set.

Use a legible font. The default font of your word-processing program is acceptable. Many sans serif and serif fonts can be used in APA Style, including 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 12-point Times New Roman, and 11-point Georgia. You can also use other fonts described on the font page of the website.

Line spacing

Double-space the entire paper including the title page, block quotations, and the reference list. This is something you usually must set using the paragraph function of your word-processing program. But once you do, you will not have to change the spacing for the entirety of your paper–just double-space everything. Do not add blank lines before or after headings. Do not add extra spacing between paragraphs. For paper sections with different line spacing, see the line spacing page.

Paragraph alignment and indentation

Align all paragraphs of text in the body of your paper to the left margin. Leave the right margin ragged. Do not use full justification. Indent the first line of every paragraph of text 0.5-in. using the tab key or the paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program. For paper sections with different alignment and indentation, see the paragraph alignment and indentation page.

Page numbers

Put a page number in the top right of every page header , including the title page, starting with page number 1. Use the automatic page-numbering function of your word-processing program to insert the page number in the top right corner; do not type the page numbers manually. The page number is the same font and font size as the text of your paper. Student papers do not require a running head on any page, unless specifically requested by the instructor.

Title page setup

Title page elements.

APA Style has two title page formats: student and professional (for details, see title page setup ). Unless instructed otherwise, students should use the student title page format and include the following elements, in the order listed, on the title page:

• Paper title.
• Name of each author (also known as the byline).
• Affiliation for each author.
• Course number and name.
• Instructor name.
• Assignment due date.
• Page number 1 in the top right corner of the page header.

The format for the byline depends on whether the paper has one author, two authors, or three or more authors.

• When the paper has one author, write the name on its own line (e.g., Jasmine C. Hernandez).
• When the paper has two authors, write the names on the same line and separate them with the word “and” (e.g., Upton J. Wang and Natalia Dominguez).
• When the paper has three or more authors, separate the names with commas and include “and” before the final author’s name (e.g., Malia Mohamed, Jaylen T. Brown, and Nia L. Ball).

Students have an academic affiliation, which identities where they studied when the paper was written. Because students working together on a paper are usually in the same class, they will have one shared affiliation. The affiliation consists of the name of the department and the name of the college or university, separated by a comma (e.g., Department of Psychology, George Mason University). The department is that of the course to which the paper is being submitted, which may be different than the department of the student’s major. Do not include the location unless it is part of the institution’s name.

Write the course number and name and the instructor name as shown on institutional materials (e.g., the syllabus). The course number and name are often separated by a colon (e.g., PST-4510: History and Systems Psychology). Write the assignment due date in the month, date, and year format used in your country (e.g., Sept. 10, 2020).

Title page line spacing

Double-space the whole title page. Place the paper title three or four lines down from the top of the page. Add an extra double-spaced blank like between the paper title and the byline. Then, list the other title page elements on separate lines, without extra lines in between.

Title page alignment

Center all title page elements (except the right-aligned page number in the header).

Title page font

Write the title page using the same font and font size as the rest of your paper. Bold the paper title. Use standard font (i.e., no bold, no italics) for all other title page elements.

Text elements

Repeat the paper title at the top of the first page of text. Begin the paper with an introduction to provide background on the topic, cite related studies, and contextualize the paper. Use descriptive headings to identify other sections as needed (e.g., Method, Results, Discussion for quantitative research papers). Sections and headings vary depending on the paper type and its complexity. Text can include tables and figures, block quotations, headings, and footnotes.

Text line spacing

Double-space all text, including headings and section labels, paragraphs of text, and block quotations.

Text alignment

Center the paper title on the first line of the text. Indent the first line of all paragraphs 0.5-in.

Left-align the text. Leave the right margin ragged.

Block quotation alignment

Indent the whole block quotation 0.5-in. from the left margin. Double-space the block quotation, the same as other body text. Find more information on the quotations page.

Use the same font throughout the entire paper. Write body text in standard (nonbold, nonitalic) font. Bold only headings and section labels. Use italics sparingly, for instance, to highlight a key term on first use (for more information, see the italics page).

Headings format

For detailed guidance on formatting headings, including headings in the introduction of a paper, see the headings page and the headings in sample papers .

• Alignment: Center Level 1 headings. Left-align Level 2 and Level 3 headings. Indent Level 4 and Level 5 headings like a regular paragraph.
• Font: Boldface all headings. Also italicize Level 3 and Level 5 headings. Create heading styles using your word-processing program (built into AcademicWriter, available for Word via the sample papers on the APA Style website).

Tables and figures setup

Tables and figures are only included in student papers if needed for the assignment. Tables and figures share the same elements and layout. See the website for sample tables and sample figures .

Table elements

Tables include the following four elements: 

• Body (rows and columns)
• Note (optional if needed to explain elements in the table)

Figure elements

Figures include the following four elements: 

• Image (chart, graph, etc.)
• Note (optional if needed to explain elements in the figure)

Table line spacing

Double-space the table number and title. Single-, 1.5-, or double-space the table body (adjust as needed for readability). Double-space the table note.

Figure line spacing

Double-space the figure number and title. The default settings for spacing in figure images is usually acceptable (but adjust the spacing as needed for readability). Double-space the figure note.

Table alignment

Left-align the table number and title. Center column headings. Left-align the table itself and left-align the leftmost (stub) column. Center data in the table body if it is short or left-align the data if it is long. Left-align the table note.

Figure alignment

Left-align the figure number and title. Left-align the whole figure image. The default alignment of the program in which you created your figure is usually acceptable for axis titles and data labels. Left-align the figure note.

Bold the table number. Italicize the table title. Use the same font and font size in the table body as the text of your paper. Italicize the word “Note” at the start of the table note. Write the note in the same font and font size as the text of your paper.

Figure font

Bold the figure number. Italicize the figure title. Use a sans serif font (e.g., Calibri, Arial) in the figure image in a size between 8 to 14 points. Italicize the word “Note” at the start of the figure note. Write the note in the same font and font size as the text of your paper.

Placement of tables and figures

There are two options for the placement of tables and figures in an APA Style paper. The first option is to place all tables and figures on separate pages after the reference list. The second option is to embed each table and figure within the text after its first callout. This guide describes options for the placement of tables and figures embedded in the text. If your instructor requires tables and figures to be placed at the end of the paper, see the table and figure guidelines and the sample professional paper .

Call out (mention) the table or figure in the text before embedding it (e.g., write “see Figure 1” or “Table 1 presents”). You can place the table or figure after the callout either at the bottom of the page, at the top of the next page, or by itself on the next page. Avoid placing tables and figures in the middle of the page.

Embedding at the bottom of the page

Include a callout to the table or figure in the text before that table or figure. Add a blank double-spaced line between the text and the table or figure at the bottom of the page.

Embedding at the top of the page

Include a callout to the table in the text on the previous page before that table or figure. The table or figure then appears at the top of the next page. Add a blank double-spaced line between the end of the table or figure and the text that follows.

Embedding on its own page

Embed long tables or large figures on their own page if needed. The text continues on the next page.

Reference list setup

Reference list elements.

The reference list consists of the “References” section label and the alphabetical list of references. View reference examples on the APA Style website. Consult Chapter 10 in both the Concise Guide and Publication Manual for even more examples.

Reference list line spacing

Start the reference list at the top of a new page after the text. Double-space the entire reference list (both within and between entries).

Reference list alignment

Center the “References” label. Apply a hanging indent of 0.5-in. to all reference list entries. Create the hanging indent using your word-processing program; do not manually hit the enter and tab keys.

Reference list font

Bold the “References” label at the top of the first page of references. Use italics within reference list entries on either the title (e.g., webpages, books, reports) or on the source (e.g., journal articles, edited book chapters).

Final checks

Check page order.

• Start each section on a new page.
• Arrange pages in the following order:
• Title page (page 1).
• Text (starts on page 2).
• Reference list (starts on a new page after the text).

Check headings

• Check that headings accurately reflect the content in each section.
• Start each main section with a Level 1 heading.
• Use Level 2 headings for subsections of the introduction.
• Use the same level of heading for sections of equal importance.
• Avoid having only one subsection within a section (have two or more, or none).

Check assignment instructions

• Remember that instructors’ guidelines supersede APA Style.
• Students should check their assignment guidelines or rubric for specific content to include in their papers and to make sure they are meeting assignment requirements.

Tips for better writing

• Ask for feedback on your paper from a classmate, writing center tutor, or instructor.
• Budget time to implement suggestions.
• Use spell-check and grammar-check to identify potential errors, and then manually check those flagged.
• Proofread the paper by reading it slowly and carefully aloud to yourself.
• Consult your university writing center if you need extra help.

About the author

Undergraduate student resources

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

APA Sample Paper

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style  can be found here .

Media Files: APA Sample Student Paper  ,  APA Sample Professional Paper

This resource is enhanced by Acrobat PDF files. Download the free Acrobat Reader

Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student  and  professional  papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication). These differences mostly extend to the title page and running head. Crucially, citation practices do not differ between the two styles of paper.

However, for your convenience, we have provided two versions of our APA 7 sample paper below: one in  student style and one in  professional  style.

Note: For accessibility purposes, we have used "Track Changes" to make comments along the margins of these samples. Those authored by [AF] denote explanations of formatting and [AWC] denote directions for writing and citing in APA 7. 

APA 7 Student Paper:

Apa 7 professional paper:.

• Writing Support
• Referencing
• Research Support

CU Group Referencing in APA : A-Z Referencing Examples

• Introduction to Referencing

A-Z Referencing Examples

This page explains how to write references. See the Introduction to Referencing page for guidance on in-text citations.

Click on a source below to find out how to reference it in your reference list. Frequently referenced items can be found at the top of the list, followed by an A-Z. If a source is not listed, visit the APA Style Blog , or consult the APA manual .

Frequently Referenced Items

For a full list of items see A-Z Reference Examples.

Author, N. (Year). Title (Edition.). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

• Author's family name
• Author’s initial(s)
• [Full stop]
• Year (in round brackets)
• Title of book (in sentence case and in italics )
• Edition (in round brackets, if there is one)
• DOI (if there is one)

Ninagawa, C. (2023). AI time series control system modelling . Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4594-6

Example 2 (Book with two authors and an edition)

Mankiw, N. G., & Taylor, M. P. (2023). Economics (6th ed.). Cengage.

• The title is in sentence case and in italics .
• If there is no edition, leave it out (see Example 1).
• If the book chapters have different authors, see the Chapter in an edited book section.
• Print and e-books are referenced in the same way. If there is a DOI , add it to the end of the reference (see Example 1).

This is a simplified version of image referencing using APA. All taught students are permitted to use this simplified guidance but should not be marked down for using the official APA format.

Format and Examples

Reference list

Images cited in your work need a full reference in your reference list, except for images created by yourself. For example, reference an image from a website as a website reference.

• The figure number is in bold. Number your figures based on their order within your assignment.
• The descriptive title is in title case and in italics .
• Follow the normal in-text citation rules when referencing multiple authors.
• If you have created the image yourself (and not adapted it using information found in another source), you do not need a citation under the image (see Example 3).
• If you are working on an artistic assignment, poster, or presentation, you may be able to reference in a different way. See: Images in posters, presentations, and artistic assignments .

