Examples of APA Format

Examples of APA Format for Citing Materials:

Books / Articles / ERIC Documents / Theses & Dissertations / Web / Other

Book Citations
One Author / Edited / Chapter in Edited / No Author or Editor / Third Edition, Jr. in Name /
Revised Edition / Corporate Author, Fourth Edition, Author as Publisher / English Translation /
Electronic / Several Volumes in Multi-Volume Edited

1. Book with One Author

Reference in the text

When paraphrasing the general idea, page numbers are not required.

. . . which offered a theoretical backdrop for a number of innovative behavior modification approaches

(Skinner, 1969).

Reference at the end of the text (bibliography)

Skinner, B.F. (1969). Contingencies of reinforcement. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

2. Edited Book (#25, p. 249)

Bremner, G., & Fogel, A. (Eds.). (2001). Blackwell handbook of infant development. Malden, MA:

Blackwell.

3. Chapter in An Edited Book (# 34, p. 252)

Reference in the text

. . . The elucidation of the potency of infant-mother relationships, showing how later adaptations echo

the quality of early interpersonal experiences (Harlow, 1958, chap. 8).

Reference at the end of the text (bibliography)

Harlow, H. F. (1958). Biological and biochemical basis of behavior. In D. C. Spencer (Ed.), Symposium

on interdisciplinary research (pp. 239-252). Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.

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 Examples of APA Format
4. Book, No Author or Editor (#26, p. 249)

Reference in the text

. . . the number of recent graduates from art schools in France has shown that this is a trend worldwide

(Art Students International, 1988).

Reference at the end of the text (bibliography)

Art students international. (1988). Princeton, NJ: Educational Publications International.

5. Book, Third Edition, Jr. in Name (#23, p. 248)

Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (1979). The elements of style (3rd ed.). New York: Macmillan.

6. Book, Revised Edition (#27, p. 249)

Cohen, J. (1977). Manual labor and dream analysis (Rev. ed.). New York: Paradise Press.

7. Book, Corporate Author, Fourth Edition, Author as Publisher (#29, 33, p. 250,
251)

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th

Ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Note for citing this particular title: In text, cite the name of the association and the name of the manual
in full at the first mention in the text; thereafter, you may refer to the traditional DSM form (italicized),
such as DSM-IV or DSM-IV-TR.

8. Book, English Translation (#32, p. 251)

Luria, A. R. (1969). The mind of a mnemonist (L. Solotaroff, Trans.). New York: Avon Books. (Original

work published 1965)

9. Electronic Book from netLibrary Database

Wharton, E. (1996). The age of innocence. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Library.

Retrieved March 6, 2001, from netLibrary database.

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 Examples of APA Format
10. Book, Several Volumes in a Multi-Volume Edited Work; Publication Dates Include
More Than One Year. (#28, p. 250)

Reference in the text

. . . The cognitive development of the characters in Karlin's class illustrates the validity of this new

method of testing (Wilson & Fraser, 1988-1990).

Reference at the end of the text (bibliography)

Wilson, J. G., & Fraser, F. (Eds.). (1988-1990). Handbook of wizards (Vols. 1-4). New York: Plenum

Press.

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Article Citations
Journal / Journal from Library Database / Journal, more than Six Authors / Magazine or
Newspaper on Internet / Internet eJournal / Cited in Secondary Source / Newspaper / Test Review

11. Citation for a Journal Article (# 1, p. 240)

Reference in the text

When quoting an author's words exactly, indicate the page number:

Even some psychologists have expressed the fear that "psychology is in danger of losing its status as an

independent body of knowledge" (Peele, 1981, p. 807).

Reference at the end of the text (bibliography)

Peele, S. (1981). Reductionism in the psychology of the eighties: Can biochemistry eliminate addiction,

mental illness, and pain? American Psychologist, 36, 807-818.

12. Journal Article from a Library Database (#88, p. 279)

Schraw, G., & Graham, T. (1997). Helping gifted students develop metacognitive awareness. Roeper

Review, 20, 4-8. Retrieved November 4, 1998, from Expanded Academic ASAP database.

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 Examples of APA Format
13. Journal Article, More than Six Authors (#4, p. 240)

Reference in the text

. . . the nutritional value of figs is greatly enhanced by combining them with the others (Cates et al.,

1991).

Reference at the end of the text (bibliography)

Cates, A. R., Harris, D. L., Boswell, W., Jameson, W. L., Yee, C., Peters, A. V., et al. (1991). Figs and

dates and their benefits. Food Studies Quarterly, 11, 482-489.

14. Magazine or Newspaper Article on the Internet (not from a library database)

Sarewitz, D., & Pielke, R. (2000, July). Breaking the global warming gridlock [Electronic version]. The

Atlantic Monthly, 286(1), 54-64.

Note: If you have reason to believe the content of the article in the electronic source is different from the
version in the print source, follow the example for an Article from An Internet-Only Journal.

15. Article from an Internet-only Journal (e-Journal) (#72, p. 272)

Bilton, P. (2000, January). Another island, another story: A source for Shakespeare's The Tempest.

Renaissance Forum, 5(1). Retrieved August 28, 2001, from

http://www.hull.ac.uk/renforum/current.htm

16. Work Discussed in a Secondary Source (#22, p. 247)

Reference in the text

Johnson's study (as cited in Beatty, 1982) illustrates that . . .

