APA Citation Guide

American Psychological Association (APA) Citation Guide

The examples provided are based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition) (Washington DC: American Psychological Association, 2020), available in WOU libraries under call number BF76.7 P976 2020

APA Citation Examples

I. Print document (Book, Parts of book and Others)
   Reference List : Author's last name, First and Second Initial. (Year in publication). Title in italic. Publisher.
   In-text :  (Author's surname,  Year) or Author's surname (Year)
Resource Type
Book - Single author In-text Kourik (1998)
(Kourik, 1998)
Reference list Kourik, R. (1998). The lavender garden: Beautiful varieties to
        grow and gather. Chronicle Books.
Book - More than one author or editors


 In-text Flinders and Mills (1993)
(Flinders & Mills, 1993)
Reference list Flinders, D. J., & Mills, G. E. (Eds.). (1993). Theory and concepts in qualitative
       research: Perspectives from the field. Teachers College Press.
Book (Corporate or organization author) In-text Ohio State (1959)
(Ohio State, 1959)

Reference list

 Ohio State University. Natural Resources Institute. (1959). A directory of Ohio
       facilities and services for resource conservation. Natural Resources
       Institute.
Translation In-text Laplace (1951)
(Laplace, 1951)
Reference list Laplace, P. S. (1951). A philosophical essay on probabilities. (F. W. Truscott &
      F. L. Emory, Trans.). Dover. (Original work published 1814).
Multivolume work In-text Levinson and Ember (1996)
(Levinson & Ember, 1996)
Reference list Levinson, D., & Ember, M. (Eds.). (1996). Encyclopedia of cultural
       anthropology (Vols. 1-4). Henry Holt.
Theses or dissertation

 In-text Dewstow (2006)
(Dewstow, 2006)
Reference list Dewstow, R. A. (2006). Using the Internet to enhance teaching at the
        University of Waikato (Unpublished master's thesis). University of
        Waikato.
Proceedings In-text Bujang and Husaini (2002)
(Bujang & Husaini, 2002)
Reference list Bujang, B. K. H., & Husaini Omar. (Eds.). (2002). Proceedings of 2nd GEGEM
       Research Seminar, July 2-4, 2003. Penerbit UPM.
Organisation In-text American Psychological Association, (2020)
(American Psychological Association [APA], 2020)
Reference list American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the
       American Psychological Association (6th ed.). American Psychological
       Association.
Government publication In-text National Institute of Mental Health (1990)
(National Institute of Mental Health, 1990)
Reference list National Institute of Mental Health. (1990). Clinical training in serious mental
       illness (DHHS Publication No. ADM 90-1679). U.S. Government Printing
       Office.
Article or chapter in a book In-text Helber (1995)
(Helber, 1995)
Reference list Helber, L. E. (1995). Redeveloping mature resorts for new markets. In M. V.
       Conlin & T. Baum (Eds.), Island tourism: Management principles and
       practice (pp.105-113). Wiley.
Conference or seminar paper In-text Hasmah and Azizah (2007)
(Hasmah & Azizah, 2007)
Reference list Hasmah Zanuddin, & Azizah Hamzah. (2007). International trade agreement
       of intellectual property rights (TRIPS), copyright issues & burden to
       enforce in Malaysia. In K.Y. Choi (Ed.), Korean studies in Southeast Asia:
       Strategic. cooperation and development in research and education:
       Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference of the Korean Studies
       Association of Southeast Asia University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur (pp.
       121-138). University of Malaya.
Newspaper article In-text Schwartz (1993)
(Schwartz, 1993)
Reference list Schwartz, J. (1993, September 30). Obesity affects economic, social status.
       The Washington Post, pp. A1, A4

2.  Journal articles (Print and Online)

     Reference List (Print):
    Last name, First Initial. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Magazine/Journal/Newspaper Title, Volume number (Issue 
            number), Page numbers of the entire article.

      Reference List (Online with DOI)
     Last name, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number(issue number), page range.
       https://doi.org/10.0000/0000
    
Resource Type
Journal article In-text Terborgh (1974)
(Terborgh, 1974)
(Terborgh, 1974, p. 720)
Reference list Terborgh, J. (1974). Preservation of natural diversity: The problem of
       extinction-prone species. BioScience, 24, 715-22.