Author, N. (Year). Article title.  Journal Title, volume (issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx  

• Title of article (in sentence case)
• Title of Journal (in title case and italics )
• Volume number (in italics ), issue number (in round brackets)
• Page numbers

Example 1 (Journal article with a DOI)

Chen, H. C., & Pang, N. S. (2022). Sustaining the ecosystem of higher education in China: Perspectives from young researchers. Perspectives in Education, 40 (3), 95-117. https://doi.org/10.18820/2519593X/pie.v40.i3.7  

Example 2 (Journal article without a DOI or issue number, accessed through Locate or a library database)

Cairns, J. (2024). Phases of the Buddhist approach to the environment. Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 31 , 1-33.

Example 3  (Journal article without a DOI, accessed on a website, but not via Locate or a library database)

Nield, S. (2022). Accessible podcasts. ALISS Quarterly, 18 (1), 13-15.  https://alissnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/aliss-vol-18-no.1-oct-2022-draft.pdf  

• Journal article title is in sentence case .
• Journal title and volume number are in title case and in italics.  
• If there is no volume or issue number, leave it out (see Example 2). 
• Some online articles have article numbers instead of page numbers. After the issue number, write the word Article and then the article number, e.g. Article e0230193.
• If the article does not have a DOI and the article is from Locate or a library database (e.g. ProQuest, EBSCO, JStor etc.), there is no need to include a link (see Example 2).
• If the article is from another website with no DOI, use the web link (see Example 3).

Named author

Author, N. (Year). Report title . Organisation. https://doi.org/xxxxx or https://www.website.com/report  

• Report title (in sentence case and in italics )
• Organisation
• Website link

If no author, use the organisation’s name as the author

Organisation. (Year). Report title . https://doi.org/xxxxx or https://www.website.com/report  

Example 1 (Named author, a DOI, and published as part of a series)

Russell, H., & E. Smyth, E. (2024). Caregiving among young adults in Ireland (ESRI Research Series 168). Economic & Social Research Institute. https://doi.org/10.26504/rs168  

Example 2 (Report with the organisation as author. Date written in full)

National Audit Office. (2024, March 15). Use of artificial intelligence in government (Session 2023-24 HC 612). https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/use-of-artificial-intelligence-in-government.pdf  

Example 3  (No DOI. The web link is to the home page as it is a subscription database which requires a login)

Shao, D. (2023). Supermarkets, China 2023 . Mintel. https://clients.mintel.com/  

• The report title is in sentence case and in italics .
• If using the organisation's name as the author, do not repeat the organisation's name after the title (see Example 2).
• Where there is a report number, include it after the title in brackets, not in italics (see Example 1).
• Use the full publication date if written on the report (See Example 2).
• Use the DOI where available rather than a web link (see Example 1).
• If accessing a report on a subscription database that requires a login, use the link to the homepage (see Example 3).
• For more information on Government reports, see the Government reports section.

Website with named author

Author, N. (Date).  Title of the specific webpage . Website Name.  https://www.website.com/page  

• Title of the specific webpage (in sentence case and in italics )
• Organisation or website’s name

Website Name. (Date).  Title of the specific webpage . https://www.website.com/page  

Example 1 (Named author)

Sakai, C. (2023, September 18). Nurturing creative confidence in early years: A virtual conversation. Victoria and Albert Museum. https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-life/coventrys-coundon-court-school-wins-inaugural-va-innovate-national-schools-challenge  

Example 2 (Organisation as the author)

Health and Care Professions Council. (2023).  The standards of proficiency for paramedics . https://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/standards-of-proficiency/paramedics/  

Example 3  (Website changing regularly. Web link is to the home page as it is a subscription database which requires a login)

Fame. (n.d.). [Telecommunications companies in the West Midlands]. Retrieved May 16, 2024, from https://fame4.bvdinfo.com/  

• The title of the webpage is in sentence case and in italics .
• If no date has been given, use n.d. (see Example 3).
• If using the website name as the author, do not repeat the website name after the title (see Example 2).
• Use the date the page was published – this could be (Year), (Year, Month) or (Year, Month Day) depending on the information available (see Examples 1 and 2).
• If a website changes regularly (e.g. a data dashboard), include the specific date you accessed the website (Month Day, Year) before the web address (see Example 3).
• If there is no clear title, provide a description of the web page in [square brackets] and do not use italics (see Example 3).
• If the site requires a login, use the link to the homepage (see Example 3).

A-Z Reference Examples

Act Title Year

In-text citation: Section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 allows victims of privacy invasions to bring actions against public authorities.  

• The Act title is in title case and not in italics.
• The year is not in brackets as it is part of the title.
• Do not include a link, even if the Act is found online.
• It is best practice to use a narrative citation. Avoid putting Acts of Parliament in brackets (see Example 1b).

This guidance is for students who have been given permission by their module leader to use generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, QuillBot, Chimp Rewriter, DALL-E etc.).  

If permitted to use AI, you must: 

1) Cite and reference any information generated by AI. 

2) Follow all instructions in your assignment brief regarding its use. 

Organisation. (Year). Title of software (Version information) [Type of software]. https://www.website.com/   

In-text citation

Details of prompt used and response (Name of AI, year). 

• In your assignment provide the prompt you have used and integrate the response into your sentence (see Example).

Ancient or classic work read in a book   

Author, N. (Year of the version you read). Title (N. Translator, Trans. or N. Editor, Ed.). Publisher. (Original work published Year) 

Ancient or classic work read on a website 

Author, N. (Year of the version you read). Title (N. Translator, Trans. or N. Editor, Ed.). Website Name. https://doi.org/xxxxx (Original work published Year) 

In-text citations   

( Author, Year of original publication/Year of the version you read) 

Author (Year of original publication/Year of the version you read) 

Example 1 (A book with an estimated date of original publication)

Example 2 (A website) 

• If the original date of publication is an estimate, write ca. before the date. This stands for ‘circa’. 
• Ancient and classic works may not have typical page numbers. To pinpoint a specific piece of information, use the numbering system in the publication when creating an in-text citation. See the guidance on missing information in references.
• If there are multiple editors use ‘Eds.’ (see Example 2). 
• Use the web link when no DOI is available.

Articles (see: Journal articles, Magazine articles, or Newspaper articles)

Artists' book, photobook, or zine with a single author, and self-published

Author, N. (Year). Title . [Format].

Artists' book, photobook, or zine with a single author, and commercially published

Author, N. (Year). Title. [Format]. Publisher .

Example 1 ( Zine with a single author, and self-published )

Sillars, J. (2019).  Euphoriacs: A zine surrounding trans people and our relationships with clothing.  [Zine].

Example 2 ( Artists' book with a single author, and commercially published )

Poulain, D. (2023). Birds.  [Artists' book]. Éditions du livre. 

• The title is in sentence case and in italics.
• Zines and  artists' books  are often self-published. Therefore no publisher name is needed at the end of the reference (see Example 1).

Artist, N. (Year). Artwork title [Type of artwork]. Gallery/Museum or Website Name, Location. https://www.website.com/page    

van Gogh, V. (1889). The starry night [Painting]. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802

• The artwork title is in sentence case and in italics .
• Describe the item type in square brackets, for example, [Painting], [Oil on canvas], [Sculpture] after the title (see Example).

Author, N. (Year, Month Day). Title of post. Blog Title. https://www.website.com/page  

Winfield, J. (2021, July 8). From clearing to global management internship in China. Coventry University. https://www.coventry.ac.uk/blog/jimmys-clearing-story/  

• Use the full date for the post: (Year, Month Day).  
• The post title is in sentence case .
• The blog title is in title case and in italics .

Cases (see: Law reports)

Author, N. (Year). Chapter title. In N. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. x-x). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx  

Example 1 (First edition of a book with a DOI)

Barker, S. (2021). Painting the plague, 1230-1640. In C. Lynteris (Ed.), Plague image and imagination from medieval to modern times (pp. 37-68). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72304-0  

Example 2 (Subsequent edition of a print book with multiple authors and editors)

Perrin, D., & Simpson, D. (2021). Where and how you will learn. In R. Helyer, T. Wall, A. Minton & A. Lund (Eds.), The work-based learning student handbook (3rd ed., pp. 24-44). Bloomsbury Academic. 

• In the in-text citation, use the author(s) of the chapter, not the editor(s). 
• The book title is in sentence case and in italics .
• The edition, where second edition or above, is included in the same brackets as the page numbers (see Example 2).
• Include the page numbers of the whole chapter in the reference, not just the pages you have used.

Online command paper  

Organisation. (Year). Title of the paper (Command paper reference number). https://www.website.com/report  

Print command paper  

Organisation. (Year). Title of the paper (Command paper reference number). Publisher. 

Example 1 (Online command paper)

Department for Energy Security & Net Zero. (2024). Civil nuclear: Roadmap to 2050 (Cp 1009). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65c0e7cac43191000d1a457d/6.8610_DESNZ_Civil_Nuclear_Roadmap_report_Final_Web.pdf

Example 2 (Print command paper)

Law Commission. (2002). Sharing homes: A discussion paper (Cm 5666). The Stationery Office. 

• The abbreviation used to denote a command paper will change depending on the year of the document. You may see C, Cd, Cmd, Cm, Cp, or Cmnd.
• Use the full publication date if written on the report.

Author, N. (Year, Month Day(s) of the conference). Conference presentation title [Type of presentation]. Conference Name, Location. www.website.com/page  

Motherwell, S., Heeney, C., & Sloan, P. (2023, September 6-8). 'Text me when you get home!' Research on the safety of women and girls on public transport in Scotland [Paper presentation]. European Transport Conference, Milan, Italy. https://www.therrc.co.uk/sites/default/files/files/Conference/2023/Presentations/2_marc_naura.pdf  

• A conference presentation may be in the form of a paper, poster, keynote speech etc.
• Include the full date of the conference (see Example).
• After the title, describe the presentation in square brackets, e.g. [Paper presentation], [Poster presentation], [Keynote speech] (see Example).
• If the presentation has a DOI , use this instead of a web link.
• If the presentation is published in a journal or book, follow the guidance for a journal article or chapter in an edited book.

Confidential documents (see: Unpublished documents)

Published data set  

Author, N. (Year). Title (Numerical identifier; version) [Description]. Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx  

Unpublished raw data  

Author, N. (Year). Title [Unpublished raw data]. Source of unpublished data. 

Untitled unpublished raw data

Author, N. (Year). [Description of untitled data]   [Unpublished raw data]. Source of unpublished data. 

Example 1  (Published data set)  

Leland, J. & Kickstarter. (2024).  Kickstarter data, global, 2009-2023 (ICPSR 38050; Version V3) [Data Set]. ICPSR. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38050.v3  

Example 2 (Unpublished raw data)  

Boole, G. (2024). Librarian biscuit consumption  [Unpublished raw data]. National Centre for Librarians.

Example 3 (Untitled unpublished raw data)  

Dewey, M. (2023). [Correlation between student focus and screen time] [Unpublished raw data]. Coventry University.

• If the data has no title, provide a description of the data in [square brackets] and the title is not in italics (see Example 3).
• The description is flexible e.g., [Data set] or [Data set and code book].
• Version is written in full, followed by the version number.
• If the data set has a DOI , use this instead of a web link.
• If the data is from a report, website, book, or journal, reference that source and not the data set itself.  

