Using American Psychological Association (APA) Format
(Updated to 5th Edition)

Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab.

If you are asked to use APA format for a paper, the book to consult is the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edition), which the American Psychlogical Association has recently updated. Citing electronic sources was a major part of this update as these types of sources are increasingly common in research within the social sciences. Below, you will find some examples of these updated citation styles. If you want to order an APA manual or view the latest updates about electronic sources in more detail, visit the new APA style web site at http://www.apastyle.org or consult our additional resources section for lots of links to helpful information. For a guide to writing papers in psychology, check out George Mason University's Psychology Writing Guide (at http://www.gmu.edu/departments/psychology/writing/index.htm) or the University of Washington's Psychology Writing Center (at http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/).

We have created an APA style workshop (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/apa/index.html) that offers a wealth of information about writing and formatting papers in APA style. This handout covers the following basic issues:

  • General Format
  • Referring to the Works of Others in Your Text
  • Your Reference List
  • Examples
  • Notes
  • Additional Resources

We also have a PowerPoint presentation available at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp/index.html that covers APA style basics.

General Format

General format for manuscripts written in APA style is covered in the first chapter of the Publication Manual, starting on page ten. What follows are some general guidelines for formatting. For more information about how to format a manuscript, see the many links in our additional resources section.

Your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5 X 11 inches) with margins of 1 inch on all sides. Your final essay should include, in the order indicated below, as many of the following sections as are applicable, each of which should begin on a separate page:

  • title page, which includes a running head for publication, title, and byline and affiliation
  • abstract
  • text
  • references
  • appendixes
  • author note
  • footnotes/endnotes
  • tables
  • figure captions
  • figures

The pages of your manuscript should be numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page, as part of the manuscript header in the upper right corner of each page. Your references should begin on a separate page from the text of the essay under the label References (with no quotation marks, underlining, etc.), centered at the top of the page. Appendices and notes should be formatted similarly.

Here is a sample title page in APA format. Note how it includes the running head and page number in the upper right hand corner, defines the running head that will title all manuscript pages, and centers the title in the middle of the page. Always remember to consult your instructor if you are writing a paper for a class; s/he may have different guidelines for how a title page should appear.

For more about formatting an APA style paper, consult the publication manual, visit APA Style Essentials (at http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.cfm?doc_id=796), or view a Sample APA Report (at http://www.thewritesource.com/APA/APARESEARCH.HTM) or a APA Simulated Journal Article (at http://www-distance.syr.edu/apa5th.html). Annotated bibliography writers might want to visit APA Format for Annotated Bibliographies (at http://www.lesley.edu/library/guides/citation/apa_annotated.html).

Additional formatting resources, including Microsoft Word templates, are available in our additional resources section.

Handling Quotations In Your Text

Reference citations in text are covered on pages 207-214 of the Publication Manual. For more about in-text references in general, see the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center's page on citations (at http://www.wisc.edu/writetest/Handbook/DocAPACitations.html) or visit the links in our additional resources section for more information. What follows are some general guidelines for referring to the works of others in your text.

When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

If you are referring to an idea from another work but NOT directly quoting the material, or making reference to an entire book, article or other work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference.

If you are paraphrasing an idea from another work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference, but APA guidelines encourage you to also provide the page number (although it is not required.)

If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and the page number for the reference. See our sections on quotations for more information about this.

Examples for referring to another idea or study:

Jones (1998) compared student performance ...

In a recent study of student performance (Jones, 1998), ...

In 1998, Jones compared student performance ...

If there is no author to cite, such as when you are citing a web page that lists no author, use an abbreviated version of the title of the page in quotation marks to substitute for the name of the author.

A similar study was done of students learning to format research papers ("Using APA," 2001).

