APA STYLE: SEVENTH EDITION
These guidelines follow the 2020 7th edition of the American Psychological Association’s Publication Manual, which is widely used in the health and social sciences. They focus on documentation, but the manual addresses issues from abbreviations to layout and should be consulted for further information. In an APA-style paper, you’ll identify the author and year of each source any time you use it. That information directs readers to more detailed entries on a reference list at the paper’s end.
Read the book and attempt the quiz at the end of it
4. Considerations 1
1. Date: APA includes the year of publication in every parenthetical citation and in the first narrative citation of each source in any paragraph (although some teachers require it in all narrative citations). Only the year of publication goes in your in-text citation, even if the reference page entry includes a month. Manual, p. 262.
2. Page numbers. APA requires specific page, paragraph, or location numbers for all direct quotations. Specific page numbers are rarely included for paraphrases and most teachers don’t allow them, although APA does.
List all digits in every page number. For written sources without page numbers, use “para.,”
the paragraph number, and, when possible, the section heading. Put document-specific headings in quotation marks and shorten them if needed. For video or audio sources, use
the timestamp; for PowerPoint presentations, use the slide number. Manual, p. 264.
(Drew, 2002, para. 4)
(Marvin, 2009, Introduction, para. 12)…
(Fayne, 2013, “Idaho Dentists Find,” para. 3)
Major classical works like the Qur’an, The Odyssey, and Macbeth have standard numbering systems that cross all editions and translations, so use those systems instead of page numbers. Manual, p. 274.
(Shakespeare, 1623/2003, 1.5.45-60)
(King James Bible, 1769/2017, 2 Sam. 12:1-10)
3. Names. The body of an APA paper typically uses last names only, even on first reference. Endings like “Jr.” and academic degrees are not included. Manual, p. 262.
Garland and Wilder (2013) found that…
Other research suggests that this model may be inadequate (Garland & Wilder, 2013).
APA doesn’t use first names or initials in citations unless that’s the only way of distinguishing between two sources. However, be aware that some fields like English may expect first and last names on first narrative reference. Manual, p. 262.
4. No author. When you don’t know the name of your source’s author, use the first words of its title. Italicize the title of a periodical, book, or report; use quotation marks for an article. Manual, p. 265.
Book: (Eating Disorders, 2018) or the book Eating Disorders (2018)
Article: …benefits have been demonstrated (“Holistic Approach,” 2002)
5. Multiple authors. If your source has two authors, cite both every time. If it has three or more authors, use the first author’s name with “et al.” Note that “et al.” is not italicized and that there is a period after “al.” If you name two authors in a narrative citation, write out the “and” between their names. In a parenthetical citation, use “&.” Manual, p. 266.
One study of peer relationships… (Granger & Patil, 1997).
A later study of peer relationships… (Longbottom et al., 1999).