At the end of your essay, include a list of your sources in alphabetical order. This is usually referred to as the Reference section of your essay. For a more detailed list, visit the APA website or visit Purdue OWL’s website. 

Reference Examples

For a book with a known author

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher.

Baxter, C. (2007). Introduction to academic writing for undergraduate writers. White Plains, NY: Longman.

For an online journal article, single author

Author, A. A. (Date of publication). Title of article.Title of Journal, volume number, (issue number), page range. doi: 0000000/000000000000 or http://dx.doi.org/10.0000/0000

Irving, D. (2017). Processing pitch in mammals: Recent developments in cetacean research. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 12(3), 88-121.

For an online journal article, two authors

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article.Title of Journal, volume number, (issue number), page range. doi: 0000000/000000000000 or http://dx.doi.org/10.0000/0000

Larson, S.J., & Marsh, O. (2012). An integrated model for teaching ESL writing. Second Language Writing, 36, 88-95.

For an online journal article, three or more authors

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Date of publication). Title of article.Title of Journal, volume number, (issue number), page range. doi: 0000000/000000000000 or http://dx.doi.org/10.0000/0000

Lucas, B., Moore, J., & Tanner, T. (2001). Social experimentation. Journal of Social Psychology, 18(4), 22-34.

For an online newspaper or magazine article, with author

Author, A. A., (Author, B. B., & Author, C. C.) (Year of publication, Month Day). Title of article.Title of Newspaper or Magazine. http://url

Lorenz, T. (2020, August 28). College is everywhere now. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/style/college-collab-houses-coronavirus.html

For an online newspaper or magazine article, no author

Title of article. (Year of publication, Month Day).  Title of Newspaper or Magazine. http://url

Younger Americans feel their voting weight. (2020, September 6). The Economist.  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/style/college-collab-houses-coronavirus.html

For a government document

Name of government agency. (Year of publication, Month Day). Title of document. Publisher name. http://url

National Institute of Mental Health. (2009). Anxiety disorders. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml

For a corporate or group author

Name of corporation, group, or organization. (Year of publication, Month Day). Title of page.  http://url

World Health Organization. (2018, May 24). The top 10 causes of death. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death

For a webpage, with author

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Website. http://url

Giovanetti, F. (2019, November 16). Why we are so obsessed with personality types. Medium. https://medium.com/the-business-of-wellness/why-we-are-so-obsessed-with-personality-types-577450f9a339

For a webpage, no author

Title. (Date of publication). Website. http://url

Ocean enterprise study. (n.d.). National Ocean Service. http://www.oceanservice.noaa.gov/project/ocean-enterprise-study

For a webpage with a retrieval date

When the information on a page changes over time, include a retrieval date.

Name of organization. (Date of publication). Title of report/document. Publisher. Retrieved Month date, Year from http://url

U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). U.S. and world population clock. U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved January 9, 2020, from http://www.census.gov/popclock

For an article from a database

Author, A. A., (Author, B. B., & Author, C. C.) (Year, Month Day). Title of article. CQ Researcher, volume number, (issue number), page range. Retrieved from http://url

Carson, K. (2016, March 11). Arbitrating disputes. CQ Researcher, 26, 241-264. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/

Formatting your Reference Page

• The Reference page is a new page at the end of an essay. Put the word “References” at the top of the paper and center it.
• Alphabetize the sources (by author’s last name), A, B, C, D, etc.
• References should be left-justified. If a reference is more than one line, the subsequent lines should be indented.
• Double-space your reference page.
• DOI stands for “digital object identifier.”
  • This is a unique letter-number combination associated with scholarly journal articles and some other works. A DOI makes it easy for someone to find a work because they can copy it into a browser address bar.
  • Your DOI should begin with http. Do not put a period at the end of a DOI.
  • You can usually find a DOI with other article information at the top or bottom of an article’s first page or in a database entry for an article.
  • Include the DOI for all works that have one. It goes at the end of your reference.

Rules for Creating Reference Entries

• Put the author’s LAST name first, followed by the first initial. Example: Obama, B.
• Capitalize titles of articles and journals correctly:
  • Capitalize major words, like proper nouns.
    • Examples: South Korea, English, Barack Obama, United Nations
  • Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, and only the first word after a colon or a dash in the title.
    • Example: Multilingual writers: Writing with different voices.
• Italicize titles of journals, newspapers, magazines, and books.
• If the the date is unknown write n.d. (for “no date”).

Shortcuts for Creating APA References

You do not have to type your references “from scratch.” Here are some alternatives:

1. Many databases allow you to automatically save the reference format. In ProQuest, Academic Search, and other discipline specific databases, look for the option to “cite,” “download citation,” or “save reference” and select APA 7th edition.
2. Citation machines will “create” the reference for you after you input the source information.
3. Citation managers are tools which collect and organize references.

**IMPORTANT: You cannot totally rely on databases or citation machines as occasionally these tools make mistakes. Therefore, should always check the format using an APA reference guide to make sure your reference or citation is accurate.

Video on APA (7th Edition) Citations for an academic paper

From Excelsior Online Writing Lab, APA References