A Concise Guide to APA Style

Parenthetical Citations | Page Reference | Personal Communications

The purpose of this guide is to provide students with a basic introduction to APA citation style. For complete information, see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association     5th edition (Educ Lib-Reference BF76.7 A51 2001)

DEFINITIONS

Reference citations in text: The APA system of citing sources indicates the author's last name and the date, in parentheses, within the text of the paper. Parenthetical citations replace the traditional footnotes or endnotes.All citations in the paper must appear in the reference list, and all references must be cited in text. For detailed information on reference citations in text, refer to sections 3.94-3.103 of the APA manual.

Reference List: This list at the end of the paper documents the paper and provides the information necessary to identify and retrieve each source. Note that a reference list differs from a bibliography in that a reference list includes only works cited within the paper. For detailed information on the reference list, refer to Chapter 4 of the APA manual.

EXAMPLES OF REFERENCE CITATIONS IN TEXT

A. Citing a work by one author:

Historically, teaching has been a profession in search of a body of knowledge that could be used to inform classroom practice (Slavin, 1993).

B. Citing a work by two authors:

Pedagogy is predictable to the extent that it can be observed and measured with some accuracy (Gage and Berliner, 1989).

or

Gage and Berliner (1989) noted that pedagogy is predictable to the extent that it can be observed and measured with some accuracy.

C. Citing a work by more than two authors:

When the reference is to a work by three to five authors, cite all the authors the first time the reference appears. In a subsequent reference, use the first author's last name followed by et al. (meaning "and others")

First reference:
A survey of several community colleges in the state corroborated these findings. (Douglas, Bradner, Torrington and Williams, 1997).

Subsequent references:
Patterns of byzantine intrigue have long plagued the internal politics of community college administration in Texas (Douglas et al., 1997).

D. Citing a work by six or more authors:

Cite only the surname of the first author, followed by et al. and the year.

Ornstein et al. (1999) suggest that edcuational realism has been traded for theoretical parsimony and scientific rigor.

E. Citing a work by a group (e.g. corporation, association, government agency):

If the group author is readily identified by an abbreviation or acronym, use the full name in the first citation, and the abbreviation in subsequent citations.

First reference:
(American Educational Research Association[AERA], 2000)

Subsequent references:
(AERA, 2000)

F. Citing a specific page in a work(quotation under 40 words):

For detailed information on quotations, refer to sections 3.34-3.41 of the APA manual.

He also observed that "the intermingling in the school of youth of different races, differing religions, and unlike customs creates for all a new and broader environment" (Dewey, 1916, p.21).

or

Dewey (1916) observed that "the intermingling in the school of youth of different races, differing religions, and unlike customs creates for all a new and broader environment" (p.21).

G. Quotation of 40 or more words:

Do not use quotation marks. Start the quote on a new line indented five spaces, and indent each subsequent line. Example:

Neilsen (1998) states:

      As I prepared to begin my doctoral research, I clung to one truth that seemed enduring. Qualitative

approaches to educational research, approaches that relied on observation, description,

and analysis, especially through writing and talking, seemed most consistent with my increasingly

complex perspective on literacy and learning, my need as a researcher to tap into deeper social and

political forces than I had to date, and my ongoing love for writing as a mode of learning, researching,

and creating connection among people.(p.57)

H. Citing a secondary source:

A primary source is the article or book that you have read and cited in your paper. A secondary source is any work cited in your primary source. If you are unable to consult the original source, you may cite the secondary source in the text as follows:

Andrew Douglas (as cited in Whalen, 1999) has outlined the implications of a market-led approach to adult education.

I. Citing personal communications (including email, interviews etc.):

She felt that "universities must better inform the public as to how taxpayers' dollars translate into future benefits for society." M. Singer (personal communication, March 3, 1998).

J. Citing web documents:

Follow the standard author/date format. To cite specific parts of a Web Document, indicate the chapter, table, etc. as appropriate. For quotations, give page numbers if available.

