APA Reference List Formatting

Reference Lists

• Reference lists appear at the end of APA papers
• Academic journal sources have special formatting rules

Basic Rules for Most Sources

• Follow the "Who, When, What, Where" sequence for APA references
• Author names are inverted, with first and middle names as initials (e.g., Mohammad Jafar Iqbal becomes Iqbal, M. J.)
• Up to 20 author names are listed, separated by commas, with an ampersand (&) before the last author
• For more than 21 authors, use an ellipsis after the 19th name and add the final author's name
• Alphabetize reference list entries by the author's last name
• List multiple articles by the same author chronologically, from earliest to most recent
• Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or dash, and proper nouns in titles
• Italicize titles of longer works (books, newspapers), but do not italicize, underline, or quote shorter works
• Use a hanging indent, indenting all lines after the first line by one half inch from the left margin

Basic Rules for Articles in Academic Journals

• Journal titles are italicized and presented in full
• Capitalize all major words in journal titles
• DO NOT Italicize or underline article titles

Author/Authors

• The following rules apply, regardless of the work type

Single Author

• List the last name first, followed by author initials
• Example Brown, E. (2013). Comedy and the feminine middlebrow novel.
• Pickering & Chatto.

Two Authors

• List last names and initials separated by a comma with an ampersand
• Example Soto, C. J., & John, O. P. (2017). The next big five inventory (BFI-2)
• Developing and assessing a hierarchical model with 15 facets to enhance bandwidth, fidelity, and predictive power
• Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(1), 117-143.
• http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000096

Three to Twenty Authors

• List by last names and initials, separated by commas, with the last author preceded by an ampersand
• Example Nguyen, T., Carnevale, J. J., Scholer, A. A., Miele, D. B., & Fujita, K. (2019)
• Metamotivational knowledge of the role of high-level and low-level construal in goal-relevant task performance
• Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 117(5), 879-899.
• http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000166

More Than Twenty Authors

• List last names and initials separated by commas
• Use an ellipsis after the first 19 authors and end with the final author's name without an ampersand
• There should be no more than twenty names in total
• Example Pegion, K., Kirtman, B. P., Becker, E., Collins, D. C., LaJoie, E., Burgman, R., Bell, R., DelSole, R., Min, D., Zhu, Y., Li, W., Sinsky, E., Guan, H., Gottschalck, J., Metzger, E. J., Barton, N. P., Achuthavarier, D., Marshak, J., Koster, R.,... Kim, H. (2019)
• The subseasonal experiment (SubX): A multimodel subseasonal prediction experiment
• Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 100(10), 2043-2061.
• https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0270.1

Group Author

• Treat publishing organizations like author names and format the citation as usual
• Give the full name of the group author in the reference list, though abbreviations can be used in the text
• Reference works (dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias) without credited authors are considered group works
• Example Merriam-Webster. (2008). Braggadocio. In Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
• Merriam-Webster
• When a work has multiple layers of group authorship, list the most specific agency as the author and the parent agency as the publisher
• Example Bureau of International Organization Affairs. (2018). U.S. contributions to international organizations, 2017 [Annual report]. U.S. Department of State.
• https://www.state.gov/u-s-contributions-to-international organizations/

Unknown Author

• Move the title of the work to the beginning of the reference, followed by the publication date
• Use “Anonymous” only if the work is signed as such
• Example Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (11th ed.). (2003). Merriam-Webster

Two or More Works by the Same Author

• Use the author's name for all entries and list them by year, earliest first
• List references with no dates before those with dates
• Example Urcuioli, P. J. (n.d.), Urcuioli, P. J. (2011), Urcuioli, P. J. (2015)
• When an author appears both as a sole author and as the first author of a group, list the one-author entries first
• Example Agnew, C. R. (Ed.). (2014). Social influences on romantic relationships: Beyond the dyad. Cambridge University Press
• Agnew, C. R., & South, S. C. (Eds.). (2014). Interpersonal relationships and health: Social and clinical psychological mechanisms. Oxford University Press
• Arrange references alphabetically by the last name of the second or third author if the first author is the same

Two or More Works by the Same Author in the Same Year

• Check for more specific dates first
• List works with only a year before those with specific dates
• List specific dates chronologically
• Alphabetize by title if the publication date is the same
• For parts of a series, list in order of place in the series and assign letter suffixes to the year, referring to them as they appear in the reference list (e.g., Berndt (2004a))
• Example Berndt, T. J. (2004a). Children’s friendships: Shifts over a half-century in perspectives on their development and their effects. Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 50(3), 206-223
• Example Berndt, T. J. (2004b). Friendship and three A’s (aggression, adjustment, and attachment). Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 88(1), 1-4

