Writing your paper was easy-peasy. You had the perfect sources, and everything reads great. Now, it’s time to format your reference page. You’re looking at the books, web pages, PDFs, journals and magazines that you used. Formatting each one is slightly different. Break down the format that you should use by looking at a few different APA style citation examples.
Citation Rules
There are rules that the citation page will follow for every style. APA has its own specific rules. These include:
- Entries should be alphabetized.
- Entries will start with author’s last name followed by their initials (e.g., Smith, A. B.).
- Only the first word of the title of a book, article or web page is capitalized (e.g., How to work with your hands).
- Journal titles are capitalized.
- Book and journal titles are italicized.
Basic Citation Formatting
Formatting your reference page can be a nightmare, but there are a few simple rules that you need to remember. Every citation that you make should answer the following questions:
- Who wrote it?
- Where did you find it?
- What is it?
- When was it published or found?
To really understand formatting, you need to look at some examples.
Book Examples
Books are a major source of information for your essay. Books come in print or electronic versions. Learn how to format both.
Print:
Author, A. A. (Publication year). Work title: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location of publisher: Publisher.
Electronic:
Author, A. A. (Date). Work title: Capital letter also for subtitle. Retrieved from https://includethewebsite.com
Kindle Book:
Author, A. A. (Date). Work title [Kindle DX version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com
Remember that books can include multiple authors or even no authors. Formatting for these will be special.
Periodical Examples
If you are creating a work on social sciences, chances are high that you will include a periodical in your sources. Periodicals follow this basic format:
Print:
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year of publication). Article title. Title of Periodical, volume number (issue number), pages. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy
Online:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Publication date). Article title. Title of Online Periodical, volume number (issue number if available). Retrieved from
https://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
Newspaper Examples
The news changes daily. Finding information in a newspaper can offer the most up-to-date sources. Knowing how to format these resources is pivotal.
Print:
Author, A. (Year, Month Day). Title. Newspaper Name, pp. 1A, 2A.
Online:
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper. Retrieved from https://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
Web Document Example
The web can offer a plethora of information. Learn how to cite it correctly. Here are some examples:
Section of a web document:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Publication date). Title. In Title of book or larger document (chapter or section number). Retrieved from https://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
Video:
Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (Year, month day). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
APA Reference Example
Now that you know how to format different sources in APA, look at how they come into play through an example reference page.
Formatting in APA
Formatting your citations in APA can be simple as long as you know the basic questions to answer. Instead of stressing, look at the examples and create your page.