APA Format: References
This handout is based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh
Edition, 2019.
The APA Manual classifies sources as belonging to the following groups:
• Textual works (including books, periodicals, reports, presentations, reviews, blog posts, grants, and
conference presentations)
• Audiovisual media (including films, TV series and episodes, videos, radio interviews, podcasts, songs,
albums, artwork, and photos)
• Online media (webpages, websites, and social media)
• Data sets, software, and tests
• Legal references
Each of these groups can be further divided into categories and types.
The four general elements used to create bibliographic citations are as follows:
• Author—This can be one individual author or several, a corporate author, or an organization. Depending on
the source, author may also refer to artists, directors, speakers, etc.
• Date—Depending on the source, this may be a year or a more exact date (including year, month, and day).
• Title—This is the name of the immediate work you are referencing. Depending on the type of source you
are using, this title may appear in italics.
• Source information—Depending on the source, this may include the title of the larger publication from
which your source is taken, volume or issue information for a periodical, page numbers, a publisher,
production company, geographic location, a digital object identifier (DOI), and a uniform resource locator
(URL).
General Guidelines
• Start References on a new page, continuing the page number; center the word References in bold at the top.
• Include the sources cited in the text, except for entire websites, personal interviews, emails, and other non-
retrievable sources. These exceptions are cited in-text only.
• Alphabetize by the first word of the reference (the last name of the first author, the first significant word of a
corporate author, or the first significant word of the title if the work has no author). Use initials only for author’s
first and middle names. Do not include credentials like Reverend, PhD, or LCSW.
• Present DOIs as web addresses. APA prefers DOIs over URL; visit https://www.doi.org/ to confirm a DOI.
• Give readers the easiest way to find a source. For example, even though you used the print version of a source,
give its DOI when possible. If the source has a print equivalent, but was retrieved from a website or database,
include all relevant publication information including original page numbers, if indicated.
• Use a hanging indent: The first line of each reference aligns with the left margin; subsequent lines are indented.
• Use periods between elements and at the citation end (except after website URLs and DOIs).
• Do not use quotation marks around article titles. Titles of stand-alone works (such as books, reports, journals,
albums, and webpages) are italicized.
• Use commas between the names of multiple authors and the ampersand (&) before the last author’s name.
• Capitalize only the first word (and the first word after a colon) of the titles of articles and books.
• Capitalize all proper names and periodical titles.
• Maintain double-spacing (examples that follow are single-spaced only to conserve space).
• If you need to break a URL between lines, break before most punctuation (e.g., before a period or a slash).
• It is typically not necessary to include the name of a database from which you retrieved an article. (Cochrane
Database of Systematic Reviews is an exception.)
• Include retrieval dates only if the source material is meant to change over time (e.g., wikis).
• Cite each webpage or new document within a website separately.
Revised 2/2020
For more specific information, see the APA manual, 7th edition. Copies can be found in the Writing
Center, 250 Zahnow.
Online Media
Author
Date
Title
Source
Webpage on a
website by a
group author
Group Name.
(Year, Month
Day.)
Title of work.
URL
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, February 16). Strategies for
optimizing the supply of N95 respirators. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
ncov/hcp/respirator-supply-strategies.html
Webpage or
article from an
online news
site
Last Name, F. I.
M. I.
(Year, Month
Day).
Title of work.
Site Name. URL
(with retrieval date if
applicable)
Feng, Z. (2020, January 27). Chinese diasporas stockpile surgical masks, fret over
infection. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/51245373
Holland, O. (2020, January 24). Mona Lisa for $60K? The curious market for Old
Masters replicas. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/old-masters-replicas-
sothebys/index.html
Tweet
Author Last
Name, F. I. M. I.
[@username].
(Year, Month
Day).
Post content (first 20 words)
[Description of visuals].
Site Name. Retrieved
Month Day, Year,
from URL (if
applicable)
SVSU Writing Center [@SVSUWCenter]. (2019, December 8). Hey, Cardinals, just a
reminder that the Writing Center will be open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
from 11 am-6 pm (regular #SVSU #SVSUCardinals [Image attached] [Tweet].
Twitter. https://twitter.com/SVSUWCenter/status/1203848902593658885
Transcribe The American Soldier [@transcribeTAS]. (2020, January 16). I am fighting
now for equal rights for all and the right to vote. #wwii #theamericansoldier
[Image attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/transcribeTAS/status/
1217839486509502464?s=19
Facebook,
Tumblr,
LinkedIn post
Author Last
Name, F. I. M. I.
