APA Guidelines for Documentations of Sources

Whenever you use words or ideas that are not your own, you must cite the source. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) provides guidelines for documenting material that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized from another source. Publications in education and the social sciences usually use APA format, although there are exceptions. Find out from your instructor what style you should use in your papers.

Whenever you refer to another author's research, cite the original source. To cite sources using APA format, give the author's last name and the date of publication. If the author's name is already mentioned in the sentence, parentheses may include the year only. When more than one author is cited, the symbol "&" is used in parentheses before the final author's name. Note: Do not use "et al." unless there are three or more authors, all of whom were listed in a previous citation in your paper. When there are six or more authors, use "et al." in the first and all subsequent citations.

In a recent study of reaction times (Rogers, 1994)

Rogers (1994) compared reaction times

In another study (Hashroudi, Chrosniak, & Schwartz, 1991)

Confirming their hypothesis, Hashroudi et al. (1991) found

After a quotation, include the page number in your internal documentation. A parenthetical citation following a quotation or paraphrase should include the author's last name, the date of the source, and the page number. If the author's name and the date are mentioned in your remarks prefacing the quotation, place only the page number in parentheses. Make sure to enclose short quotations (fewer than 40 words) inside quotation marks.

One researcher found that "'the placebo effect' . . . disappeared when behaviors were studied in this manner" (Miele, 1993, p. 276).

Bergman and March (1997) predicted, "Students who attend study sessions will achieve significantly higher grades" (pp. 23-24).

Long quotations (longer than 40 words) are presented in block format. Begin the quoted material on a new line and indent five spaces from the left. Double-space and do not use quotation marks.

Miele (1993) found the following:
     The "placebo effect," which had been verified in previous
     studies, disappeared when behaviors were studied in this
     manner.  Furthermore, the behaviors were never exhibited
     again, even when drugs were administered. Earlier studies
     (e.g. Abdullah, 1984; Fox, 1979) were clearly premature
     in attributing the results to a placebo effect. (p. 276)

Include a reference list of all the works you have cited at the end of your paper.

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