purdue owl apa essay example

APA Formatting and Style (7th ed.)

• What's New in the 7th ed.?
• Principles of Plagiarism: An Overview
• Basic Paper Formatting
• Basic Paper Elements
• Punctuation, Capitalization, Abbreviations, Apostrophes, Numbers, Plurals
• Tables and Figures
• Powerpoint Presentations
• Reference Page Format
• Periodicals (Journals, Magazines, Newspapers)
• Books and Reference Works
• Webpage on a Website
• Discussion Post
• Company Information & SWOT Analyses
• Dissertations or Theses
• ChatGPT and other AI Large Language Models
• Online Images
• Online Video
• Computer Software and Mobile Apps
• Missing Information
• Two Authors
• Three or More Authors
• Group Authors
• Missing Author
• Chat GPT and other AI Large Language Models
• Secondary Sources
• Block Quotations
• Fillable Template and Sample Paper
• Government Documents and Legal Materials
• APA Style 7th ed. Tutorials
• Additional APA 7th Resources
• Grammarly - your writing assistant
• Writing Center - Writing Skills This link opens in a new window
• Brainfuse Online Tutoring

APA 7th ed. Fillable Word Template and Sample Paper

• APA 7th ed. Template Download this Word document, fill out the title page and get writing!
• Sample Paper APA 7th ed. Our APA sample paper shows you how to format the main parts of a basic research paper.
• APA 7th Sample Papers from Purdue Owl
• << Previous: Block Quotations
• Next: Government Documents and Legal Materials >>
• Last Updated: Sep 7, 2024 3:49 PM
• URL: https://national.libguides.com/apa_7th

Citation Guides

• AMA Citation Examples
• APA Citation Examples
• APA Sample Paper
• Chicago General Formatting
• Chicago Citation Examples
• Chicago Sample Papers
• MLA General Formatting
• MLA Citation Examples
• MLA Sample Paper
• Theological/Philosophical Citations
• APA Style Online

APA Sample Paper from APA Style Online

The following PDF provides a sample paper written in the APA style to demonstrate visually how the guidelines work in action. This PDF is used with full credit to the  APA Style Online , which maintains a robust online guide to students and professionals alike who want to learn about writing and formatting in the APA style. This resource is strongly recommended as a resource if you need something more in depth than this guide provides.

APA Sample Paper from Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)

The following PDF provides a sample paper written in the APA style to demonstrate visually how the guidelines work in action. This PDF is used with thanks and full credit to the  Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) , which maintains a robust online guide to a variety of style guides, avoiding plagiarism, and writing at the academic level in general. They are strongly recommended as a resource if you need something more in depth than this guide provides.

“APA Sample Paper.”  APA Sample Paper - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University , Purdue OWL / Purdue University, 30 Jan. 2020, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/apa_sample_paper.html. Accessed on 2 Feb. 2024.

• << Previous: APA Citation Examples
• Next: Chicago/Turabian >>
• Last Updated: Jun 14, 2024 4:03 PM
• URL: https://libguide.umary.edu/citations

  E-Mail

  Chat

  F.A.Q.

• Purdue Global
• PG Library Website
• Purdue Global Library

APA Style Help & Tools

{{page_title}}, best bet: apa's academic writer.

Academic Writer is the only authoritative and complete online environment for teaching, writing, and publishing in APA Style®, now updated to the 7th Edition. Designed to help users develop their writing and professional research skills, Academic Writer combines sophisticated learning and teaching tools, advanced writing and content management technology, and full integration of APA’s best-selling Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association® to create an unparalleled web-based suite of integrated services and tools.

Access Academic Writer anytime with this link:

library.purdueglobal.edu/academicwriter

Academic Writer Documentation & Tips

The below links lead to more information, tips, and training about the basics of using Academic Writer.

• Library Guide to Academic Writer
• Getting Started Guide (PDF)
• Creating Academic Writer Accounts (PDF)
• Accessing the Publication Manual (PDF)
• Technical Requirements

Using Academic Writer's Writing Tools

Academic Writer contains a Writing section where you can create and write a full APA-formatted paper.  You can write the entire paper in Academic Writer or just use it to setup the title page, headings, and references.  Export your work at any time to a Microsoft Word document.  Below are documents from Academic Writer about the essential features of their Writing tools.  