Name of Group.
(Year, Month
Day).
Content of post (first 20
words) [Description of
visuals].
Site Name. URL
Association of Professional and Technical Writers. (2019, November 21). As the
semester comes to an end, APTW wants to keep you accountable! [Image
attached]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/
associationofprofessionalandtechnicalwriters/photos/a.542238185895693/256914
7026538122/?type=3&theater
For more information on online media sources and more examples, see the APA Manual, pp. 348–352.
Revised 2/2020
Textual Works
Author
Date
Title
Source
Book
Last Name, F. I.
M. I.
(Year).
Book title in italics.
Publisher. DOI or
URL (if applicable)
American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (3rd
ed.). Nursebooks.org. https://www.iupuc.edu/health-sciences/files/Nursing-
ScopeStandards-3E.pdf
Becker, G. (2007). Economic theory (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/
9781351327688
Porth, C. (2005). Pathophysiology: Concepts of altered health states. Lippincott,
Williams and Wilkins.
Edited book
Last Name, F. I.
M. I. (Ed.)
(Year).
Book title in italics.
Publisher. DOI or
URL (if applicable)
Oliver, R., & Sanderson, G. (Eds.). (1985). The Cambridge history of Africa. Cambridge
University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521228039
Selection from
edited work
Last Name, F. I.
M. I.
(Year).
Title of the chapter (no
quotation marks).
In F. I. M. I. Last
Name (Ed.), Title of
the book (pp. #–#).
Publisher Name. DOI
or URL (if
applicable)
Enslin, P., & Pendlebury, S. (2002). Representation, identification and trust: Towards an
ethics of educational research. In M. McNamee & D. Bridges (Eds.), The ethics
of educational research (pp. 361–370). Blackwell Publishing.
Starre, A. (2017). Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely loud & incredibly close (2005). In T.
Muller (Ed.), Handbook of the American novel of the twentieth and twenty-first
centuries (pp. 401–413). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110422429
Journal article
Last Name, F. I.
M. I., & Last
Name, F. I. M. I.
(Year).
Title of the article (no
quotation marks).
Journal Name, #(#),
#–#. DOI or URL (if
applicable)
Degner, H., Wojciechowski, K., & Giroux, C. (2015). Opening closed doors: A rationale
for creating a safe space for tutors struggling with mental health concerns or
illnesses. Praxis, 13(1), 27–37. http://praxisuwc.com/links-page-131
Gulicovski, J., Cerovic, L., Milonjic, S., & Popovic, I. (2008). Adsorption of itaconic
acid from aqueous solutions onto alumina. Journal of the Serbian Chemistry
Society, 73(8-9), 825–834. https://doi.org/10.2298/JSC0809835P
Gupta, A. K., & Govindajaran, V. (2000). Managing global expansion: A conceptual
framework. Business Horizons, 43(2), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0007-
6813(00)88560-2
Magazine
article
Last Name, F. I.
(Year, Month
Day).
Title of the article (no
quotation marks).
Magazine Name,
#(#), #–#. DOI or
URL (if applicable)
Goldstone, B. (2017, May). A prayer’s chance: The scandal of mental health in West
Africa. Harper’s, 334(2004), 41–53.
Leavitt, C. (2018, March–April). The novel I buried three times. Poets & Writers.
https://www.pw.org/content/marchapril_2018
Revised 2/2020
Newspaper
article
Last Name, F. I.
M. I.
(Year, Month
Day).
Title of the article (no
quotation marks).
Newspaper Name, #–
#. DOI or URL (if
applicable)
Miller, A. (1984, October 14). The face in the mirror: Anti-Semitism then and now. The
New York Times, BR3.
Riley, L. (2020, January 27). Kellogg’s commits to reducing widely used herbicides in
supply chain. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/
2020/01/27/kelloggs-quietly-commits-reducing-widely-used-herbicide-supply-
chain-only-farmers-didnt-know-about-it/
Governmental
or
organizational
report
Last Name, F. I.
M. I.
Name of Group.
(Year, Month
Day).
Title of the report (Report
No. #) [Description].