If you are citing a work that has no author and no date, use the first few words from the title, then the abbreviation n.d. (for "no date"). For more information about referring to electronic sources or sources without authors and/or dates in text, see Citations in Text of Electronic Material (at http://www.apastyle.org/electext.html) or Frequently Asked Questions about APA Style (http://www.apastyle.org/faqs.html) from the APA web site, or our additional resources section.

In another study of students and research decisions, it was discovered that students succeeded with tutoring ("Tutoring and APA," n.d.).

Personal communications, such as e-mail messages to you, or private interviews that you conducted with another person, should be referred to in your in-text citations but NOT in your reference list. (For more information, see page 214 of the Publication Manual.) To cite a personal communication, provide initials and last name of the communicator, the words personal communication, plus an exact date in the body of your paper.

For example:

A. P. Smith also claimed that many of her students had difficulties with APA style (personal communication, November 3, 2002).

Formatting Citations in Your Text

Here are some basic rules for formatting citations in the body of your paper. For more information about these rules, see pages 94-99 and 207-209 of the Publication Manual.

  • Always capitalize proper nouns, including author names.
  • If you refer to the title of a source within your paper, capitalize all words that are four letters long or greater within the title of a source.
  • When capitalizing titles, capitalize both words in a hypenated compound word.
  • After a colon or dash in a title, capitalize the first word.
  • Italicize the titles of longer works such as books, edited collections, movies, documentaries, or albums.
  • Put quotation marks around the titles of shorter works such as journal articles, articles from edited collections, television shows, and song titles.
  • If a work has two authors, cite both names every time the reference appears in your text. Join the authors' names with the word and.
  • If a work has three, four, or five authors, cite all of the authors the first time you refer to the work in your text. The next time you refer to the work, shorten the citation to the last name of the first author plus the words et al. Join the authors' names with the word and if you are referring to them in the text; join the authors' names with an ampersand (&) if you are referring to them in a paranthetical citation.
  • If a work has six authors (or more), cite only the last name of the first author plus the words et al.

Short Quotations

Formatting quotations is covered on pages 117-121 in the Publication Manual.

To indicate quotations of fewer than 40 words in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks. Provide the author, year, and specific page citation in the text, and include a complete reference in the reference list. Punctuation marks, such as periods, commas, and semicolons, should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quotation but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.

Examples:

She stated, "Students often had difficulty using APA style," (Jones, 1998, p. 199), but she did not offer an explanation as to why.

According to Jones (1998), "Students often had dificulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199).

Jones (1998) found "students often had difficulty using APA style" (p. 199); what implications does this have for teachers?

If you are citing a work that has no author, no date, and no page numbers, use the first few words from the title, then the abbreviation n.d. (for "no date"), and then use paragraph numbers (if available) or simply leave out any reference to pages.

Example:

In another study of students and research decisions, it was discovered that students succeeded with tutoring ("Tutoring and APA," n.d.).

Long Quotations (block quotes)

Formatting long quotations is covered on pages 117-118 and 292-293 in the Publication Manual.

Place quotations longer than 40 words in a free-standing block of typewritten lines, and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented five spaces from the left margin. Type the entire quotation on the new margin, and indent the first line of any subsequent paragraph within the quotation five spaces from the new margin. Maintain double-spacing throughout. The parenthetical citation should come after closing punctuation mark.

Example:

Jones's 1993 study found the following:

Students often had difficulty using APA style,especially when it was their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask their teacher for help. (p. 199)

Choosing double or single quotation marks

If you are using a quotation that uses quotation marks as a short quotation, use single quotation marks to set off the material that was originally enclosed in quotation marks. If you are using a quotation that uses quotation marks in a block quote, use double quotation marks to set off the material that was originally in quotation marks.

For more about in-text references in general, see the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center's page on citations (at http://www.wisc.edu/writetest/Handbook/DocAPACitations.html) or visit the links in our additional resources section for more information.

Your Reference List

Formatting your reference list is covered in chapter four of the Publication Manual, which starts on page 215. Further information about citing sources and formatting your reference list can be found in our additional resources section. What follows are some general guidelines for formatting your reference list.

