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APA Style Guides 7th Edition

APA stands for American Psychological Association and is the citation style most commonly used in social and behavioral sciences, inclduing fields like psychology, education, sociology, and business.

Basic APA Formatting Guidelines 

  • Reference list entries are alphabetized by author’s last name or equivalent.
  • Reference lists are doubled spaced with a hanging 1/2 inch indent after the first line of each entry
  • References (in bold) should appear at the top center of the page.
  • When referring to books, chapters, articles, or webpage titles, 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
  • Cite up to the first 20 authors. Separate the authors name with a comma, and place the & symbol prior to the last name. 
    • Example: Last, F. M., Last, F. M., & Last, F. M.
  • In-text citations are placed directly after the quote or paraphrase. Information needed: (Author's Last Name, Year, page number). 
    • Parenthetical citation: “Direct quote” (Furlong, 2015, p.25).
    • Narrative citation, if the author is mentioned in the sentence, place the year after the last name and the page number after the quote. Example: Furlong (2015) found that “direct quote” (p. 25)

View the APA Style website for additional style and grammar guidelines.

Learning Resource Center

Tutors at the Learning Resource Center (LRC) are available both in person and via Zoom. Visit their website to book an appointment and learn more about their SMART Lab, which offers support in science, math, and related subjects, as well as their University Writing Center tutoring services.

  • lrc@csun.edu
  • 818-677-2033
  • University Library 3rd floor, East wing

Why Should I Cite

Why We Cite infographic - text alternative below

[Why We Cite]

Do you think the only reason your professor asks you to cite your work is because they suspect you of plagiarism? Wrong! Here are four reasons why you should cite!

  1. Broaden Your Horizons

    1. Your professors ask you to use a variety of sources because they know that your own thinking and ideas will be enhanced when you consult the ideas of previous writers on a topic. When you do this in your assignment, the reader will get the sense that you’re joining the conversation, that you respect other thinkers, and that you’re adding something new to the conversation.

  2. Demonstrate a Sense of Debate  

    1. Don’t only uses sources that support your argument. Sometimes the most effective sources that don’t agree with your point of view. Introducing concepts from sources that show a varying points of view, puts your ideas in a more interesting and contested light. By doing this you show that there is something worth debating or analyzing further.

  3. Give Credit

    1. Just like you would want credit for your own work, writing or ideas, other writers deserve credit for their own work. Recognition is usually the only reward for scholarship. More importantly, giving credit allows your reader to recognize your contribution and ideas.

  4. Further Research on a Topic

    1. Your work on a topic helps further research on that subject. You do this by building and extending on the work of the writers you cite in your assignment. One person’s sources can therefore be an invaluable contribution to another’s research.

 

How to Read Citations?

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How to Read a Citation

Book Citations

Elements of a book citation: author, title of book, publisher information, year. and format.

Elements of a chapter in a book citation: author of chapter, title of chapter, title of book, editor of book, publisher information, and page range of chapters.

Book Clues:

If the citation has publisher name and location, it’s a book!
In MLA citation style, the format means the medium of publication.
E-books may have a URL, database name, or date of access at the end of the citation.


Article Citations

Elements of magazine and journal article citations: author, title of article, title of publication, volume number, issue number, year of publication, and page numbers.

Elements of a newspaper article: author, title of article, title of publication, date of publication, page number or section.

For articles found in an online library database the only difference in the citation is the addition at the end of the citation of the following; name of the database, format, access date, and sometimes the URL or DOI.

Article Clue:

All published articles will have two titles; the title of the article and the title of the journal/magazine/newspaper.
In MLA the format for an article in a library database will say “web”, but it’s not a website.
Magazines may just have a month of publication instead of a volume and issue number.
Depending on the citations style, you may see a URL or DOI for an article in an online database.


Website Citations

The elements of a website citation usually include: author/editor, title of work or page, name of the website, publisher or sponsor of website, title URL, date of publication, format, and access date.

Website Clues:

Websites may not provide publication dates.
Websites don’t always have authors; they may just list the organization that created the website.
Depending on the citation style, you may see the term “retrieved from” followed by a URL.


Things to Remember

Every citation style is different, but the elements of what makes up a citation are the same.
If you’re unsure of what type of article it is, just Google the name of the publication
You can always ask a librarian for help!

Subjects: Special Education

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