Named author  

Author, N. (Year). Entry title. In N. Editor (Ed.), Dictionary or encyclopaedia title (Edition.). Publisher. https://www.website.com/entry  

If no author, use the organisation’s name as the author

Organisation. (Year). Entry title. In Dictionary or encyclopaedia title . https://www.website.com/entry  

dos Santos Leffa, P. (2023). Ultra-processed foods. In B. Caballero (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human nutrition (4th ed.). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821848-8.00009-3

Example 2 (Organisation as the author, with regular updates to the entries)

Oxford English Dictionary. (n.d.). Life admin. In The Oxford English dictionary . Retrieved May 1, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7327882606

• The title of the entry is in sentence case .  
• The title of the dictionary or encyclopaedia is in sentence case and in italics .
• When a work is continuously updated, include a retrieval date and use ‘n.d.’ for the publication date (see Example 2).

Unpublished dissertation or thesis (available from the awarding institution)

Author, N. (Year). Dissertation or thesis title [Unpublished master’s dissertation or Unpublished doctoral thesis]. Name of University. 

Published dissertation or thesis (available from databases such as EThoS or ProQuest, or Google Scholar)

Author, N. (Year). Dissertation or thesis title [Master’s dissertation or Doctoral dissertation, Name of University]. Database. https://www.database.com/dissertation     

Example 1 (Unpublished dissertation)

Miyamoto, S. (2024). Student perceptions of engagement events in university libraries [Unpublished master's dissertation]. Coventry University. 

Example 2 (Published doctoral thesis)

Benhamou, E. (2019). Genre in contemporary Disney animated features (2008-2016) [Doctoral thesis, University of Bristol]. EThOS. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?did=1&uin=uk.bl.ethos.782581  

• Use square brackets for the dissertation or thesis description. 

Ebooks (see: Books)

Encyclopaedias (see: Dictionaries)

Institutional Origin | Legislation Type | Number | Title 

In-text citation: According to Article 50 of Regulation 2002/178/EC . . . 

• The legislation title is in sentence case and not in italics.
• Do not include a link, even if the legislation is found online.
• In the in-text citation, give the type of legislation and the number.
• It is best practice to use a narrative citation. Avoid putting legislation in brackets (see Example 1b).

Facebook (see: Social Media)

Figures (see: Images)

Director, N. (Director). (Year). Film title [Film]. Production Company. 

Example 1 (Film with two production companies)

Nolan, C. (Director). (2023). Oppenheimer [Film]. Syncopy; Atlas Entertainment. 

Example 2 (Translation of title in square brackets)

Bayona, J. A. (Director). (2023). La sociedad de la nieve [Society of the snow] [Film]. El Arriero Films; Misión de Audaces Films; Netflix. 

• The title is in sentence case and in italics . 
• Separate the production company with a semi-colon where there is more than one company (see Example 1).  
• When the film’s title is in a different language, include a translation of the title in square brackets (see Example 2). 

Author, N. (Year). Title of report (Source type and report number). Organisation. https://www.website.com/report  

If no author, use the organisation’s name as the author 

Organisation. (Year). Title of report (Source type and report number).  https://www.website.com/report  

Example 1 (Command paper)

Department for Work and Pensions. (2024). Modernising support for independent living: The health and disability green paper (Cp 1061). https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/modernising-support-for-independent-living-the-health-and-disability-green-paper/modernising-support-for-independent-living-the-health-and-disability-green-paper   

Example 2 (Library briefing paper with an individual author)

Keep, M. (2024). The Barnett formula and fiscal devolution (House of Commons Library Briefing Paper no. 7386). https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7386/CBP-7386.pdf  

Example 3  (House of Commons paper with a specific department as author. Date written in full)

Example 4  (Briefing paper with an individual author and a government department as the organisation)

Sugars, R. (2024, July 11). Early years strategy. Coventry City Council. https://edemocracy.coventry.gov.uk/documents/s61101/Early%20Years%20Strategy.pdf

• Most government reports are authored by a government department, agency or committee (see Examples 1 and 3).
• If there is a hierarchy of departments listed in a report, use the most specific government department, relevant to the report, as the author.
• If the government department is included in the report number, put this in round brackets after the title (see Example 2).
• For government reports where no department is specified, use the name of the government as the author. For the UK, this will be UK Government. Do not use GOV.UK.
• If there is no source type or report number, leave it out.
• If a publisher is available, include it after the paper number. It is likely to be either HMSO, The Stationery Office or the individual government department.

Graphs (see: Images)

HC/HL Deb vol xx col xx (Year, Month Day). Hansard. https://www.website.com/page  

In-text citation within a sentence: "The UK has driven down emissions by more than 45%" (HC Deb, 2022).

• Use HC Deb for a House of Commons debate, and HL Deb for a House of Lords debate. 

Instagram (see: Social Media)

In-text citations and references are the formatted in the same way for law reports. For further Information see: Neutral citations and law reports

Neutral citation

Case Name(s) [Year] Abbreviation for Court Name | Case Number 

Case Name(s) [(Year)] Volume | Abbreviation for Law Report Name | Page number 

Example 1 (Neutral citation)

Charalambous v Welding [2009] EWCA Civ 1578  

Example 2a (Law report)

Douglas v Hello! Magazine [2001] 2 WLR 992  

Example 2b (Narrative in-text citation)

In Douglas v Hello! Magazine [2001] 2 WLR 992, the Court of Appeal stressed that equal weighting be given to both rights and that any case should be determined by adopting the principles of proportionality. 

Example 2c  (Parenthetical in-text citation)

The Court of Appeal stressed that equal weighting be given to both rights and that any case should be determined by adopting the principles of proportionality ( Douglas v Hello! Magazine [2001] 2 WLR 992). 

Example 2d  (Subsequent in-text citations)

Douglas v Hello! Magazine (2001) 

• The party names are in title case and in italics .
• Use the neutral citation OR law report citation , and copy this directly from the source.
• Copy the style of brackets around the year from the source. If the source uses [square brackets], use them in the in-text citation and reference.  
• Subsequent in-text citations should use (round brackets).
• Do not include a link, even if the case/report is found online.

Leaflets (see: Reports)

Lecturer, N. (Date). Title of lecture [Format]. Website. https://www.website.com/page/  

Torres, M. (2024, March 12). Seven psychological perspectives [PowerPoint slides]. Aula. https://coventry.aula.education/  

• Use the date the lecture was delivered. This could be (Year), (Year, Month) or (Year, Month Day) depending on the information available.
• Describe the format of the document after the title and place in square brackets (e.g., [Presentation], [Word], [Excel]).
• If the hosting site requires a login such as Aula, use the homepage link, not the link to the module page (see Example).

Print magazine

Author, N. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Magazine Title , pages. 

Online magazine

Author, N. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Magazine Title . https://www.website.com/page  

Example 1 (Print magazine)

Taylor, H. (2024, April 26). Is UK inflation still on track? Investors Chronicle , 14-16. 

Example 2 (Online magazine)

Adler, T. (2024, July 25).The United States of pizza. Vogue. https://www.vogue.com/article/united-states-of-pizza-restaurant-guide

• The article title is in sentence case .
• The magazine title is in title case  and in italics .
• If the magazine has a volume and part, follow the format for journal articles.

Traditional maps 

Author, N. (Year). Map title [Map]. Publisher. https://www.website.com/page  

Dynamically created maps  (e.g. Google Maps, Apple Maps) 

Organisation. (n.d.). [Map description in square brackets]. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://www.website.com/page  

Example 1 (Traditional map)

Mudge, W. (1801). An entirely new and accurate survey of the county of Kent, with part of the county of Essex [Map]. Board of Ordnance. http://mapco.net/kent1801/kent1801.htm   

Example 2 (Dynamic map)

Google. (n.d.). [Google Maps directions for driving from Coventry University to Stratford-upon-Avon]. Retrieved May 21, 2024, from https://maps.app.goo.gl/r9wcCyc1Lx3YZEeX8   

• The author for dynamically created maps should be the organisation name (e.g. Google), rather than the application name (Google Maps).  
• If the map is dynamically created, use n.d. instead of the year. After the title, give the retrieval date (see Example 2). 
• If there is no clear title (e.g. directions on Google Maps) give a description of the map in square brackets and not in italics (see Example 2). 

Movies (see: Films)

Music score with a composer

Composer, N. (Year). Music score title [Type of score]. Publisher. 

Republished music score with a composer

Composer, N. (Year). Music score title [Type of score]. Publisher. (Original work published Year) 

In-text citation (Republished music score) 

(Composer, Year of the republication/Year originally published) 

Example 1 (Music score with a composer)

Marianelli, D. (2006). Pride and prejudice: Music from the motion picture soundtrack [Musical score]. Wise Publications. 

Example 2 (Republished music score with a composer)

• Specify the type of score in square brackets (e.g., [Musical score], [Piano score], [Vocal score], [Study score]).
• For a republished score, include the year it was republished as the main date of the reference. At the end of reference in round brackets, write the words 'Original work published' and the year of original publication (see Example 2).

Music album

Artist, N. (Year). Album title [Album]. Production Company. 

Artist, N. (Year). Song title [Song]. On Album title . Production Company.

Example 1 (Music album)

Linkin Park. (2003). Meteora [Album]. Warner Bros. 

Example 2 (Song)

Dion, C. (1996). Because you loved me [Song]. On Falling into you . Columbia; Epic. 

• The song title is in sentence case .
• The album title is in sentence case and in italics .
• Include [Album] or [Song] after the album or song title.
• Separate the production company with a semi-colon where there is more than one company (see Example 2).

Author, N. (Year, Month Day). Article title. News Website. https://www.website.com/page  

If no author, use the news website as the author 

News Website. (Year, Month Day). Article title . https://www.website.com/page   

Example 1 (Article with a named author)

Nachiappan, A. (2023, December 20). AI cannot be named as the inventor, Supreme Court rules in patent dispute. Sky News. https://news.sky.com/story/ai-cannot-be-named-as-the-inventor-supreme-court-rules-in-patent-dispute-13034816   

Example 2 (Article without a named author)

BBC News. (2024, May 29). Lost John Lennon guitar sets record at auction . https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy00eppxk80o   

• The article title is in sentence case and in italics .
• To reference the online version of a newspaper which is also published in print (e.g. The Financial Times) see the Newspaper articles section below.

Plimmer, G., Mooney, A., & Bott, I. (2024, May 8). Holding back the floods for 40 years: Thames Barrier is due an upgrade. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/027a0d94-90f6-4841-94c1-b974ac895adb   

• The newspaper title is in title case and in italics .
• If the newspaper article is in print, not online, use the same format but leave out the link.

Your own work (primary data) does not require citation and referencing if you have not submitted or published it on any platform (e.g. Turnitin) before.  

If you want to include material that you have submitted or published before, check with your lecturer first , and then follow the format below. 

Author, N. (Year). Title [Unpublished name of assignment and module code]. University Name.  

Jones, A. (2024) The pitch presentation [Unpublished assignment submitted for 6016MFH]. Coventry University.  

• The unpublished information is in [square brackets].

Inventor, N. (Year Patent Issued). Patent title (Patent Number). Patent Office. https://www.website.com/page  

Dalgarno, M. R. (2015). Fire resistant ducting systems (GB2517476). UK Intellectual Property Office. https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=0&ND=3&adjacent=true&FT=D&date=20150225&CC=GB&NR=2517476A&KC=A#   

• Use the inventor as the author.
• The patent title is in sentence case and in italics .

A PDF is a file format rather than a source type and there are no specific APA guidelines. Instead, identify the source type, whether a report, journal article, leaflet, etc. and follow the guidance for that source.