Note: Italicised the Volume
Journal article with two authors In-text Bolzan and Jezek (2000)
(Bolzan & Jezek, 2000)
(Bolzan & Jezek, 2000, pp. 280-281)
Reference list Bolzan, J. F., & Jezek, K. C. (2000). Accumulation rate changes in central
       Greenland from passive microwave data. Polar Geography, 27(4),
        277-319.

Note: Italicised the Volume
Journal article with more than 3 authors (with DOI) In-text Kernis et al. (1993)
(Kernis et al., 1993)
Reference list Kernis, M. H., Cornell, D. P., Sun, C. R., Berry, A., Harlow, T., & Bach, J. S.
       (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.
       https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.65.6.1190

Note: Italicised the Volume

3. Electronic Documents
a. This covers Internet sites, emails, and electronic journal or book retrieved from one of the full-text databases subscribed by WOU library.

To document an electronic resource, refer the following citation format.

Resource Type
Electronic book In-text Green (2014)
(Green, 2014)
Reference list Green, C. H. (2014). Banker's guide to new small business finance: Venture
        deals, crowdfunding, private equity, and technology.
        https://library-books24x7-com/
E-journal from full-text database In-text (Shepherd et al., 2007)
Shepherd et al. (2007)
Reference list Shepherd, R., Barnett, J., Cooper, H., Coyle, A., Moran-Ellis, J., Senior, V.,
        & Walton, C. (2007). Towards an understanding of British public
        attitudes concerning human cloning. Social Science & Medicine, 65(2),
        377-392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.03.018
Journal article from Internet In-text (Snell & Hodgetts, n.d.)
Snell and Hodgetts (n.d.) identified "..." (para. 3)
Reference list Snell, D., & Hodgetts, D. (n.d.). The psychology of heavy metal communities
       and white supremacy. Te Kura Kete Aronui, 1.
       http://www.waikato.ac.nz/wfass/tkka
Newspaper article from Internet - No author In-text ("Redesigning Malaysia's Higher Education System", 2018)
Reference list Redesigning Malaysia's higher education system (2018, May 06), The Star. 
        https://www.thestar.com.my/news/education/2018/05/06/redesigning-
        malaysias-higher-education-system
Newspaper article from Internet - With author In-text Sario (2006)
(Sario, 2006)
Reference list Sario, R. (2006, July 19). Sabah tourism players not happy with sales tax
       plan. The Star. http://biz.thestar.com.my/news
Newspaper article from fulltext database In-text Howe (2018)
(Howe, 2018)
Reference list Howe, F. (2018). Cool offices: flexibility in employee growth. The Star
       Online, April 20. http://mystarjob.com/articles/story.aspx?
       file=/2018/4/20/mystarjob_features/20180420094551&sec=
       mystarjob_features
Whole Internet site In-text Ministry of Human Resources (2003)
(Ministry of Human Resources, 2003)
Reference list Malaysia. Ministry of Human Resources. (2003). Combating unemployment:
       the Malaysian experience. http://www.mohr.gov.my/mygoveg/
Internet document - No author In-text ("Tutor and tutorial support", 2016)
Reference list Tutor and tutorial support. (2006). Wawasan Open University Registry.
       http://www.wou.edu.my/study_lstutor.aspx
Government publication In-text Ministry of Higher Education (2006)
(Ministry of Higher Education, 2006)
Reference list Malaysia. Ministry of Higher Education. Malaysia education blueprint
       2015-2025 (higher education). (2015). http://www.mohe.gov.my/muat-
       turun/awam/penerbitan/pppm-2015-2025-pt/5-malaysia-education-
       blueprint-2015-2025-higher-education
E-mail In-text (E. Robbins, personal communication, January 4, 2023).
Reference list Note: No personal communication is included in your reference list; instead, parenthetically cite the communicators name and the date of the communication in your main text only.

b. Other Sources
This includes interview recording, television broadcast, motion picture/video recording blogs, etc.

