APA References: Textual Works

Textual works include written and text-based sources, both in print and online: books and reference works, periodicals, edited book chapters and reference work entries, reports and gray literature, and more.

  • Periodicals
  • Books and Reference Works
  • Edited Book Chapters and Reference Work Entries
  • Reports and Gray Literature
  • Conference Sessions and Presentations
  • Dissertations and Theses

Periodicals refer to publications that are produced and released on a continuous schedule or at regular intervals. Periodicals include academic journals, magazines, newspapers, blogs, and more.

The reference structure for periodicals is as follows:

Author or Editor

 

 

 

Date

 

 

 

Title

 

 

 

Source

Periodical Information

DOI or URL

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B.
 

Name of Group. 


Author, C. C. [username]. 


Username.

(2020). 

(2020, January). 

(2020, February 16).





Title of article.








Title of Periodical, 32(3), 7–28.








https://doi.org/xxxx

https://xxxxxx





 

 

Tips:

  • The publisher information should include the title of the periodical, the volume number, and the issue number, followed by the page range of the specific article you are citing.
  • Most academic sources have DOIs (digital object identifiers). If your source does not have a DOI but you accessed that source through an academic database, do not include a URL. If your source does not have a DOI and you accessed it outside of a database, include a URL so the reader can locate the source.
  • Use the year for journal articles; use the full date for magazines and newspaper articles and blog posts.
  • When source information is missing (volume number, issue, page range, etc.), leave it out of the reference.
  • Your URL can have a live hyperlink, but it is not required.
  • If you are citing a newspaper that operates both in print and online, cite it as a news article. If you are citing an article from an online news site (CNN, Reuters, Vox, etc.), see the “Webpage on a news site” example, listed under the Webpage and Websites group.

SOURCE TYPE

REFERENCE EXAMPLE

Journal article with a DOI




Devereaux, A. (2015). Pandemic influenza: An

      evolutionary concept analysis. Journal of Advanced

      Nursing, 71(8), 1787–1796.

      https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12654

Journal, magazine, or newspaper article without a DOI, from most academic research databases or in print






Al-Rashidi, M. (2018). Using memes in English language

     instruction. Journal of English Education, 58(2), 120–

     134.

 

Barry, J. M. (2020, March 19). The single most important

    lesson from the 1918 influenza. International New

    York Times.

Magazine article





Law, T. (2020, January 7). Australia’s wildfires and climate

     change are making one another worse in a vicious,

     devastating cycle.

     https://time.com/5759964/australian-bushfires-
     climate-change/

Newspaper article*

This is for newspapers that operate both in print and online, not news websites.


Darlin, D. (2014, August 5). How to talk about America’s

     newest arrivals. The New York Times. 

     https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/upshot/how-
     to-talk-about-americas-newest-arrivals.html

Blog post




McWilliams, K. (2020, March 30). What’s an appendix
     for anyways? CSU Global Writing Center Blog. 
     https://medium.com/@csuglobalwritingcenter/whats-
     an-appendix-for-anyways-ac73d89e8423

BOOKS AND REFERENCE WORKS

This section provides information on how to cite books and reference works in their entirety. For chapters in edited books or reference work entries, go to the Edited Book Chapters and Reference Work Entries section.

The reference structure for books and reference works is as follows:

Author or Editor

 

 

 

Date

 

 

 

Title

 

 

 

Source

Publisher Information

DOI or URL

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B.
 

Name of Group. 

Editor, E. E. (Ed.). 


Editor, E. E., & Editor, F. F. (Eds.).

 

(2020). 









Title of book.
 

Title of book (2nd ed., Vol. 4). 

Title of book [Audiobook]. 

Title of book (E. E. Editor, Ed.). 

Title of book (T. Translator, Trans.; N. Narrator, Narr.).

Publisher Name. 

First Publisher Name; Second Publisher Name.






https://doi.org/xxxx

https://xxxxxx






 

 

Tips:

  • Assume a book is the first edition unless otherwise stated. First editions do not need to be noted in the reference.
  • For editors, translators, or narrators listed in the Title element of the reference, list their first initial followed by their last name.
  • When an online reference work is continuously updated and the versions are not archived, use “n.d.” as the year of publication and include a retrieval date with the URL: Retrieved May 18, 2020, from https://xxxxxxxx
  • For ebooks, you do not need to include the platform, format, or device (e.g., PDF, Kindle, etc.) in the reference. Only include [Audiobook] in brackets in the title of the book if the audiobook version is different (for example, an abridged version) from the print or digital edition of the book.

