A lecture Series of Dr. Tomas Ganiron Jr for Library Instruction course.

1. APA Style Sheet
The American Psychological Association (APA) style is a general and widely used style in the
social sciences, education, family and consumer sciences courses and other fields. The citations
below are a few specific examples using this style manual; however, it's best to consult the full
and most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association,
which can be found at Parks Library Help & Information Desk, BF76.7 .P83 2009. See also the
APA website for examples on Electronic References.
Print book:
Author, A. (Date). Book title in italics. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Benbow-Pfalzgraf, T., (Ed.) (2002). Contemporary Fashion. (2nd ed.). Detroit: St. James
Press.
Print encyclopedia or encyclopedic set of volumes such as Something about the Author.
Author, A. (Date). Title of article. In Name of Encyclopedia (Vol.#, pp.). Place of Publication:
Publisher.
Drisscol, S. (1998). Lowry, Lois, 1937-. In Something About the Author (Vol 87, pp. 54-59).
Detroit: Gale.
Print journal article:
Author, A. (Date). Article title. Journal title, vol#, pp#s.
Monaghan, P.L. (2002, October 11). A House of their Own. Chronicle of Higher Education,
44(7),A56.
Newspaper Article:
Author, A. (Date). Article title. Newspaper title in italics. PP.#s.
Rankin, A. (2002, September 24). Barns are Rapidly Vanishing from Iowa's Rural Landscape.
Des Moines Register, Iowa Life Section, pp. 1E-2E.
If no author, give the title of the article 1st followed by the date, etc.

2. Internet article based on a print source:
Author, A. (Date). Article title [Electronic Version]. Journal Title, vol#, pp#s.
Wasburn, N. (2001). Singing in the fall [Electronic version]. Journal of Music Composition
17, 23-27.
Article in an internet only journal:
Author, A. and Author, B. (Date). Article Title. Journal Title, vol# article#. Retrieved Date,
from http://www........
Jamison, P. and Sutherland, M. (2000, March). Cultivating positive emotions. Prevention and
Treatment, 3 Article 001b. Retrieved October 5, 2002, from:
http://www.journals.apa.org/prevention/volume3/pre0030001a.html
Electronic copy of an article from a database:
Author, A. (Date). Title of the article. Title of the Journal in italics, vol#, pp#s. Retrieved
date??, from Database Name.
Borman, W. (1993) Role of early supervision in child behavior. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 78, 443-451. Retrieved October 17, 2001, from Expanded Academic ASAP
database.
Biography print:
Author, A. (Date). Book Title in Italics. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Gross, E. & Rottman, F. (1999). Halston: an American original. New York: HarperCollins.
Biography in an encyclopedic set:
Author, A. (Date). Topic/title of the article in italics. In Name of the Set (vol#, pp#s). Place of
Publication: Publisher.
Jones, J.S. (2002). Ehrlich, Amy, 1942-. In Something About the Author (132, 54-59), Detroit:
Gale Group.

3. Unpublished thesis or dissertation:
Author, A.B. (Year). Title of Thesis or dissertation in italics. Unpublished master thesis or
PhD dissertation, Name of University, Place.
Smith, D.D. (1975). How to Find a Book in the Library. Unpublished master's thesis, Iowa
State University, Ames.
Citing Images on the Web:
Author, A.B. (Year). Title of the Web page and then title of the subsection. Available [date]
from [url]
Ivanova, Irina V. (2008) Fine Art Collections: wwwartdesignivanova.com
“Art of Kimono” Available September 14, 2008 from
http://www.artdesignivanova.com/?Art_of_Kimono.html
Evaluating Scholarly Books & Articles: Information
Literacy Guide
You may know that it's important to evaluate the information you find on web pages, but it's
important to remember that you also need to evaluate information found in scholarly books and
articles too. (If you're not sure what is meant by "scholarly article," see our "Scholarly &
Popular" Instruction LibGuide.) Critical evaluation of your sources of information has always
been a fundamental component of research, regardless of the format in which the information is
presented or published. Some of the fundamental questions to consider during evaluation are:
AUTHOR
Note that "author" can be an individual or an organization.
 Who is the author? Besides knowing author name, look for author credentials (degrees,
positions, honors) on the book cover or introduction, or in sidebars or footnotes for
articles.
 Use library catalogs and periodical indexes to try to find out what else the author has
written. This can help further determine whether the person is an authority on the topic.
 If the author is an organization, what can you find out about this organization? For
example, what is its purpose?

4.  Reference librarians can help teach you how to find this kind of information using the
library. Don't expect everything to be on the web.
PUBLISHER
Knowing the reputation of a publisher is as important as knowing something about the
author.
 Who is the publisher? What else have they published? Do they have specific types of
topics or fields in which they specialize?
 Know the differences between scholarly publishers (such as university presses and
scholarly associations) and commercial publishers, government agencies, and other types
of publishers.
 Self-publishing one's own works is often called "vanity" publishing. The work usually
lacks any kind of outside editing or review.
 Consider whether it makes a difference which type of publisher has presented the work in
question.
PEER REVIEW
Subject experts judge the quality and accuracy of submitted writings before they're published.
 Scholarly works - both books and research articles - undergo extensive editing and
review, often by a panel of experts and editors, before they're published. Any editorial
questions must be resolved by the author before the work can be accepted for publication.
 Edited works and research journals generally will list the names of the editors or editorial
board who are responsible for reviewing materials before they're published. If there are
editors listed for the work you're consulting, who are they, and what are their credentials?
 Peer-review and editing is an attempt to control the quality and the accuracy of
publications. Works that do not meet the standards of a given publisher, a peer-reviewed
journal, or an editor are not accepted for publication.
PURPOSE
An author's purpose should be clear. Sometimes authors try to present opinion as fact in
order to sell or persuade.
 Does the book / journal article present fact or opinion?
 What is its purpose? To inform? To sell? To persuade?
 Is the material objective, showing multiple sides of an issue? Bias is not necessarily
reason to reject a source - but be sure that you can identify it.
 Who is the intended audience? Advanced researchers in a field? Elementary school
students? Members of a particular organization or viewpoint?
CONTENT
Consider the information presented in the work, and how it is organized.
 Is the coverage of the topic complete? Does it leave out important information? Is the
approach basic or advanced? Does it offer more than one perspective?
 Research articles and scholarly books should include bibliographies, or lists of works
consulted. Consider the length, detail, and accuracy of the bibliography in relation to the

5. work in question. Does the bibliography seem comprehensive, or are just a few sources
mentioned?
USEFULNESS
Consider whether the information is what you need for your purposes.
 Any particular book or journal article can be a wonderful source for some purposes, but
not relevant for others. Consider what you need the information for, and be critical -
don't choose your sources based on how easily you found them. Make sure the content is
useful and relevant to your topic.
 Does the book / journal article cover the topic you need? Is that coverage sufficient, or is
it too superficial (or too detailed) for your purposes?
ACCURACY
Verify information before you use it in your own research or class assignments.
 Is the book or article well written and well-edited? Are there noticeable mistakes in
spelling or grammar? Is it written in a style that you would expect for the topic and
audience?
 In research books and articles, is there a bibliography, or footnotes, or other means of
listing sources the author consulted?
CURRENCY
Know when your information was published, and decide whether this makes a difference.
 When was the book or article written? When was it published? Is the information still
current or valid? If the information is no longer current, does it still have value for your
needs?
 Know the difference between current, dated, and outdated information, as well as those
sources considered "classics" in your field. Different disciplines will have different needs
as to the importance of currency versus older, established publications and materials.