Resource Type
Broadcast Interview In-text Abdullah (2006)
(Abdullah, 2006)
Reference list Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. (2006). Interview by Allan Waruthers. BBC
       Evening News. British Broadcasting Corporation, 24 August 2005.
Audiovisual film - Motion picture In-text Vasile and Fellini (2001)
(Vasile & Fellini, 2001)
Reference list Vasile, T. (Producer), & Fellini, F. (Director). (2001). Roma [Motion picture].
       United States: MGM Home Entertainment.
Television programme In-text Slater (2002)
(Slater, 2002)
Reference list Slater, K. (Producer). (2002). Gene in a bottle [Television series episode]. In
       60 minutes. TV3 Network Services
CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs In-text Homeyer and Mikolajczyk (2006)
(Homeyer & Mikolajczyk, 2006)
Reference list Homeyer, J., & Mikolajczyk, S. (2004). Techniques of crime scene
       investigation [CD-ROM]. CRC.
Photographs In-text Roege (1958)
(Roege, 1958)
Reference list Roege, W.J. (Photographer). (1958). St. Patrick's cathedral, fifth avenue
       from 50th street to 51st street [photograph]. New-York Historical
       Society.
Online discussion In-text Chalmers (2000)
(Chalmers, 2000)
Reference list Chalmers, D. (2000, November 17). Seeing with sound [Online forum
       comment]. http://groups.google.com/group/
       sci.psychology.consciousness/

Note: Do not italicise titles of unpublished works
Blog post In-text Wadard (2009)
(Wadard, 2009)
Reference list Wadard. (2009, June 15). Australia's climate bill may be scuttled [Web log
       message]. http://globalwarmingwatch.blogspot.com/
Video blog post In-text Leelefever (2007)
(Leelefever, 2007)
Reference list Leelefever. (2007, May 29). Wiki in plain English [Video file]. http://www.youtube.com/watch?watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY

Note: Do not italicise titles of unpublished works
Website In-text National Geographic (2005)
(National Geographic, 2005)
Reference list Roach, J. (2005). Journal ranks top 25 unanswered science questions.
       http://nationalgeographic.com
Webpage (Informally published work) In-text (New Zealand Government, 2007)
Reference list Ross, Nancy, "Ancient near Eastern and ancient Egyptian art," performed by
       Ydraw (video) 0:30/6:17. Utah System of Higher Education.
       http://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history-basics/art-1010-
       ddp/v/ancient-near-eastern-and-ancient-egyptian-art
Music In-text The Beatles (2003)
(The Beatles, 2003, track 10)

Note: Include side and band or track numbers
Reference list The Beatles. (2003). Across the universe. On Let it be... naked [CD].
       Capital Records.
Computer software In-text (Version 2.1; Esolang, 2014)
Reference list Esolang, A. N. (2014). Obscure Reference Generator [Computer software].
       E & K Press.
Generative AI content In-text (OpenAI, 2023)
Reference list OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Version 4.0). [Large language model].
       https://openai.com
 
(Declare shareable link)

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (Version 4.0). [Large language model]
       https://chatgpt.com/share/e/67e379cf-f418-8003-8568-
      f4ba0a0b7259
     


