Many organizations use the American Psychological Association (APA) style for citing references, especially in scientific publications. It has subtle but important differences in layout and content compared to the MLA (Modern Language Association) style. Learn the basics of APA-style citations to simplify the entire process of writing your next research paper.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: The basics
Step 1. Using indents correctly
When you create the "References" page at the end of your essay, you should provide a list of citations. When you do this, write them so that the first line is equal to the margin, and additional lines are indented.
- There should be no white space between items in a reference list. The ability to tell the different quotes apart comes from the first line that aligns with the left margin.
- Don't number your quotes, just use the dashes to tell them apart.
Step 2. Alphabetize the list
The entire "references" page should be listed in alphabetical order by authors' last name. The authors cited in individual citations need not be listed in alphabetical order, but must be listed in the order in which they are cited in their publications.
Step 3. Use capital letters correctly
In all citations you use, ensure that the names of all authors, titles of books and other works, and any directly quoted words already in capital letters, are capitalized.
Step 4. Mention authors appropriately
In APA format, all authors' names are quoted with the last name and then the first name. With one writer you can mention both the first and last name. For multiple authors, state the last name and first initial. A citation with more than three authors must display all names in the citation, but may simply be included as (author 1, et al.) in the in-text citations.
Step 5. List the titles appropriately
For extensive works such as complete books, (scientific) journals or magazines, place the title in italics. You can also choose to underline the name of the work. If you're only referring to part of an article or a chapter of a book, it doesn't have to be in italics. Also make sure that the important words of the title are always capitalized.
Method 2 of 2: Creating your quotes
Step 1. Referring to a book
To properly quote a book, include the author's name (last name first), the date of publication, the title of the work, the place of publication, and the publisher. If you were unable to obtain any of that data, omit it from your citation.
For example: Jones, Anna (2001). Beginning Psychology. New York and London. New York University Press
Step 2. Mentioning an article from a scientific journal
Gather the following information and place it in this order: Author(s), date of publication, title of the article, name of the (scientific) journal, volume number, and the page numbers you are referring to.
For example: Gill, Smith, Percy (June 8, 1992). Growing Concerns in Adolescent Drug Abuse. Psychology Quarterly, 21, 153-157
Step 3. Listing a website
Websites can be tricky to reference because they often lack the information necessary for an accurate citation, such as author or publication date. To cite a website, include the author, date of publication, title, and the URL to the page.
For example: Alexander, 2012. Tips for Healthy Relationships
Step 4. References in the text
In-text references are required for the APA format and are used for citing a source in your text. They should be placed at the end of the sentence, which uses information from the cited source, before the period. Place references in the text in parentheses, and state the name of the author and the date of publication. If you don't have either, use the title of the work you're referring to.
- If you don't credit the author in the text, put the following at the end of the sentence: (Author, Date).
- If you want to include the author's name in your sentence, put the date in parentheses right after the name, rather than at the end of the sentence. For example, “Jones (2001) also had an interesting theory in which she stated that…”
Tips
- The APA style gets easier, with a little practice.
- Ask your teacher about the details of how you cite sources in your class (for example, when quoting from a lecture).