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Combined APA and MLA Citation Guide

How to cite electronic sources (6th ed.)

Examples are taken directly from either Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL) or from Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition. Please be advised that your instructor and the APA manual are the final authority on formatting, mechanics and citing references. This guide provides basic information only. Please refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) for detailed information.

*For other electronic sources not listed here go to OWL@Purdue or the APA Style guide.

In the tabs above you can find sample APA citations for electronic

  • Websites
  • Journal articles
  • Magazine articles
  • Newspaper articles 
  • Books
  • Images
  • Interviews
  • Video clips
  • Blog posts
  • Email

Remember that all lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation. All text is double-spaced. Sometimes the formatting on webpages like this do not show the correct format.

Basic format for webpage

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of document. Retrieved from http://Web address

 

Webpage

Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderland, L., & Brizee, A. (2010, May           

5). General format.Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

 

Webpage with no author

When there is no author for a web page, the title moves to the first position of the reference entry:

Example: 


All 33 Chile miners freed in flawless rescue. (2010, October 13). Retrieved from 
                                      

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39625809/ns/world_news-americas/

 

Cite in text the first few words of the reference list entry (usually the title) and the year. Use double quotation marks around the title or abbreviated title.: ("All 33 Chile Miners," 2010).

*For other electronic sources not listed here go to OWL@Purdue or the APA Style guide.

Remember that all lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation. All text is double-spaced. Sometimes the formatting on webpages like this do not show the correct format.

Basic format for Article from a database

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article.Title of Journal, volume number,           

page range. Retrieved from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

Article from a database

Smyth, A. M., Parker, A. L., & Pease, D. L. (2002). A study of enjoyment of peas. Journal of  Abnormal

Eating, 8 (3), 120-125. Retrieved from http://www.articlehomepage.com /full/url/

 

Basic Format for Journal article with DOI

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article.Title of Journal, volume number, page

range. doi:0000000/000000000000 or http://dx.doi.org/10.0000/0000

Journal article with DOI

Wooldridge, M.B., & Shapka, J. (2012). Playing with technology: Mother-toddler interaction scores lower

during play with electronic toys.Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 33(5), 211-218.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2012.05.005

Basic Format for Journal article with url

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article.Title of Online Periodical, volume

number(issue number if available). Retrieved from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

Journal article with url

Bernstein, M. (2002). 10 tips on writing the living Web. A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites, 149.

Retrieved from http://www.alistapart.com/articles/writeliving

 

*For other electronic sources not listed here go to OWL@Purdue or the APA Style guide.

Remember that all lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation. All text is double-spaced. Sometimes the formatting on webpages like this do not show the correct format.

Basic format for Article from a database

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article.Title of Journal, volume number, page

range. Retrieved from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

Article from a database

Smyth, A. M., Parker, A. L., & Pease, D. L. (2002). A study of enjoyment of peas. Journal of Abnormal

Eating, 8(3), 120-125. Retrieved from http://www.articlehomepage.com/full/url/

 

*For other electronic sources not listed here go to OWL@Purdue or the APA Style guide.

Remember that all lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation. All text is double-spaced. Sometimes the formatting on webpages like this do not show the correct format.

Basic format

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper. Retrieved from 
 

http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

Newspaper article

Parker-Pope, T. (2008, May 6). Psychiatry handbook linked to drug industry. The New York Times.

Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/psychiatry-handbook-linked-to-drug-

industry/?_r=0

*For other electronic sources not listed here go to OWL@Purdue or the APA Style guide.

Remember that all lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation. All text is double-spaced. Sometimes the formatting on webpages like this do not show the correct format.

Basic format for whole ebook

Author, A. (date). Title of bookRetrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx

eBook

De Huff, E. W. (n.d.). Taytay’s tales: Traditional Pueblo  Indian tales. Retrieved from

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/dehuff/taytay/taytay.html


Davis, J. (n.d.). Familiar birdsongs of the Northwest.  Available from http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?

inkey=1-9780931686108-0

 

Basic format for chapter in an ebook

Author, A. (date). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Retrieved from

http://xxxxxxxxx

 

*For other electronic sources not listed here go to OWL@Purdue or the APA Style guide.

For more information on citing images, try the APA Style blog

*For other electronic sources not listed here go to OWL@Purdue or the APA Style guide.

Remember that all lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation. All text is double-spaced. Sometimes the formatting on webpages like this do not show the correct format.

No personal communication is included in your reference list; instead, parenthetically cite the communicator's name, the phrase "personal communication," and the date of the communication in your main text only.

 

(E. Robbins, personal communication, January 4, 2001).

A. P. Smith also claimed that many of her students had difficulties with APA style (personal communication,

November 3, 2002).

 

*For other electronic sources not listed here go to OWL@Purdue or the APA Style guide.

Remember that all lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation. All text is double-spaced. Sometimes the formatting on webpages like this do not show the correct format.

Basic format for YouTube Video and other video-posting websites

Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (year, month day). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://​xxxx

 

YouTube Video

Apsolon, M. [markapsolon]. (2011, September 9). Real ghost girl  caught on Video Tape 14 [Video file].

Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nyGCbxD848

*For other electronic sources not listed here go to OWL@Purdue or the APA Style guide.

Remember that all lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation. All text is double-spaced. Sometimes the formatting on webpages like this do not show the correct format.

Blog

J Dean. (2008, May 7). When the self emerges: Is that me in the mirror? [Web log comment]. Retrieved from

http://www.spring.org.uk/the1sttransport

   Video Blog 

   Psychology Video Blog #3 [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqM90eQi5-M

 

*For other electronic sources not listed here go to OWL@Purdue or the APA Style guide.

E-mails are not included in the list of references, though you parenthetically cite them in your main text: (E. Robbins, personal communication, January 4, 2001).

 

*For other electronic sources not listed here go to OWL@Purdue or the APA Style guide.