• Setting up the Title Page
• Adding References to Papers (PDF)
• Adding In-Text Citations (PDF)
• Adding Tables (PDF)
• Exporting Papers (PDF)

Featured Items from Academic Writer

Basics of APA Style

Learn the basics of APA Style, including how to format a manuscript, understand the form and function of common manuscript parts, organize and express your thoughts clearly and precisely, employ the mechanics of style, use graphic elements effectively, credit sources and acknowledge the contributions of others, and construct a comprehensive and reliable reference list.

Academic Writer

© 2020 American Psychological Association.

How to Avoid Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism

Learn how to avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism, including how to identify plagiarism, understand its risks and consequences, cite sources properly, and develop sound writing practices.

Learn how to set up the title page of an APA Style paper, including the page header and running head, title, author name and affiliation, and author note.

Paper Template: ("Merenda" Sample Student Paper)

This sample response paper presents a university student's personal reaction to an article about whether medication is prescribed too often to young children to treat psychological disorders. The title page demonstrates the simple default layout for a student paper. The paper has a simple setup with only a title page, body of text, and references. No "running head"! Response papers typically do not include author notes or abstracts, though this may vary by assignment.

Visit the Writing Center

Need writing help?  Visit the Writing Center to contact a tutor, submit your paper for review and feedback, or ask APA Style-related questions, as well as access dozens of writing tutorials, videos, webinars, and other instructional resources.

• Writing Center

PG Writing Center's Top APA Links

• Common Citations in APA Format
• APA Title Page and Running Head Video
• APA (7th Edition) Demystified in 5 Minutes Video
• Formatting an APA Style (7th Edition) Reference List Video
• Writing With Integrity (APA Style 7th Ed.)

eBook on APA Style 7th Edition

Zotero: Free Reference Management Tool

Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources. This tool is especially popular for heavy researchers at the grad level and above.

• << Previous: Library Guides
• Next: Ask a Librarian >>

• Data & Statistics
• Databases A-Z Hub
• Document Delivery
• Ask a Librarian
• Search Support F.A.Q.
• Videos & Tutorials
• Library Guides
• Other Academic Services
• Library News Blog
• Information for Faculty & Curriculum
• Library Site Search

© 2024, Purdue Global, a public, nonprofit institution.

Privacy Policy

End User Agreement

APA Style Manuscript Guidelines

Apa style (7th ed.) manuscript guidelines.

APA Style provides guidelines on how your paper should appear on the page. It involves formatting margins, line spacing, the title page, body pages, and reference list.

Notes on the Sample Title Page

• In the header of the document at the right margin, insert the page number.
• In the upper half of the page, three to four lines down from the header, provide the title of the paper in bold, title case.
• Double-space the title page and entire paper, adding an additional double-spaced line between the title and the “byline”—author name.
• Provide the byline and related information in regular font. First provide the author’s name and affiliated university.
• Next, provide the course number and name (Course Number: Name), the professor for the course, and due date.
• Always check with your instructor about additional information required on this page.

More Title Page Examples

• Open a sample title page here .
• Formatting an APA Style (7th ed.) Paper and Title Page in Microsoft Word Video

Notes on this sample body page

• The font should be the same throughout the paper. Acceptable fonts include 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 12-point Times New Roman, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 11-point Georgia, or 10-point Computer Modern.
• Use one-inch margins all around.
• The text should align with the left margin and be uneven along the right margin with one space between words and after punctuation.
• Double-space the entire paper without extra spacing between paragraphs.
• Indent the beginning of each paragraph one half-inch, which is typically one click of the Tab key.

More Body Page Examples

• Open a sample body page here .
• Open a sample APA Style research paper here

Reference List

Notes on this sample references list for student papers:

• The references list begins on a new page at the end of the paper before any tables or appendices.
• The right margin of the header provides the page number, continued from the previous page.
• The word References is centered on the first line under the header in bold font.
• The citations are formatted using a “hanging indent” where the second and subsequent lines are indented one half-inch under the first line in order to improve readability.
• Double-space the reference list, including within a reference entry.
• Two or more works by the same author are ordered chronologically by publication date.
• References with the same first author and a different second author are alphabetized by the second author.

More Reference List Examples

• Open a sample reference list here .
• Formatting an APA Style (7th ed.) Reference List in Microsoft Word Video

Share this:

• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive email notifications of new posts.

