APA (American Psychological Association) Manual
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. (2020) is the authority used by writers in the social sciences and some natural sciences. Copies are available at the Library's Research Center (Library North 1) and Circulation desk for limited-time checkout (Library South 1).
In-text citation is the brief form of the citations appearing in the body of the work.
Reference list is the complete form of the citations appearing at the end of the work.
Useful Links: APA 7th Edition
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APA 7th Edition (article, book, website, and in-text citing)
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APA 7th Edition (article, book, book chapter)
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APA 7th Edition (other reference examples like YouTube, conference, PowerPoint, )
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Scribbr (Reference lists)
OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University. Purdue University's OWL is an excellent source to use for any citation style, including APA. Selected links and other helpful information,
Tips for Videos in APA
YouTube
- Use the name of the account that uploaded the video as the author.
- Provide the specific date on which the video was uploaded.
- Italicize the title of the video.
- Include the description “[Video]” in square brackets after the title.
- Provide the site name (YouTube) and URL of the video.
YouTube Channels
- YouTube channel pages begin on the “Home” tab by default. If you want to cite one of the other tabs (e.g., “Videos,” “Playlists”), use the name of that tab rather than “Home” in the title element of the reference (as in the Walker example).
- Italicize the title of the channel.
- Include the description “[YouTube channel]” in square brackets after the title.
- Provide a retrieval date because the content is designed to change over time and is not archived.
Lecture notes
PowerPoint slides or lecture note references
APA style requires citing handouts and presentation slides in both in-text and reference list citations. Personal lecture notes are considered personal communications and are cited in-text only, omitting the reference list entry.
In-text
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Some examples for APA in-text citations (Scribbr, 2020). |
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Author type |
Parenthetical |
Narrative |
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One author |
(Harris, 2023) |
Harris (2023) |
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Two authors |
(Harris & Cook, 2024) |
Harris and Cook (2024) |
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Three or |
(Harris et al., 2021) |
Harris et al. (2021) |
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Group authors |
(Scribbr, 2022) |
Scribbr (2022) |
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No Author |
Use the first few words |
"Source Title" (2024) |
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No Date |
Write “n.d.” for “no date”. |
Dickens (n.d.) |
Note: If you cite more than one work in the same set of brackets in-text, you should follow the order of appearance in the reference list (i.e., alphabetical order, then oldest to newest for works by the same author). Separate each citation with a semi-colon. e.g.,
(1) Multiple works:
(Holmes, 2015; Jones & James, 2017; Smith et al., 2016)
(2) Same author with different years:
(Watson, 2015; 2018)
(3) Same author with multiple works in the same year:
(Lee, 2024a; 2024b)
Examples in-text:
Smith (2019) argues that...
Harris and Cook (2020) have discovered that...
Recent advancements in quantum computing have shown promise for solving complex computational problems more efficiently (Jones & Smith, 2022).
Brown et al. (2024) conducted a study which...
The report ("Title of Source," 2023) puts forward the idea...
Quoting
Most scientists opt to paraphrase information, rephrasing it in their own words while providing appropriate references. Note that you will still need to reference the author and year of publication but not the page number in your in-text reference. e.g.,
The phenomenon of entanglement enables immediate correlation of properties between particles, irrespective of their spatial separation (Einstein & Rosen, 1935).
However, when directly quoting from a source, it's crucial to enclose the extracted information in quotation marks and attribute it to the author(s) along with the publication year and page numbers, if available.
Examples:
(1) You can introduce the quote with a signal phrase containing the author's last name and the publication date in parentheses.
According to Smith (2019), "Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon where the quantum states of two or more objects are intertwined, even if vast distances separate them" (p. 45).
(2) If the author's name isn't integrated into the sentence, place the last name, publication year, and page number in parentheses following the quote.
It has been stated that "Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon where the quantum states of two or more objects are intertwined, even if vast distances separate them" (Smith, 2019, p. 45).
(3) Where there are page ranges.
According to Johnson (2024, pp. 15-16), "Quantum computing represents a paradigm shift in computational capabilities. Its application potential spans across various sectors, promising advancements in cryptography, optimization, and drug discovery."
In-text citations
Reference List Tips
The reference list starts on a new page.
- Place the word "References", centered, in bold, at the top of the page.
- Reference list is arranged in alphabetical order of authors' surnames.
- Each entry in the reference list has a hanging indent, so that the first line of the entry is flush with the left margin, but all other lines are indented (this is the opposite of the paragraph structure in the body of your essay).
- If there are two references by the same author, list them in order of publication date with the older one first.
- APA uses sentence case for all titles except for journal titles.
For example:
Smith, J. S. (n.d.)...
Peters, K. F. (2016)...
Lee, S., & Doyle, M. P. (2022)...
- If references by the same author(s) have been published in the same year, list them alphabetically by title. Letters 'a', 'b', etc.
For example:
Smith, J. S. (2023a)...
Smith, J. S. (2023b)...
Example of a reference list
References
Barnet, S., Bellanca, P., & Stubbs, M. (2013). A short guide to college writing. Pearson Education.
Caron, T. (2008). Teaching writing as a con-artist: When is a writing problem not? College Teaching, 56(3), 137-139. https://doi.org/10.3200/CTCH.56.3.137-139
Frogmouth, T. (2018). XX1001: X-ray vision: Week 1 learning plan. LearnJCU. https://learn.jcu.edu.uk/
Hardy, D. (2016). CP1403: Design thinking: Interpretation and define problem [PowerPoint file]. LearnJCU. https://learn.jcu.edu.au/
Queensland Health. (2017, April 9). Managing your asthma symptoms. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-alerts/news/managing-asthma-symptoms
The Weekly. (2017, May 10). The Weekly: Housing affordability [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/JFIfqn7WxqE
Walker, A. (n.d.). Playlists [YouTube channel]. YouTube. Retrieved October 8, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/user/DjWalkzz/playlists
For more examples, see the libguide (James Cook University, Australia).
Reference Management Software
Reference management software, also known as citation management or bibliographic management software organizes bibliographic records and generates citations, essential for scholarly research. EndNote Online (EndNote Web) and Zotero are two examples that collect, organize, and manage your citations.