Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition by
The seventh edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect best practices in scholarly writing and publishing.
Journal Article from a Database
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume(issue). firstpage-lastpage. DOI or URL |
| Example | Adams, J. (2010). Into eternity's certain breadth: Ambivalent escapes in Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. Children's Literature in Education 41(3), 123-146. doi:10.1007/s10583-010-9111-2 |
Magazine Article from a Database
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of the Magazine, volume#, firstpage-lastpage. DOI or URL |
| Example | Biedenham, I. (2016, March 4). Markus Zusak. Entertainment Weekly, 1405, 63. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=113323582&site=ehost-live&scope=site |
Newspaper Article from a Database
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year, Month Day). Title of article: Subtitle of article. Title of the Newspaper, firstpage-lastpage. DOI or URL |
| Example | Piepenburg, E. (2012, October 25). The Book Thief receives a new life on the stage. New York Times, C1. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn%3acontentItem%3a56WP-RN51-JBG3-653C-00000-00&context=1519360&identityprofileid=9S2NJV55532 |
Article from a Print Journal
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year). Title of article. Name of Journal, volume#(issue#), firstpage-lastpage. |
| Example | Malasri, S., Pourhashemi, A., Aung, P., & Moats, R. (2012). Water absorption of wooden pallets. International Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2(9), 1-10. |
Article from a Print Magazine
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year, Month Day). Title of article: Subtitle of article. Title of the Magazine, volume#(issue#), firstpage-lastpage. |
| Example | Denney, P. (2017, March). Graduate degree. Memphis, 41(12), 62-63. |
Article from a Print Newspaper
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of the Newspaper, all page numbers. |
| Example | Risher, W. (2003, November 20). Principals eager to enroll pastors. The Commercial Appeal, B6, B8. |
Article from an Internet Journal
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume#(issue#). DOI OR URL of website. |
| Example | Sagi-Schwartz, A., Bakersman-Kranenburg, M. J., Linn, S., & van Ijzendoorn, M. H. (2013). Against all odds: Genocidal trauma is associated with longer life-expectancy of the survivors. PLoS One 8(7), e69179. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069179. |
Article from an Internet Magazine
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year, Month Day of Publication). Title of article. Title of the Magazine. URL |
| Example | Lee, P. Y. (2016, September 30). The power of pop literature: Why we need diverse YA books more than ever. Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/2016/09/30/the-power-of-pop-literature-why-we-need-diverse-ya-books-more-than-ever/ |
Article from the Website of a Newspaper
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year, Month Day of publication). Title of article. Title of the Newspaper. URL of DOI |
| Example | Creagh, S. (2005, September 24). Hope Amid the Flames. Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/books/hope-amid-the-flames/2005/09/22/1126982166740.html |
Book by One Author
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle of book. Publisher. |
| Example | Zusak, M. (2006). The book thief. Knopf. |
Book by Two Authors
| General Format | First Author Last Name, First Author Initials, & Second Author Last Name, Second Author Initials. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle of book. Publisher. |
| Example | Mazur, D., & Danner, A. (2014) Comics: A global history, 1968 to the present. Thames & Hudson. |
Book by Three to Twenty Authors
| General Format | First Author Last Name, First Author Initials, Second Author Last Name, Second Author Initials, Third Author Last Name, Third Author Initials, & Fourth Author Last Name, Fourth Author Initials. (Year). Title of Book. Publisher. |
| Example | Bell, I. McGrane, B., Gunderson, J., & Anderson, T. L. (2011). This book is not required: An emotional and intellectual survival manual for students. Sage. |
Book by Twenty-One or More Authors
For 21 or more authors, in the citation, put the first 19 authors (Last Name, Initials), include an ellipses (...), and the final author's name. Then, the rest of the citation is the same as a book by one author.
Edited Book - Complete Work
| General Format | Editor Last Name, Editor Initials (Ed.) (Year). Title of book: Subtitle of book. Publisher. |
| Example | Dawidowicz, L. S. (Ed.). (1976). A Holocaust reader. Behrman House. |
Chapter in a Book
Use this format to cite a chapter or article in a book. An editor's name may or may not be available; if there is one, include it where noted in the General Format example.
| General Format | Chapter Author Last Name, Chapter Author Initials. (Year). Chapter title. In Editor Initials Editor Last Name (Ed.), Title of Book (pp. startingpage-endingpage). Publisher. |
| Example | Minslow, S. (2017). The Diary of a Young Girl and children's literature of atrocity. In Critical Insights: The Diary of a Young Girl (pp. 60-75). Grey House. |
Graphic Novels - follow the citation pattern for books.
