APA Style Version 7 Quick Guide (This manuscript is based on OWL

APA Style Version 7 Quick Guide

(This manuscript is based on OWL at Purdue University)

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html

How to cite this manuscript:

Salmani Nodoushan, M. A. (2021, June 12). APA Style version 7 quick guide [Manuscript]. Research

Gate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352350305_APA_Style_Version_7_Quick_Guide

APA Style Version 7 Quick Guide

1) Parenthetical Citations

Any time you use a source in writing the body of your manuscript, a parenthetical citation should be

made. When you just paraphrase materials from a source, the parenthetical citation should only

indicate the author’s/authors’ last name(s) plus date of publication. For quotations, however, the

page(s) references should also be identified:

What you do

How you write your parenthetical citation

1) Cite from a primary source

(Last name, year)

2) Cite from a secondary source

(Last name, year, as cited in Last name, year)

3) Quote from a primary source

(Last name, year, page)

4) Quote from a secondary source

(Last name, year, as cited in Last name, year,

page)

Examples for citations:

(Smith, 2007)

(Smith, 2007, as cited in Johnson, 2011)

Examples for quotations:

(Smith, 2007, p. 29)

(Smith, 2007, as cited in Johnson, 2011, p. 37)

Most sources you cite/quote will include only one author; however, there are cases in which a

source you use in writing your paper includes more than one author. You should write your

parenthetical citations so that they will look like:

How many authors the source has?

Example of how you write your parenthetical citation

1 author

(Smith, 2007)

Smith (1997)

2 authors

(Smith & Johnson, 2007)

Smith and Johnson

(2007)

3 or more authors

(Rupert et al., 2011)

Rupert et al. (2011)

If you’re citing multiple works with similar groups of authors, and the shortened “et al” citation

form of each source would be the same, you’ll need to avoid ambiguity by writing out more names. If

you cited works with these authors:

Jones, Smith, Liu, Huang, and Kim (2020)

Jones, Smith, Ruiz, Wang, and Stanton (2020)

They would be cited in-text as follows to avoid ambiguity:

(Jones, Smith, Liu, et al., 2020)

(Jones, Smith, Ruiz, et al., 2020)

There are rare occasions when one paper uses sources with authors whose last names as well as

whose dates of publication are the same; in this case, initials should also be used (e.g., Jackson, M.,

2011; Jackson, J., 2011).

2) In-Text Citations

As indicated above, IJLS uses the author-date format for in-text citations. Here are some examples:

2.1. In-text citations from one-author sources

. . . the photoelectric effect (Einstein, 1906)

Einstein’s description of the photoelectric effect (1906)

In 1906, Einstein published a paper on the photoelectric effect.

2.2. In-text citations from sources with two authors (compare & with and)

. . . the photoelectric effect (Einstein & Johnson, 1906)

Einstein and Johnson’s description of the photoelectric effect (1906)

In 1906, Einstein and Johnson published a paper on the photoelectric effect.

2.3. In-text citations from sources with three or more authors

Barrett et al. (1997) found . . .

Note:

If two or more papers would have the same abbreviation under APA rules (e.g., Einstein, Rush, and

Oppenheimer, 1950, and Einstein, Bohr and Teller, 1950), provide as many names as are needed to

distinguish between the papers:

Einstein, Rush et al. (1950) and Einstein, Bohr et al. (1950) found . . .

2.5. In-text citations from sources with no authors

Include the title and date:

. . . the book Pregnancy and poverty (1979) argues that . . . .

Note:

For articles or book chapters, put the title in double quotation marks

. . . the study on health care (“America suffers,” 1997)

If the writer is listed as “Anonymous,” cite accordingly: (Anonymous, 1956)

If no author or date is given, use the title in your signal phrase or the first word or two of the title in

the parentheses and use the abbreviation "n.d." (for "no date").

Another study of students and research decisions discovered that students succeeded with

tutoring ("Tutoring and APA," n.d.).

2.6. In-text citations from multiple works within the same citation

To cite two or more works by the same author, list the author’s name once, followed by the dates of

publication in chronological order:

. . . as has been shown (Hewlett, 1989, 1993, 1994)

To cite different authors, list them alphabetically and then chronologically; separate the authors

using semicolons; the order in which the works appear must be the same as the ones in the

reference list:

. . . seminal papers in physics (Einstein, 1905a, 1905b; Johnson & Bohr, 1940; Teller, 1951)

Note: In Einstein, 1905a, 1905b, to decide which source is 1905a and which 1905b, you must first

list the sources on the basis of the alphabetical ordering of their tiles in your reference list and

give them a, b, etc. indexes there, and then use the same indexing in the running text of your

manuscript.

To separate a major citation from other citations, list the primary source first, followed by a

semicolon, then insert a “see also” before listing the remaining citations in alphabetical order:

. . . studies suggest (Strickley, 1997; see also Blake, 1995; Masters, 1986)

2.7. Cross-listings

To cite two or more works published in a single year by the same authors, distinguish between them

in the text and in references by adding a letter to the year (according to the A-Z listing of the source

titles):

Crowley et al., 1923a, 1923b, 1923c

If two authors cited have the same last name, give their initials in all references:

A. J. Einstein and Wilson (1905) and J. C. Einstein and Hartley (1961) found . . . .

2.8. Classical works

 Classical works, such as the Quran, the Bible and Greek and Roman texts, should be cited in

the text but do not need to be included in the reference list at the end of the paper.

