WHE: Identify the Elements of an APA Citation

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Being able to identify the elements of an APA citation will help you to cite your own sources correctly, as well as to make sense of the citations in your syllabus or your reading.

Let’s start by finding the section of the library website that has resources to help with APA style.

1. APA Citation Help on the Library Website

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From the library home page, click on the words Research Help at the top of the page.

Click on the link that says Citation Help or Get Citation Help. (There are two places the link is located on this page.)

1. APA Citation Help on the Library Website

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Click on the link that says APA Style to jump to that section of the page.  You'll see a bunch of resources to help you make sense of APA style and cite your sources correctly.  Open the first document in the list, the APA Style Citation Help Guide [PDF].

2. All Citations Have Four Basic Elements

Whether you are using APA or another citation style, you'll find that nearly all citations contain four basic elements:

  • Author(s)
  • Publication date
  • Title of work
  • Publication information

Let's take a look at the citation example in the Quick Reference PDF for A book with one author.

3. Book Citations

1 of 3Note the four elements of the citation in the example for A book with one author:

Naidoo, J. C. (2012). Rainbow family collections: Selecting and using children's books with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer content. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Author

Publication Date

Title of work

Publication information

Let's take a look at another example of a book with one author.

3. Book Citations

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Coates, T.-N. (2008). The beautiful struggle. New York: Spiegel & Grau.

In the example above, can you identify the author(s)?

3. Book Citations

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Let's take a look at a different type of book citation. Here's the example from the Quick Reference guide for An edited book:

Quinn, N., & Mageo, J. M. (Eds.). (2013). Attachment reconsidered: Cultural perspectives on a Western theory. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

It looks similar to the previous examples, doesn't it?  The difference here is that the citation lets us know that Quinn and Mageo are editors, rather than authors, by including (Eds.) in parentheses after their names.

4. Journal Article Citations

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Journal article citations contain the same four main elements as those for books:

  • Author(s)
  • Publication date
  • Title of work
  • Publication information

Find the entry on the Quick Reference guide for An article in a journal.

Which of these is part of the publication information for an article in a journal?

4. Journal Article Citations

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Journal article citations contain two titles:

  • title of the article
  • title of the journal

In a journal article citation, which of the following gets put in italics?

Now let's try an example.

4. Journal Article Citations

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Samuels, G. M., & Ross-Sheriff, F. (2008). Identity, oppression, and power: Feminisms and intersectionality theory. Affilia, 23(1), 5-9.

In the example above, which is the title of the journal?

Let's try one more example of a journal article.

4. Journal Article Citations

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Kiang, L., Tseng, V., & Yip, T. (2016). Placing Asian American child development within historical context. Child Development, 87(4), 995-1013. doi:10.1111/cdev.12578

In the example above, which is the title of the journal?

5. Chapter in an Edited Book

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The final type of citation we'll consider today is a chapter in an edited book.

When citing one chapter of an edited book, here's how the four elements break down:

  • Author(s) of the chapter
  • Publication date of the chapter
  • Title of work = chapter title
  • Publication information is all about the book that contains the chapter, including
    • Editor(s) of the book
    • Title of the book
    • Page numbers in the book where the chapter is located
    • Location of publisher
    • Publisher name

Let's take a look at an example.

5. Chapter in an Edited Book

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Martinez, I. L. (2009). Aging in exile: Family support and emotional well-being among older Cuban immigrants in the United States. In J. Sokolovsky (Ed.), The cultural context of aging: Worldwide perspectives (3rd ed., pp. 325-345). Westport, CT: Prager.

In the above example, which is the name of the book's editor?

Which is the title of the book chapter?

6. Wrap-up

Remember the four basic elements of a citation, and you'll be able to understand any APA-style citation you come across:

  • Author(s)
  • Publication date
  • Title of work
  • Publication information

If you encounter any difficulty, you can always contact a librarian for help!  We're happy to help you locate a source from a citation, or to answer questions you have about citing sources in your own papers.  Get in touch with us right from our home page, or stop by the front desk!

For now, click on the right arrow below to be taken to the final quiz. Afterwards, you'll have the opportunity to get a certificate of completion.

Quiz

What are the four basic elements of any citation?

Hargraves, I., LeBlanc, A., Shah, N. D., & Montori, V. M. (2016). Shared decision making: The need for patient-clinician conversation, not just information. Health Affairs, 35(4), 627-629. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1354

  • This is a citation for what type of source?

Hargraves, I., LeBlanc, A., Shah, N. D., & Montori, V. M. (2016). Shared decision making: The need for patient-clinician conversation, not just information. Health Affairs, 35(4), 627-629. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1354

  • Which is the title of the journal?

Saleebey, D. (2005). Balancing act: Assessing strengths in mental health practice.  In S.A. Kirk (Ed.), Mental disorders in the social environment: Critical perspectives (pp. 23-44).  New York: Columbia University Press.

  • The above citation is for what type of source?

Saleebey, D. (2005). Balancing act: Assessing strengths in mental health practice.  In S.A. Kirk (Ed.), Mental disorders in the social environment: Critical perspectives (pp. 23-44).  New York: Columbia University Press.

  • In the above citation, which is the title of the book?

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