4. Format Sample of Reference List (APA 7th edition)

The purpose of the Reference list is to allow the resources cited in your work to be found by your readers. It also gives credit to authors whose work and ideas you have considered. It should include the full details of all your in-text references (excluding personal communications), arranged alphabetically A-Z by author surname.  
References
Bujang, B. K. H., & Husaini Omar. (Eds.). (2002). Proceedings of 2nd GEGEM Research Seminar, July 2-4, 2003. Penerbit 
       UPM.
Dewstow, R. A. (2006). Using the Internet to enhance teaching at the University of Waikato (Unpublished master's thesis).
       University of Waikato.
Flinders, D. J., & Mills, G. E. (Eds.) (1993). Theory and concepts in qualitative research: Perspectives from the field.
       Teachers College Press.
Green, C. H. (2014). Banker's guide to new small business finance: venture deals, crowdfunding, private equity, and
       technology. https://library-books24x7-com/
Helber, L. E. (1995). Redeveloping mature resorts for new markets. In M. V. Conlin & T. Baum (Eds.), Island tourism:
       Management principles and practice (pp. 105-113). Wiley.
Kourik, R. (1998). The lavender garden: Beautiful varieties to grow and gather. Chronicle Books.
Laplace, P. S. (1951). A philosophical essay on probabilities. (F. W. Truscott & F. L. Emory, Trans.). Dover. (Original work
       published 1814).
Levinson, D., & Ember, M. (Eds.). (1996). Encyclopedia of cultural anthropology (Vols. 1-4). Henry Holt.
National Institute of Mental Health. (1990). Clinical training in serious mental illness (DHHS Publication No. ADM 90-1679)
       U.S. Government Printing Office.
Ohio State University. Natural Resources Institute. (1959). A directory of Ohio facilities and services for resource
       conservation. Natural Resources Institute.
Schwartz, J. (1993, September 30). Obesity affects economic, social status. The Washington Post, pp. A1, A4.
Shepherd, R., Barnett, J., Cooper, H., Coyle, A., Moran-Ellis, J., Senior, V., & Walton, C. (2007). Towards an understanding of
       British public attitudes concerning human cloning. Social Science & Medicine, 65(2), 377-392.
       https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.03.018
Snell, D., & Hodgetts, D. (n.d.). The psychology of heavy metal communities and white supremacy. Te Kura Kete Aronui, 1.
       http://www.waikato.ac.nz/wfass/tkka

5. Abbreviations

You may use the standard abbreviations listed below in your citations. Use it sparingly to maximize clarity. A term should not be abbreviated unless it appears three or more times after its first mention in a paper.


APA Terms Abbreviation APA Terms Abbreviation
and others et al. Paragraph para.
and so on / and so forth  etc. Part pt.
chapter chap. revised edition Rev. ed.
compare cf. Second edition 2nd ed.
edition ed. Supplement Suppl.
Editor(s) Ed. or Eds. Technical Report Tech. Rep.
for example e.g., that is i.e.,
kilogram kg Translator(s) Trans.
liter L versus vs.
namely viz., volt V
No date of publication n.d. Volume(s) Vol. or Vols.
Number No. watt W
Page(s) p. or pp.

6. Writing and Research Guides
Beside the APA style guide, you may also consult the following writing and research guides available at the Main Library or EBSCO database (ebook).

No Title Location / Database
i Evans, D., Gruba, P., & Zobel, J. (2014). How to write a better thesis (3rd ed.). Springer. LB2369 E925 2014
(Main Library)
ii Greene, S., & Lindinsky, A. (2018). From enquiry to academic writing: A practical guide (4th ed.). Bedford/St Martin's. LB2369 G812 2018
(Main Library)
iii Northey, M., Tepperman, L., & Albanese, P. (2015). Making sense: A student's guide to research and writing, social sciences (6th ed.). Oxford University Press. LB2369 N874 2015
(Main Library)
iv Turabian, K. L. (2018). A manual for writers of research papers, theses and dissertation (9th ed.). University of Chicago Press. LB2369 T929 2018
(Main Library)
v Williams, P. (2018). Advanced writing skills for students of English. Rumian Publishing. PE1097 W726 2018
(Main Library)
vi Semin, K. E. (editor). (2022). Critical reading and writing in the 21st century. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. EBSCO Ebook
vii Rice, J. (2021). Authentic writing. University of Pittsburgh Press. EBSCO Ebook
viii Matarese, V. (2013). Supporting research writing: Roles and challenges in multilingual settings. Chandos Publishing. EBSCO Ebook

7. Useful Tools - Bibliographic Management Software

There is a number of software available in the market that you can use for storing and cross linking your references and notes, and for generating specific bibliographies. The software varies in terms of costs, features and platform used. The Uniersity has no preference for any particular software but some of the popular free online bibliography and citation tools are as follows:


No Free Reference Managemen tSoftware
(Click on the Title to open webpage)
i Citation Generator
ii CiteFast
iii EndNote  (Free 30-day trial)
iv JabRef
v Mendeley
vi Scribbr
vii Qiqqa (Download from the GitHub repository, click the Green code button at top-right)
viii Zotero