How to Cite documents in APA format

A direct quote helps copy the original words from another work. APA (short for American Psychological Association ) provides specific formats for citations in documents and reference pages. This type of format increases readability for the viewer as well as ensures consistency in the presentation. The following article will guide you how to cite documents in APA format.

1. Background of APA citations: List of references

The reference list is a complete list of references used in a text including author name, year of publication, title and more. An APA reference list must:

- Placed on a new page at the end of the document.

- Central position of the page.

- Sort alphabetically by author's last name (or title if the author is not known).

If there are many works by the same author, then these works are sorted by year, if the works are in the same year, they are arranged alphabetically by title and allocated with a letter (a , b, c, .) after the year.

- Contains full references for all references in the text used.

2. Basics of APA citations: Citations in documents

References in the text must be included after the use of an excerpt or interpretation taken from another work.

If you are interpreting from a different work but do NOT use direct excerpts or reference to the entire book, article or other work, you must only reference the author and the year of publication without the page number .

On the other hand, if you use excerpts directly from another work, you should include the page numbers at the end of the quotation marks. Use a dash to represent the page range.

For example:

- According to Jones (1998), the APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners.
- "The APA style is a difficult format for first-time learners" (Jones, 1998, p.199).

Regardless of how they are referenced, all sources cited in the text must appear in the reference list at the end of the document.

Two authors

Enter the surname of both authors, separated by "and" or a "&" in the middle. For example:

- Mitchell and Smith (2017) said .
- . (Mitchell & Smith, 2017).

Three, four or five authors

For the first quote, all names should be listed:

- Mitchell, Smith, and Thomson (2017) said .
- . (Mitchell, Smith, & Thomson, 2017).

The following citations may be shortened, only by first authoring, followed by "and others":

- Mitchell and others (2017) said .
- . (Mitchell and others, 2017).

Six authors or more

Enter only the first author's last name, followed by "and others" (see example above).

There is no author

If the author is unknown, the title of the reference should be used.

If this is the title of a book, newspaper, publication or report, it should be italicized. For example:

( How to cite the document , 2017).

If this is the title of an article, a chapter in a book or a web page, it must be in quotation marks. For example:
("APA Citation", 2017).

Citing the author with many works from the same year

Works should be cited with the letters a, b, c, . after the year. These letters are assigned in the reference list - alphabetically organized by the first author's last name. For example:

- Excerpts in the document:

. in his work on rock art (Bednarik, 2001, 2003a). He also has interest in the watercraft during the Pleistocene (Bednarik, 2003c) and the figurines of Africa (Bednarik, 2003b).

- Reference list:

Bednarik, RG (2001). Rock art science: The scientific study of palaeoart . Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols Publishers.
Bednarik, RG (2003a). Concerns in rock art science. Aura Newsletter , 1-4.
Bednarik, RG (2003b). A figurine from the African Acheulian. Current Anthropology , 405-413.
Bednarik, RG (2003c). Seafaring in the Pleistocene. Cambridge Archaeological Journal , 41-66.

Cite multiple works in a pair of parentheses

If these works are of the same author, they are listed once, followed by years in chronological order. For example:

- Mitchell (2007, 2013, 2017) .
- . (Mitchell, 2007, 2013, 2017).

If these works belong to many authors, the references will be arranged alphabetically by the first author's last name and separated by semicolons, such as the following:

(Mitchell & Smith, 2017; Thomson, Coyne, & Davis, 2015).

Quote a group or organization

For the first citation, the full name of the group must be used, subsequent visits may be shortened. For example:
- First quote: (International Citation Association, 2015)
- The following citations: (Citation Association, 2015)

3. How to cite different types of sources

Citations in texts do not vary depending on the source type, unless the author is unknown. In the meantime, citation reference lists vary widely depending on the source.

How to cite a book (title, not chapter)

How to Cite documents in APA format Picture 1

Book references are the most basic type of reference; It matches the pattern above, except for the URL part. Therefore, the basic format of a reference is as follows:

Author's name, Abbreviated name. (Publishing year). Title (reprint edition). Publisher location: Name of the publisher.

* Note the way to write the title :

- Italicized.

- The first letter of the first word, the first letter of the first word after the ":" or "-" and the first letter of a proper noun must be capitalized.

Example of a book reference:

- Mitchell, JA, Thomson, M., & Coyne, RP (2017). A guide to citation . London, England: My Publisher
- Jones, AF & Wang, L. (2011). Spectacular creatures: The Amazon rainforest (second edition). San Jose, Costa Rica: My Publisher

How to cite a compiled book

This reference format is very similar to the book format above, in addition to an additional element, Ed (s). The basic format is as follows:

Author's name, Abbreviated name. (Ed (s). ). (Year). Title (reprint edition). Publisher location: Name of the publisher.

In which Ed (s) marks the editor. Use Ed if you have one, Eds if you have many.