Your reference list should appear at the end of your paper. It provides the information necessary for a reader to locate and retrieve any source you cite in the body of the paper. Each source you cite in the paper must appear in your reference list; likewise, each entry in the reference list must be cited in your text.

Your references should begin on a separate page from the text of the essay under the label References (with no quotation marks, underlining, etc.), centered at the top of the page. It should be double-spaced just like the rest of your essay. If you would like to see a sample reference list, these links to Sample APA Report (at http://www.thewritesource.com/APA/APARESEARCH.HTM)and a APA Simulated Journal Article (at http://www-distance.syr.edu/apa5th.html) both provide sample reference lists that you can view.

Basic Rules

  • Authors' names are inverted (last name first); give the last name and initials for all authors of a particular work.
  • Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last names of the first author of each work.

  • If you have more than one article by the same author(s), single-author references or multiple-author references with the exact same authors in the exact same order are listed in order by the year of publication, starting with the earliest.

    For example:

    Berndt, T. J. (1996). Exploring the effects of friendship quality on social development. In W. M. Bukowski, A. F. Newcomb, & W. W. Hartup, (Eds.), The company they keep: Friendship in childhood and adolescence.  (pp. 346-365). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Berndt, T. J. (2002). Friendship quality and social development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11, 7-10.

    Wegener, D. T., & Petty, R. E. (1994). Mood management across affective states: The hedonic contingency hypothesis. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 66, 1034-1048.

    Wegener, D. T., & Petty, R. E. (1995). Flexible correction processes in social judgment: The role of naive theories in corrections for perceived bias. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 68, 36-51.


  • When an author appears both as a sole author and, in another citation, as the first author of a group, list the one-author entries first.

    For example:

    Berndt, T. J. (1999). Friends' influence on students' adjustment to school. Educational Psychologist, 34, 15-28.

    Berndt, T. J., & Keefe, K. (1995). Friends' influence on adolescents' adjustment to school. Child Development, 66, 1312-1329.

  • References that have the same first author and different second and/or third authors are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the second author, or the last name of the third if the first and second authors are the same.
    For example:

    Wegener, D. T., Kerr, N. L., Fleming, M. A., & Petty, R. E. (2000). Flexible corrections of juror judgments: Implications for jury instructions. Psychology, Public Policy, & Law, 6, 629-654.

    Wegener, D. T., Petty, R. E., & Klein, D. J. (1994). Effects of mood on high elaboration attitude change: The mediating role of likelihood judgments. European Journal of Social Psychology, 24, 25-43.

  • If you are using more than one reference by the same author (or the same group of authors listed in the same order) published in the same year, organize them in the reference list alphabetically by the title of the article or chapter. Then assign letter suffixes to the year.

    For example:

    Berndt, T. J. (1981a). Age changes and changes over time in prosocial intentions and behavior between friends. Developmental Psychology, 17, 408-416.

    Berndt, T. J. (1981b). Effects of friendship on prosocial intentions and behavior. Child Development, 52, 636-643.

    When referring to these publications in your paper, use the letter suffixes with the year so that the reader knows which reference you are referring to. For example: "Several studies (Berndt, 1981a, 1981b) have shown that..."

  • Use "&" instead of "and" when listing multiple authors of a single work.

  • If no author is given for a particular source, begin with and alphabetize by using the title of the work, which will be listed in place of the author, and use a shortened version of the title for parenthetical citations.

  • Personal communications, such as e-mail messages to you, or private interviews that you conducted with another person, should not be cited in your reference list because they are not retrievable sources for anyone else. You should make reference to these sources in your in-text citations. (For more information, see page 214 of the Publication Manual.)

  • All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation.