 Translations of classical works should be noted: (Plato, trans. 2001). Translations also

should be included in the reference list.

 When citing specific sections of classical works, use line numbers, chapters, and so on

instead of page numbers, which typically apply only to a single edition.

 When citing a reprint of an older work, indicate both the date of the original publication and

the date of the reprint, separated by a slash: (Freud, 1901/1961)

2.9. Personal communication

Personal communications (such as email, letters, or conversations)

 Cite in the text but do not include in the reference list: (J. M. Hamilton, personal

communication, December 17, 2003)

2.10. Secondary sources

 Indirect references (works not referenced directly but discussed in a secondary source)

 If you wish to mention an article by Jones that you did not read directly but learned about in

a book by Adamson, cite as follows:

Jones’s study (as cited in Adamson, 1994)

 Include ONLY the secondary source (in above example, Adamson) in the reference list.

2.11. Works still in press

Rather than cite a predicted publication date, indicate that the work is still in press; it means that

the work has been accepted for publication and will definitely be published in a near future:

(Horace, in press)

3) Quotations

If you directly quote fewer than 40 words from a source, include it in the running text, surrounded

by double quotation marks:

Example:

If you directly quote 40 words or more from a source, set them off from the text in left-indented

block form without quotation marks.

Example:

 To indicate errors in the original source, use sic, italicized and bracketed:

Example: “ is one of the main biolgical [sic] predictors of . . . .”

 Use an ellipsis (. . .) to indicate omission in the original source; add a period (. . . .) if the

omission comes between sentences.

 Use square brackets to insert materials which are not part of the quotation.

 If someone other than the original author has italicized words for emphasis, add the words

[italics added] in square brackets after the words.

 Cite quotations in the following ways (depending on quote length and use of author name):

Horner (1967) found that “Children raised in stable two-parent families . . .” (p. 438).

He found that “Children raised . . . ” (Horner, 1967, p. 438).

 Avoid long quotations. A maximum of 5% to 10% of your work may be directly quoted from

elsewhere. Notice that you may need to obtain copyright permission for long quotations; if

so, indicate whether permission has been obtained.

4) Abbreviations and Statistical Symbols

For abbreviations and statistical/mathematical symbols, Go by the conventions of APA Editorial

Style (7

ed.).

5) Reference List

5.1. General considerations

 All references cited in the text should also appear in the reference list (except for classical

works and personal communications). All works that are used in the paper and identified by

a parenthetical reference require a listing in the References so that the reader can verify or

locate the original source.

 The reference list must be sorted first alphabetically and then chronologically.

 Each reference entry must be as complete and detailed as it can get.

 Do not use quotation marks for book chapters/paper titles.

 Make sure you use hanging indentation (0.5 inch or 1.27cm); The first line of each entry

must be flush with the left margin.

 Do NOT number the reference entries.

 Use the same font style and size as the rest of the paper.

 Give the last name and first/middle initials for all authors of a particular work up to and

including 20 authors (this is a new rule, as APA 6 only required the first six authors).

Separate each author’s initials from the next author in the list with a comma. Use an

ampersand (&) before the last author’s name. If there are 21 or more authors, use an ellipsis

(but no ampersand) after the 19th author, and then add the final author’s name.

Note: We strongly recommend that you see OWL at Purdue for a detailed style guide:

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/r

eference_list_basic_rules.html

5.1.1. How to list authors

 Do NOT use ellipsis dots . . . in the reference list for sources with less than 21 authors. Here

are some examples:

1 author: Smith, J.

2 authors: Smith, J., & Jones, M.

3-20 authors (list all and use & before the last author): Smith, J., Jones, M., & Johnson, R.

If there are 21 or more authors, use an ellipsis (but no ampersand) after the 19th author, and then

add the final author’s name. There should be no more than 20 names in your listing.

21+ authors: Pegion, K., Kirtman, B. P., Becker, E., Collins, D. C., LaJoie, E., Burgman, R., Bell,

R., DelSole, R., Min, D., Zhu, Y., Li, W., Sinsky, E., Guan, H., Gottschalck, J.,

Metzger, E. J., Barton, N. P., Achuthavarier, D., Marshak, J., Koster, R., . . . Kim,

Note: For 21 or more authors, list by last names and initials; commas separate author names.

After the 19th author's name, use ellipsis dots in place of the author names. Then provide the

final author name. There should be no more than 20 names in your listing.

See Also:

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/r

eference_list_author_authors.html

5.1.2. How to show dates (Note: Works with only a year should be listed before those with a more

specific date.)

 Enclose the date (year first) in parenthesis after the author’s name, follow with a period.

Year only: (2007).

Month/Year: (2007, September).

Two Months: (2007, September/October).

Complete date: (2007, September 12).

 Note that NOT ALL sources require months/days to be identified in their references entries

1. Reference List: Articles in Periodicals

BASIC FORM

APA style dictates that authors are named with their last name followed by their initials; publication

year goes between parentheses, followed by a period. The title of the article is in sentence-case,

meaning only the first word and proper nouns in the title are capitalized. The periodical title is run

in title case, and is followed by the volume number which, with the title, is also italicized. If a DOI

has been assigned to the article that you are using, you should include this after the page numbers

for the article. If no DOI has been assigned and you are accessing the periodical online, use the URL

of the website from which you are retrieving the periodical.

