APA Citation Style Guidelines

Introduction to APA Style

The American Psychological Association (APA) citation style is widely used in social sciences, education, and business. APA Style helps writers credit sources and ensure consistency across academic writing. The guidelines are detailed in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, currently in its 7th edition.

APA style consists of two main components: in-text citations and the reference list. In-text citations appear in the body of your paper and point to the full citation in the reference list at the end. This system allows readers to easily locate the sources you used.

General Guidelines

When formatting your paper in APA style, follow these general guidelines:

• Use 1-inch margins on all sides
• Include a page header (running head) on each page
• Use a legible font such as Times New Roman (12pt) or Arial (11pt)
• Double-space your entire document
• Indent paragraphs 0.5 inches
• Include page numbers in the upper right of each page

A paper written in APA style typically contains a title page, abstract, main body, and references. The specific sections may vary depending on the type of paper or assignment.

In-Text Citations

In-text citations provide brief information about sources within the body of your paper. They typically include the author's last name and year of publication. There are two primary formats for in-text citations in APA style: parenthetical and narrative.

Parenthetical citations place both the author and year in parentheses:

Narrative citations incorporate the author's name into the sentence:

When citing a specific part of a source, include page numbers or paragraph numbers:

For works with two authors, include both names in every citation:

For works with three or more authors, include only the first author's name followed by "et al.":

When citing a secondary source (a source mentioned in another source), use "as cited in":

Reference List

The reference list appears at the end of your paper and provides complete bibliographic information for all sources cited in your text. The list should begin on a new page and be titled "References" centered at the top.

General formatting guidelines for the reference list include:

• Arrange entries alphabetically by the first author's surname
• Use a hanging indent for each entry (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches)
• Capitalize only the first letter of the first word, the first letter of the first word after a colon (if present), and proper nouns in article and book titles
• Italicize the titles of books, journals, and reports
• Include a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) for electronic sources when available

Common Citation Examples

Books

Journal Articles

Websites

Newspaper Articles

Reports

Dissertations and Theses