Resources for APA Style
APA Style for writing a research paper is used primarily in the social sciences. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) is in paper format only and can be found at the Reference Desk in the library. In the Publication Manual, you will find useful tips on how to correctly format your paper and how to cite the resources you used in your paper. Some example citations of APA style can be found in the tabs above for various resources. There are also several online resources that outline the formatting and citation structure used in APA style. A few of these resources are listed below.
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References List
The References list section of your paper is where you will place the full citations to your references. The References list should be alphabetized by authors last name to make it easy to find a citation referred to in a parenthetical reference. The following rules should be adhered to:
√ Start Reference list on new page
√ Type the word References at the top, centered on line
√ Set first line of the reference at left margin, indent all lines underneath in hanging indentation format
√ Alphabetize by the author's last name (surname)
√ For author's from eastern countries use the format the author uses in the work
√ Alphabetize letter by letter, "nothing precedes something" Brown, J. goes before Browning, A.
√ Names beginning with Mac or Mc should be alphabetized as they are spelled
√ References by the same author should be arranged chronologically with the earliest work first
√ A one author work should be placed before a multi-author work that begins with the same author
√ References by the same author or multiple authors (in the same order) should be alphabetized by title
√ Works with no authors should be alphabetized by title, with the title in the author position
√ Use Anonymous as an author only is the work is signed anonymously
√ Alphabetize a group or organization name as author by the first significant word
√ Please refer to the Publication Manual for further information
The link in the box below will take you to an example References list.
Parenthetical (In-Text) References in APA Style
Parenthetical references are used within the text of your paper to lead the reader to your reference list. The parenthetical reference will consist of the author's last name followed by the publication date of the article you are citing. Some examples of parenthetical references are below.
√ Please consult the APA Publication Manual for more advanced and complex examples.
√ The basic technique is to weave references into the text of your paper as you are making a point or presenting an idea.
Examples
In his study on brown algae Smith (2006) found that...
In 2006, Smith found that brown algae...
Brown algae is detrimental to the shellfish harvest (Smith, 2006).
For multiple authors
√ Cite all the authors the first time the reference occurs
√ Use only the first author followed by et al. for the next time you use the same reference
Smith, Jones, Peters, and Wiley (2007) found that...
Thereafter use...
Smith et al. (2007) found that...
√ If you refer to the same reference again in the same paragraph, you can drop the date
Smith et al. also found that...
No authors
√ For an article with no author use the first few words of the title within quotation marks
In the study ("Genetic variation," 2006) it was found that...
Organization or group author
Spell out organization name in first instance and, if possible, use abbreviation thereafter
A recent study on repeat offenders by the National Institute of Justice (2004) found that...
Repeat offenders have a higher occurrence of in prison episodes of violence (NIJ, 2004) than...
√ Please refer to the Publication Manual for further information on using parenthetical references