Personal communications include emails, interviews, phone calls and unrecorded lectures. Where these have been published (e.g. an interview published in a magazine) follow the referencing guidelines for that type of resource.

Personal communications are only referenced using in-text citations. You do not give an entry in the list of references, as the information has not been published anywhere for you to reference.

Narrative citation  

N. Author (personal communication, Month Day, Year) 

Parenthetical citation  

(N. Author, personal communication, Month Day, Year) 

Example 1 (Narrative citation)

J. Clewes (personal communication, May 3, 2024) suggested that… 

Example 2 (Parenthetical citation)

(K. Dodhia, personal communication, June 15, 2024) 

• Authors’ names are formatted with the initial(s) of their given name(s), a full stop, and then their family name/surname. 
• If you interviewed someone as part of your data collection for your own primary research, you do not need to provide an in-text citation. 

Photobooks (see: Artists’ books)

To reference a photograph, you must first identify where the photograph has come from, and its intended use in your assignment.

• Photograph from another source (book, journal article, website): see Images
• Photograph from social media (Instagram, X etc.): see Social media
• Photograph in an art gallery or museum: see Artwork in a gallery or museum
• Photograph you have taken yourself: see Images
• Photographs used to decorate your work, rather than to demonstrate a point: see Images in presentations, posters and artistic assignments.

A whole podcast series

Host, N. (Host). (Year-Year). Podcast title [Audio podcast]. Production Company. https://www.website.com/page   

A specific episode

Host, N. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Episode title (No. x) [Audio podcast episode]. In Podcast title . Production Company. https://www.website.com/page   

Example 1 (A whole podcast series)

Rachman, G. (Host). (2019–present). Rachman review [Audio podcast]. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/rachman-review  

Example 2 (A specific episode)

Campbell, A., & Stewart, R. (Hosts). (2024, April 10). What Britain really thinks of politics (No. 253) [Audio podcast episode]. In The rest is politics. Goalhanger Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/what-britain-really-thinks-of-politics/id1611374685?i=1000651929901   

• The episode title is in sentence case .
• The whole podcast title is in sentence case and in italics .
• If the host is unclear, give the executive producers as the authors and write (Executive producers) after their names.
• If you do not have a link (e.g. because you have listened to the podcast through an app), leave it out.
• If the podcast episodes do not use numbers, leave it out.

Presentations (see: Lectures or Conference papers and presentations)

Presenter, N. (Year, Month Day). Title [Radio broadcast]. Radio Station. https://www.website.com/page  

Razzle, K. (2024, May 29). The media show: Is this the TikTok election? [Radio broadcast]. BBC Radio 4. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001zngb   

• Give the radio presenter (host) as the author. If the presenter is not obvious, give the executive producer as the author.
• If you do not have a link (e.g. because you have listened live or through an app), leave it out.

Religious work read in a book   

Title (N. Translator, Trans.; Edition). (Year). Publisher.  

Religious work read on a website 

Title . (Year). Website Name. https://www.website.com/page (Original work published Year) 

Title (Year of original publication/Year of the version you read)  

( Title , Year of original publication/Year of the version you read) 

Example 1 (Religious work read in a book, including a translator and edition)

In-text citation: ( The Bhagavad Gita , 2007) or The Bhagavad Gita (2007) discusses . . .

Example 2 (Religious work read on a website, including an original published date)

In-text citation: ( King James Bible , 1769/2017) or King James Bible (1769/2017) states . . .

• Religious works are usually treated as having no author. Use the title as the author in both the in-text citation and reference. In the in-text citation, the title should remain in italics .
• The title is in title case and in italics .
• If there is no edition, or original published date, leave it out.

Author, N. [Username]. (Year, Month Day). Title or first 20 words of post [Type of post]. Social Media Site. www.socialmedia.com/user/post   

Example 1 (Instagram photo)

National Geographic [@natgeo]. (2020, December 10). A 1912 replica of West Virginia's Stonewall Jackson has recently been removed at the Virginia Military Institute [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CImHuqcMJUL/   

Example 2 (X post with image attached)

Paralympic Games [@paralympics]. (2024, April 1). It's our #ParaCanoe sports week! Get to know more about this Para sport as we head into the @Paris2024 Paralympic [Image attached] [Post]. X. https://twitter.com/Paralympics/status/1774776204903469364  

Example 3  (TikTok video)

Coventry University Library [@covunilibrary]. (2024, March 7). Today is World Book Day and we just want you to read a book! 📚💛💙 It doesn't matter [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@covunilibrary/video/7343537583827275041  

Example 4  (A whole profile)

Swift, T. [@taylorswift]. (n.d.). Posts [Instagram profile]. Instagram. Retrieved June 9, 2024, from https://www.instagram.com/taylorswift  

• For the author, use the profile name followed by the username in [square brackets]. 
• Use the caption/text of the post as the title. Only use the first 20 words of the post as the title (see Example 3). 
• The title is in whichever case is used in the post and in italics . Emojis should not be in italics. 
• Each emoji is counted as one word.

When to reference software

You do not need to reference software if it is commonly used in your field (e.g. Microsoft Word or SPSS) unless you have quoted or paraphrased from the software. You also do not need to reference programming languages (e.g. Python or C#). Just state the name of the software or programming language in your assignment. If a piece of software is not in common use, or if you have quoted or paraphrased from it, include a reference.

Console games

APA 7th edition provides guidance for referencing computer software and mobile apps, but does not cover console games. If you need to reference a video game, particularly if it is available across multiple consoles, you may need to adapt the format below to make it clear which version you have used.

Author, N. (Year). Title of software (Version number) [Type of software]. Publisher. https://www.website.com/app  

Example 1 (Computer software)

Barone, E. (2024). Stardew Valley (Version 1.6.8) [Computer software]. ConcernedApe. https://store.steampowered.com/app/413150/Stardew_Valley/    

Example 2 (Mobile app)

Nintendo. (2020). Animal crossing: Pocket camp (Version 3.2.0) [Mobile app]. Google Play Store. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nintendo.zaca&hl=en_GB    

• Version in brackets, e.g. (Version 1.0).
• Type of software in square brackets, e.g. [Computer software] or [Mobile app].

Organisation. (Year). Standard title (Standard number). Publisher. https://www.website.com/standard  

British Standards Institution. (2022). Project, programme and portfolio management. Guidance on programme management (BS ISO 21503:2022). British Standards Institution. https://bsol.bsigroup.com/Bibliographic/BibliographicInfoData/000000000030437073

• The standard number is in brackets.

Title Year, SI Year/Number 

Subsequent in-text citation: Regulation 4 of SI 2013/2996 states that . . . 

• The title is in title case and not in italics.   
• Do not include a link, even if the statutory instrument is found online.
• It is best practice to use a narrative citation. Avoid putting statutory instruments in brackets (see Example 1b).
• For subsequent in-text citations, use just the SI Year/Number (see Example 1c).

(Table produced using your own data)

(Table produced using your own data)

