Skip to Main Content

How to Cite Sources

APA Formatting & Citations (7th edition)

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association describes the rules used to write papers following APA style. This style is commonly used in psychology, sociology, business, economics, nursing, social work, and criminology.

Learn more here:

APA Examples

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher Name. DOI (if available)

Author, A. A., Author B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages. http://dx.doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy

Author, A. A., & Author, B.B. (Year, Month Date). Title of webpage. Name of Website. URL

  • In the name-year system, in-text references contain the last name of the author(s) and the year of publication of the document. Enclose the name and year in parentheses. Leave a space between name and year. Place a comma after the author's name. In-text citations can be parenthetical or narrative, see below.

Example:

The most recent report on the use of experiments shows a correlation between results and participants (Brown, 2006).

OR

Brown's (2006) recent report on the use of experiments shows a correlation between results and participants.

  • Exceptions to this rule occur when no definitive author or publication date is present. This often occurs when citing websites. When no date is available use the abbreviation n.d. for no date. When no author is available you will use a corporation name, an editor, or a title of the webpage/website/chapter/encyclopedia entry. See in-text examples for a full explanation.
  • Page number(s) can be included to be more precise in your citations. When using a direct quote, page numbers are necessary.

Example:

Ness, George, Turner, & Bolgatz (2010) describe social justice "as the process of confronting and dismantling oppressive structures and systems, the process of addressing inequalities of all kinds, and the process of developing recognition of and respect for the values and identities of all cultural groups" (pp. 89-90).

OR

The authors describe social justice "as the process of confronting and dismantling oppressive structures and systems, the process of addressing inequalities of all kinds, and the process of developing recognition of and respect for the values and identities of all cultural groups" (Ness, George, Turner, & Bolgatz, 2010, pp. 89-90).

  • When no page numbers are available use a paragraph number, section title, timestamp (for audiovisual materials), or use the chapter/verse/act/line/or canto instead. Use the abbreviation para. before a paragraph number. See in-text examples for a full explanation.

APA Formating

Typography

  • APA recommends using the same font throughout your paper. McQuade Librarians recommend using 12-point Times New Roman font. If not using Times New Roman, then another serif or sans serif typeface should be used for its readability. Only use different typeface in figure descriptions, in that case, use a font between 8 and 14 points

Line Spacing & Margins

  • Use double-spacing throughout the entire paper. To add double-spacing in Microsoft Word, highlight all the text you want double-spaced, then click on Page Layout. Next to the word Paragraph click on the arrow. Under Spacing, Line Spacing, select Double and then click OK.
  • Leave 1 in. margins from top to bottom and side to side. Microsoft Word usually is set to 1 in. margins. You can check this by clicking on Page Layout, then click on Margins. The margin you are using is highlighted, select Normal if it is not already selected. 

Spaces After a Period

  • APA style recommends placing one space after a period
  • Do not put a space after a period for internal abbreviations (i.e., U.S., p.m.).

The Reference List

The reference list is the last page of your paper. References begin on a separate page from the last page of your writing. Put the word References in boldfaced type at the top center of the page. Your reference list is alphabetized according to the first word of each end reference. With multiple references that list the same author, list these in chronological order with the earliest date first in the list. The reference list is double spaced and formatted using a hanging indent. To put in a hanging indent, type your references normally. When finished, highlight the reference list and click on the arrow in the corner of the paragraph tab in Word. Under Indentation, select Hanging from the drop-down menu for Special. To see a video of this process, click here for PC instructions, click here for Mac instructions, and click here for Google Doc instructions.

Example Reference Page

Online Resources

For questions or feedback contact the McQuade Library
Call us: 978-837-5177 | Text us:  978-228-2275 | Email us: mcquade@merrimack.edu