Introductions, Prefaces, Forewords, and Afterwords

• Cite the publishing information as usual, but cite the specific part of the book
• Example Lang, J. M. (2018). Introduction. In G. Dujardin, J. M. Lang, & J. A. Staunton (Eds.), Teaching the literature survey course (pp. 1-8). West Virginia University Press

Articles in Periodicals

Basic Form

• List the author's last name and initials, publication year in parentheses, a title, and capitalize only the first word and proper nouns
• Put the periodical title in title case, followed by the volume number (both italicized)
• Include a DOI, if assigned, after the page numbers
• If there's no DOI and retrieving the publication online, use the website URL
• Example Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy

Article in Print Journal

• Example Scruton, R. (1996). The eclipse of listening. The New Criterion, 15(3), 5–13
• APA 7 advises including a DOI, print source or not

Article in Electronic Journal

• Include a DOI if available
• Use a URL if DOIs are unavailable, preferably stable URLs that function similarly
• Example Baniya, S., & Weech, S. (2019). Data and experience design: Negotiating community-oriented digital research with service-learning. Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement, 6(1), 11–16. https://doi.org/10.5703/1288284316979
• Example Lehmann, W. (2009). University as vocational education: Working-class students’ expectations for university. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 30(2), 137- 149. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40375414

Article in a Magazine

• Example Peterzell, J. (1990, April). Better late than never. Time, 135(17), 20–21
• Start with the title if no author is listed
• Example Better late than never. (1990, April). Time, 135(17), 20–21

Article in a Newspaper

• Example Schultz, S. (2005, December). Calls made to strengthen state energy policies. The Country Today, 1A
• Omit the author's name and start with the title if it is now known
• Example Calls made to strengthen state energy policies. (2005, December). The Country Today, 1A

Review

• Example Reviewer’sLastname, F. (Year). Title of review [Review of media Title of media, by F. Author’sLastname]. Title of publication, volumenumber(issuenumber), pages
• Example Baumeister, R. F. (1993). Exposing the self-knowledge myth [Review of the book The self-knower: A hero under control, by R. A. Wicklund & M. Eckert]. Contemporary Psychology, 38(5), 466–467
• Reviews posted online - Bell, M. S. (2006, December 31). Are you my mother? [Review of the book Let the northern lights erase your name, by V. Vida]. The New York Times Book Review, https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/31/books/review/Bell.t.html?ref=review
• Reviews of film/video:Reviewer’sLastname, F. (Year). Title of review [Review of the film Name of film, by F. Director’sLastname, Dir.]. Title of publication, volumenumber(issuenumber), pages.
• Exmaple Schickel, R. (2006). The power of Babel [Review of the film Babel, by A. G. Inaritu, Dir.]. Time, 168(18), 70.
• Provide the URL if the review is from an online source

Books

• List of cited print book sources; E-books are described in the Electronic Sources section

Basic Format for Books

• Example Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher Name
• Example Stoneman, R. (2008). Alexander the Great: A life in legend. Yale University Press

Edited Book, No Author

• Example Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher
• Example Leitch, M. G. & Rushton, C. J. (Eds.). (2019). A new companion to Malory. D. S. Brewer

Edited Book with an Author or Authors

• Example Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (E. Editor, Ed.). Publisher
• Example Malory, T. (2017). Le morte darthur (P. J. C. Field, Ed.). D. S. Brewer. (Original work published 1469-70)

Translation

• Example Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (T. Translator, Trans.). Publisher. (Original work published YEAR)
• Example Jonasson, J. (2015). Hitman Anders and the meaning of it all (R. Willson, Trans.). Harper Collins. (Original work published 2014)

Edition Other Than the First

• Example Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (# edition). Publisher
• Example Belcher, W. (2019). Writing your journal article in twelve weeks: A guide to academic publishing success (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press

Article or Chapter in an Edited Book

• Example Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (pp. pages of chapter). Publisher
• List pages of the chapter/essay in parentheses after the book title using "pp."
• List any edition number in the same parentheses as the page numbers, (i.e. (2nd ed., pp. 66-72))
• Example Armstrong, D. (2019). Malory and character. In M. G. Leitch & C. J. Rushton (Eds.), A new companion to Malory (2nd ed., pp. 144-163). D. S. Brewer