EXAMPLE:

Concerned educators have noted that what is needed is not censorship, but powerful and thoughtful dialogue focusing on inquiry and the development of personal judgment (Vandergrift, 2001).

EXAMPLES OF REFERENCE LIST ENTRIES

*Note: With the Fifth Edition of the APA manual, the hanging indent is back as the preferred form for entries in the reference list. Entries should begin flush left, with second and subsequent lines indented approximately five spaces. Titles should be italicized rather than underlined. EndNote users: if you select APA Published, rather than APA Submitted as your preferred style, your references will appear in the corect format.

A. Book with one author:

Allison, C. B. (1995) Present and past: Essays for teachers in the history of education.
New York: Peter Lang.

B. Book with multiple authors or editors (up to 6 authors):

Sehm, S.J., Powell, R.R., Garcia, J., Gambell, R.V., & Morrow, L.R. (1998). Strategies for
      reaching at-risk adolescents. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.:Merrill.

C. Book with more than six authors:

After the sixth author use "et al." to indicate remaining authors.

D. Book with a corporate author:

National Council of Teachers of English. (1996) . Motivating writing in the middle school.
Urbana, IL: Author.

E. Edited book:

Marshall, K. (Ed.). (1993). Rediscovering the muses: Women's musical traditions.
Boston: Northeastern University Press.

F. Chapter from an edited book:

Ochs, E. (1984). Language acquisition and socialization. In R. Levine (Ed.), Culture theory: Essays in mind,
      self, and emotion (pp. 276-320). New York: Cambridge University Press.

G. Journal article:

Acker, S. (1997) . Becoming a teacher educator: Voices of women academics in
      Canadian faculties of education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13 (1), 65-74.

H. Newspaper article:

Ottawa preparing no-liability stance on native schools. (1997,December 17). Vancouver Sun,
      p. A1.

I. ERIC document:

Radford, M. (1992). Watching what people say and do about the Greenhouse effect. Yazoo, MI:
      National Conference of Concerned Communicators. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 987 321)

J. Master's thesis:

Martin, P. R.(1996). Aboriginal world views and their implications for the education of aboriginal adults.
      Unpublished master's thesis, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,Canada.

K. Article from a electronic journal, which is an exact duplicate of the print version:

Sanger, M.G.(2001). Talking to teachers and looking at practice in understanding the moral dimensions of teaching.[Electronic version].Journal of Curriculum Studies, 33(6), 683-704.

L. Full text article retrieved from an online database:

Schleifer, M., & Poirier, G. (1996). The Effect of philosophical discussions in the classroom on respect
       for others and non-stereotypic attitudes. Thinking, 12(4), pp. 32+. Retrieved November 25, 2000
       from Education Full Text database.

M. Electronic journal article retrieved from the World Wide Web (no print equivalent):

Hoepfl, M.C. (1997). Choosing qualitative research: A primer for technology education researchers. Journal of
      Technology Education, 9 (1), 47-63. Retrieved February 25, 2001 from http://borg.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/jte.html

N. Electronic newspaper article retrieved from the World Wide Web:

Bourette, S.(1997, June 26). Student scams: Cheating has never been easier. The Globe and Mail,
       [Newspaper, selected stories online]. Retrieved November 16, 2000 from
      http://www/theglobeandmail.com/docs/news/...0626/EditorialSpecialReport /XGUIDE11.html

O. Multipage web document:

Vandergrift, K. E. (2001, October 3). Censorship, the internet, intellectual freedom, and youth. Retrieved October
       2000 from http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/special/kay/censorship.html

Please note: for recent changes, and detailed information on APA style, please refer to:

Publication manual of the American Psychological Association 5th edition
          Education Library--Reference       BF76.7 .A51 2001

Or, check the APA style section of the APA website: http://www.apastyle.org/

Updated & expanded, October 2001
M. Gagné edguide/APA.doc