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article: Subtitle of article. Title of Periodical,

volume number(issue number), pages. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy

ARTICLE IN PRINT JOURNAL

Brown, J. D. (2013). My twenty-five years of cloze testing research: So what? International Journal of

Language Studies, 7(1), 1-32.

Note: APA 7 advises writers to include a DOI (if available), even when using the print source. The

example above assumes no DOI is available.

ARTICLE IN ELECTRONIC JOURNAL

As noted above, when citing an article in an electronic journal, include a DOI if one is associated with

the article.

Baniya, S., & Weech, S. (2019). Data and experience design: Negotiating community-oriented digital

research with service-learning. Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International

Engagement, 6(1), 11–16. https://doi.org/10.5703/1288284316979

DOIs may not always be available. In these cases, use a URL. Many academic journals provide stable

URLs that function similarly to DOIs. These are preferable to ordinary URLs copied and pasted from

the browser's address bar.

Brown, J. D. (2013). My twenty-five years of cloze testing research: So what? International Journal of

Language Studies, 7(1), 1-32. http://ijls.net/sample/71-1.pdf

ARTICLE IN A MAGAZINE

Peterzell, J. (1990, April). Better late than never. Time, 135(17), 20–21.

ARTICLE IN A NEWSPAPER

Schultz, S. (2005, December). Calls made to strengthen state energy policies. The Country Today, 1A,

2A.

REVIEW

Baumeister, R. F. (1993). Exposing the self-knowledge myth [Review of the book The self-knower: A

hero under control, by R. A. Wicklund & M. Eckert]. Contemporary Psychology, 38(5), 466–

467.

2. Reference List: Books

Note: If available, APA 7 requires a DOI for all works that have one — whether print or digital. If a

print work does not have a DOI do not include it in the reference citation.

BASIC FORMAT FOR BOOKS

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher Name. DOI

(if available)

Stoneman, R. (2008). Alexander the Great: A life in legend. Yale University Press.

EDITED BOOK, NO AUTHOR

Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher. DOI (if

available)

Leitch, M. G., & Rushton, C. J. (Eds.). (2019). A new companion to Malory. D. S. Brewer.

EDITED BOOK WITH AN AUTHOR OR AUTHORS

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (E. Editor, Ed.).

Publisher. DOI (if available)

Malory, T. (2017). Le morte darthur (P. J. C. Field, Ed.). D. S. Brewer. (Original work published

1469-70)

A TRANSLATION

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (T. Translator, Trans.).

Publisher. (Original work published YEAR) DOI (if available)

Plato (1989). Symposium (A. Nehamas & P. Woodruff, Trans.). Hackett Publishing Company.

(Original work published ca. 385-378 BCE)

Note: When you cite a republished work, like the one above, in your text, it should appear with both

dates: Plato (385-378/1989)

EDITION OTHER THAN THE FIRST

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (# edition). Publisher.

DOI (if available)

Belcher, W. (2019). Writing your journal article in twelve weeks: A guide to academic publishing

success (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.

ARTICLE OR CHAPTER IN AN EDITED BOOK

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor

(Eds.), Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (pp. pages of chapter). Publisher. DOI (if

available)

Note: When you list the pages of the chapter or essay in parentheses after the book title, use "pp."

before the numbers: (pp. 1-21). This abbreviation, however, does not appear before the page

numbers in periodical references. List any edition number in the same set of parentheses as the

page numbers, separated by a comma: (2nd ed., pp. 66-72).

Armstrong, D. (2019). Malory and character. In M. G. Leitch & C. J. Rushton (Eds.), A new companion

to Malory (pp. 144-163). D. S. Brewer.

MULTIVOLUME WORK

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (Vol. #). Publisher.

DOI (if available)

David, A., & Simpson, J. (Eds.). (2006). The Norton anthology of English literature: The Middle Ages

(8th ed., Vol. A). W. W. Norton and Company.

3. Reference List: Other Print Sources

Important Note: Because the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual heavily emphasizes digital

and electronic sources, it does not contain explicit instructions for certain less-common print

sources that earlier editions covered. For this reason, some of the examples below have been

adapted from the instructions for sources with similar attributes (e.g., the conference proceedings

example is derived from the instructions the 7th edition manual gives for citing edited collections).

Every example below that has been adapted in this way is accompanied by a note explaining how it

was adapted.

Please also note: While this resource contains many examples of citations for uncommon print

sources that we think are helpful, it may not account for every possibility. For even more examples

of how to cite uncommon print sources, please refer to the 7th edition of the APA Publication

Manual.

ENTRY IN A DICTIONARY, THESAURUS, OR ENCYCLOPEDIA WITH A GROUP AUTHOR

The 7th edition of the APA manual does not provide specific guidance on how to cite physical

reference works such as dictionaries, thesauruses, or encyclopedias. Therefore, this citation, as well

as the one for an individual author of an entry in a reference work, is modeled on that of a chapter in

an edited book or anthology, both which are similar in format to reference works.

Institution or organization name. (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work (edition, page

numbers). Publisher name.

Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. (1997). Goat. In Merriam Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10th ed.,

pp. 499-500). Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

ENTRY IN A DICTIONARY, THESAURUS, OR ENCYCLOPEDIA WITH AN INDIVIDUAL AUTHOR

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of entry. In F. M. Lastname (ed.), Title of reference work (edition, page

numbers). Publisher.

