APA Reference List: The Basics

As a Biology/Psychology double major, Mizuki will often use the American Psychological Association (APA) style to cite sources in her papers. This style is used for psychology, other social sciences, and some sciences.

APA style uses a reference list at the end of the paper to provide the full details of the sources cited. Everything cited in the paper must appear in the reference list. Look at the following APA citations from Mizuki's psychology paper on the effects of media on body image and note the elements usually required when writing complete citations.

Be sure to keep track of this information as you gather your sources during the research process. You'll need it later when you write your paper.

• Book with One Author
  
  Format:
  

  Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year). Title of book. Place of Publication: Publisher.
  

  Citation:
  

  Wegenstein, B. (2006). Getting under the skin: The body and media theory. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

• Chapter from Edited Book
  
  Format:
  

  Chapter Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year). Title of essay. In Editor First Initial. Middle Initial. Last Name (Ed.), Title of edited book (pp. Page Numbers of Chapter). Place of Publication: Publisher.
  

  Citation:
  

  Tiggemann, M. (2002). Media influences on body image development. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice (pp. 91-98). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
  

• Journal Article
  
  Format:
  

  Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year). Article title. Journal Title, Volume Number (Issue Number), Page Numbers. DOI
  

  Citations:
  

  Schooler, D. (2008). Real women have curves: A longitudinal investigation of TV and the body image development of Latina adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 23, 132-153. doi:10.1177/0743558407310712
  

  Grabe, S., Ward, L. M., & Hyde, J. S. (2008). The role of the media in body image concerns among women: A meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies. Psychological Bulletin, 134, 460-476. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.134.3.460

• Magazine Articles
  
  Format:
  

  Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Magazine Title, Volume Number, Page Numbers.
  

  Citation:
  

  Underwood, N. (2001 August 14). Body envy. Maclean's, 113, 36-40.
  

• Web Sites
  
  Format: Varies depending on what type document it is. The basic citation format includes:
  

  Organization or Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Publication Year, Month Day) Title of document. Print Publication Information. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL

1. If the source does not have a date of publication, use (n.d.).
2. If the publication has no author, begin with the title and then the date.


Citation:


American Psychological Association Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. (2007). Report of the Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved April 12, 2008, from http:// www.apa.org/pi/wpo/sexualizationrep.pdf

Want more examples? See the library's APA citation guide. See also: Citation Guides and Other Resources.