Using Apa Style

USING APA STYLE

If you plan to write a paper or dissertation/thesis using APA style, consider the APA Publication Manual an essential tool. In APA style, references are given in text and not as footnotes. Complete information appears only in the reference list. In the in-text reference, only the essential portion of the reference is given (the author's surname, date of publication, and, where necessary, the page or pages of the reference).

A brief review is presented below regarding in-text referencing, reference lists, and other APA rules, Samples for reference-list entries appear at the very bottom of this document. For complete details, consult your APA manual.

In-Text References

1. Citing One Author:

In 1985, Smith studied . . .

Smith (1985) studied . . .

A recent study (Smith, 1985) indicates that . . .

The results of the experiment (Smith, 1985, pp. 73-75) . . .

Smith (1985, chap. 5) gives a summary . . .

2. Citing Two Authors:

Smith and Johnson (1986) found . . .

A recent study (Smith & Johnson, 1986) found. . .

Please note that an ampersand is used instead of the word "and" when the source is placed within parentheses. The ampersand is used only within parenthetical material, within tables and captions, and in the reference list.

3. Citing More Than Two Authors (Up to 6 authors):

For the first citation:

Smith, Johnson, and Brown (1985) found . . .

Wasserstein, Zappulla, Rosen, Gerstman, and Rock (1994)

found three differences . . .

One study (Smith, Johnson, & Brown, 1992) found that . . .

Subsequent citations:

Smith, et al. (1992) found that . . .

Wasserstein, et al. (1994) found that . . .

One study (Smith et al., 1992) found . . .

Please follow very carefully the punctuation used in the samples above. The word "et" is not an abbreviated word. It does not take a period. The word "al." is abbreviated, and always takes a period. If "et al." is followed by a year, a comma always follows the period: "One study (Crosby et al., 1992) found that . . ." However, in the following sample a comma is not needed: "Crosby et al. (1992) found that ..."

4. Citing Six or More Authors:

For six or more authors, cite only the surname of the first author followed by "et al." and the year- -for the first and subsequent citations. In the reference list, however, provide initials and surnames of the first six authors, and shorten any remaining authors to "et al."

5. Corporate Author:

The names of groups that serve as authors (corporations, associations, etc.) are usually spelled out each time they appear in a text citation, but also may be abbreviated after the first citation. If you decide to abbreviate the name of a group author, make sure that you give enough information for the reader to easily locate the entry in the reference list.

In the reference list, this entry needs to be found in the N's. The reader shouldn't have to guess where it might be found! Also, NIMH would be spelled out as National Institute of Mental Health.

6. Electronic Sources:

If the source being cited was found on the Internet, give author, year, and page number if available. If not, provide paragraph numbers (e.g., ¶ 5, or para. 5). If neither page numbers nor paragraph numbers are visible, cite the heading and the number of the paragraph after the heading.

7. Personal Communications:

E-mail messages, letters, telephone conversations, and personal interviews do not provide "recoverable data" and therefore are not included in the reference list. In the text, treat them as a "personal communication" (APA, 2001, p. 214). Complete data and name (initials) are preferred.

R. W. Simpson (personal communication, November 10, 2001) states that all of . . .

8. No Author Given:

Current information (Education Handbook, 1987) shows . . .

Recent studies in this area ("Six Studies on Learning," 1975)

Seem to show . . .

9. Several Studies by One Author in the Same Year:

Smith (1984a) has pointed out that . . .

Several studies (Brown, q980; Jones, 1985a, 1992c) indicate that . . .

10. Two or More Works Within the Same Parentheses:

Same author:

Several studies (Rittenhouse, 1992, 1998, 2001) show . . .

Note that the works are separated by commas, not semicolons.

Different authors:

Recent studies (Brown, 1992; Johnson & Smith, 1999; Morrison & Allcort, 2001; Zappas, Jones & Oglethorpe, 2001) indicate that

Note that the authors' names are placed in alphabetical order, and that the various works are separated by semicolons.

11. Secondary Source:

Merriam (as cited in Harper, 1999) stated that . . .

A recent study (Shertzer, 2001, as cited in Merriam, 2002), points out

12. Second Use of the Source:

Many students ask: How often do I have to keep repeating the date, once I have given the author and date? APA suggests that the date should reappear