Welcome to Community College of Aurora's Citation Guide for APA (7th edition) format! The contents of this guide include general information and guidelines, in-text citations, and citations for a References page.
General Guidelines for an APA Paper*
*Use the APA Template in Word tab to access a completely formatted APA paper in Microsoft Word!
Click the document below to access the Microsoft Word template for APA style formatting.
Your professor's directions for APA style are more important that the settings on this template. You need to make any necessary changes to match your professor's assignment.
Annotated Bibliography
An Annotated Bibliography is a special way of listing your sources and often has two parts:
1) the complete citation for that source
2) a summary, evaluation, or review of that source in paragraph form.
The purpose of an Annotated Bibliography can vary. It can provide a summary of the source for other readers. It can evaluate the source in terms of credibility and usability for a research project. It can review the source for purpose and clarity. There are other purposes for an Annotated Bibliography, but these are the most common. Follow your professor's instructions on how to write your Annotated Bibliography.
Example Below:
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Print Book or eBook Last name, First Initial. (Date of Publication). Title of the book without all words capitalized: Subtitle of the book also without all words capitalized (edition if applicable). Publisher. Example: Marshall, J. (1977). A summer in the south. Scholastic. Note: If the Book or eBook has a DOI, include the DOI at the end of the citation after the publisher. |
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Print Book With Two Authors Last name A, First Initial A., Last name B, First Initial B. (Date of Publication). Title of the book without all words capitalized: Subtitle of the book also without all words capitalized. Publisher. Example: Black, H., & Larbalestier, J. (2010). Zombies vs. unicorns. Saga Press. |
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Print Book With Three to Seven Authors Last name A, First Initial A., Last name B, First Initial B., & Last name C, First Initial C. (Date of Publication). Title of the book without all words capitalized. Publisher. Example: Smith, T., Jones, B., & Smones, X. (2021). Zombies that swim: A nightmare of ideas. Quick-McGraw. Note: If your book has more than seven authors please contact a librarian or reference the APA 7th edition manual. |
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Audiobook
Last name, First Initial. (Date of Publication). Title of Audiobook (Narrator.) [Audiobook]. Publisher. Example: Cline, E. (2011). Ready player one (Will Wheaton) [Audiobook]. Random House Audio. Note: If the audiobook was released in a different year from the text version, treat the book as republished and add (Original work published year). Example: Cline, E. (2011). Ready player one (Will Wheaton) [Audiobook]. Random House Audio. (Original work published 2010). |
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Encyclopedia, Dictionary, and Thesaurus Entries (website) Last name, First initial. (Date of Publication). Entry title. In Publication title with first word capitalized. Retrieved full date, from URL
Example: Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Pharaoh. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved December 12, 2019, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pharaoh
Note: Because the dictionary is updated over time, add a retrieval date and use "n.d." or the date. If the entry is coming from a database, do not include the URL. |
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Work in an Anthology Last name, First initial. (Date of Publication). Entry Title. In First initial. Last name (Ed. for editor), Publication title (pages). Publisher. Example: Wiernik, J. (1995). One year in treblinka. In Art from the ashes: A holocaust anthology (pp.18-54). Oxford University Press. Note: If this book is an eBook with a DOI, include the DOI at the end of the citation. |
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Chapter in a Book Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (pp. pages of chapter). Publisher. DOI (if available) Example: Armstrong, D. (2019). Malory and character. In M. G. Leitch & C. J. Rushton (Eds.), A new companion to Malory (pp. 144-163). D. S. Brewer. |
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Journal Article, Magazine or Newspaper from a Database Last name, First initial. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of publication, volume(issue), page numbers. DOI If the article has a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), add the DOI to the end of the citation. If the article has both a DOI and a URL, only use the DOI. Do not place a period after a DOI or URL (this may affect the accuracy of the link) List all authors (up to 20) in your citation. Place "&" before the last author's name. Example: Roksa, J., & Levey, T. (2010). What can you do with that degree? College major and occupational status of college graduates over time. Social Forces, 89(2), 389-415. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sof.2010.0085 |
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Journal Article, Magazine or Newspaper with no Author Title of the article. (Year, Month Day of Publication). Title of the Magazine or Newspaper. DOI/URL Example: Trivia about cinema and theatres. (2009, January 12). India Today. https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/supplement/story/20090112-trivia-about-cinema-and-theatres-738685-2009-01-02 |
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Journal Article, Magazine or Newspaper in Print Last name, First initial. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Publication, volume(issue), page numbers. Example: Dinler, M. (2018). The knife's edge of the present: Archaeology in turkey from the nineteenth century to the 1940s. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 22(4), 728-745. |
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Journal Article, Magazine or Newspaper on a Website (non-database) Follow the first citation. If the article does not have a DOI, put the URL.