Email Address

• RSS - Posts
• RSS - Comments
• COLLEGE WRITING
• USING SOURCES & APA STYLE
• EFFECTIVE WRITING PODCASTS
• LEARNING FOR SUCCESS
• PLAGIARISM INFORMATION
• FACULTY RESOURCES
• Student Webinar Calendar
• Academic Success Center
• Writing Center
• About the ASC Tutors
• DIVERSITY TRAINING
• PG Peer Tutors
• PG Student Access

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

• College Writing
• Using Sources & APA Style
• Learning for Success
• Effective Writing Podcasts
• Plagiarism Information
• Faculty Resources
• Tutor Training

Twitter feed

• Ask a Librarian

Psychological Sciences: Major Research Sources

• Finding Books & Journals
• Reference Sources incl. DSM-5
• APA Citation Format
• Testing & Measurement Resources
• Professional Societies
• Dissertations
• Current Topics, Research Ideas, and Trends
• Datasets, Curation, and Storage Options

Subject Guide

APA Citation Information

• APA 7th Edition Citation Format instructions--Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

APA Style Manual

• << Previous: Reference Sources incl. DSM-5
• Next: Testing & Measurement Resources >>
• Last Updated: Aug 13, 2024 12:12 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.purdue.edu/psychology

Citing Your Sources in APA 7th: Books and eBooks

• Books and eBooks
• Encyclopedia and Dictionary Entries
• Government Documents
• Images, Artwork, Charts, Graphs and Tables
• Journal Articles
• Newspaper and Magazine Articles
• Social Media
• Videos and Other Multimedia
• Advertisements
• Book Reviews
• ChatGPT and Generative AI
• Emails, Interviews, and Personal Communications
• Formatting Your Paper
• How to Identify Source Types
• Other Styles

How to Cite Books and eBooks

Books in print, book chapters, book in print (basic format).

Author(s). (Year of publication).  Title of book: Capital letter also for subtitle.  Publisher.

Lorde, A. (2007).  Sister outsider: Essays and speeches.  Crossing Press.

Book With Both Author(s) and Editor(s)

Author(s). (Year of publication).  Title of book: Capital letter also for subtitle  (E. Editor, Ed.). Publisher.

Austen, J. (2008).  Emma  (J. Kinsley, Ed.). Oxford UP.

Book with Editor(s) but No Author

Editor(s). (Ed/s.). (Year of Publication).  Title of book: Capital letter also for subtitle . Publisher.

Leitch, M. G. (Ed.). (2019).  A new companion to Malory.  D. S. Brewer.

Book with No Author or Editor

Title of book: Capital letter also for subtitle.  (Year of Publication). Publisher.

Encyclopedia of Indiana . (1993). Somerset.

Book with Translator

Author(s). (Year of publication).  Title of book: Capital letter also for subtitle  (T. Translator, Trans.). Publisher. (Original work published YEAR)

Foucault, M. (1988).  Madness and civilization: A history of insanity in the age of reason  (R. Howard, Trans.). Vintage-Random House. (Original work published 1961)

Encyclopedia or Dictionary Entry

See Encyclopedias and Dictionaries .

Religious Text

See Religious Texts .

eBook (Accessed from Library Database)

Author(s). (Year of publication).  Title of book: Capital letter also for subtitle.  Publisher. DOI or Permalink [if available, skip if not]

Waldau, P. (2010)  Animal rights: What everyone needs to know.  Oxford University Press.

eBook (Accessed from Website)

Author(s). (Year of publication).  Title of book: Capital letter also for subtitle.  Publisher. DOI or URL

Speed, H. (1913)  The practice and science of drawing.  Seeley, Service & Co. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14264

eBook (Accessed from eReader)

Author(s). (Year of publication).  Title of book: Capital letter also for subtitle.  Publisher. DOI or URL [if available, skip if not]

Machiavelli, N. (2018).  The prince (W. K. Marriott, Trans.). Library of Alexandria.

Chapter or Article in an Edited Book

Author(s). (Year of publication). Title of chapter or article. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.),  Title of book: Capital letter also for subtitle  (pp. pages of chapter). Publisher. DOI [if available]

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.

How to Format Author Names

• Works Cited List
• In-Text Citation

Last Name, First Initial. or Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial (if provided in source).

Name Examples:

Anzaldúa, G. Kendi, I. X. Wallace, D. F.

Citation Example:

Anzaldúa, G. (2012).  Borderlands / la frontera: The new mestiza  (4th ed.). Aunt Lute Books. 

