When to Use APA Style
APA style is primarily used in the social sciences, including psychology, education, sociology, nursing, and business. It emphasizes the author and date of publication, making it easy to track research chronologically.
๐ Common Fields Using APA:
- Psychology
- Education
- Sociology
- Nursing & Healthcare
- Business & Management
Quick Reference - Common Source Types
๐ Book
Example:
Smith, J. (2024). Academic writing guide: Mastering research papers. Oxford University Press.
๐ Journal Article
Example:
Johnson, M., & Lee, S. (2023). Effects of sleep on memory consolidation. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 35(2), 145-162. https://doi.org/10.1037/cog0000123
๐ Website
Example:
Brown, T. (2024, March 15). How to write a literature review. Academic Writing Center. https://www.example.com/literature-review
๐ Interactive Citation Builder
Learn by doing! Fill in the fields below to see how your citation should look formatted in APA style.
๐ฏ Try It Yourself - Interactive book Citation
Fill in the fields below to see how your citation should look:
Your Citation:
[Author, I.] ([Year]). [Title of book: Subtitle]. [Publisher].
This is a live preview! As you type, the citation updates in real-time. Use this to learn the proper format for book citations.
In-Text Citation Rules
Parenthetical Citation
Place the author's last name and year in parentheses at the end of the sentence:
Research shows that sleep improves memory (Smith, 2024).
Narrative Citation
Include the author's name in the sentence and put only the year in parentheses:
According to Smith (2024), sleep improves memory consolidation.
Two Authors
Smith and Jones (2024) found... or (Smith & Jones, 2024)
Three or More Authors
Smith et al. (2024) or (Smith et al., 2024)
With Page Numbers
(Smith, 2024, p. 45) or (Smith, 2024, pp. 45-48)
Reference List Formatting Guidelines
- โTitle: Center "References" at the top of a new page (bold, not italicized)
- โOrder: Alphabetical by author's last name
- โHanging Indent: First line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches
- โSpacing: Double-space all entries
- โCapitalization: Use sentence case for titles (capitalize only first word and proper nouns)
- โItalics: Italicize titles of books, journals, and periodicals
Common Mistakes to Avoid
โ Using Title Case for Article/Book Titles
Wrong: Smith, J. (2024). Academic Writing Guide: Mastering Research Papers.
Right: Smith, J. (2024). Academic writing guide: Mastering research papers.
โ Forgetting the Period After Year
Wrong: Smith, J (2024) Title of book.
Right: Smith, J. (2024). Title of book.
โ Using "and" Instead of "&" in Parenthetical Citations
Wrong: (Smith and Jones, 2024)
Right: (Smith & Jones, 2024)
โ Not Including DOI for Journal Articles
Wrong: Ending without DOI when one exists
Right: Always include DOI as https://doi.org/xxxxx
Annotated Example
Here's a complete reference entry with each element explained:
Smith, J. A., & Jones, B. C. (2024). Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance. Journal of Sleep Research, 35(2), 145-162. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12345
Authors: Last name, Initials. Use "&" before final author.
Year: In parentheses, followed by period.
Article Title: Sentence case, not italicized.
Journal Name: Title case and italicized.
Volume & Issue: Volume italicized, issue in parentheses (not italicized).
Pages: Page range without "pp."
DOI: As a URL (https://doi.org/...)