APA Style: examples for Reference Lists
The following are examples of citing print and electronic resources in the American Psychological Association style. For complete explanations and more examples see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. shelved in the reference area (call no. R 808.02 PUBLIC 2001). Copies are also available to be checked out.
Basic rules:
Entries in the reference list are arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name or by the title if there is no author.
Entries in the reference list with the same first author and different additional authors are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the second author
Give surnames and initials for up to and including six authors. For author number seven and more use “et al.”
Titles of books are italicized; articles or chapters within a book are not. Capitalize only the first word.
Periodical titles are given in full, in upper and lowercase letters. Italicize both the title and volume number.
Use city and state/province or country when the city is not well known for publishing or could be confused with another location.
Examples:
Book with one author
Bernstein, T. M. (1965). The careful writer: A modern guide to English usage (2nd ed.). New York: Atheneum.
Book with more than one author
Give surnames and initials for up to and including six authors. For author number seven and more use “et al.”
Beck, C. A. J., & Sales, B. D. (2001). Family mediation: Facts, myths and future prospects. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Two or more books by the same author
Arrange by year of publication, the earliest first, or when more than one in the same year, alphabetically by the books’ titles.
Postman, N. (1971). Teaching as a subversive activity. New York: Dell.
Postman, N. (1985). Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of show business. New York: Viking.
Postman, N. (1985). The disappearance of childhood. New York: Vintage.
Work in an anthology or an essay in a book
Bjork, R. A. (1989). Retrieval inhibition as an adaptive mechanism in human memory. In H. L. Roediger III & F. I. M. Craik (Eds.), Varieties of memory and consciousness (pp. 309-330). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Book by a corporate author
Associations, corporations, agencies, government departments and organizations are considered authors when there is no single author.
American Psychological Association. (1972). Ethical standards of psychologists. Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association.
Article in a reference book or an entry in an encyclopedia
If the article/entry is signed, include the author’s name; if unsigned, begin with the title of the entry, however, if the work is signed “Anonymous,” the entry begins with the word Anonymous spelled out, and the entry is alphabetized as if Anonymous were the author’s true name.
Guignon, C. B. (1998). Existentialism. In E. Craig (Ed.), Routledge encyclopedia of philosophy (Vol. 3, pp. 493-502). London: Routledge.
Health Care. (2003). In A. Morkes (Ed.), Encyclopedia of careers and vocational guidance (Vol. 1, pp. 225-231). Chicago: Ferguson.
Article in a journal
Usually a year’s worth of issues makes up a volume. Within a volume either each issue begins page numbering where the last issue left off, or else each issue starts with page 1 all over again. List only the volume number if the journal uses continuous pagination throughout a particular volume. If each issue begins with page 1, then list the issue number as well:
Klimoski, R., & Palmer, S. (1993). The ADA and the hiring process in organizations. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 45(2), 10-36.
Mellers, B. A. (2000). Choice and the relative pleasure of consequences. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 910-924.
Article in a newspaper or magazine
Driedger, S. D. (1998, April 20). After divorce. Maclean’s, 111(16), 38-43.
Semenak, S. (1995, December 28). Feeling right at home: Government residence eschews traditional rules. Montreal Gazette, p. A4.
Journal article from a database
Provide the same information as you would for a printed journal article but add a retrieval statement that gives the date of retrieval and the proper name of the database.
Dussault, M., & Barnett, B. G. (1996). Peer assisted leadership: Reducing educational managers’ professional isolation. Journal of Educational Administration, 34(3), 5-14. Retrieved December 16, 2004, from ABI/INFORM Global database.
Schredl, M., Brenner, C., & Faul, C. (2002). Positive attitude toward dreams: Reliability and stability of ten-item scale. North American Journal of Psychology, 4, 343-346. Retrieved December 16, 2004, from Academic Search Premier database.
Article in an internet-only journal
Pelling, N. (2002, May). The use of technology in career counseling. Journal of Technology in Counseling, 2(2). Retrieved December 16, 2004 from http://jtc.colstate.edu/vol2_2/pelling.htm.
Non-periodical document on the internet
Library and Archives Canada. (2002). Celebrating Women’s Achievements: Women Artists in Canada. Retrieved December 16, 2004 from http://www.collectionscanada.ca/women/h12-500-e.html.
Film, video recording or DVD
Kubrick, S. (Director). (1980). The Shining [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Brothers.