Example: Roksa, J., & Levey, T. (2010). What can you do with that degree? College major and occupational status of college graduates over time. Social Forces, 89(2), 389-415. https://socialforces.com/article8987 |
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Editorial or Opinion Piece Follow the first citation. Add [Editorial] after the article title. Example: Roksa, J., & Levey, T. (2010). What can you do with that degree? College major and occupational status of college graduates over time [Editorial]. Social Forces, 89(2), 389-415. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sof.2010.0085 |
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Website Last name, First initial. (Date). Title. Website. URL Example: Kotalik, L. (2019, December 16). Vending machines for charity set up along 16th Street Mall. 9News. https://www.9news.com/article/features/vending-machines-for-charity-set-up-along-16th-street-mall/73-4d257e1f-0a4a-4c05-b612-45e407284bbc Note: When the author and the website are the same name (CDC, WHO, etc.) omit the website name. Example: Centers for Disease Control. (2021, December 2). COVID is bad for your health. https://www.cdc.gov/covidisbad Note: If there is no date put (n.d.). Example: Centers for Disease Control. (n.d.). COVID is bad for your health. https://www.cdc.gov/covidisbad Note: If the content of the page is meant to change, like the Census Bureau's population clock, add a retrieval date. Example: U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Population clock. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.censusbureau.gov/populationclock |
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Blog Post Last name, First initial or User Name. (Date Posted). Title of post. Blog/Website Title. URL Example: Luther, J. (November 6, 2019). Born Digital – The Expanding Universe of Research Content. The Scholarly Kitchen. https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2019/11/06/born-digital-the-expanding-universe-of-research-content/
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Film or Video Last name, First initial. (Director, Producer). (Release date) Title [Film]. Production Companies. Example: Melfi, T. (Director). (2016). Hidden figures [Film]. Fox 2000 Pictures; Chernin Entertainment; Levantine Films; TSG Entertainment. Note: The director should be credited as the author. If the director is unknown someone in a similar role can be credited. |
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TV Episode or Webisode Last name, First initial. (Writer or Director). (Episode Release Date). Title of Episode (Season number, Episode number) [TV Series] In First initial, Last name. (Executive Producers), Series Title. Production Companies. Example: Rosenberg, C. (Writer), & Toye, F. (Director). (2019, July 26). The female of the species (Season 1, Episode 4) [TV Series Episode]. In E. Goldberg, E. Kripke, K. Levin, O. Marmur, G. Mastras, N. Moritz, J. Netter, S. Rogen, P. Shetty, & J. Weaver (Executive Producers), The Boys. Sony Pictures Television; Amazon studios; Kripke Enterprises; Point Grey Pictures; Original Fil,; Kickstart Entertainment; NightSky Productions. |
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TED Talks Last name, First initial, (Air date). Talk title [Video]. Type of TED talk (conference or event). URL Example: Brown, M. (2019, November). The search for our solar system's ninth planet [Video]. TED Events. https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_ brown_the_search_for_our_solar_system_s_ninth_planet Note: If the talk is from YouTube, cite it like a YouTube video. |
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YouTube or other Streaming Video Last name, First initial. Creator or Username. (Upload Date). Title of Video [Video]. Video Source. URL Example: Warner Bros. Pictures. (2019, December 8). Wonder woman 1984 - official trailer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfM7_JLk-84 Note: To cite a quote from a YouTube video or other source, provide a time stamp in the in-text citations. |
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Music Album Last name, First initial, Group or Artist. (Release Date) Title of Album [Album]. Production Company. Example: Bowie, D. (2016) Blackstar [Album]. Columbia. |
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Single Song Last name, First initial, Group or Artist. (Release Date). Song title [Song]. On Album Title. Label company. Example: Kiss. (1976). Detroit Rock City [Song]. On Destroyer. Casablanca Records. |