Multivolume Work

• Example Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (Vol. #). Publisher
• Example David, A., & Simpson, J. (Eds.). (2006). The Norton anthology of English literature: The Middle Ages (Vol. 8). W. W. Norton and Company

Other Print Sources

• Uncommon print sources

Entry in a Dictionary, Thesaurus, or Encyclopedia with a Group Author

• Example Institution or organization name. (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work (edition, page numbers). Publisher name

• Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. (1997). Goat. In Merriam Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10th ed., pp. 499-500). Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

Entry in a Dictionary, Thesaurus, or Encyclopedia with an Individual Author

• Example Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of entry. In F. M. Lastname (Ed.), Title of reference work (edition, page numbers). Publisher

• Example Tatum, S. R. (2009). Spirituality and religion in hip hop literature and culture. In T. L. Stanley (Ed.), Encyclopedia of hip-hop literature (pp. 250-252). Greenwood

Dissertation Abstract

• Example Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation. Dissertation Abstracts International, Vol., Page
• Example Angeli, E. L. (2012). Networks of communication in emergency medical services. Dissertation Abstracts International, 74, 03(E)

Dissertation or Master’s Thesis, Published

• Example Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis (Publication No.) [Doctoral dissertation/Master’s thesis, Name of Institution Awarding the Degree]. Database or Archive Name

• Example Angeli, E. L. (2012). Networks of communication in emergency medical services (Publication No. 3544643) [Doctoral dissertation, Purdue University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing

• Include the URL of the site if the dissertation is not published

Dissertation or Master’s Thesis, Unpublished

• Example Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis [Unpublished doctoral dissertation/master’s thesis]. Name of Institution Awarding the Degree
• Example Samson, J. M. (2016). Human trafficking and globalization [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Report by a Government Agency or Other Organization

• Example Organization Name. (Year). Title of report. URL
• Example United States Government Accountability Office. (2019). Performance and accountability report: Fiscal year 2019. https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/702715.pdf

Report by Individual Authors at Government Agency or Other Organization

• Lastname, F. M., & Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of report. Organization Name. URL
• Example Palanker, D., Volk, J., Lucia, K., & Thomas, K. (2018). Mental health parity at risk: Deregulating the individual market and the impact on mental health coverage. National Alliance on Mental Illness. https://www.nami.org/About NAMI/Publications-Reports/Public-Policy-Reports/Parity at-Risk/ParityatRisk.pdf

Conference Proceedings

• Example Lastname, F. M., & Lastname, F. M. (Eds.). (Year). Title of Proceedings. Publisher. URL (if applicable)
• Example Huang, S., Pierce, R., & Stamey, J. (Eds.). (2006). Proceedings of the 24th annual ACM international conference on the design of communication. ACM Digital Library https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1166324&picked=prox

Electronic Sources

• Include the publishing year, month, and date for web-based or electronic sources
• Use the year of publication if the month and date are not available

Webpage or Piece of Online Content

• If the page names an individual author, cite their name first:
• Example Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of page. Site name. URL
• Example Price, D. (2018, March 23). Laziness does not exist. Medium - https://humanparts.medium.com/laziness-does-not-exist3af27e312d01
• If the resource was written by a group or organization, use the name of the group/organization as the author. Additionally, if the author and site name are the same, omit the site name from the citation
• Example Group name. (Year, Month Date). Title of page. Site name. URL
• Example American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (2019, November 21). Justice served: Case closed for over 40 dogfighting victims. https://www.aspca.org/news/justice-served-case-closedover-40-dogfighting-victims
• If the page's author is not listed, start with the title instead, and include a retrieval date.
• Example Title of page. (Year, Month Date). Site name. Retrieved Month Date, Year, from URL
• Example Tuscan white bean pasta. (2018, February 25). Budgetbytes. Retrieved March 18, 2020, from https://www.budgetbytes.com/tuscan-white-bean-pasta/
• If the date of publication is not listed, use the abbreviation (n.d.)
• Example Author or Group name. (n.d.). Title of page. Site name (if applicable). URL
• Example National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). Mental health conditions. https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental Health-Conditions

Wikipedia Article

• Example Title of article. (Year, Month Date). In Wikipedia. URL of archived version of page
• Example Quantum mechanics. (2019, November 19). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quantum_mechanics&oldid=948476810
• Link the archived version of the page due to updates