Reference at the end of the text (bibliography)

Beatty, J. (1982). Task-evoked pupillary responses, processing load, and the structure of processing

resources. Psychological Bulletin, 91, 276-292.

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 Examples of APA Format
17. Newspaper Article, No Author (#9, p. 242)

Counseling foreign students. (1982, April). Boston Globe, p. B14.

18. Test Review from Mental Measurements Yearbook Database

Cosden, M., & Morrison, G.M. (1991). [Review of the test Draw a person: Screening procedure for

emotional disturbance]. Mental Measurements Yearbook, 12. Retrieved March 22, 2005, from

Mental Measurements Yearbook database.

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ERIC Documents (# 43, p. 257)

Print or Microfiche / ERIC Database

19. ERIC Document from Print or Microfiche

Reference in the text

. . . assists in formulating strategies for translating IEP goals and objectives into classroom activities

(Education Development Center, Inc., 1998).

Reference at the end of the text (bibliography)

Education Development Center, Inc. (1998). Translating the IEP into everyday practice. Training

guides for the Head Start learning community. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services. (ERIC Document No. ED424022)

20. ERIC Document from ERIC database.

Jarrett, D. (1999). The inclusive classroom: Mathematics and science instruction for students with

learning disabilities. It's just good teaching. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Lab,

Mathematics and Science Education Center. (ERIC Document No. ED433647). Retrieved July

27, 2004, from ERIC database.

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 Examples of APA Format
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Theses & Dissertations

21. Unpublished Master's Thesis (#57, p. 262)

Caravaggio, Q. T. (1992). Trance and clay therapy. Unpublished master's thesis, Lesley University,

Cambridge, MA.

22. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation (#56, p. 262)

Arbor, C.F. (1995). Early intervention strategies for adolescents. Unpublished doctoral dissertation,

University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

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Web Pages
Web Page not from library database / Published by Organization / Lesson Plan / Government
Document

23. Web Page (not from a library database)

Shackelford, W. (2000). The six stages of cultural competence. In Diversity central: Learning. Retrieved

April 16, 2000, from http://www.diversityhotwire.com/learning/cultural_insights.html

24. Web Site Published by an Organization (# 81, p.275)

American Psychological Association. (n.d.) APAStyle.org: Electronic references. Retrieved August 31,

2001, from http://www.apa.org/journals/webref.html

25. Lesson Plan on the Web

Jaskoski, L. (1999, October 3). Earthquakes web quest. The educator’s reference desk (Lesson Plan

#AELP-EAR0035). Retrieved September 7, 2005, from http://www.eduref.org/cgi-

bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Geology/GLG0035.html

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 Examples of APA Format
26. Government Document on the Web

Massachusetts Department of Education. (2001, June). Massachusetts English language curriculum

framework. Retrieved June 12, 2002, from http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/0601ela.pdf

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Other
Videotape / Music Recording / Selection from Music Recording / Artistic Work / Item from
Course Pack / Interviews and Personal Communications / Class Lectures / Quotes from other
sources

27. Videotape (#65, p. 266)

Gardner, H. (Writer), & DiNozzi, R. (Producer/Director). (1996). MI: Intelligence, understanding and

the mind [Motion picture]. Los Angeles: Into the Classroom Media.

Note: According to http://apastyle.org (Changes to the 5th Edition) [Motion picture] now describes
videos and movies.

28. Music Recording, Whole Tape, LP, or CD (#69, p. 267)

Rorem, N. (1992). Winter pages; bright music [CD]. New York: New World Records.

29. Music Recording, One Selection (#69, p. 267)

Albeniz, I. (1999). Estrellita. On A jug of wine and thou. [CD].Tempe, AZ: Summit Records.

30. Artistic Work

Van Gogh, V. (Artist). (1888). Entrance to the public gardens in Arles [Painting]. New York:

Metropolitan Museum of Art.

31. Item Distributed Via Course Pack

For articles or book chapters reproduced in a course pack but originally published in a book, journal, or
newspaper, APA recommends citing the original source, ignoring its distribution via course pack.

32. Interviews and other Personal Communications

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 Examples of APA Format
The APA considers all personal communications, including interviews, as non-recoverable data, and
therefore recommends that you not include these citations in your reference list. Instead, you should
simply include an acknowledgement in the text of your paper, in the form of a parenthetical statement.
Provide the initials as well as the surname of the person and as exact a date as possible.

(D. Johnson, personal communication, February 14, 2004)

D. Johnson (personal communication, February 14, 2004) provided an interesting description…

33. Class Lectures

Only include class lectures in your reference list if they are formal lectures that recur each year for
which your professor likely has extensive notes. For more informal class discussions use the Personal
Communication format above.

Dockray-Miller, M. (2004, March). Modernism: A quick overview. Lecture given in CLITR 2116

English Literature II: Romanticism to the Present, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA.

34. Quote from Another Source

If you will be using information from a source that is attributed to a separate author than the source you
actually read, you need to include the source you read in your reference list and mention the author that
work discusses in the text of your paper. In the example below, you would actually have the article by
Beatty in hand but want to refer to the study by Johnson (unread by you) that Beatty mentioned.

Reference in the text

Johnson's study (as cited in Beatty, 1982) illustrates that . . .

Reference at the end of the text (bibliography)

Beatty, J. (1982). Task-evoked pupillary responses, processing load, and the structure of processing

resources. Psychological Bulletin, 91, 276-292.

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