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle of book. Publisher. |
| Example | Spiegelman, A. (1991). Maus II: And here my troubles began. Pantheon. |
Comic Books
Comics can appear in many formats. Typically, the citation formats for collected editions follow the pattern for books; individual stories or chapters from a collected edition, the pattern for chapters; and individual issues, the pattern for periodicals insofar as they should include issue numbers.
It is the rare comic that has a single author; all examples below are for multiple authors.
Collected Edition
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle of book. Editor First Initial Editor Last Name (Ed.) Place of Publication: Publisher. |
| Example | Gaiman, N., Kieth, S., Dringenberg, M. and Jones, M., III. (1995). Sandman: Preludes & nocturnes. K. Berger (Ed.). New York: DC Comics. |
Chapter from a Collected Edition
| General Format | Chapter Author Last Name, Chapter Author Initials. (Year). Chapter title. In Editor Initials Editor Last Name (Eds.), Title of Book (pp. startingpage-endingpage). Publisher. |
| Example | Gaiman, N., Dringenberg, M. and Jones, M., III. (1995). The sound of her wings. In K. Berger (Ed.), Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes (pp. 210-234). DC Comics. |
Single Issue
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Year). Name of Story. Title of Comic Series, (issue#). Publisher. |
| Example | Gaiman, N., Dringenberg, M. and Jones, M., III. (1989). The Sound of Her Wings. Sandman, (8). DC Comics. |
Dissertations
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials. (Date). Title of dissertation. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Name of Institution. |
| Example | Boerman-Cornell, W. (1997). Learning to see history: A content analysis of the affordances of graphic novels for high school teaching. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Illinois at Chicago. |
eBooks
Use this format for eBooks found on the web or in databases like EBSCO eBooks.
See the instructions for Books for how to cite edited works and works by two or more authors.
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials (Year). Title of book: Subtitle of book [type of eBook]. Publisher. DOI or URL |
| Example |
Merryman, M. (2020). Clipped wings: The rise and fall of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) of World War II [EBSCO eBook]. New York University Press. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=2465407&site=ehost-live&scope=site |
Print Encyclopedias - Entries
| General Format | Entry Author Last Name, Entry Author Initials, & Additional Entry Author[s] First Name, Additional Author[s] Last Name. (Year). Entry name. In Editor Initials Editor Last Name (Ed.), Title of reference work (Vol. #, pp. firstpage-lastpage). Publisher. |
| Example | Rosenkranz, H. (1990). Austria. In I.Gutman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the Holocaust (Vol. 1, pp. 126-132). MacMillan. |
Online Encyclopedias - Entries
| General Format | Entry Author Last Name, Entry Author Initials, & Additional Entry Author[s] Last Name, Additional Author[s] Initials. (Year). Entry name. In Editor Initials Editor Last Name (Ed.), Title of reference work (Volume, firstpage-lastpage). Publisher. URL |
| Example | Speace, G. (2013). Maus. In T. Riggs (Ed.), St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture (Vol. 3, pp. 501-502). St. James Press. go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=tel_a_cbu&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX2735801775&asid=6c0eff02a29692d296826b6ecbd5f2ca |
Generative AI
You should cite AI whenever you quote, summarize, or paraphrase something it generates.
Just like when you cite an author's work, your reader wants to know from where you received that information.
| General Format | Generative AI Creator. (Year). Generative AI Name (Month Day version) [Large language model]. URL |
| Example | OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat |
Chart or Graph from an Article in a Database
| General Format | Creator Last Name, Creator Initial[s]. (Year). Name of image [Image type]. Source of Image, volume#(issue#), page#. DOI or URL |
| Example | Ball, R. and Hourcade, J. P. (2011). The three display conditions used in the study [Chart]. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 27(11), 1072. |
Illustration from an Article in a Database
| General Format | Creator Last Name, Creator Initial[s]. (Year). Name of image [Image type]. Source of Image, volume#(issue#), page#. DOI or URL |
| Example | Carpenter, D. (2011). Literature [Illustration]. Education Next, 11(4), 89. |
COPYRIGHT CONCERNS
Images--particularly photographs and illustrations--may be copyrighted: if so the copyright notice should accompany the image wherever you place it in your paper or presentation in addition to listing it in your bibliography. While you can use copyrighted material in the classroom without having to request permission, if you put your paper or presentation on the public web (such as, in a blog or on a personal website) you must have permission for any copyrighted material that you may have reproduced.
