INTRODUCTION

There are two major components to APA citation style:

1) a brief citation in the text of your paper

2) a complete citation in the reference list at the end of your paper

It might be helpful for you to think of these two components as a pair: For every citation in the text, there must be a corresponding citation in the reference list.

Here is an example of an in-text citation and its corresponding citation in the reference list.

In-text citation:

Orpinas, Horne, and Staniszewski (2003) described a bullying prevention program in which elementary school teachers and administrators worked together to reduce name-calling and teasing, behaviors which often precede physical agression.

or:

In one elementary school, teachers and administrators worked together to reduce name-calling and teasing, behaviors which often precede physical agression (Orpinas, Horne, & Staniszewski, 2003).

Reference list citation:

Orpinas, P., Horne, A.M., & Staniszewski, D. (2003). School bullying:

Changing the problem by changing the school. School Psychology

Review, 3, 431-434. Retrieved February 13, 2006 from the

Academic Search Premier database.

PARTS OF A CITATION :

No matter which citation style you are using, the elements included in the citations will be similar. A citation for a book, for instance, will include the following information:

1. author

2. date of publication

3. title

4. information about the publisher

Comparing APA style to MLA style can help you to understand each style better. Notice each element (author, title, etc.), where it is placed, and how it is formatted.

 

EXAMPLE CITATIONS

Listed below are links to documents that include many example citations.

Preparing in-text citations in APA style
Citing books in APA style
Citing articles (print and electronic) in APA style
Citing electronic resources in APA style

ADDITIONAL PRINT RESOURCES

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC.

Information on in-text citations can be found on pp. 207-214. Chapter four (pp. 215-281) contains information on compiling a reference list, and includes an index of examples on pp. 232-239. If you cannot find an example of the particular type of resource that you wish to cite, ask a librarian for assistance.

 

Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. The Wadsworth Handbook. 7 th ed. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.

This handbook contains comprehensive information on many topics related to research and documentation. It includes chapters on all the major citation styles (MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE), as well as chapters devoted to plagiarism and techniques for avoiding it. APA documentation style is covered in chapter 19 (pp. 412-438), and includes information and examples on parenthetical citations, print and electronic resources (including many miscellaneous types of resources), contents notes, manuscript preparation, and a sample research paper. Also included are separate chapters devoted to writing in the major disciplines (humanities, literature, social sciences, and natural and applied sciences).

ADDITIONAL ONLINE RESOURCES

Research and Documentation Online
http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/

This site, created by English professor Diana Hacker, includes excellent guides to four major citation styles (MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE), as well as annotated lists of some of the major resources, both print and electronic, in the corresponding disciplines (humanities, social sciences, history, and sciences). Also included are sample research papers illustrating the manuscript format of each style. Navigation through each of the citation guides is easy, making it possible to quickly locate a citation example for a specific type of resource.

APA Style Workshop (from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/apa/index.html

This is an excellent "one-stop" guide to using APA style. Very well-organized, it includes many reference list examples, as well as information on citing sources within the text of your paper, and using quotations. Here you will also find sample papers, including a sample literature review and a sample experimental report. An index includes links to specific parts of a paper, including the title page, abstract, footnotes/endnotes, and tables.

 

APA Documentation Style (from the University of Wisconsin-Madison)
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPA.html

This site from the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison contains an especially good explanation of parenthetical citations and of the distinction between electronic versions of print sources vs. online materials that do not have print counterparts.

 

APA Publication Manual Web site
http://www.apastyle.org/

This is the home page of the APA Publication Manual. Here you will find information on other books related to APA style, as well as information about APA style. Also included is updated information on citing electronic resources.