Newspaper Article

• Example Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of article. Title of Publication. URL
• Example Richards, C. (2019, December 9). Best music of 2019: Lana Del Rey sings lullabies about the end of America. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/best
• music-of-2019-lana-del-rey-sings-lullabies-about-the-endof-america/2019/12/06/6e82c5ec-15d8-11ea-a659-7d69641c6ff7_story.html

Electronic or Kindle Books

• Distinguish between versions when the content is different
• Example Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of book. Publisher. URL

Dissertation/Thesis from a Database

• Example Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation or thesis (Publication No.) [Doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis, Name of Institution Awarding Degree]. Database Name
• Example Duis, J. M. (2008). Acid/base chemistry and related organic chemistry conceptions of undergraduate organic chemistry students. (Publication No. 3348786) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Northern Colorado]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global

Entry in an Online Dictionary, Thesaurus, or Encyclopedia with a Group Author

• Example Institution or organization name. (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work. URL
• Example Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Braggadocio. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved January 13, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/braggadocio

Entry in an Online Dictionary, Thesaurus, or Encyclopedia with an Individual Author

• Example Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of entry. In F. M. Lastname (ed.), Title of reference work (edition). Publisher. URL or DOI
• Example Martin, M. (2018). Animals. In L. A. Schintler & C. L. McNeely (Eds), Encyclopedia of big data. SpringerLink. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32001-4_7-1<
• Skip the edition if there is no edition listed

Data Sets

• Example Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group (Year). Title of dataset (Version No.) [Data set]. Publisher. DOI or URL
• Example Grantmakers in the Arts. (2019). Arts funding trends, United States, 1994-present (ICPSR 37337) [Data set]. National Archive of Data on Arts & Culture. https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NADAC/studies/37337

Graphic Data (e.g. Interactive Maps, Infographics, and Others)

• Give name of organization or individual, date and title
• If no title, provide explanation of what type of data there is and its form in brackets and use retrieval date
• Example HatchMed.(2017). 8ways to improve patient satisfaction[Infographic].HatchMed.com.https://www.hatchmed.com/blog/2017/1/30/8-ways-to improve-patient-satisfaction
• Example Google.(n.d.).[Google Map of Purdue University].RetrievedJanuary 12, 2020, from https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4237095,-86.9233886,17z

Qualitative Data and Online Interviews

• Cite transcript published in online periodical the way one would cite the medium

• Example Schulman, M. (2019, December 8). Peter Dinklage is still punk rock. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker interview/peter-dinklage-is-still-punk-rock

• If the transcript is published in a database, credit the interviewee as the author and use the model

• Example Paynter, W. (1970, September 17).Interview with Will Paynter[Interview]. Studs Terkel Radio Archive.https://studsterkel.wfmt.com/programs/interview-willpaynter

Online Lecture Notes and Presentation Slides

• Provide file format in brackets after lecture title

• Example Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of presentation[Lecture notes, PowerPoint slides, etc]. Publisher.URL

• Example Smith, C. (2017, October13). AI and machine learning demystified[PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/carologic/ai-and-machine- learning-demystified-by-carol-smith-at-midwest-ux-2017

Computer Software/Downloaded Software

• Do not cite standard office software or programming languages; provide references for specialized software only

• Example Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group (Year)/Title of software(Version No.). Publisher.URL

• Example Maplesoft.(2019).Maple companion(Version 2.1.0).Cybernet Systems Co. https://www.maplesoft.com/products/MapleCompanion/

Email

• Do not include in the list of references, though should be parenthetically cited in one's main text

• Example (F.Lastname, personal communication, January 4, 2001)

Online Forum or Discussion Posting

• Example Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group [username].(Year, Month Date).Title of post[Online forum post]. Publisher.URL

• Example Stine, R. L. [RL_Stine]. (2013, October23).I’m R.LStine and it’s my job to terrify kids. Ask me anything![Online forum post]. Reddit.https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1p32dl/

Use given username

Tweet

• Example Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group[@username].(Year, Month Date).Content of the post up to the first 20 words[Tweet].Site Name.URL
• Example Obama, B.[@BarackObama]. (2020, April14).Dreamers have contributed so much to our country, and they are risking their lives fighting on the frontlines of this pandemic…[Tweet].Twitter
• If the tweet includes images, videos, or links to other sources, indicate that information in brackets and attempt to replicate emojis if possible

Twitter Profile

• Example Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group [@username]. (n.d.).Tweets[Twitter profile].Retrieved Month Date, Year.fromURL