Heading Heading Item Data Data Item Data Data Item Data Data Add any notes to explain the table here (optional) Favourite Biscuits of Coventry University Librarians   5 7 4 3 3 1 (Table reproduced from another source) (Table reproduced using information from a website)   Heading Heading Item Data Data Item Data Data Item Data Data From Author (year, p. x) or Author (year) OR Adapted from Author (year, p. x) or Author (year) Diabetes Registrations by Age Group in England 2023-24   45 4.6 39.7 44.1 15.2 51.3 Adapted from NHS Digital (2024) Format 3 (Table created from multiple sources) There are several ways to reference a table when using multiple sources: Describe the sources for each section underneath the table when the information can be easily separated (see Example 3a). Include in-text citations within the body of the table itself, following the normal in-text citation rules (see Example 3b). Use specific notes when impractical to include an in-text citation within the body of the table. Specific notes are superscript letters (  a , b ,  c ) to indicate that the information is taken from another source. The superscript letters are then repeated underneath the table, with the corresponding in-text citation (see Example 3c). If different pieces of information are taken from the same source, use the same letter and include only one in-text citation underneath the table (see Example 3c). (Table created from multiple sources) (Table created from multiple sources)   Heading Heading Item Data Data Item Data Data Item Data Data Data in column 2 from Author (year, p. x) Data in column 3 from Author (year, p. x) Population in 2023 and Projected Population by 2050   223.8m 377.4m 126.5m 214.8m 112.7m 160.3m Data in column 2 from Statistia (2023) Data in column 3 from World Health Organization (2024) (In-text citations in the table itself)  (In-text citations in the table itself)   Heading Heading Item Data (Author, year, p. x) Data (Author, year, p. x) Item Data (Author, year, p. x) Data (Author, year, p. x) A Comparison of Views About Cats and Dogs     Cat people appreciate the independent nature of cats (Catarall, 2020, p. 53).    Wolf (2021) suggests that cats may not be as affectionate as dogs (p. 77).   Catarall (2022) argues that dogs need too much attention from their owners (p. 4). Dog people consider dogs to be ‘man’s best friend’ (Barker, 2022, p. 28).   (Superscript notes in the table) (Superscript notes in the table)   Heading Heading Item Data Data Item Data Data a From Author (year, p. x) b From Author (year, p. x) c From Author (year, p. x) Average Live Viewership of Olympic Opening Ceremonies    23.02m 2.5m 2.5m 2.7m a From Plunkett (2012) b From Coster (2021) c From Bulbeck (2012) The table number is in bold. Number your tables based on their order within your assignment. Regarding the number of authors (use of et al.) and page numbers, follow the normal in-text citation rules. If you have created the table yourself (and not adapted it using information found in another source), you do not need an in-text citation under the table (see Example 1). Include a reference list entry for the type of source you have taken the table and/or contents from. Theses (see: Dissertations) A whole TV series Producer, N. (Executive Producer). (Year-Year). Series title [TV series]. Production Company.  Writer, N. (Writer & Director). (Year, Month Day). Title of episode (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In N. Producer (Executive Producers), Series title . Production Company.   Example 1 (A whole TV series) Schur, M., Miner, D., Sackett, M., & Goddard, D. (Executive Producers). (2016-2020). The good place [TV series]. Fremulon; 3 Arts Entertainment; Universal Television.   Levy, D. (Writer), & Canning, J. (Director). (2020, March 31). Start spreading the news (Season 6, Episode 13) [TV series episode]. In E. Levy, D. Levy, F. Levy, A. Barnsley, B. Feigin & D. West Read (Executive Producers), Schitt’s creek . Not A Real Company Productions; Canadian Broadcasting Company.    The TV series title is in sentence case and in italics . The episode title is in sentence case. For a whole TV series, state the year or years the series first aired in brackets (See Example 1). If the TV series is still airing, use 'present' as the second date, e.g. (2010-present). For a specific episode, state the date the episode first aired in brackets (See Example 2). Separate the production company with a semi-colon where there is more than one company (see Example 1 and 2). APA does not have official guidance for unpublished documents. If you need to reference an unpublished document, please follow the format below. Confidential documents are private or commercially sensitive information, such as patient health records or details of a supplier contract, where disclosure of identity is prohibited by law or the owner of the information. Internal documents contain information relevant to an organisation. These may or may not be confidential. Talk to your lecturer if you are unsure about confidentiality in your assignment.  It may sometimes be appropriate to add an anonymised extract of the document to an appendix to provide context for the reader. Unpublished confidential documents    Anonymised author. (Year). Title [Unpublished document]. Unpublished internal documents Author. (Year). Title [Unpublished document]. Department, Company.  Example 1 (Unpublished confidential document) Company A. (2023). [Company A’s] procurement strategy 2023-2028 [Unpublished document].  Example 2 (Unpublished confidential document with descriptive title) NHS Trust. (2022). [Document detailing patient data breach] [Unpublished document]. NHS England.  Example 3  (Unpublished internal document) Vaughan, P. (2024).  Collection development strategy [Unpublished document]. Lanchester Library, Coventry University.  Anonymise part or all of the title where the title will reveal the identity of the organisation. Place the anonymised part of the title in [square brackets] (see Example 1) or use a descriptive title in [square brackets] to anonymise the whole title and then this title will not be in italics (see Example 2). If an internal document has no author, use the department as the author and do not repeat this later in the reference. Videos on a video sharing platform (YouTube, Vimeo etc.) Uploader. (Year, Month Day). Video title [Video]. Video Platform. https://www.website.com/video   Videos on social media (TikTok, Instagram, X etc.) Author, N. [Username]. (Year, Month Day). Title or first 20 words of post [Video]. Social Media Site. https://www.socialmedia.com/user/post   Example 1 (Videos on a video sharing platform) TED. (2024, February 5).  How babies think about danger | Shari Liu | TED [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6djPLVa9aQ4     Example 2 (Videos on social media) The video title is in sentence case and in italics. For YouTube videos or similar, the name of the uploader/channel will likely be the author (see Example 1). For videos on social media, the author is the profile name followed by the username in [square brackets] (see Example 2). Authors can also be formatted in the way that best helps to identify them e.g. Johnson, D. [The Rock]. If the speaker in the video is not the same as the uploader, integrate this into your sentence e.g. Liu discusses how babies perceive danger (TED, 2024). White papers (see: Command papers) X (see: Social Media) YouTube (see: Videos) Zines (see: Artists’ books) Need More Help? Ask us on LiveChat   Join a Workshop   Book an Appointment   APA Quick Referencing Guide Quick guide to help you get started. Refer to these web pages for more detailed reference information. Interactive APA Quick Guide Download this essay to see an example how to use the APA referencing style in assignments. Example of essay using APA << Previous: Introduction to Referencing Next: FAQs >> Last Updated: Aug 30, 2024 3:07 PM URL: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/cugapa Online Students For All Online Programs International Students On Campus, need or have Visa Campus Students For All Campus Programs Academic Referencing: How to Cite a Research Paper Learning how to conduct accurate, discipline-specific academic research can feel daunting at first. But, with a solid understanding of the reasoning behind why we use academic citations coupled with knowledge of the basics, you’ll learn how to cite sources with accuracy and confidence. When it comes to academic research, citing sources correctly is arguably as important as the research itself. "Your instructors are expecting your work to adhere to these professional standards," said Amanda Girard , research support manager of Shapiro Library at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). With Shapiro Library for the past three years, Girard manages the library’s research support services, which includes SNHU’s 24/7 library chat and email support. She holds an undergraduate degree in professional writing and a graduate degree in library and information science. She said that accurate citations show that you have done your research on a topic and are knowledgeable about current ideas from those actively working in the field. In other words, when you cite sources according to the academic style of your discipline, you’re giving credit where credit is due. Why Cite Sources? Citing sources properly ensures you’re following high academic and professional standards for integrity and ethics. “When you cite a source, you can ethically use others’ research. If you are not adequately citing the information you claim in your work, it would be considered plagiarism ,” said Shannon Geary '16 , peer tutor at SNHU. Geary has an undergraduate degree in communication  from SNHU and has served on the academic support team for close to 2 years. Her job includes helping students learn how to conduct research  and write academically. “In academic writing, it is crucial to state where you are receiving your information from,” she said. “Citing your sources ensures that you are following academic integrity standards.” According to Geary and Girard, several key reasons for citing sources are: Access. Citing sources points readers to original sources. If anyone wants to read more on your topic, they can use your citations as a roadmap to access the original sources. Attribution. Crediting the original authors, researchers and experts  shows that you’re knowledgeable about current ideas from those actively working in the field and adhering to high ethical standards, said Girard. Clarity. “By citing your sources correctly, your reader can follow along with your research,” Girard said. Consistency. Adhering to a citation style provides a framework for presenting ideas within similar academic fields. “Consistent formatting makes accessing, understanding and evaluating an author's findings easier for others in related fields of study,” Geary said. Credibility. Proper citation not only builds a writer's authority but also ensures the reliability of the work, according to Geary. Ultimately, citing sources is a formalized way for you to share ideas as part of a bigger conversation among others in your field. It’s a way to build off of and reference one another’s ideas, Girard said. How Do You Cite an Academic Research Paper? Any time you use an original quote or paraphrase someone else’s ideas, you need to cite that material, according to Geary. “The only time we do not need to cite is when presenting an original thought or general knowledge,” she said. While the specific format for citing sources can vary based on the style used, several key elements are always included, according to Girard. Those are: Title of source Type of source, such as a journal, book, website or periodical By giving credit to the authors, researchers and experts you cite, you’re building credibility. You’re showing that your argument is built on solid research. “Proper citation not only builds a writer's authority but also ensures the reliability of the work,” Geary said. “Properly formatted citations are a roadmap for instructors and other readers to verify the information we present in our work.” Common Citation Styles in Academic Research Certain disciplines adhere to specific citation standards because different disciplines prioritize certain information and research styles . The most common citation styles used in academic research, according to Geary, are: American Psychological Association, known as APA . This style is standard in the social sciences such as psychology, education and communication. “In these fields, research happens rapidly, which makes it exceptionally important to use current research,” Geary said. Modern Language Association, known as MLA . This style is typically used in literature and humanities because of the emphasis on literature analysis. “When citing in MLA, there is an emphasis on the author and page number, allowing the audience to locate the original text that is being analyzed easily,” Geary said. Chicago Manual of Style, known as Chicago . This style is typically used in history, business and sometimes humanities. “(Chicago) offers flexibility because of the use of footnotes, which can be seen as less distracting than an in-text citation,” Geary said. The benefit of using the same format as other researchers within a discipline is that the framework of presenting ideas allows you to “speak the same language,” according to Girard. APA Citation for College: A Brief Overview Are you writing a paper that needs to use APA citation, but don’t know what that means? No worries. You’ve come to the right place. How to Use MLA Formatting: A Brief Overview Are you writing a paper for which you need to know how to use MLA formatting, but don’t know what that means? No worries. You’ve come to the right place. How to Ensure Proper Citations Keeping track of your research as you go is one of the best ways to ensure you’re citing appropriately and correctly based on the style that your academic discipline uses. “Through careful citation, authors ensure their audience can distinguish between borrowed material and original thoughts, safeguarding their academic reputation and following academic honesty policies,” Geary said. Some tips that she and Girard shared to ensure you’re citing sources correctly include: Keep track of sources as you work. Writers should keep track of their sources every time an idea is not theirs, according to Geary. “You don’t want to find the perfect research study and misplace its source information, meaning you’d have to omit it from your paper,” she said. Practice. Even experienced writers need to check their citations before submitting their work. “Citing requires us to pay close attention to detail, so always start your citation process early and go slow to ensure you don’t make mistakes,” said Geary. In time, citing sources properly becomes faster and easier. Use an Online Tool . Geary recommends the Shapiro Library citation guide . You can find sample papers, examples of how to cite in the different academic styles and up-to-date citation requirements, along with information and examples for APA, MLA and Chicago style citations. Work with a Tutor. A tutor can offer support along with tips to help you learn the process of academic research. Students at SNHU can connect with free peer tutoring through the Academic Support tab in their online courses, though many colleges and universities offer peer tutoring. Find Your Program How to cite a reference in academic writing. A citation consists of two pieces: an in-text citation that is typically short and a longer list of references or works cited (depending on the style used) at the end of the paper. “In-text citations immediately acknowledge the use of external source information and its exact location,” Geary said. While each style uses a slightly different format for in-text citations that reference the research, you may expect to need the page number, author’s name and possibly date of publication in parentheses at the end of a sentence or passage, according to Geary. A longer entry listing the complete details of the resource you referenced should also be included on the references or works cited page at the end of the paper. The full citation is provided with complete details of the source, such as author, title, publication date and more, Geary said. The two-part aspect of citations is because of readability. “You can imagine how putting the full citation would break up the flow of a paper,” Girard said. “So, a shortened version is used (in the text).” “For example, if an in-text citation reads (Jones, 2024), the reader immediately knows that the ideas presented are coming from Jones’s work, and they can explore the comprehensive citation on the final page,” she