Many organizations use the APA (American Psychological Association) format for citing references, especially in scientific disciplines. This emphasizes equality, which is why he prefers initials rather than using the name; and recent research, so the date is included at an early point in the citation. You start by formatting in-text citations, then work your reference list and create entries for books, magazine articles, and other sources.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Cite a book
Step 1. Use the author's last name first to create a citation in the reference list
In the APA style, you only need to use the initials of the first and middle names. After the last name, type a comma and add the first and middle initial, if both are included.
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For example, your date could start like this:
Ford, R. G
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If the source has more than one author, separate them with commas and an "&" sign.
Ford, R. G., Macintosh, J. P., & Rose, P. M
Step 2. Next, add the year of publication
Write it in parentheses and put a period after it. You can find the year of publication on the front or back of the title page.
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Your entry will be like this:
Ford, R. G. (2015)
Step 3. Next, put the title of the book
Italicize the title. Uses the capitalization of a sentence, which means that only the first word (and any proper names) is capitalized. This includes capitalizing the first word after the colon.
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Now the quote will be like this:
Ford, R. G. (2015). The benefits of natural grass
Step 4. Put the location and publisher on the side
Add the city of publication, a comma, and the state abbreviation, if applicable. Write a colon and then the publisher. Then give it a point.
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Now the input will look like this:
Ford, R. G. (2015). The benefits of natural grass. Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon
- This quote is complete if there is no more information.
Step 5. Add the edition after the title if it is a second edition or later
Put the edition in parentheses with numbers (2nd, 3rd, among others) and the abbreviation "ed.". Include it before the end point of the title. You can find this information on the back of the title page.
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The appointment will have this form:
Ford, R. G. (2015). The benefits of natural grass (3rd ed.). Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon
Step 6. Include the translator after the title if there is one
Put your first name in parentheses with the initials and then the last name. Add the abbreviation "trad." after the person's name. It should come after the end point of the title.
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Your appointment will look like this:
Ford, R. G. (2015). The benefits of natural grass. (Frank Roberts, trans.). Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon
Step 7. Create the in-text citation
This quote will go in the sentence where you will quote the information. Use the author's last name, either in the sentence or in parentheses before the period. Then add the year of publication, a comma, and the page number. Although the page number is not strictly necessary unless you are using a direct quote, it is good to include it.
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Your appointment will look like this:
As Ford (2015, p. 124) notes, the AstroTurf is not a good alternative to grass
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At the end of the sentence, it will look like this:
The AstroTurf is not a viable substitute for true grass (Ford, 2015, p. 124)
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If you have multiple authors, write like this:
As Ford, Macintosh, & Rose (2015, p. 88) point out, the AstroTurf can hurt gamers
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After the first appointment with several authors, write like this:
As indicated by Ford et al. (2015, p. 75), AstroTurf is harmful
Method 2 of 3: Make a Bibliographic Entry for an Academic Journal Article
Step 1. Start with the author's last name followed by their initials for the citation in the reference list
As in the case of a book, put the author's last name at the beginning. Write a comma between the last name and the first initial. Add the second initial if it is included in the book or the middle name.
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Entry on the reference page will start like this:
Cole, B. R
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If you have more than one author, include them all, separated with commas and an "&" sign. Just use the initials of the first and last names, like this:
Cole, B. R., Jackson, G. H., & Briar, J. P
Step 2. Then add the year of publication
Put it in parentheses. You can usually find it at the beginning of the article or an article entry for a database. Include a period after the final parenthesis.
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Your reference will look like this:
Cole, B. R. (2010)
Step 3. Use the title of the magazine article later
Don't italicize it and use the uppercase format of a sentence. This means that only the first word, proper names, and the first word after the colon are capitalized.
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Now the input will look like this:
Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields
Step 4. Add the name of the magazine after the title of the article
Capitalize the title of the article as the academic journal does and put it in italics. Use a comma after the name of the magazine.
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The reference will look like this:
Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields. The magazine of the playing fields,
Step 5. Add the volume, issue number, and page numbers
Some magazines are paged by volume. In that case, the volume number in italics, a comma, and the article page numbers are added. Some magazines are paged by issue number. If this is the case, add the volume in italics, the number in parentheses but not in italics, and then the page numbers.
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So for a magazine that is paged by volume, the citation will look like this:
Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields. The Playgrounds Magazine, 66, 859-863
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In the case of a magazine that is ordered by number, you will do it this way:
Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields. The magazine of the playing fields, 16 (6), 20-16
- If that's all the information you have, the quote will be complete.
Step 6. Add the DOI if the magazine article had one
Most articles have a DOI, which is the digital object identifier. It is similar to the ISBN for magazine articles. New items have it, but if the one you're using doesn't have it, you can skip it.
