Examples of APA Parenthetical Citation

These examples will provide you with the information you need to learn how to correctly format parenthetical citations used in text when quoting from other sources following APA style.

For examples of APA Works Cited entries, see below.

One Work by a Single Author

In 1994, Smith discovered these differences (p. 10).

Smith discovered substantial differences in the two substances (1994, p. 10).

In a recent study these differences were carefully described (Smith, 1994, p. 10).


One Work with Two Authors

A recent report describes the study (Smith & Jones, 1994, p. 10). [Note use of &]

In a recent report, Smith and Jones describe the study (1994, p. 10). [Note use of and]

In a 1994 report, Smith and Jones describe the study (p. 10).


One Work with More Than Two and Fewer Than Six Authors

First Citation

Jones, Smith, Allen, Young, and Street described their work in a recent study (1994, p. 10).

A new report on ozone depletion describes recent discoveries (Jones, Smith, Allen, Young, & Street, 1994, p. 10).

Second Citation

Jones et al. made an important discovery (1994, p. 15). [Note punctuation and spelling of et al.]

A new report on ozone depletion describes an important discovery (Jones et al., 1994, p. 15).


A Work with Six or More Authors

Jones et al. described important discoveries in their recent research (1994, p. 15).

A recent report described important new information about the ozone layer (Jones et al., 1994, p. 15).


More Than One Citation Within a Single Parenthetical Reference

Two recent studies about the ozone layer are especially important (Jones, 1994, p. 10; Smith, 1992, p. 15). [Note that entries are arranged alphabetically by author name, not chronologically by date.]


A Web Site Without Page Numbers

"Every human, Pipin said, possesses an 'aquatic genetic memory'" (Kvints, 1998, par. 3). [Note that the paragraph number, rather than the page, number is included.]

Examples of Entries for the Works Cited List, APA Style

Note particularly the way article and book titles are capitalized as opposed to the way journal titles are capitalized and the capitalization in titles following a colon or a dash. If your document is a "final product" your works cited list will be double spaced with a hanging indentation (that is, first line of each entry flush with the left margin and all other lines indented one-half inch). This hanging indent is not easily formatted for all browsers, so check with your instructor for examples.

A Book

Garruth, G. (1991). What happened when: A chronology of life and events in America. New York: Signet.


A Book with Two Authors

Ruland, R., & Bradbury, M. (1991). From puritanism to postmodernism: A history of American literature. New York: Viking.


An Edited Book

Mizener, A. (Ed.). (1979). Modern short stories. New York: Norton.


An Edition

Lannon, J. M. (1991). Technical writing (5th ed.). New York: HarperCollins.


An Article or Chapter in an Edited Book

Dundes, A. (1971). On the psychology of legend. In W. D. Hand (Ed.), American folk legend (pp. 21-36). Berkeley: University of California Press.


A Periodical Paginated by Volume

Arora, S. L. (1989). On the importance of rotting fish: A proverb and its audience. Western Folklore, 48, 271-288.


A Periodical Paginated by Issue

Becker, L. K., & Seligman, C. (1981). Welcome to the energy crisis. Journal of Social Issues, 37(2), 1-7.


A Magazine Article

With an Author

Junod, T. (1991, July). A miracle of faith. Life, pp. 28-39.


No Author Given

Moments. (1991, July). Life, pp. 8-16.


A Newspaper Article

With an Author

Welch, B. (1994, March 21). Masters of the garden. The Eugene Register Guard, p. D1.

No Author Given

Frequent moves can hurt children. (1994, March 21). The Eugene Register Guard, p. D2.


An Interview

The purpose of a reference citation is to allow the reader to go to the original sources. However, the reader cannot follow up on an interview. APA's position, then, is to exclude this citation from the Works Cited list. More information is included in the parenthetical citation, as the following example demonstrates (S. J. Fagan, personal communication, March 1, 1994).


Document Available from a Private Organization Web Site

Glaucoma Research Foundation. (n.d.). What is glaucoma? Retrieved June 6, 2002, from http://www.glaucoma.org/learn/ [NOTE: (n.d.) here indicates the page does not carry a publication date.]


Document Available on a University Program or Department Web Site

McGrath, J. L. (1994). How to avoid plagiarism. Retrieved June 7, 2002 from Paradise Valley Community College Web site: http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/lac/guest/plagiarism.html


Article in an Internet-only Journal

Kvints, P. (1998, October). Is time running out for the mythic man fish? Outside Magazine. Retrieved Sept. 15, 2000, from http://outside.starwave.com/magazine/1098/981/Omanfish.html


Internet Articles Based on a Print Source

Cohen, W. (1999, 21 May). Putting a hold on executions (Nebraska measure would evaluate death penalty) [Electronic version].. U.S. News & World Report, 29.


Internet Articles Based on a Print Source, if the Electronic Version Might Be Different than the Print Version

Joy, B. (2000, April). Why the future doesn't need us. Wired, 8(4), 56-67. Retrieved June 7, 2002, from http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html?pg=1&topic=&topic_set=


Electronic Copy of a Journal Article Retrieved from a Database

Goldman, L. (2002, June 10). Attack of the clones. Forbes, 169(13), 125-127. Retrieved June 7, 2002 from Academic Search Elite database.


Other

If you don't see listed above the particular type of citation you need, first consult your text, which has numerous examples. If you still don't find what you need, you can find a copy of the APA Publications Manual at the Reference Desk in the Knight Library. Another good source is the Knight Library's link Citing Electrronic Sources. The best way to learn a referencing system is not to have someone tell you how to do it, but to sit down with a copy of the style sheet and work through it on your own.

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Sample Text, APA Style,

With Parenthetical Citations and Works Cited Page

An example of text complete with parenthetical citations and a Works Cited page cannot easily be formatted via web page for all browsers and is thus available instead in the Composition Lab Computer File.

Last updated 10/08/04