The American Psychological Association (APA) style is a general and widely used style in the social sciences, education, family and consumer sciences courses and other fields. The citations below are a few specific examples using this style manual; however, it's best to consult the full and most recent edition (currently 7th) of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, which can be found at Parks Library Reference Desk, BF76.7 .P83 2020. See also the APA website for examples on citing electronic materials.
Print book:
- Author, A. (Date). Book title in italics. Place of Publication: Publisher.
- Benbow-Pfalzgraf, T., (Ed.) (2002). Contemporary Fashion. (2nd ed.). Detroit: St. James Press.
Print encyclopedia or encyclopedic set of volumes such as Something about the Author:
- Author, A. (Date). Title of article. In Name of Encyclopedia (Vol.#, pp.). Place of Publication: Publisher.
- Drisscol, S. (1998). Lowry, Lois, 1937-. In Something About the Author (Vol 87, pp. 54-59). Detroit: Gale.
Print journal article:
- Author, A. (Date). Article title. Journal title, vol#, pp#s.
- Monaghan, P.L. (2002, October 11). A House of their Own. Chronicle of Higher Education, 44(7),A56.
Newspaper Article:
- Author, A. (Date). Article title. Newspaper title in italics. PP.#s.
- Rankin, A. (2002, September 24). Barns are Rapidly Vanishing from Iowa's Rural Landscape. Des Moines Register, Iowa Life Section, pp. 1E-2E.
If no author, give the title of the article 1st followed by the date, etc.
Internet article based on a print source:
- Author, A. (Date). Article title [Electronic Version]. Journal Title, vol#, pp#s.
- Wasburn, N. (2001). Singing in the fall [Electronic version]. Journal of Music Composition 17, 23-27.
Article in an internet only journal:
- Author, A. and Author, B. (Date). Article Title. Journal Title, vol# article#. Retrieved Date, from http://www........
- Jamison, P. and Sutherland, M. (2000, March). Cultivating positive emotions. Prevention and Treatment, 3 Article 001b. Retrieved October 5, 2002, from: http://www.journals.apa.org/prevention/volume3/pre0030001a.html
Electronic copy of an article from a database:
- Author, A. (Date). Title of the article. Title of the Journal in italics, vol#, pp#s. Retrieved date??, from Database Name.
- Borman, W. (1993) Role of early supervision in child behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 443-451. Retrieved October 17, 2001, from Expanded Academic ASAP database.
Biography print:
- Author, A. (Date). Book Title in Italics. Place of Publication: Publisher.
- Gross, E. & Rottman, F. (1999). Halston: an American original. New York: HarperCollins.
Biography in an encyclopedic set:
- Author, A. (Date). Topic/title of the article in italics. In Name of the Set (vol#, pp#s). Place of Publication: Publisher.
- Jones, J.S. (2002). Ehrlich, Amy, 1942-. In Something About the Author (132, 54-59), Detroit: Gale Group.
Government Document:
- United States Department of _____. Office of_________. Title of publication in italics. Retrieved date, from:_________________. URL
- If a document is contained within a large and complex Web site such as a government agency or university; identify the host organization and the relevant program or department before giving the URL for the document. Precede the URL with a colon.
- U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Textiles and Apparel. (2002). U.S. Total Exports in U.S.Dollars. Retrieved October 23, 2002 from: http://otexa.ita.doc.gov/tqexp/htsdata.
- U.S. Department of Commerce. Office of Textiles and Apparel. (2002). Chile, Major Shipper Report by Country Data through 8/20002 in Million M2. Retrieved October 23, 2002 from: http://otexa.ita.doc.gov/msrcty/a3370.htm.
- U.S. Census Bureau. (2000). Population Profile of the United States: 2000 (Internet Release). Chapter 4. Motherhood: The Fertility of American Women, 2000. Retrieved October 26, 2002 from: http://www.census.gov/population/www/pop-profile2000.html.
- United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Statistics Division - Demographic, Social and Housing Statistics (2002). Indicators on Housing - Average Number of Persons per Room. Retrieved on October 8, 2002 from: http://unstats.un.org/demographic/social/housing.htm.
ERIC Document:
- Author, A. & Author, B. (Date). Title of the Document in Italics. (ERIC Document No.).
- Reed, W.L. (1996). The Economic Status of the African American Family. (ERIC Document No. ED432629).
Unpublished thesis or dissertation:
- Author, A.B. (Year). Title of Thesis or dissertation in italics. Unpublished master thesis or PhD dissertation, Name of University, Place.
- Shonrock, D.D. (1975). How to Find a Book in the Library. Unpublished master's thesis, Iowa State University, Ames