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Now the quote will look like this:
Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields. The Playgrounds Magazine, 66, 859-863. doi: 10.1434234234
Step 7. Use a web link for articles on the internet if they do not have the DOI
The URL will help your readers find the article. Add "Retrieved from" and the URL to the end of the entry.
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For an article that has its own publicly accessible URL, include it:
Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields. The Playgrounds Magazine, 66, 859-863. Recovered from
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If you don't have a public URL access, use the magazine's home page:
Cole, B. R. (2010). Why we should use grass for playing fields. The Playgrounds Magazine, 66, 859-863. Recovered from
Step 8. Make an in-text quote for the sentence if you were citing information
If you use the author's last name in the sentence, you don't have to include it in the quote, just put the quote after the last name. Otherwise, put the author's last name, a comma, the year of publication, a comma, and the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence. You will have to include the page number with a verbatim quote; otherwise, it is optional.
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If the author's name is in the sentence, the quote will look like this:
As Cole (2013, p. 45) indicates, AstroTurf is a bad way to cover a field
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At the end of the sentence, it will have this form:
The AstroTurf is not a viable substitute for real grass (Ford, 2015, p. 124)
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If you have to add multiple authors, use this form:
As Cole, Jackson, & Briar (2014, p. 58) indicate, AstroTurf is bad for scoring goals
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After the first appointment with several authors, replace them with "et al.":
As indicated by Cole et al. (2014, p. 66), AstroTurf is a problem when playing soccer
Method 3 of 3: Create Another Bibliographic Entry
Step 1. Treat book essays the same way as a magazine article in the reference list
Although you will not include the same information, an essay in a book is similar. Use the author's name, the date, and the title of the essay, then add the name of the book to it. You will use "En" with the names of the publishers before the title, followed by a comma and the title. Then you will add the location and publisher.
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So the entry of an essay will look like this:
Braxton, N. K. (2011). Finding the right playing field. In J. L. Washington and M. P. Hicks (Eds.), The AstroTurf versus Real Turf: The Dilemma (55-74). Miami, OK: Small Town Press
- You need the "Eds." in parentheses to tell the audience that those are the publishers. The numbers in parentheses after the title (in italics) are the essay page numbers in the book.
Step 2. See if a thesis has not been published if you are going to cite it
Apply the same rules as a book to almost everything, but add "Unpublished dissertation" after the title in parentheses if it is not published. Then put in the name of the institution, a comma, and the location.
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So a basic input will look like this:
Harbor, L. R. (2010). Astroturf and the playing field (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
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If published, use "Doctoral Thesis", a period, then "Retrieved from" and the database. You will need the access or order number in parentheses, like this:
Price, H. F. (2012). Why AstroTurf (Doctoral Thesis) should be banned. Retrieved from the central sports database. (244412321)
Step 3. Put the name of the organization first if it is the author
Sometimes organizations or companies are the authors of brochures and information documents. Instead of a person, use the organization's name instead of the author's name. If you have a person as the author, put it at the end after the location.
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The quote will look like this:
The society for the best playing fields. (2009). Figures on injuries in different types of fields. Eugene, OR: G. H. Roberts
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Do the same for a government document, but add any publication number after the title in parentheses and use the publisher at the end:
National Institute of Sports. (2001). The study of various types of peat for playing fields (DHHS Publication No. ADM 553234-131). Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office
Step 4. Add the URL to the end of a quote on a web page
If you are using a report or document that is online, put the author and publication date first. Then, write the title of the document in italics. At the end, add "Recovered from" and a URL for the web page.
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For example, you could write the following:
Vicks, H. R. & Jackson, G. H. (2014). The advantages of AstroTurf. Recovered from
Step 5. Add in-text citations in the sentence you are going to quote
When making an in-text quote, you can use the author's name in the sentence. In that case, the citation can go right after the name in parentheses without the author's last name. Otherwise, the quote goes in parentheses at the end of the sentence. Include the author's last name, a comma, the publication date, a comma, and the page number. Use the page number with the textual citation, if you are not going to use one, it will be nice to have it but it is not necessary.
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If the author's name is in the sentence, use this form:
As Ford (2015, p. 124) points out, the AstroTurf is not a good alternative to grass
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At the end of the sentence, the quote will look like this:
The AstroTurf is not a viable solution for real grass (Ford, 2015, p. 124)
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If you have to add multiple authors, list them all:
As stated by Ford, Macintosh, & Rose (2015, p. 88), the AstroTurf can hurt gamers
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After the first multi-author citation, add the "et al." Instead:
As indicated by Ford et al. (2015, p. 75), AstroTurf is harmful
Advice
- For more information, consult the American Psychological Association Publication Manual or the Purdue Writing Lab at the following link: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html.
- You can also use a page that generates citations like the following: https://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/, https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/citationbuilder/, or even the word processor program that you use.