For further information see the Research Guide on Copyright.
Online Video
| General Format | Name of Creator[s] (Role of Creator). (Year). Title of video [format]. URL |
| Example |
Magelsky, K. (Director). (2012). Tennessee: Memphis mojo [streaming video]. https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=104145&xtid=145713 |
Film/Movie
| General Format | Name of Creator[s] (Role of Creator). (Year). Title of video [Film]. Production Company. |
| Example | Tremolo Production, Concord Music Group, & WNET (Producers). (2007). Respect yourself: The Stax records story [Film]. WNET. |
Television or Radio Broadcast
| General Format | Creator Last Name, Creator Initials (Role of Creator). (Year of broadcast). Title of episode [Television series episode]. In Initial Last name (Executive producer), Title of series. Network. |
| Example | Haffner, C. (Director). (1993). Frederick Douglass [Television series episode]. In S. Paddor (Producer), Civil War journal. Arts and Entertainment Network. |
Sound Recording
| General Format | Creator Last Name, Creator Initials. (Copyright Year). Title of piece [Medium of recording]. [Recorded by Artist Initial Artist Last Name]. Label. (Date of recording year if different from copyright). |
| Example | Beethoven, L. (1992). Concerto for piano & orchestra no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 19: Concerto for piano & orchestra no. 4 in G major, op. 58 [CD]. [Recorded by L. Fleisher, G. Szell, G., & the Cleveland Orchestra]. Sony Classical. (1959, 1961). |
Video Game with a Contributor
| General Format | Developer Last Name, Developer Initials. (Publication Year). Title of video game: subtitle of video game [Platform]. Publisher Name. URL |
| Example | Amaya, Daisuke. (2004). Cave story [PC game]. Nicalis. |
Video Game without a Contributor
| General Format | Title of video game: Subtitle of video game [Platform]. (Publication Year). Publisher Name. URL |
| Example | Minecraft [Nintendo Switch]. (2017). Mojang. |
Blogs
Not addressed by APA outside of individual posts.
Blog Postings
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author First Initial. (Year, Month Day). Title of blog entry. Title of Blog. URL |
| Example |
Zongker, B. (2024, October 25). NASA and the Library send poetry into space. Timeless: Stories from the Library of Congress. https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2024/10/poet-laureate/ |
Comments
| General Format | Commenter's handle. (Year, Month Day). Title of Comment OR First 20 words of comment [Comment on the blog post "Blog post title"]. Name of blog. URL |
| Example |
JudithEllen. (2024, October 25). Collaboration, Vision, Leadership! Totally Awesome, Congrats & Many Thanks To The Very Talented & Dedicated Teams. Go Ada! [Comment on the blog post "NASA and the Library Send Poetry into Space"]. Timeless: Stories from the Library of Congress. https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2024/10/poet-laureate/ |
Tweets
| General Format | Group Name or Author Last Name, Author Initial (if known). [@username]. (Year, Month Day). Text of tweet [Tweet]. URL. |
| Example | [@krissbaird]. (2017, July 11). We came, we saw, we met #LarrytheCat. [Tweet]. https://twitter.com/krissbaird/status/888433038723612672. |
Emails
Not addressed by APA, but see Personal Communication instructions, in certain cases.
These examples pertain to pages purely designed for publication on the Web. Online journal articles and eBooks are treated differently. See the tabs devoted to them for more details.
Webpage with an Author
| General Format | Author Last Name, Author Initials or Handle or Sponsor. (Year, Month Day created or last updated). Title of web page. Website author. URL |
| Example | Smith, K. (2015, April 30). Copyright Follies. Duke University Libraries. http://blogs.library.duke.edu/scholcomm/2015/04/30/copyright-follies/ |
Webpage with No Author
| General Format | Title of web page. (Year, Month Day created or last updated if available). URL |
| Example | Plough Library. Retrieved from https://www.cbu.edu/library |
Basic Reference
| General Format | Give the (Author Lastname, year of publication). For direct quotations, give the (Author Lastname, year of publication, p. #). |
| Example | Studies have found that "marriages in which the parents share responsibilities tend to be the happiest" (Levine, 1976, p. 222). |
Author's Name in Text
| General Format | Give the (year of publication) immediately after the author's name. For direct quotations, also list the page number at the end of the sentence as (p. #). |
| Example | Levine (1976) writes that the happiest marriages are those where parents share responsibilities. |
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