Tatum, S. R. (2009). Spirituality and religion in hip hop literature and culture. In T. L. Stanley (ed.),

Encyclopedia of hip hop literature (pp. 250-252). Greenwood.

WORK DISCUSSED IN A SECONDARY SOURCE

Provide the source in which the original work was referenced:

Nail, T. (2017). What is an assemblage? SubStance, 46(1), 21-37.

http://sub.uwpress.org/lookup/doi/10.3368/ss.46.1.21

Note: Provide the secondary source in the references list; in the text, name the original work, and

give a citation for the secondary source. For example, if Deleuze and Guattari’s work is cited in Nail

and you did not read the original work, list the Nail reference in the References. In the text, use the

following citation:

Deleuze & Guattari’s concept of the assemblage (as cited in Nail, 2017)….

DISSERTATION ABSTRACT

The 7th edition of the APA manual does not provide specific guidance on how to cite dissertation

abstracts. Therefore, this citation models that of a journal article, which is similar in format.

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation. Dissertation Abstracts International, Vol., Page.

Angeli, E. L. (2012). Networks of communication in emergency medical services. Dissertation

Abstracts International, 74, 03(E).

DISSERTATION OR MASTER’S THESIS, PUBLISHED

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis (Publication No.) [Doctoral dissertation/Master’s

thesis, Name of Institution Awarding the Degree]. Database or Archive Name.

Angeli, E. L. (2012). Networks of communication in emergency medical services (Publication No.

3544643) [Doctoral dissertation, Purdue University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Note: If the dissertation or thesis is not published in a database, include the URL of the site where

the document is located.

DISSERTATION OR MASTER’S THESIS, UNPUBLISHED

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis [Unpublished doctoral dissertation/master’s

thesis]. Name of Institution Awarding the Degree.

Samson, J. M. (2016). Human trafficking and globalization [Unpublished doctoral dissertation].

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

FEDERAL OR STATE STATUTE

Name of Act, Public Law No. (Year). URL

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Publ. L. No. 111-148, 124 Stat. 119 (2010).

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-111publ148/pdf/PLAW-111publ148.pdf

REPORT BY A GOVERNMENT AGENCY OR OTHER ORGANIZATION

Organization Name. (Year). Title of report. URL

United States Government Accountability Office. (2019). Performance and accountability report:

Fiscal year 2019. https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/702715.pdf

REPORT BY INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS AT GOVERNMENT AGENCY OR OTHER ORGANIZATION

Lastname, F. M., & Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of report. Organization Name. URL

Palanker, D., Volk, J., Lucia, K., & Thomas, K. (2018). Mental health parity at risk: Deregulating the

individual market and the impact on mental health coverage. National Alliance on Mental

Illness. https://www.nami.org/About-NAMI/Publications-Reports/Public-Policy-Reports/

Parity-at-Risk/ParityatRisk.pdf

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

The 7th edition of the APA manual does not provide guidance on citing conference proceedings.

Therefore, this citation models that of an edited collection, which is similar in format.

Lastname, F. M., & Lastname, F. M. (Eds.). (Year). Title of Proceedings. Publisher. URL (if applicable)

Huang, S., Pierce, R., & Stamey, J. (Eds.). (2006). Proceedings of the 24th annual ACM international

conference on the design of communication. ACM Digital Library.

https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1166324&picked=prox

4. Reference List: Electronic Sources

Important Note: Some electronic citations necessitate the use of brackets. APA style dictates that

brackets should directly surround their content without spaces (e.g., [bracketed content] should

look like this). When possible, include the year, month, and date in references. If the month and date

are not available, use the year of publication. Additionally, APA 7th edition no longer requires the

use of “Retrieved from” before URLs or DOIs; special exceptions, however, are made for resources

that are unarchived. Including the retrieval date for these sources indicates to readers that the

version of the work they retrieve may be different than what was originally used.

Please note: the following contains a list of the most commonly cited electronic sources. For a

complete list of how to cite electronic sources, please refer to the 7th edition of the APA Publication

Manual.

WEBPAGE OR PIECE OF ONLINE CONTENT

If the page names an individual author, cite their name first:

Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of page. Site name. URL

Price, D. (2018, March 23). Laziness does not exist. Medium. https://humanparts.medium

.com/laziness-does-not-exist-3af27e312d01

If the resource was written by a group or organization, use the name of the group/organization as

the author. Additionally, if the author and site name are the same, omit the site name from the

citation.

Group name. (Year, Month Date). Title of page. Site name. URL

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (2019, November 21). Justice served:

Case closed for over 40 dogfighting victims. https://www.aspca.org/news/justice-

served-case-closed-over-40-dogfighting-victims

If the page's author is not listed, start with the title instead. Additionally, include a retrieval date

when the page's content is likely to change over time (like, for instance, if you're citing a wiki that is

publicly edited).

Title of page. (Year, Month Date). Site name. Retrieved Month Date, Year, from URL

Tuscan white bean pasta. (2018, February 25). Budgetbytes. Retrieved March 18, 2020, from

https://www.budgetbytes.com/tuscan-white-bean-pasta/

If the date of publication is not listed, use the abbreviation (n.d.).

