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APA & MLA Styles

This guide contains tips for how to maximize your Academic Writer experience plus additional resources to assist with APA style.

Reference Examples


AI Models (ChatGPT)

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

*Additional information is available on the How to Cite ChatGPT page of the APA Style Blog.


Audiovisual Material

Interview Recording

de Beauvoir, S. (1960, May 4). Simone de Beauvoir discusses the art of writing [Interview]. Studs Terkel Radio Archive; The Chicago History Museum. https://studsterkel.wfmt.com/programs/simone-de-beauvoir-discusses-art-writing

Movie, Film, or Video

Newman, C. F. (Guest Expert), & Arpana, G. I. (Host). (2016). Cognitive–behavioral therapy supervision [Film; educational DVD]. American Psychological Association. https://www-apa-org/pubs/videos/4310957.aspx

Photograph

McCurry, S. (1985). Afghan girl [Photograph]. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/national-geographic-magazine-50-years-of-covers/#/ngm-1985-jun-714.jpg

Podcast

Schreiber, D., Harkin, J., Murray, A. H., & Ptaszynski, A. (Hosts). (2014–present). No such thing as a fish [Audio podcast]. Quite Interesting. https://www.nosuchthingasafish.com/

YouTube Video and Other Streaming Videos

Pinkfong. (2016, June 17). Baby shark dance | sing and dance! | animals songs | Pinkfong songs for children [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqZsoesa55w

American Psychological Association. (2015, September 14). Babies are teachers, too [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8wKsJWwaSc


Books

Authored Book Without DOI (print version or full text accessed via a research database)

Dery, M. (2018). Born to be posthumous: The eccentric life and mysterious genius of Edward Gorey. Little, Brown and Company.

Authored Book with DOI

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

One Volume of a Multivolume Work

Fiske, S. T., Gilbert, D. T., & Lindzey, G. (2010). Handbook of social psychology (5th ed., Vol. 1). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470561119


Book Chapter

Chapter in an Edited Book With DOI

Giussani, D. A. (2006). Prenatal hypoxia: Relevance to developmental origins of health and disease. In P. Gluckman & M. Hanson (Eds.), Developmental origins of health and disease (pp. 178–190). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544699.013

Work in an Anthology

Gaitskill, M. (2008). The girl on the plane. In J. C. Oates & C. R. Beha (Eds.), The Ecco anthology of contemporary American short fiction (pp. 325–342). Ecco. (Original work published 1997).


Conference Presentation

Paper Presentation or Poster Session

Wimberley, T., & Stasio, M. (2012, February). Perfectionism: Relationships among personal standards, evaluative concerns and automatic thoughts [Paper presentation]. Southeastern Psychological Association 58th annual meeting, New Orleans, LA, United States. http://www.sepaonline.com/conference/2012/2012_annual-meeting-schedule.pdf

Symposium Contribution

De Boer, D., & LaFavor, T. (2018, April 26–29). The art and significance of successfully identifying resilient individuals: A person-focused approach. In A. M. Schmidt & A. Kryvanos (Chairs), Perspectives on resilience: Conceptualization, measurement, and enhancement [Symposium]. Western Psychological Association 98th Annual Convention, Portland, OR, United States.


Course or Supplemental Material 

Authored Material in a Classroom Course Pack

MacGyver, A. (2014). Five steps to repelling an attack by killer bees. In R. D. Anderson (Ed.), Selected readings in survival, escape, and evasion (pp. 31–34). St. Ambrose University.

Lecture Notes

Palmer, W. (2019, November 20). Lecture 5: Training variations and considerations [Lecture notes]. Department of Business Administration, Morgan State University. https://www.morgan.edu/palmerw/spring2018/ba1.html

PowerPoint Slides

Neghina, C. (2009, July 5). Advertising psychology [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/preciousssa/advertising-psychology-1684533


Data Set

D’Souza, A., & Wiseheart, M. (2018). Cognitive effects of music and dance training in children (ICPSR 37080; Version V1) [Data set]. ICPSR. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37080.v1


Dissertations

Dissertation from a Database

Holderle, D. A. (2018). Exploring archetypal reality in the experience of hallucinations across cultures (Publication No. 10837529) [Doctoral dissertation, Pacifica Graduate Institute]. PQDT Open.