  • When referring to any work that is NOT a journal, such as a book, article, or Web page, capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns. Do not capitalize the first letter of the second word in a hyphenated compound word.
  • Capitalize all major words in journal titles.
  • Italicize titles of longer works such as books and journals.
  • Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes around the titles of shorter works such as journal articles or essays in edited collections.

Basic Forms for Sources in Print

An article in a periodical (e.g., a journal, newspaper, or magazine)

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of periodical, volume number, pages.

NOTE: For a magazine or newspaper article, you need to include specific publication dates (month and day, if applicable) as well as the year. For a journal article, you do not need to include the month or day of publication. See our examples below for more explanations.

NOTE:You need list only the volume number if the periodical uses continuous pagination throughout a particular volume. If each issue begins with page 1, then you should list the issue number as well: Title of Periodical, Volume number(Issue number), pages. Note that the issue number is not italicized. If the journal does not use volume numbers, use the month, season, or other designation within the year to designate the specific journal article.

A nonperiodical (e.g., book, report, brochure, or audiovisual media)

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

NOTE: For "Location," you should always list the city, but you should also include the state if the city is unfamiliar or if the city could be confused with one in another state.

Part of a nonperiodical (e.g., a book chapter or an article in a collection)

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In A. Editor & B. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pages of chapter). Location: Publisher.

NOTE: When you list the pages of the chapter or essay in parentheses after the book title, use "pp." before the numbers: (pp. 1-21). This abbreviation, however, does not appear before the page numbers in periodical references.

Basic Forms for Electronic (Internet) Sources

Article in an Internet Periodical

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of journal, volume number(issue number if available). Retrieved month day, year, from http://Web address.

Nonperiodical Internet Document (e.g., a Web page or report)

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article.  Retrieved month date, year, from http://Web address.

NOTE: When an Internet document is more than one Web page, provide a URL that links to the home page or entry page for the document. Also, if there isn't a date available for the document use (n.d.) for no date.

Part of Nonperiodical Internet Document

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. In Title of book or larger document (chapter or section number). Retrieved from http://Web address.

For more about electronic sources, see the APA style web site's coverage of electronic references (at http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html) or Frequently Asked Questions about APA Style (at http://www.apastyle.org/faqs.html) from the APA web site, or visit our additional resources section.

Basic Forms for Audiovisual Sources

A Motion Picture or Video Tape

Producer, P. P. (Producer), & Director, D.D. (Director). (Date of publication). Title of motion picture [Motion picture]. Country of origin: Studio or distributor.

If a movie or video tape is not available in wide distribution, add the following to your citation after the country of origin: (Available from Distributor name, full address and zip code).

A Television Broadcast or Television Series

Producer, P. P. (Producer). (Date of broadcast or copyright). Title of broadcast [Television broadcast or Television series]. City of origin: Studio or distributor.

A Single Episode of a Television Series

Writer, W. W. (Writer), & Director, D.D. (Director). (Date of publication). Title of episode [Television series episode]. In P. Producer (Producer), Series Title. City of origin: Studio or distributor.

A music recording

Songwriter, W. W. (Date of copyright). Title of song [Recorded by artist if different from song writer]. On Title of album [Medium of recording]. Location: Label. (Recording date if different from copyright date)

For more about citing audiovisual media, see pages 266-269 of the Publication Manual.

Examples

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association provides extensive examples covering a wide variety of potential sources on pages 239-281. Below are examples for some of the most commonly cited kinds of sources. If your particular source is not listed below, use the basic forms (above) to determine the correct format, check the Publication Manual, or consult the APA style website (at http://www.apastyle.org), especially their Frequently Asked Questions about APA Style (at http://www.apastyle.org/faqs.html) and their coverage of electronic references (at http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html). Our additional resources section also has some links to examples and resources.

Journal article, one author

Harlow, H. F. (1983). Fundamentals for preparing psychology journal articles.  Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 55, 893-896.