Two Authors

Last Name, A. A., & Last Name, B. B.

Wykes, M., & Gunter, B. (2005).  The media and body image: If looks could kill.  Sage.

Three to Twenty Authors

Last Name, A. A., Last Name, B. B., & Last Name, C. C.

Nguyen, T., Carnevale, J. J., Scholer, A. A., Miele, D. B., & Fujita, K. (2019). Metamotivational knowledge of the role of high-level and low-level construal in goal-relevant task performance.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 117 (5), 879-899. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000166

More Than Twenty Authors

Last Name, A. A., Last Name, B. B., Last Name, C. C., Last Name, D. D., Last Name, E. E., Last Name, F. F., Last Name, G. G., ... Last Name, Z. Z.

Pegion, K., Kirtman, B. P., Becker, E., Collins, D. C., LaJoie, E., Burgman, R., Bell, R., DelSole, R., Min, D., Zhu, Y., Li, W., Sinsky, E., Guan, H., Gottschalck, J., Metzger, E. J., Barton, N. P., Achuthavarier, D., Marshak, J., Koster, R., . . .  Kim, H. (2019). The subseasonal experiment (SubX): A multimodel subseasonal prediction experiment.  Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society ,  100 (10), 2043-2061. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0270.1

Group or Corporate Author

If the group author is different from publisher.

If the group author and the publisher are different entities, list the Group Name as the author. 

Calgary Educational Partnership Foundation. (1996).  Employability skills: Creating my future . Nelson.

If the Group Author and Publisher Are the Same

If the group author and the publisher are the same, follow the "No Author" rules instead.

If a source has no author, skip the author and start with the title. Do not use "Anonymous" as the author name unless the work is signed as "Anonymous."

"How to Teach Yourself Guitar."  eHow,  Demand Media, www.ehow.com/how_5298173_teach-yourself-guitar.html. Accessed 24 June 2016.

(Last Name, Year, p. Page Number)

(Anzaldúa, 2012, p. 30)

(Last Name & Last Name, Year, p. Page Number)

(Wykes & Gunter, 2012, p. 53)

Three or More Authors

(First Author's Last Name et al., Year, p. Page Number)

(Nguyen et al., 2019, p. 880)

(Group Name [Abbreviation if Any], Year, p. Page Number)

If a group author uses an abbreviation, you can introduce the abbreviation in brackets the first time you cite them; in subsequent citations, you can use only the abbreviation.

(Calgary Educational Partnership Foundation, 1996, p. 230)

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019) After the first citation: (CDC, 2019).

If your full citation for a group author starts with the title rather than the group's name, follow the "No Author" in-text citation rules instead.

( Title of Longer Work  or "Title of Shorter Work," Year, p. Page Number)

( Fair Housing,  1985, p. 15)

("How to Teach," 2016)

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i format dates.

Many sources only require a publication year. For sources that require more information, dates should be formatted like this: Year, Month Day. Sources might provide a full date, only a month and year, or sometimes a season (such as Spring 2021); include as much information as the source provides. Do not abbreviate any month names. Example:  2021, October 17.

If there is no date, use "n.d." in place of the date.

What is a DOI?

Digital Object Identifiers, or DOIs, are unique numbers or hyperlinks assigned to some online resources, such as journal articles, to make them easier to find.

If a DOI is provided for a source, include it at the end of your citation after any page numbers. In your References list, you should always format a DOI as a URL beginning with "https://doi.org/" followed immediately by the DOI number.

Example:  For DOI "10.5642/jhummath.20170120," the URL version would be: https://doi.org/10.5642/jhummath.20170120

If no DOI is provided but a permalink or stable link is present, you can use that instead.

What if some information is missing?

If a source has no date, include the initials "n.d." (short for "no date") where you would normally put a date. If a source is missing any other information that you need for your citation, you can generally skip that element and move on to the next element in the citation. 

Examples: Some sources don't have an author; in this case, we skip the author and start our citation with the title. Most academic journals are published in volumes and issues, but some only have volumes; in this case, we list the volume number and skip the issue number. 

What if I don't know which source type I'm citing?

If you're not sure what type of source you're working with, don't worry! This is a very common challenge. Check out our page on Identifying Source Types .

What if I need to cite multiple sources by the same author?

