Introduction
The APA style is often used when writing research papers and documenting information sources in the sciences and social sciences. APA stands for the American Psychological Association. It is highly recommended to consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed., 2010 for additional information on the APA style. A copy is located in your campus library.
Reference List Formatting Guidelines
Some important formatting guidelines include: Entitle the reference page References (centered) Arrange references alphabetically by the surname of the first author or the corporate author (if no author is provided, move the title into the author position) Provide a hanging indent for each reference entry Double-space the reference list
Reference List
Sources used for the report or essay are provided in the APA References list. Some examples as to how to format commonly used references are provided below. Carefully note the use of punctuation (i.e. commas, periods), capitalization and italicization. Consult library staff and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed., 2010, for additional reference examples and rules.
Please note: In order to save space, the examples in this document have been formatted with single spacing. The sample reference list (page 6) shows the correct use of double-spaced citations.
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Format Books One Author Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher. Hosseini, K. (2004). The kite runner. Toronto, ON: Anchor Canada.
Two-Seven Authors
Doob, A. N., & Cesaroni, C. (2004). Responding to youth crime in Canada. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press. Midgley, C., Maehr, M. L., Hruda, L., Anderman, E. M., Freeman, K. E., Gheen, M., ... Urdan, T. (2000). Manual for the patterns of
Citations: with 6 or More Authors (Mitchell, McInnis & Brennan, 2011) (Mitchell et al., 2011) (Brennan et al., 2010) (Brennan et al., 2010) Organization as Author (World Wildlife Federation, 2010) No Author (Books, Brochures and Reports) (Use name of brochure, book, report) No Author (Chapters, Articles, or Web Pages) (Use first few words of chapter, article, web page) (Eating Healthy, 2009) (“How Plants”, 2006) Anonymous Author (Anonymous, 2007) Direct Quote – Web Page (American Kennel Club, 1994, para. 2) Personal Communication (Private letters, Memos, Email) – Reference list entry not required (K.L. Brennan, personal communication, June 28, 2011 NSCC Library Services, July 2012