Publisher Name. DOI
or URL (if
applicable)
American Cancer Society Action Network. (2019). Empowering advocates: Leading the
fight to conquer cancer (Report No. 766018). https://www.fightcancer.org/sites/
default/files/National%20Documents/2018-ACS-CAN-Advocacy-
Accomplishments-Report.pdf
Lusher, J. (2003). Standard review plan for the review of a reclamation plan for mill
tailings sites under Title II of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of
1978 (Report No. NUREG-1620, Rev. 1). Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U. S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission. https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0322/ML032250190.pdf
For more information on textual sources and more examples, see the APA Manual, pp. 316–347.
Audiovisual Works
Author
Date
Title
Source
Film/TV series
Last Name, F. I.
M. I. (Director).
(Year).
Title of work [Description].
Publisher Name. DOI
or URL (if
applicable)
Forster, M. (Director). (2007). The kite runner [Film]. Dreamworks Video.
Melfi, T. (Director). (2016). Hidden figures [Film]. 20th Century Fox.
Episode from a
TV series
Last Name, F. I.
M. I. (Director),
& Last Name, F.
I. M. I. (Writer).
(Year, Month
Day).
Title of episode (Season #,
Episode #) [Description]. In
F. I. M. I. Last Name
(Executive Producer), Title
of series.
Production Company.
Schnabel, M. (Writer), & Carroll, R. (Director). (2019, November 12). No vacancy
(Season 17, Episode 7) [TV series episode]. In C. F. Johnson, D. P. Bellisario, S.
Brennan, G. Glasberg, G. Schenck, F. Cardea, M. Harmon, & M. Horowitz
(Executive Producers), NCIS. Belisarius Productions; Paramount Network
Television; CBS Paramount Network Television; CBS Television Studios;
thinkfilm.
Album
Artist Last
Name, F. I. M. I.
(Year).
Title of album [Description].
Label. URL (if
applicable)
Astley, R. (1987). Whenever you need somebody [Album]. RCA Records.
The Tragically Hip. (1992). Fully completely [Album]. MCA Records.
Revised 2/2020
Song
Artist Last
Name, F. I. M. I.
(Year).
Title of song [Description].
On Title of album.
Label. URL (if
applicable)
Astley, R. (1987). Never gonna give you up [Song]. On Whenever you need somebody.
RCA Records.
TEDTalk
Speaker Last
Name, F. I. M. I.
(Year, Month
Day).
Title of talk [Description].
Producer. URL
Duckworth, A. L. (2013, April). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance [Video].
TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_
power_of_passion_and_perseverance?language=en
TED. (2016, April 6). Tim Urban: Inside the mind of a master procrastinator [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arj7oStGLkU
YouTube
video
Creator Last
Name, F. I. M. I.
(Year, Month
Day).
Title of work [Description].
Producer. URL
Nightshooter Web Development. (2016, December 28). How to use Javascript editor in
Bootstrap Studio [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/JPpAfHHH5j4
Class
slideshow
stored on a
learning
management
system
Instructor Last
Name, F. I. M. I.
(Year, Month
Day).
Description of slideshow
[Description].
Site Name. URL for
login
Thiel, J. (2014, December 1). Into the 21st century: Potholes on the road to Michigan’s
future [PowerPoint slides]. Kirtland Instructure. https://auth.kirtland.edu/cas/
login?service=https%3A%2F%2Fkirtland.instructure.com%2Flogin%2Fcas
Trump, E. (2018). Thomas Hobbes [PowerPoint Slides]. Saginaw Valley State
University Canvas. https://canvas.svsu.edu/login/dap
Lecture notes
Instructor Last
Name, F. I. M. I.
(Year, Month
Day).
[Description].
Departmental and
Institutional
Affiliation. URL if
applicable
Giesler, M. A. (2019, September 29). [Lecture notes on homeless populations].
Department of Social Work, Saginaw Valley State University.
Artwork
Artist Last
Name, F. I. M. I.
(Year).
Title of work [Description].
Museum Name,
Museum Location.
URL (if applicable)
Corot, C. (1863). Big tree [Painting]. Saginaw Art Museum, Saginaw, MI, United States.
https://www.saginawartmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/French-1951_5_2-
Corot-bigtree.jpg
Fredericks, M. (1950). Ann Arbor eagle [Sculpture]. Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture
Museum, University Center, MI, United States.
For more information on audiovisual works and more examples, see the APA Manual, pp. 341–347.
For information on data sets, software, and tests, see the APA Manual, pp. 337–341.
For information on legal references, see the APA Manual, pp. 355–368.
Revised 2/2020
This sample References page is single-spaced to conserve space.
17
References
American Cancer Society Action Network. (2019). Empowering advocates: Leading the fight to conquer cancer (Report No.