References List:  List multiple works by the same author in order of year of publication from earliest to latest. Usually, the year of publication will be enough to distinguish between sources. If the same author has published multiple sources within the same year, add letters to the end of the year and organize alphabetically to distinguish between them, e.g. 2019a, 2019b, 2019c.

In-Text Citations:  Since in-text citations include the year of publication, no extra step is usually needed to distinguish between sources. If your full citation includes letters to distinguish between sources published in the same year, include the letters in your in-text citations as well. 

How do I cite multiple sources in a single in-text citation?

You can separate multiple in-text citations with a semi-colon to cite multiple sources at the same time. List the in-text citations in the order you used them in your sentence or paragraph. 

Example:  (Bennett, 2015; Smith, 2014). 

More Information on APA 7th

• Pierce Library's APA 7th Quick Citation Guide Downloadable PDF with sample citations (including in-text) for different types of sources and a sample Works Cited page.
• APA Style The official APA Style website from the American Psychological Association.
• Purdue OWL APA 7 Formatting & Style Guide Very thorough overview of APA 7th with examples for how to construct both in-text and Reference List entries.

• << Previous: How to Cite: Common Sources
• Next: Encyclopedia and Dictionary Entries >>
• Last Updated: Sep 17, 2024 12:12 PM
• URL: https://library.piercecollege.edu/apa7

University Libraries

MMC 4302 International and Comparative Systems of Mass Communication

• Articles & Books
• Newspapers & Broadcast Transcripts
• Write & Cite in APA 7 & More

Guidance on Common Writing Assignments

Information from the Purdue Online Writing Lab

• Understanding Writing Assignments
• Argument Papers
• Research Papers
• Research Posters
• Exploratory Papers
• Annotated Bibliographies
• Book Reviews
• Thesis & Dissertation

Academic Honesty

• FSU Academic Honor Policy (June 2021)  Note the Academic Honor Violations (pp.1-2) 
• Plagiarism Guide (FSU Libraries) 
• Plagiarism Tutorial (UNC Libraries)

This page provides information on citing references in the 7th edition of the APA  and on helpful resources on writing. If you need information on different citation styles such as Chicago, MLA, or others, please see FSU Libraries' Citation Guide .    To cite your references:

• Ask your instructor/TA about which style is preferred for the course, figure out the latest edition of the citation style, and use the style consistently throughout your paper.  
• Borrow a copy from the Library. We have multiple print copies of the 7th edition of the APA in the library. 
• For the APA, purchase or rent a print copy or eBook of the official citation manual from  the vendors .
• This webpage 
• Purdue OWL site  for APA, MLA, and Chicago Guides
• APAStyle.org 
• Use a citation generator or citation management program to automatically generate in-text citations and a reference list in the chosen style.  Note: The programs are not perfect. It is still the author's responsibility to ensure that the references in the paper are cited properly in the given citation style. 

Guides to APA 7

[Other Useful Sources on APA 7]

• Common Reference Examples Guide   (PDF file)
• In-Text Citations , including quotations and secondary sources 
• Tables & Figures  
• Data Set References
• Clip Arts or Stock Images  
• Other Audiovisual Media and Online Media (such as YouTube videos or Social Media posts)   
• Paper format , including the page setup, headings, etc.   
• Reference List: Electronic Sources 
• Reference List: Audiovisual Media 
• Report by a Government Agency or Other Organization    
• The Bluebook  
• Citing Court Decisions   (from APA Style)
• Government & Legal References (from U of Washington)    
• APA 7th Edition Citation for Business Sources   Citation examples from specialized business sources such as AdAge, eMarketer, Mintel, NexisUni, Statista, etc. 

How to Cite AI Tools in APA

If you intend to use and cite AI-generated content for course assignments, first consult with your instructor. Instructors have varying opinions about how or whether students may use ChatGPT or other Generative AI tools. Use the following format to cite ChatGPT. For detailed information on how to cite AI in APA style, please check this APA blog post, How to cite ChatGPT , created on April 7, 2023.  To quote or reproduce the text generated by ChatGPT in your paper:

To put the full text of long responses from ChatGPT in an appendix or in online supplemental materials:

To create a reference to ChatGPT or other AI models and software :

Citation Management Programs

[Citation Generators] Cite sources automatically.