said. The in-text citation and full citation together provide a transparent trail of the author's process of engaging with research. “Their combined use also facilitates further research by following a standardized style (APA, MLA, Chicago), guaranteeing that other scholars can easily connect and build upon their work in the future,” Geary said. Developing and demonstrating your research skills, enhancing your work’s credibility and engaging ethically with the intellectual contributions of others are at the core of the citation process no matter which style you use. A degree can change your life. Choose your program  from 200+ SNHU degrees that can take you where you want to go. A former higher education administrator, Dr. Marie Morganelli is a career educator and writer. She has taught and tutored composition, literature, and writing at all levels from middle school through graduate school. With two graduate degrees in English language and literature, her focus — whether teaching or writing — is in helping to raise the voices of others through the power of storytelling. Connect with her on LinkedIn . Explore more content like this article What a Thesis Paper is and How to Write One What is the Difference Between Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees? What is Considered Plagiarism And How to Avoid It About southern new hampshire university. SNHU is a nonprofit, accredited university with a mission to make high-quality education more accessible and affordable for everyone. Founded in 1932, and online since 1995, we’ve helped countless students reach their goals with flexible, career-focused programs . Our 300-acre campus in Manchester, NH is home to over 3,000 students, and we serve over 135,000 students online. Visit our about SNHU  page to learn more about our mission, accreditations, leadership team, national recognitions and awards. How to Write an APA Research Paper Psychology/neuroscience 201, v iew in pdf format. An APA-style paper includes the following sections: title page, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and references. Your paper may also include one or more tables and/or figures. Different types of information about your study are addressed in each of the sections, as described below. General formatting rules are as follows: Do not put page breaks in between the introduction, method, results, and discussion sections. The title page, abstract, references, table(s), and figure(s) should be on their own pages. The entire paper should be written in the past tense, in a 12-point font, double-spaced, and with one-inch margins all around. (see sample on p. 41 of APA manual) Title should be between 10-12 words and should reflect content of paper (e.g., IV and DV). Title, your name, and Hamilton College are all double-spaced (no extra spaces) Create a page header using the “View header” function in MS Word. On the title page, the header should include the following: Flush left: Running head: THE RUNNING HEAD SHOULD BE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. The running head is a short title that appears at the top of pages of published articles. It should not exceed 50 characters, including punctuation and spacing. (Note: on the title page, you actually write the words “Running head,” but these words do not appear on subsequent pages; just the actual running head does. If you make a section break between the title page and the rest of the paper you can make the header different for those two parts of the manuscript). Flush right, on same line: page number. Use the toolbox to insert a page number, so it will automatically number each page. Abstract (labeled, centered, not bold) No more than 120 words, one paragraph, block format (i.e., don’t indent), double-spaced. State topic, preferably in one sentence. Provide overview of method, results, and discussion. Introduction (Do not label as “Introduction.” Title of paper goes at the top of the page—not bold) The introduction of an APA-style paper is the most difficult to write. A good introduction will summarize, integrate, and critically evaluate the empirical knowledge in the relevant area(s) in a way that sets the stage for your study and why you conducted it. The introduction starts out broad (but not too broad!) and gets more focused toward the end. Here are some guidelines for constructing a good introduction: Don’t put your readers to sleep by beginning your paper with the time-worn sentence, “Past research has shown (blah blah blah)” They’ll be snoring within a paragraph!  Try to draw your reader in by saying something interesting or thought-provoking right off the bat.  Take a look at articles you’ve read. Which ones captured your attention right away? How did the authors accomplish this task? Which ones didn’t?  Why not?  See if you can use articles you liked as a model. One way to begin (but not the only way) is to provide an example or anecdote illustrative of your topic area. Although you won’t go into the details of your study and hypotheses until the end of the intro, you should foreshadow your study a bit at the end of the first paragraph by stating your purpose briefly, to give your reader a schema for all the information you will present next. Your intro should be a logical flow of ideas that leads up to your hypothesis. Try to organize it in terms of the ideas rather than who did what when. In other words, your intro shouldn’t read like a story of “Schmirdley did such-and-such in 1991. Then Gurglehoff did something-or-other in 1993.  Then....(etc.)” First, brainstorm all of the ideas you think are necessary to include in your paper. Next, decide which ideas make sense to present first, second, third, and so forth, and think about how you want to transition between ideas. When an idea is complex, don’t be afraid to use a real-life example to clarify it for your reader. The introduction will end with a brief overview of your study and, finally, your specific hypotheses. The hypotheses should flow logically out of everything that’s been presented, so that the reader has the sense of, “Of course. This hypothesis makes complete sense, given all the other research that was presented.” When incorporating references into your intro, you do not necessarily need to describe every single study in complete detail, particularly if different studies use similar methodologies. Certainly you want to summarize briefly key articles, though, and point out differences in methods or findings of relevant studies when necessary. Don’t make one mistake typical of a novice APA-paper writer by stating overtly why you’re including a particular article (e.g., “This article is relevant to my study because…”). It should be obvious to the reader why you’re including a reference without your explicitly saying so.  DO NOT quote from the articles, instead paraphrase by putting the information in your own words. Be careful about citing your sources (see APA manual). Make sure there is a one-to-one correspondence between the articles you’ve cited in your intro and the articles listed in your reference section. Remember that your audience is the broader scientific community, not the other students in your class or your professor.  Therefore, you should assume they have a basic understanding of psychology, but you need to provide them with the complete information necessary for them to understand the research you are presenting. Method (labeled, centered, bold) The Method section of an APA-style paper is the most straightforward to write, but requires precision. Your goal is to describe the details of your study in such a way that another researcher could duplicate your methods exactly. The Method section typically includes Participants, Materials and/or Apparatus, and Procedure sections. If the design is particularly complicated (multiple IVs in a factorial experiment, for example), you might also include a separate Design subsection or have a “Design and Procedure” section. Note that in some studies (e.g., questionnaire studies in which there are many measures to describe but the procedure is brief), it may be more useful to present the Procedure section prior to the Materials section rather than after it. Participants (labeled, flush left, bold) Total number of participants (# women, # men), age range, mean and SD for age, racial/ethnic composition (if applicable), population type (e.g., college students). Remember to write numbers out when they begin a sentence. How were the participants recruited? (Don’t say “randomly” if it wasn’t random!) Were they compensated for their time in any way? (e.g., money, extra credit points) Write for a broad audience. Thus, do not write, “Students in Psych. 280...” Rather, write (for instance), “Students in a psychological statistics and research methods course at a small liberal arts college….” Try to avoid short, choppy sentences. Combine information into a longer sentence when possible. Materials (labeled, flush left, bold) Carefully describe any stimuli, questionnaires, and so forth. It is unnecessary to mention things such as the paper and pencil used to record the responses, the data recording sheet, the computer that ran the data analysis, the color of the computer, and so forth. If you included a questionnaire, you should describe it in detail. For instance, note how many items were on the questionnaire, what the response format was (e.g., a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)), how many items were reverse-scored, whether the measure had subscales, and so forth. Provide a sample item or two for your reader. If you have created a new instrument, you should attach it as an Appendix. If you presented participants with various word lists to remember or stimuli to judge, you should describe those in detail here. Use subheadings to separate different types of stimuli if needed.  If you are only describing questionnaires, you may call this section “Measures.” Apparatus (labeled, flush left, bold) Include an apparatus section if you used specialized equipment for your study (e.g., the eye tracking machine) and need to describe it in detail. Procedure (labeled, flush left, bold) What did participants do, and in what order? When you list a control variable (e.g., “Participants all sat two feet from the experimenter.”), explain WHY you did what you did.  In other words, what nuisance variable were you controlling for? Your procedure should be as brief and concise as possible. Read through it. Did you repeat yourself anywhere? If so, how can you rearrange things to avoid redundancy? You may either write the instructions to the participants verbatim or paraphrase, whichever you deem more appropriate. Don’t forget to include brief statements about informed consent and debriefing. Results (labeled, centered, bold) In this section, describe how you analyzed the data and what you found. If your data analyses were complex, feel free to break this section down into labeled subsections, perhaps one section for each hypothesis. Include a section for descriptive statistics List what type of analysis or test you conducted to test each hypothesis. Refer to your Statistics textbook for the proper way to report results in APA style. A t-test, for example, is reported in the following format: t (18) = 3.57, p < .001, where 18 is the number of degrees of freedom (N – 2 for an independent-groups t test). For a correlation: r (32) = -.52, p < .001, where 32 is the number of degrees of freedom (N – 2 for a correlation). For a one-way ANOVA: F (2, 18) = 7.00, p < .001, where 2 represents the between and 18 represents df within Remember that if a finding has a p value greater than .05, it is “nonsignificant,” not “insignificant.” For nonsignificant findings, still provide the exact p values. For correlations, be sure to report the r 2 value as an assessment of the strength of the finding, to show what proportion of variability is shared by the two variables you’re correlating. For t- tests and ANOVAs, report eta 2 . Report exact p values to two or three decimal places (e.g., p = .042; see p. 114 of APA manual).  However, for p-values less than .001, simply put p < .001. Following the presentation of all the statistics and numbers, be sure to state the nature of your finding(s) in words and whether or not they support your hypothesis (e.g., “As predicted …”). This information can typically be presented in a sentence or two following the numbers (within the same paragraph). Also, be sure to include the relevant means and SDs. It may be useful to include a table or figure to represent your results visually. Be sure to refer to these in your paper (e.g., “As illustrated in Figure 1…”). Remember that you may present a set of findings either as a table or as a figure, but not as both. Make sure that your text is not redundant with your tables/figures. For instance, if you present a table of means and standard deviations, you do not need to also report these in the text. However, if you use a figure to represent your results, you may wish to report means and standard deviations in the text, as these may not always be precisely ascertained by examining the figure. Do describe the trends shown in the figure. Do not spend any time interpreting or explaining the results; save that for the Discussion section. Discussion (labeled, centered, bold) The goal of the discussion section is to interpret your findings and place them in the broader context of the literature in the area. A discussion section is like the reverse of the introduction, in that you begin with the specifics and work toward the more general (funnel out). Some points to consider: Begin with a brief restatement of your main findings (using words, not numbers). Did they support the hypothesis or not? If not, why not, do you think? Were there any surprising or interesting findings? How do your findings tie into the existing literature on the topic, or extend previous research? What do the results say about the broader behavior under investigation? Bring back some of the literature you discussed in the Introduction, and show how your results fit in (or don’t fit in, as the case may be). If you have surprising findings, you might discuss other theories that can help to explain the findings. Begin with the assumption that your results are valid, and explain why they might differ from others in the literature. What are the limitations of the study? If your findings differ from those of other researchers, or if you did not get statistically significant results, don’t spend pages and pages detailing what might have gone wrong with your study, but do provide one or two suggestions. Perhaps these could be incorporated into the future research section, below. What additional questions were generated from this study? What further research should be conducted on the topic? What gaps are there in the current body of research? Whenever you present an idea for a future research study, be sure to explain why you think that particular study should be conducted. What new knowledge would be gained from it?  Don’t just say, “I think it would be interesting to re-run the study on a different college campus” or “It would be better to run the study again with more participants.” Really put some thought into what extensions of the research might be interesting/informative, and why. What are the theoretical and/or practical implications of your findings? How do these results relate to larger issues of human thoughts, feelings, and behavior? Give your readers “the big picture.” Try to answer the question, “So what? Final paragraph: Be sure to sum up your paper with a final concluding statement. Don’t just trail off with an idea for a future study. End on a positive note by reminding your reader why your study was important and what it added to the literature. References (labeled, centered, not bold) Provide an alphabetical listing of the references (alphabetize by last name of first author). Double-space all, with no extra spaces between references. The second line of each reference should be indented (this is called a hanging indent and is easily accomplished using the ruler in Microsoft Word). See the APA manual for how to format references correctly. Examples of references to journal articles start on p. 198 of the manual, and examples of references to books and book chapters start on pp. 202. Digital object identifiers (DOIs) are now included for electronic sources (see pp. 187-192 of APA manual to learn more). Journal article example: [Note that only the first letter of the first word of the article title is capitalized; the journal name and volume are italicized. If the journal name had multiple words, each of the major words would be capitalized.]  