2. APA Citations
APA citations within papers and essays are quite similar to MLA citations, but the differences
between the two are very important. Like any other type of citation, APA citation shows what work
from another author or credible source is used within a paper.
When done correctly, these citations give much deserved credit to sources and give more credibility
to a student’s own paper.
In this Module, you will:
Learn how to cite individual sources.
Determine how to format your sources and reference page.
Understand where your reference page and citations should be placed.
3. A.P.A. (American Pyschological Association )
Used for
which papers?
• Social Sciences
Usage
Requirements
• In Text and Reference Paper
• Every source in the paper needs to be in reference section
Purpose
• Provides info to retrieve and locate source
• Protects the Writer against accused accusations of plagiarism
4. Reference Page
Appears at the
End of the paper
• Location
Begins on a new
page after the text
• Spacing
Labeled as
“References”, centered
at the top of the page
(Do not bold,
underline, or use
quotation marks)
• Titling
5. Reference Page Rules
Reference list
entries should
be
alphabetized
by the last
name of the
first author of
each work.
Authors' names are
inverted (last name
first); give the last
name up to and
including seven
authors. If there are
more than seven
authors, list the first
six authors and then
use ellipses after the
sixth author's name.
All lines after
the first line of
each entry
should be
indented one-
half inch from
the left margin
(hanging
indent)
6. Reference Page Rules
• For multiple
articles by the
same author, or
authors listed in
the same order,
list the entries in
chronological
order, from
earliest to most
recent
• Present the
journal title in
full
• Maintain the
punctuation and
capitalization
that is used by
the journal in its
title
• Capitalize all
major words in
journal titles
When referring to books,
chapters, articles, or Web
pages, capitalize only the
first letter of the first word
of a title and subtitle, the
first word after a colon or
a dash in the title, and
proper nouns. Do not
capitalize the first letter of
the second word in a
hyphenated compound
word
7. Last but not Least.......
• Italicize titles of longer works such as books
and journalsItalics
Rules
• Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes
around the titles of shorter works such as
journal articles or essays in edited collections.
Italics
Rules
8. APA Citations
With this information, you should be able to accurately format your individual citations as well as
your references pages. This knowledge will help to make your papers more credible, as well as to give
you an understanding of how to credit your sources using the APA citation format.