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Podcast Episode Last name, First initial, (Host or Executive Producer). (Episode date). Episode title. (Episode number) [Audio or video podcast episode]. In Podcast title. Production Company. URL Example: Fink, J., Cranor, J. (Executive producers), & Baldwin, C. (Host). (2013, September 15). The blinking light up on the mountain (No. 34) [Audio podcast episode]. In Welcome to night vale. Night Vale Presents. https://nightvale.com/no34 |
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Speech (Audio Recording) Last name, First initial. (Date speech was given). Speech Title [Speech audio recording]. Website. URL Example King, M.L. Jr. (1963, August 28). I have a dream [Speech audio recording]. American Rhetoric. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ mlkihaveadream.htm |
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Computer Software Last name, First initial or creator of software (Date). Name of software or app (Version) [Computer software or app] Publisher. URL Example: Chéreau, F. (Project Coordinator), Wolf, A. (Developer), Chéreau, G. (Developer), Zotti, G. (Developer), & Chardinot, M. (Developer). (2019). Stellarium (Version 0.19.3) [Computer software]. https://stellarium.org/en/ |
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Photograph Last name, First initial. (Date of photo). Title of photo [Photograph]. Picture website or source. URL Example: NASA. (2010). Carina nebula's 'mystic mountain' [Photograph]. Nasa.gov. https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/carina-nebulas-mystic-mountain Note: If the photograph is untitled, include a description of the image in square brackets in place of the title. |
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Artwork (Museum or Museum Website) Last name, First initial. (Date). Title of artwork [Format]. Institution name, location. URL. Example: Doré, G. (1873). The family of street acrobats: the injured child (La famille du saltimbanque: l'enfant blessé) [Painting]. Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO, United States. https://denverartmuseum.org/object/2012.4 Note: If the artwork is untitled, include a description of the image in square brackets in place of the title. |
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PowerPoint Slides Last name, First initial. (Date). Title of Powerpoint [PowerPoint slides]. Website. URL Example: Blake, L., Johnston C., & Cota, M. (2019) What's new with APA [PowerPoint slides]. desire2learn. https://bannercas.cccs.edu/cas/login?vpdi=online&service=https%3a%2f%2f.desire2learn.com%2fd2l%2fcustom%2fcas%3ftarget%3d%252fd2l%252fhome Note: Because you need to log in to d2l, provide the URL for the login screen. |
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Facebook Post (also for YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn) Last name, First initial or Creator. (Date of Post). Title of post or first 20 words of text [Status Update]. Facebook. URL Example: Community College of Arizona. (2019, December 12). For this week's throwback Thursday we are featuring the First Annual Friendship Pow Wow. The picture shows an Aztec drummer [Image attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ ArizonaCCLibrary/photos/a.10150622580202091/10156665776982091/?type=3&theater Note: If a status update includes images, videos, links to outside sources, etc. indicate that in brackets after the title (see example). Replicate emojis if possible |
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X (formerly Twitter) Last name, First initial or creator. [@X handle]. (Date of Post). Title of post or up to the first 20 words [Tweet]. X. URL Example: Library [@library]. (2019, December 10). What are you reading over winter break? Let us know! One of our librarians will be reading Circe by [Image attached] [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/library/status/1204446881843204097 Note: If a status update includes images, videos, links to outside sources, etc. indicate that in brackets after the title (see example). Replicate emojis if possible. |
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Online Forum Post (Reddit) Last name, First initial or Creator. [Username]. (Date of Post). Title of Post [Online forum post]. Forum name. URL. Example: DC Comics [DCcomics]. (2019, December 16). [Cover] Lucifer #15 (by Tiffany Turrill) (Dec 18th. guest starring John Constantine) [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/DCcomics/comments/ebipm5/cover_lucifer_15_by_tiffany_turrill_ dec_18th/ |