Journal article, three to six authors

Kernis, M. H., Cornell, D. P., Sun, C. R., Berry, A., & Harlow, T. (1993).  There's more to self-esteem than whether it is high or low: The  importance of  stability of self-esteem. Journal of Personality  and Social Psychology, 65, 1190-1204.

Journal article, more than six authors

Harris, M., Karper, E., Stacks, G., Hoffman, D., DeNiro, R., Cruz, P.,  et al. (2001). Writing labs and the Hollywood connection. Journal of  Film and Writing,  44(3), 213-245.

NOTE: The phrase et al. stands for "and others."

Work discussed in a secondary source

Coltheart, M., Curtis, B., Atkins, P., & Haller, M. (1993). Models of  reading aloud: Dual-route and parallel-distributed-processing  approaches. Psychological Review, 100, 589-608.

NOTE: Give the secondary source in the references list; in the text, name the original work, and give a citation for the secondary source. For example, if Seidenberg and McClelland's work is cited in Coltheart et al. and you did not read the original work, list the Coltheart et al. reference in the References. In the text, use the following citation:

In Seidenberg and McClelland's study (as cited in Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins, & Haller, 1993), ...

Magazine article, one author

Henry, W. A., III. (1990, April 9). Making the grade in today's schools. Time, 135, 28-31.

Book

Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing  manuscripts for journal publication. Washington, DC:  American Psychological Association.

An article or chapter of a book

O'Neil, J. M., & Egan, J. (1992). Men's and women's gender role journeys:  Metaphor for healing, transition, and transformation. In B. R.  Wainrib (Ed.), Gender issues across the life cycle (pp. 107-123).  New York: Springer.

A government publication

National Institute of Mental Health. (1990). Clinical training in serious  mental illness (DHHS Publication No. ADM 90-1679). Washington, DC:  U.S. Government Printing Office.

A brochure

Research and Training Center on Independent Living. (1993). Guidelines for reporting and  writing about people with disabilities (4th ed.) [Brochure].  Lawrence, KS: Author.

A book or article with no author or editor named

Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.).(1993).  Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.

New drug appears to sharply cut risk of death from heart failure.  (1993, July 15). The Washington Post, p. A12.

NOTE: For parenthetical citations of sources with no author named, use a shortened version of the title instead of an author's name. Use quotation marks and italics as appropriate. For example, parenthetical citations of the two sources above would appear as follows: (Merriam-Webster's, 1993) and ("New Drug," 1993).

A translated work and/or a republished work

Laplace, P. S. (1951). A philosophical essay on probabilities (F. W. Truscott & F. L. Emory, Trans.). New York: Dover. (Original work published 1814)

NOTE: When you cite this work in text, it should appear with both dates: Laplace (1814/1951).

A review of a book, film, television program, etc.

Baumeister, R. F. (1993). Exposing the self-knowledge myth [Review  of the book The self-knower: A hero under control]. Contemporary  Psychology, 38, 466-467.

An entry in an encyclopedia

Bergmann, P. G. (1993). Relativity. In The new encyclopedia  britannica (Vol. 26, pp. 501-508). Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.

A print journal or newspaper article retrieved from an online database

When referencing material obtained from an online database (such as a database in the library), provide appropriate print citation information (formatted just like a "normal" print citation would be for that type of work). Then add information that gives the date of retrieval and the proper name of the database. This will allow people to retrieve the print version if they do not have access to the database from which you retrieved the article. You can also include the item number or accession number in parentheses at the end, but the APA manual says that this is not required. (For more about citing articles retrieved from electronic databases, see page 278 of the Publication Manual.)

Smyth, A. M., Parker, A. L.,& Pease, D. L. (2002). A study of enjoyment of peas. Journal of Abnormal Eating, 8(3). Retrieved February 20, 2003, from PsycARTICLES database.