Author or Group name. (n.d.). Title of page. Site name (if applicable). URL

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). Mental health conditions. https://www.nami.org/

Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions

WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE

APA 7 treats Wikipedia articles as special instances of entries in reference works. Thus, there are a

few differences between reference entries for pages on Wikipedia and those for generic webpages.

Title of article. (Year, Month Date). In Wikipedia. URL of archived version of page

Quantum mechanics. (2019, November 19). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.

php?title=Quantum_mechanics&oldid=948476810

Wikipedia articles often update frequently. For this reason, the date refers to the date that the cited

version of the page was published. Note also that the manual recommends linking to the archived

version of the page, rather than the current version of the page on the site, since the latter can

change over time. Access the archived version by clicking "View History," then clicking the

date/timestamp of the version you'd like to cite.

ONLINE SCHOLARLY JOURNAL ARTICLE: CITING DOIS

Please note: Because online materials can potentially change URLs, APA recommends providing a

Digital Object Identifier (DOI), when it is available, as opposed to the URL. DOIs are an attempt to

provide stable, long-lasting links for online articles. They are unique to their documents and consist

of a long alphanumeric code. Many—but not all—publishers will provide an article's DOI on the first

page of the document.

Note also that some online bibliographies provide an article's DOI but may "hide" the code under a

button which may read "Article" or may be an abbreviation of a vendor's name like "CrossRef" or

"PubMed." This button will usually lead the user to the full article which will include the DOI. Find

DOIs from print publications or ones that go to dead links with doi.org's "Resolve a DOI" function,

available on the site's home page. APA 7 also advises writers to include a DOI (if available), even

when using the print source.

ARTICLE FROM AN ONLINE PERIODICAL WITH DOI ASSIGNED

Lastname, F. M., & Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, Vol.(Issue), page

numbers. DOI

Drollinger, T., Comer, L. B., & Warrington, P. T. (2006). Development and validation of the active

empathetic listening scale. Psychology & Marketing, 23(2), 161-180. https://doi.org/

10.1002/mar.20105

ARTICLE FROM AN ONLINE PERIODICAL WITH NO DOI ASSIGNED

If an online scholarly journal article has no DOI and is published on a website, include the URL. If an

online scholarly article has no DOI and is published on a database, do not include a URL or any

database information. The only exception is for databases that publish articles that are in limited

circulation (like ERIC) or that are only available on that particular database (like UpToDate). Note

that retrieval dates are required for unarchived sources that are likely, or intended, to change over

time.

Perreault, L. (2019). Obesity in adults: Role of physical activity and exercise. UpToDate. Retrieved

January 12, 2020, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/obesity-in-adults-role-of-

physical- activity-and-exercise

ABSTRACT

APA 7th edition does not provide guidance on how to cite abstracts. However, if you only use

information from the abstract but the full text of the article is also available, we advise you to add

"[Abstract]" after the article or source name. If the full text is not available, you may use an abstract

that is available through an abstracts database as a secondary source.

ONLINE NEWS ARTICLE

Note: The format for this type of source depends on whether your source comes from a site with an

associated newspaper. If the source does come from a site with an associated newspaper, leave the

title of the article unformatted, but italicize the title of the newspaper.

Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of article. Title of Publication. URL

Richards, C. (2019, December 9). Best music of 2019: Lana Del Rey sings lullabies about the end of

America. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/best-

music-of-2019-lana-del-rey-sings-lullabies-about-the-end-of-america/2019/12/06/6e82c5

ec-15d8-11ea-a659-7d69641c6ff7_story.html

On the other hand, if the source doesn't come from a site with an associated newspaper, italicize the

title of the article, but leave the name of the site unformatted.

Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of article. Name of publishing website. URL

Jones, J. (2020, May 10). Why flats dominate Spain's housing market. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/

worklife/article/20200506-why-do-flats-dominate-spains-housing-market

ELECTRONIC OR KINDLE BOOKS

It is not necessary to note that you have used an eBook or audiobook when the content is the same

as a physical book. However, you should distinguish between the eBook or audiobook and the print

version if the content is different or abridged, or if you would like to cite the narrator of an

audiobook.

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of book. Publisher. URL

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of book [eBook edition]. Publisher. URL

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of book (N. Narrator, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Publisher. URL (if applicable)

DISSERTATION/THESIS FROM A DATABASE

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of dissertation or thesis (Publication No.) [Doctoral dissertation or

master’s thesis, Name of Institution Awarding Degree]. Database Name.

Duis, J. M. (2008). Acid/base chemistry and related organic chemistry conceptions of undergraduate

organic chemistry students. (Publication No. 3348786) [Doctoral dissertation, University of

Northern Colorado]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

ENTRY IN AN ONLINE DICTIONARY, THESAURUS, OR ENCYCLOPEDIA WITH A GROUP AUTHOR

Note: An online dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia may be continuously updated and therefore

not include a publication date (like in the example below). If that’s the case, use “n.d.” for the date

and include the retrieval date in the citation.

Institution or organization name. (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work. URL

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Braggadocio. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved January 13,

2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/braggadocio

ENTRY IN AN ONLINE DICTIONARY, THESAURUS, OR ENCYCLOPEDIA WITH AN INDIVIDUAL

AUTHOR

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of entry. In F. M. Lastname (ed.), Title of reference work (edition).

Publisher. URL or DOI

Martin, M. (2018). Animals. In L. A. Schintler & C. L. McNeely (Eds), Encyclopedia of big data.

