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APA 7 Writing Guide

Include complete citations in the References section.

General Guidelines:

  • Start References on a new page, continuing the page number
  • Alphabetize by the first word of the reference
  • Use a hanging indent.

Basic Format:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date). Title of the work. Source where you can retrieve the work. (ex. URL or DOI if available)

Webpage:

Author(s) or Group Name. (Year, Month Date). Title of work. Source/URL

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, February 16). Strategies for optimizing the supply of N95 respirators. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hep/respirator-supply-strategies.htm

Online Dictionary:

Author, organization, or company. (Date). Dictionary Term. In Title of dictionary. Source/URL

*If online dictionary is continuously updated, add a retrieval statement and retrieval date as well as the URL.

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Circulate. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved September 29, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circulate

For more information on online media sources and more examples, see the APA Manual, pp. 348–352 or the SMWC Student Guide to APA 7th Edition.

Book

Last Name, F. I. M. I. (Year). Book title in italics. Publisher. DOI or URL (if applicable)

Examples

Becker, G. (2007). Economic theory (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/ 9781351327688

Porth, C. (2005). Pathophysiology: Concepts of altered health states. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.

Dissertation/Thesis

Unpublished

Last Name, F. I. M. I. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis [Unpublished doctoral dissertation/master’s thesis]. Name of Institution Awarding the Degree.

Published

Last Name, F. I. M. I. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis [Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis, Name of Institution Awarding the Degree]. Database Name/Archive Name. URL

Examples

Curry, J. (2016). A guide to educating single mothers about early gang intervention and prevention. [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Pacific Oaks College.

Andrea, H. (2014). Effective networked nonprofit organizations: Defining the behavior and creating an instrument for measurement. [Doctoral dissertation]. https://etd.ohiolink.edu/

Journal Article

Last Name, F. I. M. I. (Year). Title of the article (no quotation marks). Journal Name, #(#), #–#. DOI or URL (if applicable)

Examples

Gulicovski, J., Cerovic, L., Milonjic, S., & Popovic, I. (2008). Adsorption of itaconic acid from aqueous solutions onto alumina. Journal of the Serbian Chemistry Society, 73(8-9), 825–834. https://doi.org/10.2298/JSC0809835

Gupta, A. K., & Govindajaran, V. (2000). Managing global expansion: A conceptual framework. Business Horizons, 43(2), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0007- 6813(00)88560-2

For more information on textual sources and more examples, see the APA Manual, pp. 316–347 or the SMWC Student Guide to APA 7th Edition.

Film/TV Series

Last Name, F. I. M. I. (Director). (Year). Title of work [Description]. Publisher Name. DOI or URL (if applicable)

Examples

Forster, M. (Director). (2007). The kite runner [Film]. Dreamworks Video.

Melfi, T. (Director). (2016). Hidden figures [Film]. 20th Century Fox

Album

Artist Last Name, F. I. M. I..  (Year).  Title of album [Description].  Label. URL (if applicable)

Examples

Astley, R. (1987). Whenever you need somebody [Album]. RCA Records.

The Tragically Hip. (1992). Fully completely [Album]. MCA Records

Class slideshow stored on a learning management system

Instructor Last Name, F. I. M. I.  (Year, Month Day).  Description of slideshow [Description].  Site Name. URL for login

Example

Gunderson, C. (2019, August 21). Self Awareness [PowerPoint Slides]. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Brightspace. https://woodsonline.smwc.edu/d2l/home

For more information on audiovisual works and more examples, see the APA Manual, pp. 341–347. or the SMWC Student Guide to APA 7th Edition.

For information on data sets, software, and tests, see the APA Manual, pp. 337–341.

For information on legal references, see the APA Manual, pp. 355–368.