• Purdue OWL's   APA 7  (Powered by the Citation Machine)
• APA 7, APA 6, MLA 8 & Chicago 
• For more information on other citation generators, see here

[Citation Management Programs] 

• Zotero User's LibGuide  explains how to create a free account and how to import and export references
• For information on other citation management programs such as Mendeley or EndNote, see here

Writing Help

• How to Make an Appointment @ FSU Reading Writing Center  
• ENC 1905 Improving College-Level Writing
• ENG 5998 Tutorial in English .  Provides individualized support for graduate students working on conference papers, articles, theses, and dissertations. 
• EAP 5845 Academic Writing for International Graduate Students 
• Academic PhraseBank   Look up commonly used phrases in academic writings (from Univ. of Manchester)  
• Preparing to Write | Writing Literature Review 
• Tips and Tools for Academic Writing (from UNC)
• A plagiarism detection software. Available through the Office of Research. Create an account first. For FSU members only
• << Previous: Newspapers & Broadcast Transcripts
• Last Updated: Sep 18, 2024 12:40 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.fsu.edu/MMC4302

© Florida State University Libraries | 116 Honors Way | Tallahassee, FL 32306 | (850) 644-2706

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

APA Style (7th Edition)

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

In this section

Subsections.

Reference Examples

More than 100 reference examples and their corresponding in-text citations are presented in the seventh edition Publication Manual . Examples of the most common works that writers cite are provided on this page; additional examples are available in the Publication Manual .

To find the reference example you need, first select a category (e.g., periodicals) and then choose the appropriate type of work (e.g., journal article ) and follow the relevant example.

When selecting a category, use the webpages and websites category only when a work does not fit better within another category. For example, a report from a government website would use the reports category, whereas a page on a government website that is not a report or other work would use the webpages and websites category.

Also note that print and electronic references are largely the same. For example, to cite both print books and ebooks, use the books and reference works category and then choose the appropriate type of work (i.e., book ) and follow the relevant example (e.g., whole authored book ).

Examples on these pages illustrate the details of reference formats. We make every attempt to show examples that are in keeping with APA Style’s guiding principles of inclusivity and bias-free language. These examples are presented out of context only to demonstrate formatting issues (e.g., which elements to italicize, where punctuation is needed, placement of parentheses). References, including these examples, are not inherently endorsements for the ideas or content of the works themselves. An author may cite a work to support a statement or an idea, to critique that work, or for many other reasons. For more examples, see our sample papers .

Reference examples are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Chapter 10 and the Concise Guide Chapter 10

Related handouts

• Common Reference Examples Guide (PDF, 147KB)
• Reference Quick Guide (PDF, 225KB)

Textual Works

Textual works are covered in Sections 10.1–10.8 of the Publication Manual . The most common categories and examples are presented here. For the reviews of other works category, see Section 10.7.

• Journal Article References
• Magazine Article References
• Newspaper Article References
• Blog Post and Blog Comment References
• UpToDate Article References
• Book/Ebook References
• Diagnostic Manual References
• Children’s Book or Other Illustrated Book References
• Classroom Course Pack Material References
• Religious Work References
• Chapter in an Edited Book/Ebook References
• Dictionary Entry References
• Wikipedia Entry References
• Report by a Government Agency References
• Report with Individual Authors References
• Brochure References
• Ethics Code References
• Fact Sheet References
• ISO Standard References
• Press Release References
• White Paper References
• Conference Presentation References
• Conference Proceeding References
• Published Dissertation or Thesis References
• Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis References
• ERIC Database References
• Preprint Article References

Data and Assessments

Data sets are covered in Section 10.9 of the Publication Manual . For the software and tests categories, see Sections 10.10 and 10.11.

• Data Set References
• Toolbox References

Audiovisual Media

Audiovisual media are covered in Sections 10.12–10.14 of the Publication Manual . The most common examples are presented together here. In the manual, these examples and more are separated into categories for audiovisual, audio, and visual media.

• Artwork References
• Clip Art or Stock Image References
• Film and Television References
• Musical Score References
• Online Course or MOOC References
• Podcast References
• PowerPoint Slide or Lecture Note References
• Radio Broadcast References
• TED Talk References
• Transcript of an Audiovisual Work References
• YouTube Video References

Online Media

Online media are covered in Sections 10.15 and 10.16 of the Publication Manual . Please note that blog posts are part of the periodicals category.

• Facebook References
• Instagram References
• LinkedIn References
• Online Forum (e.g., Reddit) References
• TikTok References
• X References
• Webpage on a Website References
• Clinical Practice References
• Open Educational Resource References
• Whole Website References