Ebner-Priemer, U. W., & Trull, T. J. (2009). Ecological momentary assessment of mood disorders and mood dysregulation. Psychological Assessment, 21, 463-475. doi:10.1037/a0017075 Book chapter example: [Note that only the first letter of the first word of both the chapter title and book title are capitalized.] Stephan, W. G. (1985). Intergroup relations. In G. Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (3 rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 599-658). New York: Random House. Book example: Gray, P. (2010). Psychology (6 th ed.). New York: Worth Table There are various formats for tables, depending upon the information you wish to include. See the APA manual. Be sure to provide a table number and table title (the latter is italicized). Tables can be single or double-spaced. Figure If you have more than one figure, each one gets its own page. Use a sans serif font, such as Helvetica, for any text within your figure. Be sure to label your x- and y-axes clearly, and make sure you’ve noted the units of measurement of the DV. Underneath the figure provide a label and brief caption (e.g., “Figure 1. Mean evaluation of job applicant qualifications as a function of applicant attractiveness level”). The figure caption typically includes the IVs/predictor variables and the DV. Include error bars in your bar graphs, and note what the bars represent in the figure caption: Error bars represent one standard error above and below the mean. In-Text Citations: (see pp. 174-179 of APA manual) When citing sources in your paper, you need to include the authors’ names and publication date. You should use the following formats: When including the citation as part of the sentence, use AND: “According to Jones and Smith (2003), the…” When the citation appears in parentheses, use “&”: “Studies have shown that priming can affect actual motor behavior (Jones & Smith, 2003; Klein, Bailey, & Hammer, 1999).” The studies appearing in parentheses should be ordered alphabetically by the first author’s last name, and should be separated by semicolons. If you are quoting directly (which you should avoid), you also need to include the page number. For sources with three or more authors, once you have listed all the authors’ names, you may write “et al.” on subsequent mentions. For example: “Klein et al. (1999) found that….” For sources with two authors, both authors must be included every time the source is cited. When a source has six or more authors, the first author’s last name and “et al.” are used every time the source is cited (including the first time).  Secondary Sources “Secondary source” is the term used to describe material that is cited in another source. If in his article entitled “Behavioral Study of Obedience” (1963), Stanley Milgram makes reference to the ideas of Snow (presented above), Snow (1961) is the primary source, and Milgram (1963) is the secondary source. Try to avoid using secondary sources in your papers; in other words, try to find the primary source and read it before citing it in your own work. If you must use a secondary source, however, you should cite it in the following way: Snow (as cited in Milgram, 1963) argued that, historically, the cause of most criminal acts... The reference for the Milgram article (but not the Snow reference) should then appear in the reference list at the end of your paper. Tutor Appointments Peer tutor and consultant appointments are managed through TracCloud (login required). Find resources and more information about the ALEX centers using the following links. Office / Department Name Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center Contact Name Jennifer Ambrose Writing Center Director Help us provide an accessible education, offer innovative resources and programs, and foster intellectual exploration. Site Search Essay Editor How to Write a Table of Contents for Research Paper: A Complete Guide After hundreds of hours of non-stop working, the research essay is finished! Unfortunately, it is not the time to celebrate. That’s when you must get down to one of the least pleasant things in professional college or high school writing – a table of contents. The following article will define table of contents, discuss its purpose, and provide guidance on how to make a table of contents for a research paper. What is a research paper table of contents? Academic essays can be from 2–3 to hundreds pages long. They can contain a wide range of different studies, theoretical analyses, and practical examinations. They make up the substance of the study and assist you in showcasing the subject of your labor. Since you are always required to cover many different aspects in your study, navigating the document quickly becomes top priority. This is why all expansive academic papers require a table of contents (also known as TOC).  This fragment of your paper is an overview of every topic explored in it. The TOC looks like an invisible table where cells house a chapter, segment, or simple section heading. Consequently, each title corresponds to a page index which is also indicated in the TOC. This indicator is located at the beginning of the document, preceding the introduction but following the title page. Why do we need a table of contents in research paper? Let’s break down the purpose of table of contents as well as its essential functions. Usability. By scanning TOC, readers can quickly find certain sections or chapters within the research. Structure. TOC helps the audience gain an immediate understanding of the subject matter and how the study has been organized and conducted. Professional presentation. It betters the professional appearance of the essay by reflecting your insightful planning as well as attention to detail. Clarity. A TOC makes sure to list all big chapters, sections, sub-sections, and supplements, which navigates the audience and sets their expectations for what the research covers. Overall, the purpose of TOC is to improve the reader's experience by making the research more accessible and easier to navigate. What guideline should you follow when preparing a table of contents? In a nutshell, the way you organize, format and make a TOC is subject to the style guide required by your professor. Here is an exploration on how to prepare a TOC for different writing guides. Title. Per the MLA style, a table of contents is not obligatory. Nonetheless, if your professor requires it, this part must be called "Contents" or "Table of Contents" and lined up at the top center area of the page. Formatting. The MLA guide generally uses a simpler approach with fewer formalities regarding the TOC. Consult your professor’s requirements to see which kind of spacing and dot leaders rules you will need to apply. Page index. MLA format traditionally uses Arabic numerals in the main body, but any TOC is up to the discretion of the author or professor. Sections. The TOC should include all major parts of the essay like introduction, body sections, works cited, and appendices. Title. In the APA style, the TOC should be named "Table of Contents" and centered at the top. Headings. While compiling your APA table of contents, you must Include all major sections like abstract, foreword, method, conclusions, discussion, references, and supplements. Formatting. APA has stricter requirements for formatting rules. You should use double-spacing throughout the TOC, which is in line with the rest of the study and the general requirements of the APA guide. The font repeats the one used in the main text (e.g., Times New Roman, 12-point). Page index. Align page indexes along the right side of the page and use dot leaders to connect the headings to the page indexes. Chicago style Title. The TOC should be called "Contents" and placed at the top center of the page. Formatting. The Chicago Manual suggests single-spacing within entries and double-spacing between entries. Fonts should be consistent with the rest of the document. Headings. Include all chapters or major parts and list subheadings if needed. Use dot leaders between entries and page indexes. Hierarchy. Always make sure to distinguish main headings from subheadings for better readability. This might be done through bold or italic formatting, and indentation for subheadings. Page indexes. Place page indexes flush with the right margin. It is permissible to use Roman numerals for introductory pages, but the central text should only contain Arabic numerals. Leave your table of contents to Aithor! Aithor is an AI essay generator that helps school and college students with academic writing. Instead of spending hours on making a table of contents for research paper, use Aithor and get what you need in a matter of seconds! Related articles What is self-plagiarism & how to avoid it. Have you ever thought about whether using your own work again could be seen as copying? It might seem strange, but self-plagiarism is a real issue in school and work writing. Let's look at what this means and learn how to avoid self-plagiarism so your work stays original and ethical. What is self-plagiarism? Self-plagiarism, also called auto-plagiarism or duplicate plagiarism, happens when a writer uses parts of their old work without saying where it came from. This isn't just about copying w ... Top 10 Use Cases for AI Writers Writing is changing a lot because of AI. But don't worry — AI won't take human writers' jobs. It's a tool that can make our work easier and help us write better. When we use AI along with our own skills, we can create good content faster and better. AI can help with many parts of writing, from coming up with ideas to fixing the final version. Let's look at the top 10 ways how to use AI for content creation and how it can make your writing better. 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But plagiarism isn't just taking someone else's words. Sometimes, we might do it by accident or even use our own old work without mentioning it. When people plagiarize, they can get into serious trouble. They might lose others' trust or even face legal problems. Luckily, we now have tools to detect plagiarism. But what about PDF ... What is Citation and Why Should You Cite the Sources When Writing Content When we write something for school, work, or just for fun, we often use ideas and facts from other places. This makes us ask: what is a citation in writing? Let's find out what this means and why it's really important when we write. What is Citation? Citation in research refers to the practice of telling your readers where you got your information, ideas, or exact words from. It's like showing them the path to the original information you used in your writing. When you cite something, you us ... Plagiarism: 7 Types in Detail Your professor says that it is necessary to avoid plagiarism when writing a research paper, essay, or any project based on the works of other people, so to say, any reference source. But what does plagiarism mean? What types of it exist? And how to formulate the material to get rid of potential bad consequences while rendering original texts? Today we try to answer these very questions. Plagiarism: Aspect in Brief Plagiarism is considered to be a serious breach, able to spoil your successful ... Thursday, February 23: The Clark Library is closed today. AI Tools and Resources What is AI? Using AI in Academic Work Ethical Use -- apa style, -- mla style, -- chicago style. Other AI Tools for Research Copyright and Data Privacy Familiarize yourself with UP's policies on using AI . If you use a generative AI tool for writing, be transparent with your professors. Acknowledge your uses of the tool (such as editing your writing or translating words) within your paper, in a note, or in another suitable location like an appendix.  Ethical Question: Should generative AIs be credited the same way as human authors? Citations are used to credit the work of other people and give readers a path to the sources used. A reader can then find and look at those sources to make their judgment on things like authority and accuracy. AI tools generate text in human language but may not accurately identify specific sources used. However, they can fabricate convincing citations to sources that don't exist.  What can you do? Cite a generative AI tool when you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate other content (e.g., text, images, data) from it into your own work. Providing a record of chat prompts and responses can also be helpful for someone assessing your work. Take screenshots or provide share links (now available for  ChatGPT  and  Gemini ).  When it comes to finding reliable sources, use search tools and resources featured in our library guides . They are still the most effective way to find and connect to real published sources. Guidance for citing ChatGPT and similar AI tools is emerging while continuing to be debated ( more from APA ). Author. (Year). Name of model (Version) (Description).  URL Reference List Example: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat In-Text Paraphrase: (Author, Year) Example: (OpenAI, 2023) In-Text Quote: Provide the prompt you used and any portion of the relevant text that was generated in the text of your paper:  When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023). Guidance for citing ChatGPT and similar AI tools is emerging while continuing to be debated ( more from MLA ). "Prompt." Tool Name, Version, Producer, Date,   URL. Works Cited List Example: “Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. ChatGPT , 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat. "What is Carrie Mae Weems' most influential work and what are its themes?" prompt. Gemini . 8 Feb. 2024 version, Google, 16 Feb. 2024, https://gemini.google.com/app. In-Text Citation Example: (Shortened version of prompt) Examples: ("Describe the symbolism")  ("What is Carrie") Guidance for citing ChatGPT and similar AI tools is emerging while continuing to be debated   ( more from Chicago ). For student papers or research articles, cite the AI language tool as a footnote. Don't cite AI tools in a bibliography or reference list unless you can provide a public link to the conversation.  Footnote example (if information about the prompt has been included within the text of your paper): 1. Text generated by ChatGPT, March 7, 2023, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/chat.  Footnote example (including information about the prompt): 1. ChatGPT, response to "Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients," March 7, 2023, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/chat.  2. Gemini, response to "What is Carrie Mae Weems' most influential work and what are its themes?," February 16, 2024 https://gemini.google.com/app. << Previous: Using AI in Academic Work Next: Other AI Tools for Research >> Last Updated: Aug 30, 2024 3:58 PM URL: https://libguides.up.edu/ai Generate accurate APA citations for free Knowledge Base How to cite a website in APA Style How to Cite a Website in APA Style | Format & Examples Published on November 5, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on January 17, 2024. APA website citations usually include the author, the publication date, the title of the page or article, the website name, and the URL. If there is no author, start the citation with the title of the article. If the page is likely to change over time, add a retrieval date. If you are citing an online version of a print publication (e.g. a newspaper , magazine , or dictionary ), use the same format as you would for print, with a URL added at the end. Formats differ for online videos (e.g. TED Talks ), images , and dissertations . Use the buttons below to explore the format, or use our free APA Citation Generator to automatically create citations. Cite a website in APA Style now: Table of contents, citing an entire website, how to cite online articles, websites with no author, websites with no date, how to cite from social media, frequently asked questions about apa style citations. When you refer to a website in your text without quoting or paraphrasing from a specific part of it, you don’t need a formal citation. Instead, you can just include the URL in parentheses after the name of the site: One of the most popular social media sites, Instagram (http://instagram.com), allows users to share images and videos. For this kind of citation, you don’t need to include the website on the reference page . However, if you’re citing a specific page or article from a website, you will need a formal in-text citation and reference list entry. Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check. Various kinds of articles appear online, and how you cite them depends on where the article appears. Online articles from newspapers, magazines, and blogs Articles appearing in online versions of print publications (e.g. newspapers and magazines) are cited like their print versions, but with an added URL. APA format Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title. . URL Greenhouse, S. (2020, July 30). The coronavirus pandemic has intensified systemic economic racism against black Americans. . https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-pandemic-has-intensified-systemic-economic-racism-against-black-americans (Greenhouse, 2020) The same format is used for blog posts. Just include the blog name where you would usually put the name of the magazine or newspaper. APA format Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title. . URL Lee, C. (2020, February 19). A tale of two reference formats. . https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/two-reference-formats (Lee, 2020) Articles from online-only news sites For articles from news sites without print equivalents (e.g. BBC News, Reuters), italicize the name of the article and  not  the name of the site. APA format Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). . Site Name. URL Rowlatt, J. (2020, October 19). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54531075 (Rowlatt, 2020) When a web page does not list an individual author, it can usually be attributed to an organization or government . If this results in the author name being identical to the site name, omit the site name, as in the example below. APA format Organization Name. (Year, Month Day). . Site Name. URL Scribbr. (n.d.). . https://www.scribbr.com/proofreading-editing/ (Scribbr, n.d.) If you can’t identify any author at all, replace the author name with the title of the page or article. In the in-text citation , put the title in quotation marks if it is in plain text in the reference list, or in italics if it is in italics in the reference list. Note that title case is used for the title here, unlike in the reference list. Shorten the title to the first few words if necessary. APA format . (Year, Month Day). Site Name. URL . (2020, October 19). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54596667 ( , 2019) When a web page or article does not list a publication or revision date, replace the date with “n.d.” (“no date”) in all citations. If an online source is likely to change over time, it is recommended to include the date on which you accessed it. APA format Last name, Initials. (n.d.). . Site Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL University of Amsterdam. (n.d.). . Retrieved October 19, 2020, from https://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/about-the-university/about-the-university.html (University of Amsterdam, n.d.) As social media posts are usually untitled, use the first 20 words of the post, in italics, as a title. Also include any relevant information about the type of post and any multimedia aspects (e.g. videos, images, sound, links) in square brackets. APA format Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). [Description of multimedia aspects] [Type of post]. Site Name. URL American Psychological Association. (2020, October 14). [Link with thumbnail attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/AmericanPsychologicalAssociation/posts/10158794205682579 (American Psychological Association, 2020) On some social media sites (such as Twitter ), users go by usernames instead of or in addition to their real names. Where the author’s real name is known, include it, along with their username in square brackets: In some cases, you’ll want to cite a whole social media profile instead of a specific post. In these cases, include an access date, because a profile will obviously change over time: When citing a webpage or online article , the APA in-text citation consists of the author’s last name and year of publication. For example: (Worland & Williams, 2015). Note that the author can also be an organization. For example: (American Psychological Association, 2019). If you’re quoting you should also include a locator. Since web pages don’t have page numbers, you can use one of the following options: Paragraph number: (Smith, 2018, para. 15). Heading or section name: ( CDC, 2020, Flu Season section) Abbreviated heading:  ( CDC, 2020, “Key Facts” section) When you quote or paraphrase a specific passage from a source, you need to indicate the location of the passage in your APA in-text citation . If there are no page numbers (e.g. when citing a website ) but the text is long, you can instead use section headings, paragraph numbers, or a combination of the two: (Caulfield, 2019, Linking section, para. 1). Section headings can be shortened if necessary. Kindle location numbers should not be used in ebook citations , as they are unreliable. If you are referring to the source as a whole, it’s not necessary to include a page number or other marker. When no individual author name is listed, but the source can clearly be attributed to a specific organization—e.g., a press release by a charity, a report by an agency, or a page from a company’s website—use the organization’s name as the author in the reference entry and APA in-text citations . When no author at all can be determined—e.g. a collaboratively edited wiki or an online article published anonymously—use the title in place of the author. In the in-text citation, put the title in quotation marks if it appears in plain text in the reference list, and in italics if it appears in italics in the reference list. Shorten it if necessary. APA Style usually does not require an access date. You never need to include one when citing journal articles , e-books , or other stable online sources. However, if you are citing a website or online article that’s designed to change over time, it’s a good idea to include an access date. In this case, write it in the following format at the end of the reference: Retrieved October 19, 2020, from https://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/about-the-university/about-the-university.html Instead of the author’s name, include the first few words of the work’s title in the in-text citation. Enclose the title in double quotation marks when citing an article, web page or book chapter. Italicize the title of periodicals, books, and reports. No publication date If the publication date is unknown , use “n.d.” (no date) instead. For example: (Johnson, n.d.). Cite this Scribbr article If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator. Caulfield, J. (2024, January 17). How to Cite a Website in APA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/website/ Is this article helpful? Jack Caulfield Other students also liked, beginner's guide to apa in-text citation, no author, date, or title in apa style | formats & examples, how to cite a tweet in apa style, scribbr apa citation checker. An innovative new tool that checks your APA citations with AI software. Say goodbye to inaccurate citations! Paper Format Consistency in the order, structure, and format of a paper allows readers to focus on a paper’s content rather than its presentation. To format a paper in APA Style, writers can typically use the default settings and automatic formatting tools of their word-processing program or make only minor adjustments. The guidelines for paper format apply to both student assignments and manuscripts being submitted for publication to a journal. If you are using APA Style to create another kind of work (e.g., a website, conference poster, or PowerPoint presentation), you may need to format your work differently in order to optimize its presentation, for example, by using different line spacing and font sizes. Follow the guidelines of your institution or publisher to adapt APA Style formatting guidelines as needed. Academic Writer ® Master academic writing with APA’s essential teaching and learning resource Course Adoption Teaching APA Style? Become a course adopter of the 7th edition Publication Manual Instructional Aids Guides, checklists, webinars, tutorials, and sample papers for anyone looking to improve their knowledge of APA Style 469 COMMENTS How to Cite in APA Format (7th edition) How to Cite in APA Format (7th edition) | Guide & Generator APA Style is widely used by students, researchers, and professionals in the social and behavioral sciences. Scribbr's APA Citation Generator automatically generates accurate references and in-text citations for free. APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition) Reference List Resources on writing an APA style reference list, including citation formats Basic Rules Basic guidelines for formatting the reference list at the end of a standard APA research paper Author/Authors Rules for handling works by a single author or multiple authors that apply to all APA-style references in your reference list, regardless of the type of work (book, article ... References References provide the information necessary for readers to identify and retrieve each work cited in the text. Consistency in reference formatting allows readers to focus on the content of your reference list, discerning both the types of works you consulted and the important reference elements with ease. APA Formatting and Citation (7th Ed.) Learn the essentials of APA format for your paper, including title page setup, headings, references, and citations. How To Cite References Using APA Style The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) is available at any Wayne State library reference desk. Call number is BF 76.7 .P83 2020. This tutorial takes you through the basics of writing an APA style paper, from paper format and organization to in-text citations and references. APA Style Guide, 7th Ed. Setting Up the APA Reference Page On the APA reference page, you list all the sources that you've cited in your paper. The list starts on a new page right after the body text. Follow these instructions to set up your APA reference page: Place the section label "References" in bold at the top of the page (centered). Order the references alphabetically. Double-space all text. Basic Principles of Citation Basic Principles of Citation APA Style uses the author-date citation system, in which a brief in-text citation directs readers to a full reference list entry. The in-text citation appears within the body of the paper (or in a table, figure, footnote, or appendix) and briefly identifies the cited work by its author and date of publication. This enables readers to locate the corresponding ... Reference Examples Provides examples of references for periodicals; books and reference works; edited book chapters and entries in reference works; reports and gray literature; conference presentations and proceedings; dissertations and theses; unpublished and informally published works; data sets; audiovisual media; social media; and webpages and websites. How to Cite Sources in APA Citation Format APA Format Citation Guide This is a complete guide to APA (American Psychological Association) in-text and reference list citations. This easy-to-use, comprehensive guide makes citing any source easy. Check out our other citation guides on MLA 8 and Harvard referencing. Research Guides: Format Your Paper &amp; Cite Your Sources: APA Style APA Tutorial In October 2019, the American Psychological Association made radical changes its style, especially with regard to the format and citation rules for students writing academic papers. Use this guide to learn how to format and cite your papers using APA Style, 7th edition. In-Text Citations: The Basics APA Citation Basics. When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper. Reference Examples Learn how to cite various sources in APA Style (7th ed.) with examples and tips from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater librarians. Reference List: Basic Rules Reference List: Basic Rules This resourse, revised according to the 7 th edition APA Publication Manual, offers basic guidelines for formatting the reference list at the end of a standard APA research paper. Most sources follow fairly straightforward rules. Common Reference List Examples Do you need help with formatting your reference list in APA style? Whether you are citing books, articles, websites, or other sources, this webpage from Walden University's Academic Guides provides clear and comprehensive examples of how to create accurate and consistent reference list entries. You will also find useful tips on how to cite online materials using doi numbers and URLs. PDF APA Style Reference Guide for Journal Articles, Books, and Edited Book Write the word "In" and the initials and last name (not inverted) of each editor. Use "(Ed.)" for one ... academic research databases. Include a URL for ebooks from other websites. Do not put a period after the DOI or URL. ... APA Style Reference Guide for Journal Articles, Books, and Edited Book Chapters, APA Style 7th Edition How to Create or Generate APA Reference Entries (7th edition) APA reference entries provide detailed information about a source. They're listed on the reference page at the end of your paper and correspond to APA in-text citations in the body text. A step-by-step guide for creating and formatting APA Style student papers The start of the semester is the perfect time to learn how to create and format APA Style student papers. This article walks through the formatting steps needed to create an APA Style student paper, starting with a basic setup that applies to the entire paper (margins, font, line spacing, paragraph alignment and indentation, and page headers). It then covers formatting for the major sections ... APA Sample Paper APA Sample Paper Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style can be found here. CU Group Referencing in APA : A-Z Referencing Examples This page explains how to write references. ... If a source is not listed, visit the APA Style Blog, or consult the APA manual. Frequently Referenced Items. For a full list of items see A-Z Reference Examples. ... Title of the paper (Command paper reference number). Publisher. Examples. Example 1 ... How to Cite a Research Paper How to Cite a Reference in Academic Writing. A citation consists of two pieces: an in-text citation that is typically short and a longer list of references or works cited (depending on the style used) at the end of the paper. "In-text citations immediately acknowledge the use of external source information and its exact location," Geary said. Journal Article References This page contains reference examples for journal articles, including articles with article numbers, articles with missing information, retractions, abstracts, online-only supplemental material, and monographs as part of a journal issue. How to Write an APA Research Paper An APA-style paper includes the following sections: title page, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and references. Your paper may also include one or more tables and/or figures. Different types of information about your study are addressed in each of the sections, as described below. How to Cite a Journal Article Different citation styles present this information differently. The main citation styles are APA, MLA, and Chicago style. You can use the interactive example generator to explore the format for APA and MLA journal article citations. How to Write a Table of Contents for Research Paper: A Complete Guide APA style. Title. In the APA style, the TOC should be named "Table of Contents" and centered at the top. Headings. While compiling your APA table of contents, you must Include all major sections like abstract, foreword, method, conclusions, discussion, references, and supplements. Formatting. APA has stricter requirements for formatting rules. PDF Student Paper Setup Guide, APA Style 7th Edition Student Paper Setup Guide This guide will help you set up an APA Style student paper. The basic setup directions apply to the entire paper. Annotated diagrams illustrate how to set up the major sections of a student paper: the title page or cover page, the text, tables and figures, and the reference list. Citing AI Generated Writing For student papers or research articles, cite the AI language tool as a footnote. Don't cite AI tools in a bibliography or reference list unless you can provide a public link to the conversation. Footnote example (if information about the prompt has been included within the text of your paper): 1. How to Cite a Website in APA Style To cite a website or online article in APA Style, you need the author, title, date, website name, and URL. Paper Format Consistency in the order, structure, and format of a paper allows readers to focus on a paper's content rather than its presentation. To format a paper in APA Style, writers can typically use the default settings and automatic formatting tools of their word-processing program or make only minor adjustments. essay homework paper phd review speech study thesis