SpringerLink. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32001-4_7-1

Note: If the dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia does not include an edition, simply skip that step.

DATA SETS

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group (Year). Title of dataset (Version No.) [Data set]. Publisher. DOI or

URL

Grantmakers in the Arts. (2019). Arts funding trends, United States, 1994-present (ICPSR 37337)

[Data set]. National Archive of Data on Arts & Culture. https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/

icpsrweb/NADAC/studies/37337

GRAPHIC DATA (E.G. INTERACTIVE MAPS, INFOGRAPHICS, AND OTHER GRAPHIC

REPRESENTATIONS OF DATA)

Give the name of the organization or individual followed by the date and the title. If there is no title,

in brackets, you should provide a brief explanation of what type of data is there and in what form it

appears. Include the URL and the retrieval date if there is no publication date.

HatchMed. (2017). 8 ways to improve patient satisfaction [Infographic]. HatchMed.com.

https://www.hatchmed.com/blog/2017/1/30/8-ways-to-improve-patient-satisfaction

Google. (n.d.). [Google Map of Purdue University]. Retrieved January 12, 2020, from

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4237095,-86.9233886,17z

QUALITATIVE DATA AND ONLINE INTERVIEWS

If an interview is not retrievable in audio or print form, cite the interview only in the text (not in the

reference list) and provide the month, day, and year in the text. If the interview transcript is

published in an online periodical, like a magazine, cite the interview the same way you would cite

the medium where it is published, as shown below:

Schulman, M. (2019, December 8). Peter Dinklage is still punk rock. The New Yorker.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/peter-dinklage-is-still-pu

nk-rock

If it is an audio file or transcript published in a database, credit the interviewee as the author and

use the following model:

Paynter, W. (1970, September 17). Interview with Will Paynter [Interview]. Studs Terkel Radio

Archive; The Chicago History Museum. https://studsterkel.wfmt.com/programs/

interview-will-paynter

ONLINE LECTURE NOTES AND PRESENTATION SLIDES

When citing online lecture notes, be sure to provide the file format in brackets after the lecture title

(e.g. PowerPoint slides, Word document).

Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of presentation [Lecture notes, PowerPoint slides, etc.].

Publisher. URL

Smith, C. (2017, October 13). AI and machine learning demystified [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare.

https://www.slideshare.net/carologic/ai-and-machine-learning-demystified-by-carol-smith

-at-midwest-ux-2017

COMPUTER SOFTWARE/DOWNLOADED SOFTWARE

Do not cite standard office software (e.g. Word, Excel) or programming languages. Provide

references only for specialized software.

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group. (Year). Title of software (Version No.). Publisher. URL

Maplesoft. (2019). Maple companion (Version 2.1.0). Cybernet Systems Co. https://www.maplesoft.

com/ products/MapleCompanion/

E-mails are not included in the list of references, though you should parenthetically cite them in

your main text:

(E. Robbins, personal communication, January 4, 2001).

ONLINE FORUM OR DISCUSSION POSTING

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group [username]. (Year, Month Date). Title of post [Online forum post].

Publisher. URL

Stine, R. L. [RL__Stine]. (2013, October 23). I’m R.L. Stine and it’s my job to terrify kids. Ask me

anything! [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/

1p32dl/

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group [@username]. (Year, Month Date). Content of the post up to the

first 20 words[Tweet]. Site Name. URL

Note: If the tweet includes images, videos, or links to other sources, indicate that information in

brackets after the content description. Also attempt to replicate emojis if possible.

National Geographic [@NatGeo]. (2020, January 12). Scientists knew African grays are clever, but

now they’ve been documented assisting other members of their species—even strangers

[Tweet; thumbnail link to article]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/NatGeo/status/1216346

352063537154

TWITTER PROFILE

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group [@username]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Retrieved Month

Date, Year, from URL

MLA Style [@mlastyle]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Retrieved January 12, 2020, from

https://twitter.com/mlastyle

FACEBOOK POST

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group. (Year, Month Date). Content of the post up to the first 20 words

[Type of post]. Site Name. URL

Note: If the Facebook post includes images, videos, or links to other sources, indicate that

information in brackets after the content description. Also attempt to replicate emojis if possible.

U.S. Department of the Interior. (2020, January 10). Like frosting on a cake, snow coats and clings to

the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah [Image attached] [Status update].

Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/USInterior/photos/a.155163054537384/25864754

51406120/?type=3&theater

FACEBOOK PAGE

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Site name. Retrieved Month Date,

Year, from URL

Little River Canyon National Preserve (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved January

12, 2020 from https://www.facebook.com/lirinps/

INSTAGRAM PHOTO OR VIDEO

Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group [@username]. (Year, Month Date). Content of the post up to the

first 20 words [Type of post]. Site Name. URL

BBC [@bbc]. (2020, January 12). Skywatchers have been treated to the first full moon of 2020-known

as a “wolf moon”-at the same time as a [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.

instagram.com/p/B7OkWqbBwcf/

BLOG POST

Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of post. Publisher. URL

Axelrod, A. (2019, August 11). A century later: The Treaty of Versailles and its rejection of racial

equality. Code Switch, NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2019/08/11/

742293305/a-century-later-the-treaty-of-versailles-and-its-rejection-of-racial-equality

YOUTUBE OR OTHER STREAMING VIDEO

Last Name, F. M. [Username]. (Year, Month Date). Title of video [Video]. Streaming Service. URL

Lushi, K. [Korab Lushi]. (2016, July 3). Albatross culture 1 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.

com/watch?v=_AMrJRQDPjk&t=148s

Note: The person or group who uploaded the video is considered the author. If the author’s name is

the same as the username, you can omit the [Username].

