APA References List

 

What Is an APA Reference List?

When writing a research paper, the writer must document, or cite, every borrowed word, idea or fact.  When writing in the sciences and social sciences, the writer does this by creating a Reference List, using the APA (American Psychological Association) format.  This is similar to, but not exactly like, the Modern Language Association (MLA) format that writers in English and the humanities often use.  Before proceeding, make sure you know which format your instructor requires.  The Reference List contains all the works, both print and nonprint, that the writer cited within the text.  It appears at the end of the research paper, with each entry double-spaced and in alphabetical order. 

 

Three Common Entries:

  1. Book

The four main pieces of information needed for this entry are Author’s Name.  Year of publication.  Title of book.  Publication Information.

 

Example:

Nicole, A. A. M., & Pexman, P. M. (1999).  Presenting your findings: A practical guide    

 

            for creating tables.  Washington , DC : American Psychological Association.

 

  1. Articles in periodicals (newspapers, magazines, or scholarly journals)

The five main pieces of information for this entry are Author’s Name.  Date of publication.  Title of the article. Title of periodical. Publication Information.

 

Example:

Fine, M. A., & Kurdek, L. A. (1993).  Reflections on determining authorship credit and

 

authorship order on faculty-student collaborations.  American Psychologist, 48,

 

1141-1147.

 

3.      Online Source or World Wide Web Site

The main pieces of information for this type of entry will be the Author’s Name. Complete date of publication. Title of article. Title of complete work. Date of retrieval, URL.   

 

            Example:

            Kinzie, S. (2009, April 1). Recession has silver lining for class of 09. MSN.com.

 

Retrieved April 3, 2009, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id299856901

 

  1. Online Periodicals and Databases

 

Example:

Courtois , C.A. (2004). The transition to retirement: Stages and factors that influence

 

            retirement adjustment. International Journal of Aging and Human Development,

 

            59(1), 63-84. Retrieved April 21, 2006, from Academic Search Complete

 

            database. 

 

Notes about online sources:

 

  1. If the author’s name is not known, simply skip that entry in the citation.
  2. If you make only a general reference to a site, there is no need to include that site in the References page.  Simply put the site’s URL in parentheses in your text.  Example: The Toys R Us website has a detailed history of the company (www.toysrus.com). 
  3. For more about how to cite other electronic sources, see this website (which is updated as new technologies come about): http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html

 

If the date of the information is not shown, use (n.d.) for no date.