The APA style, as presented in this brochure, is widely accepted in the social sciences. The American Psychological Association (APA) citation style requires parentheses within the text rather than footnotes or endnotes.
The citation in text provides information, usually the name of the author and the date of publication, which leads the reader to the corresponding bibliographic entry. Complete information on each source cited in the text is provided in a list called “References” located at the end of the investigation report.
Also, the APA style requires double space in everything (titles, texts, references, EVERYTHING). A clear and continuous writing style is used. Three levels of titles are used: a main one written in bold and centered, a secondary one written in italics and in the left margin and a tertiary one written in italics, but with the text continued on the same line.
format-apa-fifth-edition-guide-to-prepare-citations-and-referencesThe clearest way to indicate them is to write it this way:
Method
Control. Some short-term surgery patients, matched for age and sex, acted as a control group.
The paragraphs that follow the titles do not need to be indented, but all the others should be, in any other case.
In writing, avoid using gender specific adjectives or pronouns. Thus, assumptions derived from gender stereotypes about people, their abilities, attitudes and relationships should also be avoided.
I. INTRODUCTION TO INVESTIGATION
Below are examples of a few sentences from an article (Mehrabian, A., January 2001) in APA format, which appear in the Journal of Psychology. Look at the three citation styles in parentheses in the text, and then look at how full citations should appear in the reference list.
"The findings have repeatedly identified the relationship between depression and various aspects of substance abuse. A specific large-scale study of nicotine dependence showed a positive relationship between nicotine and major depression (Breslau, Kilbey & Andreski, 1993). Dorus and Senay (1980) found that, compared to the population norm, multi-substance abusers and heroin addicts had significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms. Furthermore, symptoms gradually decreased during the course of treatment designed to counteract abuse. Weiss, Grifin and Mirin (1992) also investigated hospitalized drug addicts. ”
References
Breslau, N., Kilbey, M., & Andresky, P. (1993). Nicotine dependency and major depression: New evidence from a prospective investigation. Archives of General Psychiatry, 50, 31-35.
Dorus, W. & Senay, EC (1980). Depression, demographic dimensions, and drug abuse. American Journal of Psychiatry, 137, 699-704.
Weiss, RD, Griffin, ML & Mirin, SM (1992). Drug abuse as self-medication for depression: An empirical study. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 18, 121-129.
- In sources involving more than three authors, the first time they are cited, all must be named, then it is possible to reduce the citation to the main author, followed by the expression "et als.", "Y cols" or "and others ”, Before the year of publication. When the same idea is contributed by multiple authors, the corresponding citations are arranged by alphabet, each separated by a semicolon:
Research based on this theory (Buss & Barnes, 1986; Howard, Blumstein & Schwartz, 1987) suggest that there are significant differences between the determinants considered by both sexes, to choose a partner
- If the same author's idea is used, taken from different sources over time, these are cited in chronological order:Jones maintains the idea of psychology as a widely developing discipline (1990, 1993a, b).If the use of specifications such as et al. can lead to confusion between two groups of authors, eg. Hunt, Hartley & Davies (1993) and Hunt, Davies & Baker (1993), cite all authors in each mention. If the reference includes publications of two or more authors of the same last name, then it is valid to initial their names in each of the citations, to avoid a misunderstanding. Cite a page, table, figure, etc. at the appropriate point in the text rather than in the list of references. Eg (Hunt, 1997, pp. 251-253). The references cited in the text should appear in the list of references at the end of the work (and vice versa). Carefully check that all references are marked,that the spelling of the authors' names corresponds and that the dates given in the text are the same as those in the reference.
Author and year cited in the text (a parenthesis is not necessary)
In a 1989 article, Gould explores some of the most effective metaphors.
Author not cited in the text
As metaphors for the way of nature, Darwin used the figures of the tree of life and the face of nature (Gould, 1989).
Author cited in the text
Gould (1989) attributes Darwin's success to his ability to make appropriate metaphors.
Short quotes, two lines or less (40 words), can be incorporated into the text using single quotes to indicate them. Longer citations are separated from the text by a space at each end and are tabulated from the left margin; here there is no need to use quotes.
The punctuation, writing and order must correspond exactly to the original text. Any changes made by the author must be clearly indicated, eg. italicize some words to highlight them. When some material is omitted from the quotations it is indicated with an ellipse (…). The material inserted by the author to clarify the quote should be placed in square brackets. The source of a quote must be fully cited, eg. author, year and page number in the text, plus a complete reference in the bibliography.