Gray Literature

Brochure

California Board of Psychology. (2005). For your peace of mind: A consumer guide to psychological services [Brochure]. https://www.psychology.ca.gov/forms_pubs/consumer_guide.pdf

Code of Ethics

American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). https://www-apa-org/ethics/code/index.aspx

American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only

Policy Brief

Harwell, M. (2018). Don’t expect too much: The limited usefulness of common SES measures and a prescription for change [Policy brief]. National Education Policy Center. https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/SES

 

Journal Articles

Journal Article With DOI

Ambrose, A. F., Paul, G., & Hausdorff, J. M. (2013). Risk factors for falls among older adults: A review of the literature. Maturitas, 75(1), 51–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2013.02.009

Journal Article Without DOI (accessed in an academic research database)

Alexander, A. (1985). The great escape: Soap opera viewing by college students. College Student Journal, 19(2), 141–143.

Gill, C. S., Barrio Minton, C. A., & Myers, J. E. (2010). Spirituality and religiosity: Factors affecting wellness among low-income, rural women. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88(3), 293–302.

Journal Article Without DOI (accessed on a website, with a nondatabase URL)

Ahmann, E., Tuttle, L. J., Saviet, M., & Wright, S. D. (2018). A descriptive review of ADHD coaching research: Implications for college students. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 31(1), 17–39. https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/publications/jped/archived-jped/jped-volume-31

 

Legal References - APA

Federal Regulation, Codified

Protection of Human Subjects, 45 C.F.R. § 46 (2009). https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/sites/default/files/ohrp/policy/ohrpregulations.pdf

Federal Statute, Codified in the United States Code

Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. (1990). https://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08.htm

Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 (2015). https://www.congress.gov/114/plaws/publ95/PLAW-114publ95.pdf

MOOC 

Childs, P. (n.d.). Creative thinking: Techniques and tools for success [MOOC]. Coursera. https://www.coursera.org/learn/creative-thinking-techniques-and-tools-for-success

Tangen, J. (2016). Episode 2: I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before [MOOC lecture]. In E. MacKenzie, J. Tangen, & M. Thompson, The science of everyday thinking. edX. https://www.edx.org/course/the-science-of-everyday-thinking

 

OER

Burkins, J. M., & Yates, K. (2021). Rethinking how reading comprehension begins: Overlooking the role of listening comprehension in reading comprehension. OER Commons. Retrieved June 7, 2024, from https://oercommons.s3.amazonaws.com/media/courseware/relatedresource/file/Shift_1-Emergent_Literacy_1_uHs8Xco.pdf

 

Reference Work

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890423349

Entry in an Online Dictionary, Unarchived Link

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Positive transference. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved August 31, 2019, from https://dictionary-apa-org/positivetransference

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Self-report. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved July 12, 2019, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-report

 

Report

Annual Report

American Psychological Association. (2013). 2012 annual report of the American Psychological Association. https://www-apa.org/pubs/info/reports/2012-report.pdf

Report by a Government Agency

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2003). Managing asthma: A guide for schools (NIH Publication No. 02-2650). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www-nhlbi-nih-gov/files/docs/resources/lung/asth_sch.pdf

 

Software

Computer Software

Borenstein, M., Hedges, L., Higgins, J., & Rothstein, H. (2014). Comprehensive metaanalysis (Version 3.3.070) [Computer software]. Biostat. https://www.meta-analysis.com/

 

Tests, Scales, and Inventories

Database Record for a Test

Cardoza, D., Morris, J. K., Myers, H. F., & Rodriguez, N. (2000). Acculturative Stress Inventory (ASI) (TC022704) [Database record]. ETS TestLink.

Test, Scale, or Inventory, Individual Authors

Friedlander, M. L., Escudero, V., & Heatherington, L. (2002). SOFTA-o. SOFTA. http://softa-soatif.com/instrumentos-2-2

 

Website

Webpage on a News Website

Bologna, C. (2019, October 31). Why some people with anxiety love watching horror movies. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anxiety-love-watching-horror-movies_l_5d277587e4b02a5a5d57b59e

Webpage on a Website, Retrieval Date Included in the Reference

U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). U.S. and world population clock. U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved November 13, 2019, from https://www.census.gov/popclock/

Webpage, Group Author, Dated and Undated

ACT Raising Safe Kids Program. (n.d.). About the ACT raising safe kids program. American Psychological Association. https://www-apa-org/act/about/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, January 23). Flu vaccines work. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/high_risk.htm

Webpage, Individual Author, Dated

Hall-Flavin, D. K. (2016). What is passive-aggressive behavior? What are some of the signs? Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/passive-aggressive-behavior/faq-20057901

O'Hara, D. (2019, November 14). Study of human intelligence at center of Michael Gardner’s career. American Psychological Association. https://www-apa-org/members/content/gardner-human-intelligence

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