766018). https://www.fightcancer.org/sites/default/files/National%20Documents/2018-ACS-CAN-Advocacy-
Accomplishments-Report.pdf
Association of Professional and Technical Writers. (2019, November 21). As the semester comes to an end, APTW wants to
keep you accountable! [Image attached]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/
associationofprofessionalandtechnicalwriters/photos/a.542238185895693/2569147026538122/?type=3&theater
Becker, G. (2007). Economic theory (2nd ed.) Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351327688
Degner, H., Wojciechowski, K., & Giroux, C. (2015). Opening closed doors: A rationale for creating a safe space for tutors
struggling with mental health concerns or illnesses. Praxis, 13(1), 27-37. http://praxisuwc.com/links-page-131
Duckworth, A. L. (2013, April). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance [Video]. TED Conferences. https://
www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance?language=en
Enslin, P., & Pendlebury, S. (2002). Representation, identification and trust: Towards an ethics of educational research. In M.
McNamee & D. Bridges (Eds.), The ethics of educational research (pp. 361–370). Blackwell Publishing.
Fredericks, M. (1950). Ann Arbor eagle [Sculpture]. Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, University Center, MI, United
States.
Giesler, M. A. (2019, September 29). [Lecture notes on homeless populations]. Department of Social Work, Saginaw Valley
State University.
Goldstone, B. (2017, May). A prayer’s chance: The scandal of mental health in West Africa. Harper’s, 334(2004), 41–53.
Gulicovski, J., Cerovic, L., Milonjic, S., & Popovic, I. (2008). Adsorption of itaconic acid from aqueous solutions onto alumina.
Journal of the Serbian Chemistry Society, 73(8-9), 825-834. https://doi.org/10.2298/JSC0809835P
Holland, O. (2020, January 24). Mona Lisa for $60K? The curious market for Old Masters replicas. CNN.
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/old-masters-replicas-sothebys/index.html
Leavitt, C. (2018, March–April). The novel I buried three times. Poets & Writers. https://www.pw.org/content/marchapril_2018
Lusher, J. (2003). Standard review plan for the review of a reclamation plan for mill tailings sites under Title II of the Uranium
Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (Report No. NUREG-1620, Rev. 1). Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0322/ML032250190.pdf
Melfi, T. (Director). (2016). Hidden figures [Film]. 20th Century Fox.
Miller, A. (1984, October 14). The face in the mirror: Anti-Semitism then and now. The New York Times, BR3.
Nightshooter Web Development. (2016, December 28). How to use Javascript editor in Bootstrap Studio [Video]. YouTube.
https://youtu.be/JPpAfHHH5j4
Oliver, R., & Sanderson, G. (Eds.). (1985). The Cambridge history of Africa. Cambridge University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521228039
Porth, C. (2005). Pathophysiology: Concepts of altered health states. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.
Riley, L. (2020, January 27). Kellogg’s commits to reducing widely used herbicides in supply chain. The Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/01/27/kelloggs-quietly-commits-reducing-widely-used-herbicide-
supply-chain-only-farmers-didnt-know-about-it/
Schnabel, M. (Writer), & Carroll, R. (Director). (2019, November 12). No vacancy (Season 17, Episode 7) [TV series episode].
In C. F. Johnson, D. P. Bellisario, S. Brennan, G. Glasberg, G. Schenck, F. Cardea, M. Harmon, & M. Horowitz
(Executive Producers), NCIS. Belisarius Productions; Paramount Network Television; CBS Paramount Network
Television; CBS Television Studios; thinkfilm.
Starre, A. (2017). Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely loud & incredibly close (2005). In T. Muller (Ed.), Handbook of the
American novel of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries (pp. 401–413). De Gruyter.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110422429
SVSU Writing Center [@SVSUWCenter]. (2019, December 8). Hey, Cardinals, just a reminder that the Writing Center will be
open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 11 am-6 pm (regular #SVSU #SVSUCardinals [Image attached] [Tweet].
Twitter. https://twitter.com/SVSUWCenter/status/1203848902593658885
TED. (2016, April 6). Tim Urban: Inside the mind of a master procrastinator [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=arj7oStGLkU
The Tragically Hip. (1992). Fully completely [Album]. MCA Records.
Trump, E. (2018). Thomas Hobbes [PowerPoint Slides]. Saginaw Valley State University Canvas. https://canvas.svsu.edu/
login/dap
