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.
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.)
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].
Whether you are using APA or another citation style, you'll find that nearly all citations contain four basic elements:
Let's take a look at the citation example in the Quick Reference PDF 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.
Coates, T.-N. (2008). The beautiful struggle. New York: Spiegel & Grau.
In the example above, can you identify the author(s)?
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.
Journal article citations contain the same four main elements as those for books:
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?
Journal article citations contain two titles:
In a journal article citation, which of the following gets put in italics?
Now let's try an example.
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.
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
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:
Let's take a look at an example.
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?
Remember the four basic elements of a citation, and you'll be able to understand any APA-style citation you come across:
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.
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
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.
Given the citation for a journal article, how can you tell the difference between the article title and the journal title?
What did you learn from this tutorial?
How might you use what you learned?
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