TED TALK

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Date). Title of talk [Video]. TED. URL

Al-Mutawa, N. (2010, July). Superheroes inspired by Islam [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks

/naif_al_mutawa_superheroes_inspired_by_islam#t-4909

Or (if on YouTube)

Username. (Year, Month Date). Title of talk [Video]. YouTube. URL

Tedx Talks. (2011, Nov. 15). TEDxHampshireCollege - Jay Smooth - How I learned to stop worrying

and love discussing race [Video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

MbdxeFcQtaU

PODCAST EPISODE

Host, A. A. (Host). (Year, Month Date). Title of episode (No. if provided) [Audio podcast episode]. In

Name of podcast. Publisher. URL

Prime, K. (Host). (2019, March 29). For whom the cowbell tolls [Audio podcast episode]. In Radiolab.

WNYC Studios. https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/whom-cowbell-tolls

5. Reference List: Audiovisual Media

The term "audiovisual media" refers to media that contain both audio components, visual

components, or a combination of both. In general, the citation style for audiovisual media varies

depending on whether the piece stands alone or is part of a larger work. The following examples

provide sample references for some of the most common audiovisual sources.

Please note: the following contains a list of the most commonly cited audiovisual sources. For a

complete list of how to cite audiovisual sources, please refer to the 7th edition of the APA

Publication Manual.

FILM OR VIDEO

Director, D. D. (Director). (Date of publication). Title of motion picture [Film]. Production company.

Loyd, P. (Director). (2008). Mamma mia! [Film]. Universal Pictures.

FILM OR VIDEO IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE

Director, D. D. (Director). (Date of publication). Title of motion picture in original language

[Translated title] [Film]. Production company.

Del Toro, G. (Director). (2006). El laberinto del fauno [Pan’s labyrinth] [Film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.

TV SERIES

Executive Producer, P. P. (Executive Producer). (Date range of release). Title of series [TV series].

Production company(s).

Sherman-Palladino, A., Palladino, D. (Executive Producers). (2017-present). The marvelous Mrs.

Maisel [TV series]. Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions; Picrow, Amazon Studios.

TV SERIES EPISODE

Writer, W. W. (Writer), & Director, D. D. (Director). (Original air date). Title of episode (Season

number, Episode number) [TV series episode]. In P. Executive Producer (Executive

Producer), Series title. Production company(s).

Korsh, A. (Writer & Director). (2019, September 25). One last con (Season 9, Episode 10) [TV series

episode]. In D. Liman & D. Bartis (Executive Producers), Suits. Untitled Korsh Company;

Universal Content Productions; Open 4 Business Productions.

YOUTUBE VIDEO

Person or group who uploaded video. (Date of publication). Title of video [Video]. Website host. URL

Tasty. (2018, March 7). 7 recipes you can make in 5 minutes [Video]. Youtube. https://www.

youtube.com/watch?v=9_5wHw6l11o

MUSIC ALBUM

Recording artist. (Year of release). Title of album [Album]. Record label.

The National. (2019). I am easy to find [Album]. 4AD.

Note: If you are referencing a re-recorded version of a classical work, list that album title in

brackets following the name of the album.

SINGLE SONG OR TRACK

Recording artist. (Year of release). Title of song [Song]. On Title of album [Album]. Record label.

Dacus, L. (2018). Night shift [Song]. On Historian [Album]. Matador Records.

Note: If the song is a piece of classical music, you can list the composer instead of the recording

artist.

Also Note: If the song does not have an associated album, simply omit the section with the album.

PODCAST

Executive Producer, E. P. (Executive Producer). (Range of publication). Title of podcast [Audio

podcast]. Production company. URL

Bae, P. (Executive Producer). (2017-present). The big loop [Audio podcast]. QRX. https://www.

thebiglo oppodcast.com/

Note: In place of the executive producer, you can also list the host of the podcast.

Also Note: If you did not access the podcast via an online source (e.g., if, you used a podcast app),

omit the URL.

SINGLE PODCAST EPISODE

Executive Producer, E. P. (Executive Producer). (Date of publication). Title of podcast episode

(Episode number) [Audio podcast episode]. In Title of podcast. Production company. URL

Koenig, S. (Host). (2014, October 3). The alibi (No. 1) [Audio podcast episode]. In Serial. WBEZ

Chicago. https://serialpodcast.org/

Note: In place of the executive producer, you can also list the host of the podcast.

Note: If you did not access the podcast via an online source (e.g., if you used a podcast app), omit the

URL.

ARTWORK IN A MUSEUM OR ON A MUSEUM WEBSITE

Artist, A. (Year of release). Title of artwork [medium]. Name of museum, City, State, Country. URL of

museum

Hopper, E. (1942). Nighthawks [Painting]. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/111628/nighthawks

Note: If the artwork is available via a museum website, cite that website at the end of the citation. If

there is no associated website, simply omit the URL.

Note: If the artwork does not have a title, briefly describe the work and put that description in

square brackets.

