A reference list entry generally has four elements: the author, date, title, and source. Each element answers a question:
Answering these four questions will help you create a reference entry for any type of work, even if you do not see a specific example in the Publication Manual that matches it. Consistency in reference formatting allows readers to understand the types of works you consulted and the important reference elements with ease.
Last Name, Initials. (Year). Article Title. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), Page range. DOI or URL
For Example:
Johnson, A. B., & Davis, C. D. (2020). The impact of exercise on mental health. Journal of Applied Psychology, 25(4), 123-145. DOI: 10.xxxxxx
"Author" refers to the person, people, or organization responsible for writing or creating the work. The author may be the writer(s) or editor(s) of a book or article, the artist of a piece of artwork or musical piece, the creator of a video, etc.
An author may be:
The author can usually be found near the title of the work, often (though not always) preceded by indicator phrases like:
When you cannot determine who the author is, treat the work as having no author.
The author is included at the beginning of the citation and written as Last Name followed by a comma and the author’s initials.
Hutchison, A.
The publication date is the date and/or time that the source was published or made available to the public. This might be the date of publication for a book, the time-period of publication for a journal, newspaper, or magazine article, the uploaded or updated date for a webpage or other online content, or the release or first aired date of a movie or show. The publication date may consist of any of the following or a combination thereof:
The publication date is frequently found on the title page or copyright page of a book or government document, at the top or bottom of an article, usually near the title or author's name, or on the cover of a journal, newspaper, or magazine. Keep your eyes out for anything that looks like a date or keywords such as:
If you see multiple publication dates use the date that is most recent and/or more specific.
When you cannot determine the date of publication, treat the work as having no date.
In most cases, you only need to include the year. Enclose the date of publication in parentheses, followed by a period.
Hutchison, A. (2024).
The source title is the title of the specific work you are referencing. For example, if you are citing a journal article, you would use the title of the article (not the journal containing the article. If you are citing a short-story or chapter within a book, use the short-story or chapter name/title, not the book itself. Use the book title when citing an entire book.
The title of the source is usually prominently displayed on the front-cover or page of a written work in letters that stand out from the rest of the text. If a source does not have a title, as may be the case when citing advertisements or social media posts, provide a brief description of the source in place of a title.
When the title of the work cannot be determined, treat the work as having no title.
The title appears after the author's name and date.
For works that are part of a greater whole (e.g., journal articles, edited book chapters), capitalize the first word in the title and any proper nouns. Do not italicize the title or use quotation marks around it.
Hutchison, A. (2024). Making artificial intelligence your friend, not your foe, in the literacy classroom.
For works that stand alone, such as books and webpages, italicize the title and capitalize only the first word and proper nouns.
The source indicates where readers can retrieve the cited work. A source can either stand alone or be part of a greater whole.
For a work that stands alone, such as a book, webpage, or film, the source is the publisher of the work, plus any applicable DOI or URL.
The source for a work that is part of a greater whole, such as a journal article or edited book chapter is the greater whole (i.e., the journal or edited book), plus any applicable DOI or URL.
For books, the publisher can usually be found on the copyright page. For journal articles found through a database, the name of the journal may be found on the results list or in the article itself.
The format of the source varies depending on the reference type.
For an article in an academic journal, include the title of the journal, the volume and issue numbers, the page range, and a DOI. A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies content and provides a persistent link to its location on the internet.
Hutchison, A. (2024). Making artificial intelligence your friend, not your foe, in the literacy classroom. Reading Teacher, 77(6), 899–908. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2296
Your reference list is where you list the full citation for every source you cite throughout your work. It should...
American Psychological Association (APA) 7th ed. Style Guideline Overview
The official American Psychological Association (APA) style guide website.