An online journal article

Kenneth, I. A. (2000). A Buddhist response to the nature of human rights. Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 8(4).Retrieved February 20, 2001, from http://www.cac.psu.edu/jbe/twocont.html

Chapter or section of an online document

The Foundation for a Better World. (2000). Pollution and banana cream pie. In Great chefs cook with chlorofluorocarbons and carbon monoxide (Chap. 3). Retrieved July 13, 2001, from http://www.bamm.com/cream/pollution/bananas.htm

NOTE: Use a chapter or section identifier and provide a URL that links directly to the chapter section, not the home page of the Web site.

Message posted to an online newsgroup, forum, or discussion group

Frook, B. D. (1999, July 23). New inventions in the cyberworld of toylandia [Msg 25].  Message posted to http://groups.earthlink.com/forum/messages/00025.html

NOTE: If only the screen name is available for the author, then use the screen name; however, if the author provides a real name, use their real name instead. Be sure to provide the exact date of the posting. Follow the date with the subject line, the thread of the message (not in italics). Provide any identifiers in brackets after the title, as in other types of references.

A Motion Picture or Video Tape with international or national availability

Smith, J.D. (Producer), & Smithee, A.F. (Director). (2001). Really Big Disaster Movie [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.

A Motion Picture or Video Tape with limited availability

Harris, M. (Producer), & Turley, M. J. (Director). (2002). Writing Labs: A History [Motion picture]. (Available from Purdue University Pictures, 500 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907)

A Television Broadcast

Important, I.M. (Producer). (1990, November 1). The Nightly News Hour. [Television broadcast]. New York: Central Broadcasting Service.

A Television Series

Bellisario, D.L. (Producer). (1992). Exciting Action Show. [Television series]. Hollywood: American Broadcasting Company.

A Single Episode of a Television Series

Wendy, S. W. (Writer), & Martian, I.R. (Director). (1986). The rising angel and the falling ape. [Television series episode]. In D. Dude (Producer), Creatures and monsters. Los Angeles: Belarus Studios.

A music recording

Taupin, B. (1975). Someone saved my life tonight [Recorded by Elton John]. On Captain fantastic and the brown dirt cowboy [CD]. London: Big Pig Music Limited.

If your particular source is not listed, use the basic forms to determine the correct format, check the Publication Manual, or consult the APA style website (at http://www.apastyle.org), especially their Frequently Asked Questions about APA Style (at http://www.apastyle.org/faqs.html) and their coverage of electronic references (at http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html). Our additional resources section also has some links to examples and resources.

A Note on Notes

Because long explanatory notes can be distracting to readers, APA style guidelines recommend the use of endnotes/footnotes. In the text, place a superscript numeral immediately after the text about which you would like to include more information (e.g., Scientists examined the fossilized remains of the wooly-wooly yak.1) Number the notes consecutively in the order they appear in your paper. At the end of the paper, create a separate page labeled Notes (with the title centered at the top of the page). Below are examples of two kinds of notes.

Evaluative bibliographic comments

1 See Blackmur (1995), especially chapters three and four, for an insightful analysis of this extraordinary animal.

2 On the problems related to yaks, see Wollens (1989, pp. 120-135); for a contrasting view, see Pyle (1992).

Explanatory or additional information considered too digressive for the main text

3 In a recent interview, she (Weller, 1998) reiterated this point even more strongly: "I am an artist, not a yak!" (p. 124).

Additional Resources

It's always best to consult the Publication Manual first for any APA question. If you are using APA style for a class assignment, it's a good idea to consult your professor, advisor, TA, or other campus resources for help with using APA style -- they're the ones who can tell you how the style should apply in your particular case. For extraordinary questions that aren't covered clearly in the style manual or haven't been answered by your teacher or advisor, contact the Writing Lab for help at (765) 494-3723 or email owl@owl.english.purdue.edu.

Here are some other resources for using APA style and writing research papers that might also help answer your questions.

Print Resources

Here are some print resources for using APA style. Most of these books are probably available in your local library.