PHOTOGRAPH (NOT ASSOCIATED WITH A MUSEUM)

Photographer, P. (Year of publication). Title of photograph [Photograph]. Source. URL

Ryan, S. (2019). [Sea smoke on Lake Michigan] [Photograph] New York Times. https://www.

nytimes.com/interactive/2019/world/year-in-pictures.html

Note: If the photograph does not have a title, describe the photograph and put that description in

square brackets.

6. Reference List: Other Non-Print Sources

Please note: the following contains a list of the most commonly cited non-print sources. For a

complete list of how to cite non-print sources, please refer to the 7th edition of the APA Publication

Manual.

INTERVIEWS

Interviews fall into three categories: published interviews, personal interviews, and research

participant interviews. However, only published interviews require a formal citation in your

reference list.

A published interview is found in places like a radio show, newspaper, or magazine. To cite a

published interview, adhere to the format for that particular reference type (i.e., if the interview is

on a podcast, cite the podcast). For more information on citing sources where an interview might

appear, visit the Articles in Periodicals page or the Electronic Sources page.

A personal interview is considered personal communication and does not require a formal citation

in your reference list. See below for more information.

A research participant interview is an interview conducted as part of your research project. You

might address this in the body of your paper, saying something like, “As part of my study, I

interviewed fifty participants about their involvement with intramural sports.” However, you do not

need to formally cite this in your reference list.

Presentation at Conference or Symposium

Whether you’re citing a keynote address, a paper presentation as part of a symposium, or a poster

presentation, follow the guidelines below. While some presentations are published after they’re

given, others do not have a written component. If the presentation is published, follow the

guidelines for citation as laid out in the Other Print Sources page. Be sure to include a URL if the

publication is available online.

PRESENTATION WITHOUT AN ONLINE SOURCE

Contributor, A. A., Contributor, B. B., Contributor, C. C., & Contributor, D. D. (Year, Month Day). Title

of contribution [Description of contribution]. Title of Symposium/Conference, Location.

Matson, E. (2018, Nov. 5). Drones and autonomous vehicles: The latest new technology to come with

potential threat [Conference session]. Dawn or Doom 2018 Conference, Purdue University,

West Lafayette, IN, United States.

PRESENTATION WITH ONLINE SOURCE

Contributor, A. A., Contributor, B. B., Contributor, C. C., & Contributor, D. D. (Year, Month Day). Title

of contribution [Description of contribution]. Title of Symposium/Conference, Location. URL

Bailey, C. (2019, April 5). How to get your brain to focus [Address]. TEDxManchester, Manchester,

U.K. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu4Yvq-g7_Y

INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION IN A LARGER SYMPOSIUM/PANEL

Contributor, A. A., Contributor, B. B., Contributor, C. C., & Contributor, D. D. (Year, Month Day). Title

of contribution. In E. E. Chairperson & F. F. Chairperson (Chairs), Title of larger

symposium/panel [Description of symposium/panel] Title of symposium/conference,

Location. URL if available

Fabian, J. J. (2020, May 14). UX in free educational content. In J. S. Doe (Chair), The case of the Purdue

OWL: Accessibility and online content development [Panel presentation] Computers and

Writing 2020, Greenville, NC, United States.

UNPUBLISHED WORKS

You may find yourself needing to cite a dissertation or a manuscript that has not yet been formally

published. To correctly classify the work, describe the work and put that description in square

brackets. Be sure the date you list is the year the work was completed, whether it’s the final version

or not.

UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT

Barkley, S., Chen, M., & McDonald, P. (2018). The effects of sodium on children’s health [Unpublished

manuscript]. Department of Biology, University of Cincinnati.

MANUSCRIPT IN PREPARATION

Glass, A. (2019). How avocados changed America [Manuscript in preparation]. Department of

Sociology, Michigan State University.

MANUSCRIPT SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION

Jones, R. (2019). Walt Whitman and the American Dream [Manuscript submitted for publication].

Department of English, University of Mississippi.

PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Any communication that cannot be directly retrieved by a reader is considered “personal

communication.” Emails, phone conversations, text messages, and social media messages are all

examples of personal communication. You do not include personal communication in your reference

list; instead, parenthetically cite the communicator's name, the phrase "personal communication,"

and the date of the communication in your main text only.

(E. Robbins, personal communication, January 4, 2019).

If you reference personal communication in a footnote, as is common practice in certain fields and

publications, you can document it in the same way.

1. P. Smith (personal communication, November 3, 2019) also claimed that many of her students

had difficulties with APA style.

Although you do not need to cite personal communication, do try to locate a source when possible.

For example, if your friend told you about a research study he heard on a podcast, and you want to

include that information in your essay, it is best to cite the original podcast, rather than the

communication with your friend.

TABLE AND FIGURE CAPTIONS:

Table and figure captions in version 7 are styled according to table captions in version 6. The only

difference between them is that a figure number is followed by a period (e.g., Figure 1., Figure 2.,

etc.).

1) Place on 2 lines (Line 1: Figure/Table and its number | line 2: italicized caption).

2) Line 1: Figure X. or Table X (depending on whether you are captioning a table or a figure).

3) Line 2: Table/Figure captions are italicized and all content words (as well as five-plus-letter

functors) are capitalized.

See the examples below:

For more help, also see the OWL at Purdue:

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html