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Instagram Post Last name, First initial or Creator. [Instagram Handle]. (Date of post). Title of post or first 20 words of text [Photograph]. Instagram. URL Example: Arapahoe Historical Society. [@arapahoehistory]. (2019, December 12). For this week's throwback Thursday we are featuring the First Annual Friendship Pow Wow. The picture shows an Aztec drummer [Photograph]. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ ArizonaCCLibrary/photos/a.10150622580202091/10156665776982091/?type=3&theater |
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Personal Interviews There is no need to include personal interviews in your References page because the information is not retrievable. If you cite a personal interview in a paper, simply use an in-text citation. This citation will look like this: (J. Doe, personal communication, December 16, 2019). -or- (Personal communication, December 16, 2019). |
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Published Interviews (Online, Books, etc.) Published interviews can be found in a variety of places. To cite the interview, follow the format for the appropriate reference type: book, movie, podcast, etc. |
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Oral History/Narrative Last name, First initial. Nation/Community. Treaty Territory (if applicable). Where they live (if applicable). Topic/subject of communication (if applicable). personal communication. Month Date, Year. Example: Cardinal, D. Goodfish Lake Cree Nation. Treaty 6. Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching. personal communication. April 4, 2004. |
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), any AI response is not retrievable by another person. Normally, this would result in the creation of a personal communication citation. However, since AI is not technically a person, APA has chosen to cite all AI responses as software (McAdoo, 2023).
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Author. (Year of the version of the software). Title of software. [Descriptor of software]. URL of software
Example: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
"Let's break that reference down and look at the four elements (author, date, title, and source):
Author: The author of the model is OpenAI.
Date: The date is the year of the version you used. Include only the year, not the exact date. The version number provides the specific date information a reader might need.
Title: The name of the model is “ChatGPT,” so that serves as the title and is italicized in your reference, as shown in the template. Although OpenAI labels unique iterations (i.e., ChatGPT-3, ChatGPT-4), they are using “ChatGPT” as the general name of the model, with updates identified with version numbers.
The version number is included after the title in parentheses. The format for the version number in ChatGPT references includes the date because that is how OpenAI is labeling the versions. Different large language models or software might use different version numbering; use the version number in the format the author or publisher provides, which may be a numbering system (e.g., Version 2.0) or other methods.
Bracketed text is used in references for additional descriptions when they are needed to help a reader understand what’s being cited. References for a number of common sources, such as journal articles and books, do not include bracketed descriptions, but things outside of the typical peer-reviewed system often do. In the case of a reference for ChatGPT, provide the descriptor “Large language model” in square brackets. OpenAI describes ChatGPT-4 as a “large multimodal model,” so that description may be provided instead if you are using ChatGPT-4. Later versions and software or models from other companies may need different descriptions, based on how the publishers describe the model. The goal of the bracketed text is to briefly describe the kind of model to your reader.
Source: When the publisher name and the author name are the same, do not repeat the publisher name in the source element of the reference, and move directly to the URL. This is the case for ChatGPT. The URL for ChatGPT is https://chat.openai.com/chat. For other models or products for which you may create a reference, use the URL that links as directly as possible to the source (i.e., the page where you can access the model, not the publisher’s homepage)" (McAdoo, 2023, para. 10-15).
