LibGuides: Citation Help: APA

APA STYLE

APA is the style of writing and documentation of sources created and used by the American Psychological Association. APA Style is used by professionals and scholars in the business, education, psychology, and sociology fields. It is widely required for college courses in the aforementioned subjects, as well as in the sciences.

APA Style is currently in transition from the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, in use since 2009, to the new 7th edition of the manual, published in October 2019.

Be sure to ask your professor which version they expect you to use!

Use Purdue University's online citation guide

The Purdue Online Writing Lab is an excellent resource for writing APA citations. It gives you information on how to do in-text citations, how to format your quotes, and how to cite different sources on your References page. Additional guides to APA style are linked on this page.

Online guides are often not as comprehensive as the print editions that we own of the official APA manuals. Most of the time, you will be able to find what you need online, but we always keep copies of style guidelines behind the reference desk for very specific questions.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association
ISBN: 9781433832161
The Seventh Edition is the NEW official source for APA Style. It is the style manual of choice for writers, researchers, editors, students, and educators in the social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, nursing, communications, education, business, engineering, and other fields. Known for its authoritative, easy-to-use reference and citation system, the Publication Manual also offers guidance on choosing the headings, tables, figures, language, and tone that will result in powerful, concise, and elegant scholarly communication. It guides users through the scholarly writing process-from the ethics of authorship to reporting research through publication. The seventh edition is an indispensable resource for students and professionals to achieve excellence in writing and make a impact with their work
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association Staff
Call Number: BF76.7 .P83 2010
ISBN: 9781433805592
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is the style manual for psychology, sociology, business, economics, education, nursing, and social work.. In addition to providing clear guidance on grammar, the mechanics of writing, and APA style, the Publication Manual offers an authoritative and easy-to-use reference and citation system and comprehensive coverage of the treatment of numbers, metrication, statistical and mathematical data, tables, and figures for use in writing, reports, or presentations.

The library offers 3 copies of the APA 7th Edition: 1 is available for checkout, and 2 are designated as Course Reserves for use only within the library.

The library offers 4 copies of the APA 6th Edition: 2 are available for checkout, and 2 are designated as Course Reserves for use only within the library.

Citing an Unusual or Uncommon Source

It is important to remember that the source type does not have to exactly match your own. We provide citations so that readers can find the sources and evidence that we use. Citation styles offer guidelines for you to provide the best possible information for someone to find your article, but they cannot account for all types of sources.

Find the closest matching citation for APA. The most important thing to understand with citations is that you are trying to let your reader know where you found your sources so that they can look them up. Find the citation that most closely matches your source type and then use that citation as a guideline for how to craft your own. Make sure you put in enough information for someone to find your exact source in the exact place you found it.