• Example MLASstyle[@mlastyle].(n.d.).Tweets[Twitter profile].Retrieved January 12, 2020, from https://twitter.com/mlastyle

Facebook Post

• Example Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group. (Year, Month Date). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Type of post]. Site Name. URL

Instagram Photo or Video

• Example Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group [@username].(Year, Month Date).Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Type of post].Site Name.URL - ExampleBBC[@bbc].(2020,January 12).Skywatchers have been treated to the first full moon of 2020-known as a “wolf moon”-at the same time as a[Photograph].Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7OkWqbBwcf/

Blog Post

• Example Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of post. Publisher. URL

• Example Axelrod, A. (2019,August 11). A century later: The Treaty of Versailles and its rejection of racial equality.Code Switch,NPR.https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2019/08/11/742293305/a-century-later-the-treaty-of-versailles-and-itsrejection-of-racial-equality

YouTube or other Streaming Video

• Example Last Name, F. M. [Username].(Year, Month Date). Title of video[Video].Streaming Service. URL

• Example Lushi, K.[Korab Lushi].(2016,July 3).Albatross culture1[Video].YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AMrJRQDPjk&t=148s

Ted Talk

• ExampleAuthor, A. A.(Year, Month Date).Title of talk[Video].TED
• Example Author, A. A.(Year, Month Date).Title of talk[Video].TED Al-Mutawa, N.(2010,July).Superheroes inspired by Islam [Video]. TED.https://www.ted.com/talks/naif_al_mutawa_superheroes_inspired_by_islam#t-4909

Audiovisual Media

• This includes any media with audio or visual components

Film or Video

• Example Director, D.D.(Director).(Date of publication).Title of motion picture[Film].Production company. Loyd, P.(Director).(2008).Mamma mia[Film].Universal Pictures.

Film or Video in Another Language

• Example Director, D.D.(Director).(Date of publication).Title of motion picture in original language[Translated title][Film].Production company

TV Series

• Example Executive Producer, P.P.(Executive Producer).(Date range of release).Title of series[TV series].Production company(s).

TV Series Episode

• Example Writer, W.W.(Writer),& Director, D. D.(Director).(Original airdate).Title of episode(Season number,Episode number)[TV series episode]

Music Album

• Recording artist.(Year of release).Title of album[Album].Record label
• Example The National.(2019).I am easy to find[Album].4AD.

Single Song or Track

• Recording artist.(Year of release).Title of song[Song].OnTitle of album [Album].Record label
• Example Dacus, L.(2018).Night shift[Song].OnHistorian[Album].Matador Records Omit the album section if the song has no album

Podcast

• Executive Producer, E. P. (Executive Producer). (Range of publication). Title of podcast [Audio podcast]. Production company. URL - Example By, P. (Executive producer). (2017-present).The bigLoop[audio podcast].QXR. https://www.thebiglooppodcast.com/
• youCan list pod host or Executive producer if didn’t access link via an online source or app omiit

Single Podcast Episode

• E, P. (Executive Producer). (Date of publication). Title of podcast episode (Episode number) [Audio podcast episode]. Production company. URL
• Example Koenig, S. (Host), alibi (No. 1) ,Serial https://serialpodcast.org/

Artwork in Museum or on a Museum website

• Artist, a.(year of release).Title of artwork[ medium.Name of museum City, State , Country. Url of museum and the artist/s
• Hoppe R, E.(1942).Nighthawks (painting) Art institute in Chicago, Chicago Htps://www.artic/edu/ artworks/11628/niighthawks
• cite the website for the artifact or use url directly, if has no associated link

Photography

• Photographer P.(year of Publication) Tittle of photograph[ Photograph) soruce URL
• Example Makeeva,k. .(2019).Kotteia cat[ photograph].Flickr. Htps:// m.flicker/COM\ photo strem/ If it photograph does not have a title. put description in brackets

In-Text Citations

• List author last name with publication to refer to document in your paper

The basics

• The basics list author with year for reference in work. Example (jones, 1998) complete reference for source for a paper

Short Qutoations

• if quoting directly must include Author, year of, Publication and date for refrence, if long page count and separation w/ dash If paraphrasing make sure to signal reference (e.g Argued, Believed) otherwise your work with be considered plagiarism

1,7 Author Authors

• List both Authors that provide signdl phrase or parenthesizes each time you cite

Three Author Or More

• List only 1st author followed by et al and every citation even 1st otherwise causing