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APA Citation Guide: References 6E: Template & Examples

A guide for the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style.

APA Manual

For more detailed information and examples, please see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Call number: BF76.7 .P83 2010 held at the Reference Desk, the Reserve Desk, and in the main collection on the 4th floor. A sample paper can be found on pages 41-59. 

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APA Citation Guide

Tips Before Turning It In

Before submitting your paper to the instructor, be sure to review these tips and make corrections to your reference list.

 

  • If your instructor’s preferred style differs from this suggested style, always follow your instructor’s directions.
  • All references are double-spaced.
  • Do not indent the first line in each citation, but indent all the following lines, which is called a hanging indent. (Ctrl+T in MS Word.)
  • Use initials for first and middle names, even if the entire name is provided.
  • In the article title, capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, and any proper nouns
  • In the article title, do not underline or use quotation marks.
  • Italicize journal name (in title case) with volume number or italicize book title (in sentence case).
  • Include month and year for monthly magazines; include date for weekly magazines or daily newspapers.
  • p. [page] and pp. [pages] are included only in newspaper articles, book chapters, and journals that do not use volume numbers.
  • Months are spelled out rather than abbreviated.
  • Do not end the citation with a period if it ends in a URL or DOI.
  • Space once after commas, colons, semicolons, punctuation marks at the ends of sentences, periods that separate parts of a reference citation, and after the periods of the initials in personal names.
  • If the URL runs long, break it up so it flows with the rest of the citation.
  • Journal/magazine/newspaper title is only title in title case, neither article title nor book title.

Templates and Example Citations

Below are several templates in order of APA's preference. Use the most relevant one for you and plug in the citation information. Examples follow the templates. All citations should be double-spaced with a hanging indent (Ctrl+T).