Quote with the author's name in the text
Gould (1989) explains the Darwinian tree of life metaphor "to express another form of interconnectivity - genealogical rather than ecological - and to illustrate the success and failure of the life story" (p. 14).
Quote without the author's name in the text
Darwin used the tree of life metaphor "to express another form of interconnectivity - genealogical rather than ecological - and to illustrate the success and failure of the history of life" (Gould, 1989, p. 14).
Sociobiology is a branch of biology that holds that many forms of behavior can be understood in the context of organisms' efforts to pass their genes on to the next generation. Although this discipline is a relatively new scientific field, there is already consistent evidence regarding the role of genetic factors in some aspects of human behavior (Barra, Astete, Canales, Gacitúa, Ramírez and Sánchez, 1999, p. 2)
Secondary appointments
Many times, it will be considered necessary to present the idea of an author, revised in another work, different from the original one in which it was published. For example, an idea by Watson (1940) read in a publication by Lazarus (1982):
Classical conditioning has many practical applications (Watson, 1940, quoted in Lazarus, 1982)
Or, Watson (quoted in Lazarus, 1982) supports the versatility of applications of classical conditioning.
In references, only the entry corresponding to the source consulted is added.
Footers
Footers should be restricted to a minimum. Use superscript numbers in the text to indicate the reference to a particular footer.
Numbers
As a general rule, figures one through nine are written in words, and all upper ones are written as numbers. Exceptions to this rule are as follows: ™ Write any number that is at the beginning of a sentence (when possible, reformulate the sentence to avoid writing in words at the beginning, eg 'Participants were 62 men and 56 women ', instead of ' Fifty-two men and 56 women served as participants '). ™ Use numbers when writing any unit of measure, or if percentages are expressed:
2%, 27 m., $ 4, 4 years , etc.
- Use numbers for: Likert scale of 5 items, 7 points, etc. Use a zero before the decimal point when the numbers are less than one, except when it cannot be greater than unity, ex. levels of statistical significance, correlations and proportions. (r = -.86; p <.01)
II. RESULTS
The tables and figures should complement and clarify the text (avoiding including tables that do not provide more information than what is stated in the text), with Indo-Arabic numbers (eg Table 2) on the table itself. Use horizontal lines and vertical spacing to separate the items in the table.
Tables footers
- A general note is warranted if you explain or provide information regarding the table as a whole. General notes will be designated by the word Note (in italics), followed by a period. A specific note refers to a particular column or data. Specific notes are indicated by lower case letters written in superscripts (a, b, c), which will be arranged horizontally throughout the table, following the order of the rows. The probability level indicates the results of a significance test. Asterisks are used to indicate the level of probability.
(eg * p <.05; ** p <.01; *** p <.001). Use a cross symbol (†) for p <.10.
Figures, graphics and illustrations
These must also be numbered consecutively with Indo-Arabic numbers (eg Figure 1, Figure 2) below the figure. If a key is required, it must be included in the figure legend, not in it.
Statistics and mathematics
When statistical data, notes to the tests used, degrees of freedom and probability levels are presented, it will be done as follows:
The application of the independent t-test indicates that the 09.00 hour presentations led to an immediate superior response (t (40) = 2.16, p <.025, unilateral).
Complex mathematical and statistical formulas should be cited only when they are essential to research because of the cost of their writing. Leave adequate space between characters and plenty of space around complex equations, so that they are clearly read. Number these equations in a centered way, using numbers inside parentheses on the right. Eg refer to equation (1), etc, in the text.
III. REFERENCES
References should be written in alphabetical order by the last name of the (first) author (or publisher). Multiple references from the same author (or from an identical group of authors) are ordered by year of publication, with the oldest first. If the year of publication is also the same, differentiate them by writing a letter a, b, c etc. after the year.
When a surname is composed (eg de Gaulle), order it according to the prefix and make sure that it is also included in the quote. If the author is a company name, order it according to the first significant word of its name (eg The British Psychological Society, it goes under the "B").
In this way, each of the above quotes could lead readers to a valid source of information in APA at the end:
Gould, SJ (1989). The wheel of fortune and the wedge of progress. Natural History, 89 (3), 14-21.
ITÁLICAS OR UNDERLINED? If you are writing in a word processor that does not allow the use of italics, the APA format allows it to be underlined. Here is the same reference, but using underlining instead of italics.
