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EDUC 406 Curriculum & Instruction Class Guide

APA Citations: References Page

APA References pages are found at the end of your paper with the heading References. A reference for a journal article will follow this format:

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

Examples:

  • Written by one author: Kurtz, T. G. (1972). A random trotter product formula. Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society, 35(1), 147–148. https://doi.org/10.1090/S0002-9939-1972-0303347-5
  • Written by multiple authors: Zhang, X., Moore, C., & Newman, M. E. J. (2017). Random graph models for dynamic networks. The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, 90(10), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2017-80122-8
  • Written by no authors: Random thoughts: "hose stuff". (1999). Fire Engineering, 152(6), 140–140.

APA Citations: In-Text Citations

Whenever you directly quote or paraphrase an outside source in your own paper, you need to cite the source in-text. This is the case when using sources in PowerPoints as well. 

APA in-text citations follow this format:

(Author(s) Last Name, YYYY, p. #)

One-Author Examples:

  • According to Smith (2020), "kumquats are the best fruit in all of existence" (p. 84).
    • Author's last name is always followed by the year of publication, while page number always follows the direct quote
  • There has been much discussion about the flavor of fruit, but "kumquats are the best fruit in all of existence" (Smith, 2020, p. 84).
  • Debate surrounds the best-tasting fruit, but Smith (2020) argues that kumquats are superior.
    • paraphrasing does not require a page number

If there are two authors of a work, use both last names separated by an ampersand (&). If there are three or more authors, use the first name listed and "et al."

Two- or More-Authors Examples:

  •  According to Smith & Jones (2018), "apples are better than kumquats" (p. 68).
  • While I believe that kumquats are the best fruit, some believe "apples are better than kumquats" (Smith et al., 2019, p. 24).

For even more information on APA in-text citations, see BC's Writing Center.  Have questions or you're still unsure? Ask research@bridgewater.edu.

Citation Generators

To transform the above information into a proper citation, you'll need to consult the appropriate style guide. The library has copies of each guide available for use. You also may want to use one of the many citation management/generator tools that are available either for free or a subscription fee.

A word of caution when using tools such as those listed below. Don't assume that the citation is correct, instead always verify the citation before turning in your paper. Glitches and uncommon formatting can cause trouble for these automatic generators.

 

Many library databases also include an automatic citation option. This is normally indicated by a quotation mark symbol. If you're using the library's Discovery system to find articles, you are able to use the citation function directly through there. This is a great resource, but remember to proofread the citation. Notice here how the citation created reads "INSERT-MISSING-URL". 

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