From the American Psychological Association:

  • Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edition) (ISBN: 1557987912)
  • Mastering APA Style : Student's Workbook and Training Guide (ISBN: 1557988919)
  • Mastering APA Style : Instructor's Resource Guide (ISBN: 1557988900)
  • Displaying Your Findings: A Practical Guide for Creating Figures, Posters, and Presentations (ISBN: 1557989788)

From other publishers:

  • The World's Easiest Guide to Using the APA (ISBN: 0964385317)
  • Writing With Style: APA Style Made Easy (ISBN: 0534363652)
  • Writing With Style: APA Style for Social Work (ISBN: 0534263119)
Online and Electronic Resources

From the American Psychological Association:

  • APA Style Website: http://www.apastyle.org/
  • About APA Style: http://www.apastyle.org/aboutstyle.html
  • Electronic References in APA Style: http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html
    • Electronic Media and URLs: http://www.apastyle.org/elecmedia.html
    • General Forms for Electronic References: http://www.apastyle.org/elecgeneral.html
    • Reference Examples for Electronic Materials: http://www.apastyle.org/elecsource.html
    • Citations in Text of Electronic Material: http://www.apastyle.org/electext.html
  • APA Style Tips: http://www.apastyle.org/styletips.html
  • Tip of the Week: http://www.apastyle.org/tipweek.html
  • Frequently Asked Questions about APA Style: http://www.apastyle.org/faqs.html
  • APA Style Helper: http://www.apastyle.org/stylehelper/(software program; requires purchase)
  • APA Style Guide for Electronic Resources: http://www.apastyle.org/styleelecref.html (PDF download; requires purchase)

Other online resources

Formatting your paper and writing in APA style

  • APA style essentials: http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.cfm?doc_id=796
    (from Vanguard University of Southern California)
  • Documentation Styles: APA Documentation Style: http://www.wisc.edu/writetest/Handbook/DocAPA.html#review
    (from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center)
  • APA Manuscript Format: http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/social_sciences/manfor.html
    (from Research and Documentation Online by Diana Hacker)
  • APA Style Formatting Guide: http://www.indstate.edu/nurs/mary/apa2.htm
    (from Indiana State University)
  • APA-Style Checklist: http://spsp.clarion.edu/mm/RDE3/C14/Checklist.html
    (from Bill Southerly)
  • APA 5th Edition Guidelines: http://www.uca.edu/divisions/academic/writing/OWL/LINKS/OnlineHandouts/apabasics.PDF
    (Adobe PDF from the University of Central Arkansas)
  • APA Format for Annotated Bibliographies: http://www.lesley.edu/library/guides/citation/apa_annotated.html
    (from Lesley University)
  • Style Points for Scientific Writing: http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts/style.html (from the University of Washington Psychology Writing Center)

Writing in psychology

  • Psychology Writing Guide: http://www.gmu.edu/departments/psychology/writing/index.htm (from George Mason University)
  • Types of Writing in Psychology: http://www.gmu.edu/departments/psychology/writing/types.htm (from George Mason University)
  • APA Format for Annotated Bibliographies: http://www.lesley.edu/library/guides/citation/apa_annotated.html
    (from Lesley University)
  • Psychology Writing Center Handouts: http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts.html (from the University of Washington Psychology Writing Center)
  • Summarizing a Psychology Research Article: http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts/summarizing.html (from the University of Washington Psychology Writing Center)
  • Writing an APA Lab Report: http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts/pdf/labrep.pdf (Adobe PDF: from the University of Washington Psychology Writing Center)
  • Writing a Psychology Literature Review: http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts/litrev.html (from the University of Washington Psychology Writing Center)
  • Psychology Writing Guide: Links: http://www.gmu.edu/departments/psychology/writing/links.htm(from George Mason University