Gould, SJ (1989). The wheel of fortune and the wedge of progress. Natural History, 89 (3), 14-21.
- To refer a work by a single author, write the author's last name, a comma and their initials, before the year of publication in parentheses. To refer the work of two authors, they are written in the same format, but joined by a "And Greek" if the work is in Spanish, or by an "&" if the work consulted is in English. To refer the work of three or more, they are simply listed separated by commas - in the order established in the source-, except for the last one, who is associated with his colleagues by the “and Greek” or “&” On occasions when works by the same author or group of authors, which have been published in the same year, are referred to, They will distinguish in citations by granting them letters attached to the year of publication (2000a, 2000b) and ordering them chronologically in the references section.
- ABBREVIATIONS: examples used in the APA style.
| Abbrev. English | English meaning | Apr. Spanish | Meaning Spanish |
| chap. | Chapter | chap. | Chapter |
| Rev. Ed. | Revised edition | Ed. Rev. | Revised edition |
| Ed. (Eds) | Editor (Editors) | Ed. (Eds.) | Editor (Editors) |
| na | Don't date | sf | Without date |
| Vol. | Volume (as vol. 3) | Vol. | Volume |
| Suppl. | Supplement | Suppl. | Supplement |
| Ed. | Edition | Ed. | Edition |
| 2 nd ed. | Second edition | 2nd ed. | Second edition |
| Trans. | Translated by | Trad. | Translation of |
| p. (pp.) | Page (pages) | p. pp. | Page (pages) |
| Vols. | Volumes (as in 10 vols.) | Vols. | Volumes |
| Pt. | Part | Pt. | Part |
| Tech. Rep. | Technical report | Rep. Tec. | Technical report |
| et al. | "Et alia" | and cols | and collaborators |
- NEWSPAPERS: style examples for journals, magazines, newspapers, etc.
General form - newspapers
Author, AA, Author, BB, and Author, CC (year). Article title. Newspaper or magazine title, xx, xxx-xxx.
An author
Paivio, A. (1975). Perceptual comparisons through the mind's eye. Memory & Cognition, 3, 635-647.
From two to six authors in a magazine with numbered pages for each edition
Klimoski, R. & Palmet, S. (1993). The ADA and the hiring process in organizations. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 45 (2), 10-36.
(NOTE: the edition number is included in parentheses, without italics, after the volume number only if each number numbers its pages separately - if it starts with each number from 1-. If all the numbers in a volume are paginated continuously, edition number is not included)
Magazine article-magazine
Henry, WA, III. (1990, April 9). Beyong the melting pot. Time, 135, 28-31
Review of a book
Carmody, TP (1982). A new look at medicine form the social perspective. Contemporary psychology, 27, 208-209.
Journal article + no author + dashed pages
Generic Prozac debuts. (2001, August 3). The Washington Post, pp. E1, E4.
Newspaper editorial
Stress, cops and suicide. (1993, December 1). New York Times, p. A22.
Editor + Full Edition or Special Section
Barlow, DH (Ed.). (1991). Diagnoses, dimensions, and DSM-IV: The science of classification. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100 (3).
- NON-PERIODIC: for non-periodic sources such as books, reports, brochures, audiovisual media, etc.
General form - Non-periodic sources Author, AA (1999). Job title. Location: Editorial.
Sole author
Nagel, PC (1992). The lees of Virginia: Seven generations of an american familiy. New York: Oxford University Press
Corporate author + published by its author
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th. Ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Anonymous author
Guidelines and application form for directors, 1990 summer seminar for school teachers. (1988). Washington, DC: National Endowment for the humanities.
Article in a book
Burghardt, GM (1984). On the origins of play. In PK Smith (Ed.), Play in animals and humans (pp. 5-42). Oxford, England: Basil Blackwell.
ERIC document
Mead, JV (1992). Looking at old photographs: Investigating the teacher tales that novice teaches bring them (Report No. NCRTL-RTR-92-4). East Lansing, MI: National Center for Research on Teaching Learning. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 346 082)
Report + Government Document Office
National Institute of Mental Health. (1990). Clinical training in serious mental illness (DHHS Publication No. ADM 90-1679). Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
TV program
Crystal, L. (Executive Producer). (1993, October 11). The MacNeil / Lehrer news hour.. New York and Washington, DC: Open Television Service.
Video tape
National Geographic Society (Producer). (1987). In the shadow of Vesuvius.. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society.