For example:

Williams, ST (Ed.). (2015). Referencing: A guide to citation rules (3rd edition). New York, NY: My Publisher

How to quote a chapter in an edited book

A compiled book is a collection of chapters written by different authors. To refer to a single chapter, another format is essential. The basic structure is as follows:

Last name of the chapter author, Abbreviation. (Year). Chapter title . In + Composer's Short Name In + Composer's Short Name, Editor's Last Name (Ed.). Book title (reprint, page range of chapter). Publisher location: Name of the publisher.

Inside:

- The chapter title is not in italics but still capitalized according to the same law as the title of the book.

- The abbreviation of the author who wrote after them.

For example: (in this example, BN Troy is the author of the chapter and ST Williams is the editor)

Troy, BN (2015). APA citation rules. In ST, Williams (Ed.). A guide to citation rules (second edition, pp.50-95). New York, NY: Publishers.

How to quote ebooks

Reference eBooks are the same as books, except that the publisher is replaced with the URL. The basic structure is as follows:

Author's last name, Abbreviated name (Ed (s). *). (Year). Title (reprint *). Retrieved from URL

(* optional)

Example of eBook reference:

Mitchell, JA, Thomson, M., & Coyne, RP (2017). A guide to citation . Retrieved from https://www.mendeley.com/reference-manloyment/reference-manager

How to quote an electronic book chapter

As with book chapters, replace the publisher with the URL only. The structure is as follows:

Last name of the chapter author, Abbreviation. (Year). Chapter title. In + The abbreviated name of the editor, The author's last name (Ed.). Title (reprint, page range of chapter). Retrieved from URL

For example:

Troy, BN (2015). APA citation rules. In ST, Williams (Ed.). A guide to citation rules (second edition, pp. 50-95). Retrieved from
https://www.mendeley.com/reference-manloyment/reference-manager

How to cite a print magazine article or online

Citing magazine articles differs from book excerpts in that they do not include the publisher and publisher position. For magazine posts, they are replaced with the magazine title, volume, issue and page number. The basic structure is:

Author's last name, Abbreviated name. (Year). Title of the article . Journal title , Volume (Issue or Issue), page number. DOI or Retrieved from URL

Inside:

- The title of the article is not in italics, only italic for magazine title and volume .

- Capitalize the first letter of all words in a magazine title.

- Only add DOI or Retrieve from URL if article is online.

For example:

- Mitchell, JA (2017). Citation: Why is it so important. Mendeley Magazine , 67 (2), 81-95 - Mitchell, JA (2017). Citation: Why is it so important. Mendeley Magazine , 67 (2), 81-95. Retrieved from https://www.mendeley.com/reference-manloyment/reference-manager

How to cite a post in print or online

How to Cite documents in APA format Picture 2

Basic structure:

Author's last name, Abbreviated name. (Year). Title of the article. Newspaper title , column / section, page numbers. DOI or Retrieved from URL

Inside:

- Rules for writing article titles and newspaper titles are the same as for magazines.

- Only add DOI or Retrieve from URL if article is online.

For example:

Mitchell, JA (2017). Changes to citation formats shake the research world. The Mendeley Telegraph , Research News, p.9. Retrieved from https://www.mendeley.com/reference-management/reference-manager

How to cite non-printed documents

Picture

Basic structure:

Author's last name, Abbreviated name. (Year). Image title [ Image type ]. Retrieved from URL

In particular, the type of photos can be photos, paintings, infographic images, .

For example:

Millais, JE (1851-1852). Ophelia [picture]. Retrieved from
https://www.mendeley.com/reference-management/reference-manager

Movie

Basic structure:

Producer's Last Name, Producer's Short Name (Producer), & Director's Last Name, Director's Short Name (Director). (Year). Movie title [Movie]. Country of Origin: Studio name

For example:

Hitchcock, A. (Producer), & Hitchcock, A. (Director). (1954). Rear window [Movie]. United States: Paramount Pictures

TV show

Basic structure:

Last name of script author, Short name of script author (Script), & Last name of director, abbreviation of director (Director). (Year of issue) Episode title [TV episode episode]. In + Last name of the production director, The abbreviation of the production director (production director), the name of the television program . Place of production: Name of studio or TV company.

For example:

Catlin, M., and Walley-Beckett, Moire (Screenplay), & Johnson, R (Director). (2010). Fly [TV episode episode]. In Schnauz, T. (Production Manager). Breaking bad. Culver City, CA: Sony Pictures Television

Song

Basic structure:

Author's last name, Author's abbreviation (Year of copyright). Song title [Recorded by + Singer name]. In + Album title [ recording medium ]. Recording place: Record company. (Record date)

In particular, recording media can be CD, MP3, visual album, .

For example:

Beyonce, Diplo, MNEK, Koenig, E., Haynie, E., Tillman, J., and Rhoden, SM (2016). Hold up [Recorded by Beyonce]. In Lemonade [visual album]. New York, NY: Parkwood Records. (August 16)

Webpage

Basic structure:

Author's last name, Author's abbreviation (Day). Title . Retrieved from URL

For example:

Mitchell, JA (2017, May 21). How and when to reference . Retrieved from URL

Through the above article, I have introduced you how to cite documents in APA format with almost all cases for your reference. It is true that this is a citation format that is not easy for novices, but you will need to become more proficient with just using it many times. Hope the information just shared above will help you!