Reference
McAdoo, T. (2023, April 7). How to cite ChatGPT. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt
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Basic Format for In-Text Citations The punctuation at the end of the sentence goes after and outside the parenthesis. Words go here (Smith, 2019, p. 263). If you are using a direct quote, there is no comma between the end of the quotation and the in-text citation. "this is a quote" (Smith, 2019, p. 263). If you are directly quoting more than one page that ARE consecutive, use a dash between the numbers (Smith, 2019, pp. 263-265). If you are directly quoting more than one page that are NOT consecutive, use a comma between the numbers (Smith, 2019, pp. 263, 265). If you are citing multiple sources in one in-text citation, use a semi-colon between the citations (Smith, 2019, p. 263; Jones, 2018, p. 138). |
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Basic Format using Paraphrasing If paraphrasing, in parenthesis, list the author's last name followed by a comma and the year of publication. The punctuation at the end of the sentence goes after and outside the parenthesis. (Author's last name, year). Example: Citing sources is very important (Smith, 2019). |
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Basic Format using a Direct Quote If directly quoting, in parenthesis, list the author's last name followed by a comma and the year of publication followed by a comma and the page number(s). (Author's last name, year, p.#). If multiple pages, use "pp." (Author's last name, year, pp.#). Example: It should be noted that "proper usage of citations is crucial" (Smith, 2019, p. 263). |
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Author in Text using Paraphrasing
If paraphrasing the author in text, list the author in the sentence without parenthesis, include the year of publication in parenthesis immediately afterwards and then the paraphrased information. List the Author's last name (year) and the paraphrased information. Example: Smith (2019) states citing sources is very important. |
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Author in Text using a Direct Quote If directly quoting the author in text, list the author in the sentence without parenthesis, include the year of publication in parenthesis immediately afterwards and then the quoted information. List page number(s) at the end of the sentence in parenthesis. List author's last name (year), "direct quotation inside quotation marks" (p. #). Example: In his article on citations, Smith (2019) states that "proper usage of citations is crucial" (p. 263). |
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No Author If there is no author, list a shortened version of the title in place of the author followed by a comma and the year of publication. ("Shortened title," year). If directly quoting, after the year of publication and a comma, list the page number. If the article is entitled "Very long work can be exhausting to read," the title can be shortened to "Very long work." Example: This article is very long ("Very long work," 2019). |
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Two Authors If paraphrasing two authors, list the last names of both authors connected with "&" followed by a comma and the year of publication. (Author's last name & Second author's last name, year). Example: Citations are academically honest (Smith & Jones, 2019). If directly quoting two authors, list the names of both authors connected with "&" followed by a comma and the year of publication and a comma and the page number. (Author's last name & Second author's last name, year, p. #). Example: "Using citations creates a positive environment for authors" (Smith & Jones, 2019, p. 277). |
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Three or more Authors If paraphrasing three or more authors, list the first author followed by “et al.” followed by a comma and the year of publication. (Author's last name et al., year). [et al. is Latin for "and others" and has a period after the al. followed by a comma and then the year]. Example: Citations have saved millions of papers (Smith et al., 2019). If directly quoting, list the first author followed by “et al." followed by a comma and the year of publication followed by a comma and then the page number. (Author's last name et al., year, p. #). Example: "Citations have helped students all over the world avoid plagiarism," (Smith et al., 2010, p. 42). |
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Group or Corporate Authors If using a group or corporate author, list the name or abbreviation of the group/company/agency in place of the author; followed by a comma and the year of publication. If a direct quote, after the year of publication and a comma, list the page number. If paraphrasing: (Group name, year). If directly quoting: (Group name, year, p. #). Example: It has been reported that “failure to use citations is a threat to national security” (National Security Agency, 2019, p. 27). |
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No Date If there is no date, put (n.d.) for year. Place a period after n and d with no spaces in between. If directly quoting, include a comma after d. before the year (author, n.d., year). The "n.d." stands for "No Date." Be sure to use n.d. on the References page to match the in-text citation. Example: The citation was long but did not have a date (Smith, n.d.). |
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Two or More Authors with the Same Last Name If there are two or more authors with the same last name, list the first name initial(s) and then the last name followed by a comma and then the year. (A. Author's last name, year). (B. Author's last name, year) where A and B are the authors' first name initials for each author, respectively. If directly quoting, after the year of publication and a comma, list the page number. Example: The glass is half full (A. Smith, 2019). The glass is half empty (B. Smith, 2019). |
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Citing Works with the Same Author and Date If multiple references have an identical author (or authors) and year of publication, list a lowercase letter after the year. The References page for these citations needs to have the year of publication exactly match the in-text date with the added lowercase letter. (Author last name, yeara) (Author last name, yearb) If directly quoting, after the year of publication and a comma, list the page number. Example: (Redd, 2017a). (Redd, 2017b). |
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No Pages If directly quoting and a website or other source has no page numbers; list the paragraph number, section title, table number, slide number, etc. Paragraph is shortened to "para." Most other sources use the full word, such as Table, Graph, Chart. Example: There is some evidence to suggest that "citations have the potential to help grades" (Smith, 2019, para. 5). |