Theses and memoirs
Beck, G. (1992). Bullying amongst incarcerated young offenders. Unpublished Master's Thesis, Birkbeck College, University of London.
Presentations and conferences
Beck, G. & Ireland, J. (1995). Measuring bullying in prisons. Paper presented at the Fifth Annual Division of Criminological and Legal Psychology Conference, September, London.
Unpublished articles (submitted / in preparation)
Black, PT (1998). Educational level as a predictor of success. Unpublished manuscript.
Black, PT (1998). Educational level as a predictor of success. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Black, PT (1998). Educational level as a predictor of success. Manuscript in preparation.
- ONLINE NEWSPAPERS: newspaper articles from databases (eg EBSCOHost, ABI / INFORM, LEXIS / NEXIS, etc.), online magazines, etc.
NOTE:
- APA protocols for citing electronic sources is evolving. For the latest information, you need to check the link to the site of the
APA, which is regularly updated. http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html
- Full addresses - URL Uniform Resource Locator - are not usually given for databases, as they do not lead directly to the document; instead, use the name of the database. General Form - Online Newspapers
Author, AA, Author, BB, and Author, CC (year). Article title. Newspaper or magazine title, xx, xxx-xxx. Or obtained on the day of the year, from address.
Full article obtained from a subscription database
Senior, B. (1997, September). Team roles and team performance: Is there really a link? Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 70, 241-258. Obtained on June 6, 2001 from the ABI / INFORM global database (Proquest).
Dykeman, BF (1994, June). The effects of motivational orientation, self-efficacy, and feedback condition on test anxiety. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 21 (2), 114-120. Retrieved June 4, 2001 from the EBSCOHost Academic Search Elite database.
Garza, A. (1999, March 17). Siesta put to rest: Mexican tradition under siege. Boston Globe, p. A2. Retrieved June 3, 2001 from the Newsstand (Proquest) database.
Stevenson, W., Maton, KI and Teti, DM (1999, February). Social support, relationship quality, and well-being among pregnant teens. Journal of Adolescence, 22 (1), 109-121. Obtained on June 3, 2001 from the IDEAL database.
Article in the public domain, electronic journal or free database.
(Note: the full URLs of public domain electronic journals and / or free databases are given, as these will serve to guide more online sessions to find the same article. Note that there is no endpoint in the term of a reference which includes a URL reference).
Lodewijkx, HFM (2001, May 23). Individual-group continuity in cooperation and competition under varying communication conditions.
Current Issues in Social Psychology, 6 (12), 166-182. Excerpted on September 14, 2001 from http://www.uiowa.edu/~grpproc/ crisp / crisp.6.12.htm
Jacobson, JW, Mulick, JA, & Schwartz, AA (1995). A history of facilitated communication: Science, pseudoscience, and antiscience: Science working group on facilitated communication. American Psychologist, 50, 750-765. Extracted on June 6, 2001 from
- ONLINE DOCUMENTS: non-periodic documents obtained from websites, newsgroups, email discussion groups, etc. General form - online documents
Author, AA (year). Job title. Extracted on the day of the year from the source.
Independent document, online
NAACP, (2001, February 25). NAACP calls for presidential order to halt police brutality crisis. Retrieved June 3, 2001 from http://www.naacp.org/president/ releases / police_brutality.htm
(Note: A URL that continues on the next line can be split after slash or a punctuation. It is not valid to insert, or allow the processor to insert, a hyphen to break it.)
Independent online document + no author + no publication date
GVU's 8th WWW user survey. (nd). Excerpted on September 13, 2001 from
Email communications cited in parentheses:
Email communications must be cited as personal communications. For example, an email from Jean Phinney should be quoted in the text: This information was verified a few days later (JS Phinney, personal communication, June 5, 2000).
It is not necessary to put an entry in the "references" section; however, if this email is part of a list of discussions, it is no longer considered personal communication and should be included in the references, as follows:
Dodwell, C. (August 31, 2001). Comment on Smith's response. Message sent to http://www.wpunj.edu/studentarchive/ msg0088.html
Websites in parenthetical citations
To quote a complete website (but not a specific document within it), it is sufficient to give the URL of the site in the text and it is not necessary to add an entry in "references".
Kidpsych is an excellent website for young children (http://www.kidpsych.org)
Appendices
Appendices should be written on separate sheets of paper, after the references and numbered with Arabic numerals if they are more than one.
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