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APA Format for End References

Some important notes:

  • Arrange entries in alphabetical order by the surname of the first author.
  • Only use initials for the authors' first and middle names.
  • Only if the work is signed "Anonymous," does the entry begin with that word.
  • If there is no author, the title moves to the author position and the entry is alphabetized by the first significant word of the title.
  • In titles only the first word, proper names, and the first word following a colon are capitalized.
  • However, all the significant words in the title of a journal are capitalized.

If you cite a work discussed in a secondary source, give the secondary source in the reference list; in the text name the original work, and give a citation for the secondary text, e.g.

Text citation:

Booth's study on teen drinking (as cited in Atkins, 1993) reveals several trends.

APA format for a secondary source of someone else's work

Atkins, P. (1993). The rise of underage drinking. Journal of Psychology,
    100, 589-608.

APA format for a newspaper article with an author

Berkowitz, A. D. (2000, November 24). How to tackle the problem of student
    drinking [Letter to the editor]. The Columbia Tribune, p. B4.

APA format for an article in an edited 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.

Electronic journal article, three to five authors, retrieved from database

Borman, W. C., Hanson, M. A., Coppler, S. H., Pulakos, E. D., &
     White, L. A.(1993). Role of early supervisory experience in
     supervisor performances. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78,
     443-449. Retrieved October 23,2000, from Psych-ARTICLES
     database.

If the information is obtained from an aggregated database, providing the name of the database is sufficient; no address is needed.

APA format for information from web sites

Canarie, Inc. (1997, September 27). Towards a Canadian health IWAY:
    Vision, opportunities and future steps
. Retrieved November 8,
    2000, from
    http://www.canarie.ca/press/publications/pdf/heath/healthvision.doc

Chou, L. (1993). Choosing pasts and imagining futures. Retrieved
    August 24, 2000 from Columbia University, Institute for
    Learning Technologies Web site:
    http://www.ilt.Columbia.edu/publications/papers/newwine1.html.

If information is obtained from a document on the Internet, provide the Internet address for the document at the end of the retrieval statement.

APA format for an article in a magazine

Kandel, E. R., & Squire, L. R. (2000, November 10). Neuroscience:
    Breaking down scientific barriers to the study of brain and
    mind. Science, 290, 1113-1120.

APA format for scholarly journal article

Mellers, B. A., & Smoot, T. R. (2000). Choice and the relative pleasure of
    consequences. Psychological Bulletin, 126(2), 910-924.

APA format for a book

Mitchell, T. R., & Larson, J. R. (1987). People in organizations:
    An introduction to organizational behavior
(3rd ed.). New York:
    McGraw-Hill.

APA format for a newspaper article with no author

New drug appears to sharply cut risk of death from heart failure.
    (1993, July 15). The Washington Post, p. A12.

Multipage document created by private organization, no date

Public Campaign. (n.d.). Death penalty: Cruel and unusual punishment.
    Retrieved October 5, 2000, from http://www.publiccampaign.org

Use n.d. (no date) when a publication date is not available. Also use the URL that links the entry to the home page if there are multiple URLs within that web site.

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