Unit 7: Documentation
41 References
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.
- Capitalize major words, like proper nouns.
- 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:
- 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.
- Citation machines will “create” the reference for you after you input the source information.
- 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.
Tools for Creating & Organizing References
Video on APA (7th Edition) Citations for an academic paper
From Excelsior Online Writing Lab, APA References