APA style templates and sample papers

  • APA Style Templates in Microsoft Word: http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/faculty/lswenson/helpstuff.html
    (by Barbara Swenson, Loyola University Marymount)
  • APA Style Template for Microsoft Word: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~gwin0005/apa-template.html
    (by Derek Gwinn)
  • APA Lab Report Template: http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts/pdf/apatemplate.pdf (Adobe PDF; from the University of Washington Psychology Writing Center)
  • Sample paper: APA style: http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/social_sciences/sample.html
    (from Research and Documentation Online by Diana Hacker)
  • Sample APA Report: http://www.thewritesource.com/APA/APARESEARCH.HTM
    (from The Write Source)
  • APA Simulated Journal Article: http://www-distance.syr.edu/apa5th.html
    (from Elmira College)
  • A Sample Paper in American Psychological Association Style: http://valencia.cc.fl.us/lrcwest/apapaper.html
    (From Valencia Community College)
  • Sample reference list: http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/litc/tutorials/apa_style/samples.html
    (from Vanier College)
  • Sample reference list: http://www.vanguard.edu/psychology/references.pdf
    (PDF from Vanguard University)

Documenting and referencing sources

  • APA Citations: A Guide for Psychology Undergraduates, with exercises: http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts/pdf/citations.pdf (Adobe PDF; from the University of Washington Psychology Writing Center)
  • APA Citations: Condensed: http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts/pdf/aparef.pdf (Adobe PDF; from the University of Washington Psychology Writing Center)
  • Using APA Style to Cite and Document Sources: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html
    (from Bedford St. Martin's Online!)
  • APA Citation Style: http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citapa.htm (from Long Island University Library)
  • APA Style: Documenting Sources: http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/social_sciences/intext.html
    (from Research and Documentation Online by Diana Hacker)
  • APA Style Electronic Formats: http://www.westwords.com/guffey/apa.html
    (from Dr. Mary Ellen Guffey)
  • APA Style crib sheet: http://www.crk.umn.edu/library/links/apa5th.htm
    (from the University of Minnesota at Crookston)
  • Bibliography Style Handbook (APA): http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/bibliography_style_handbookapa.htm
    (from the Writer's Workshop)
  • APA Reference Style: http://humanities.byu.edu/linguistics/Henrichsen/APA/APA02.html
    (from Brigham Young University)
  • How to Cite Online Nursing Resources Using APA Style: http://www.library.unr.edu/subjects/guides/apa.html
    (from the University of Nevada at Reno)
  • APA Citation Style: Examples for Nursing Students: http://employees.csbsju.edu/proske/nursing/APA.htm
    (from College of St. Benedict/St. John's University)
General resources for writing and research

On Purdue's OWL:

  • APA style workshop: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/apa/index.html
  • Annotated bibliographies: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_annotatedbib.html
  • Research Paper workshop: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/index.html
  • Research Report workshop: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/reportW/index.html
  • Research and Documenting Sources handouts: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/index.html
  • Research and documenting sources PowerPoint presentations : http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp/index.html
  • Evaluating Sources workshop: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/EvalSrcW/index.html
  • Searching the Web workshop: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/internet/search/index.html
  • Starting points for Internet research: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/internet/resources/sourceofinfo.html

Other online resources

  • Research and Documentation Online: http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/
    (by Diana Hacker)
  • A Research Guide for Students: http://www.aresearchguide.com/
    (by I. Lee)
  • Guides to Writing in the Disciplines: http://wac.gmu.edu/guides/GMU guides.html (from George Mason University)

Other citation styles

Purdue's OWL also offers information about other citation methods and electronic sources. We have the following handouts:

  • Using MLA Format: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html
  • Formatting in Sociology: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_docsocio.html
  • Resources for Documenting Sources: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_docsources.html
  • Citing Electronic Sources: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_docelectric.html

Handout revised November 2001, David Neyhart and Erin Karper
Resources updated September 2002, Erin Karper

The following information must remain intact on every handout printed for distribution.

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