SOURCE TYPE

REFERENCE EXAMPLE

Authored book with DOI

Kinderman, P. (2019). A manifesto for mental health: Why we

     need a revolution in mental health care. Palgrave Macmillan.

     https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24386-9

Authored ebook (e.g., Kindle book) or audiobook without a DOI, with a nondatabase URL

Ferguson, Y. H., & Mansbach, R. W. (2012). Globalization: The

     return of borders to a borderless world? Routledge.

     https://www.google.com/books/edition/Globalization/

     DsnfCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

 

Edited book without a DOI, from most academic research databases or in print

Ringel, S., & Brandell, J. R. (Eds.). (2020). Trauma: Contemporary

     directions in trauma theory, research, and practice. Columbia

     University Press.

EDITED BOOK CHAPTERS AND REFERENCE WORK ENTRIES

This category includes guidance on how to cite a specific chapter with an individual author in an edited book and a specific entry in a reference work, like a dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia.

The reference structure for edited book chapters and reference work entries is as follows:

Chapter Author

 

 

 

Date

 

 

 

Title

 

 

 

Source

Edited Book Information

DOI or URL

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B.
 

Name of Group.

(2020). 




Title of chapter.




In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. 3–13). Publisher Name. 

In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (3rd ed., Vol. 4, pp. 233–253). Publisher Name

https://doi.org/xxxx


https://xxxxxx

 

SOURCE TYPE

REFERENCE EXAMPLE

Chapter in an edited book with a DOI



Belliveau, G. (2018). Releasing trauma. In P. Tortell, M. Turin, & M.

     Young (Eds.), Memory (pp. 129–138). Peter Wall Institute for 

     Advanced Studies. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvbtzpfm.18

Chapter in an edited book without a DOI, from most academic research databases or print version



Lundgren, B., & Holmberg, M. (2017). Pandemic flus and vaccination

     policies in Sweden. In C. Holmberg, S. Blume, & P. Greenough

     (Eds.), The politics of vaccination: A global history (pp. 260–287).

     Manchester University Press.

 

Chapter in an edited ebook (e.g., Kindle book) or audiobook without a DOI, with nondatabase URL





Enos, T., Jones, J., Pearce, L., & Vorndran, K. R. (2012). Consumerism

     and the coopting of national trauma. In S. Borrowman (Ed.), 

     Trauma and the teaching of writing (2nd ed., pp. 99–112). State

     University of New York Press.

     https://google.com/books/edition/Trauma_and_the_Teaching_of_
     Writing/ZEoW1abqCn0C?hl=en&gbpv=0

Entry in a dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia, with group author*

*When an online reference work is continuously updated and the versions are not archived, use “n.d.” as the year of publication and include a retrieval date.

Merriam-Webster. (n.d). Kairos. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary.

     Retrieved April 28, 2020, from https://www.merriam-

     webster.com/dictionary/kairos


Wikipedia entry





Marvel Cinematic Universe. (2020, May 10). In Wikipedia.

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Cinematic_Universe

Haymarket affair. (2020, May 5). In Wikipedia.

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_affair

REPORTS AND GRAY LITERATURE

This category includes reports and gray literature. Examples of reports include government reports, technical reports, annual reports, research reports, and more. Gray literature refers to publications of information or original research that is not necessarily academic in nature or peer-reviewed. Examples of gray literature include press releases and policy briefs.

The reference structure for reports and gray literature is as follows:

Author

 

 

 

Date

 

 

 

Title

 

 

 

Source

Publisher Information

DOI or URL

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B.
 

Name of Group. 

 

(2020). 

(2020, May 2).


Title of report.
 

Title of report (Report No. 123). 


Title of gray literature [Description].

 

Publisher Name. 




 

https://doi.org/xxxx

https://xxxxxx


 

SOURCE TYPE

REFERENCE EXAMPLE

Report by a government agency or other organization





Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2019). Climate change

     and land: An IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land

     degradation, sustainable land management, food security,

     and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems.

     https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/

 

Report by individual authors at a government agency or other organization



Perez, J. (2019). Notes from the field: Tackling gun violence as a

     community issue. National Institute of Justice.

     https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/notes-field-tackling-gun-violence-

     community-issue

 

Annual report



NPR. (2019). 2019 annual report.

     https://www.npr.org/documents/about/annualreports

     /2019_Annual_Report.pdf

 

Policy brief




Scott, A. (2020). Maintain funding for USDA rural development

     programs [Policy brief]. National Association of Counties.

     https://www.naco.org/resources/maintain-funding-usda-rural-

     development-programs-3

 

Press release






Scholastic. (2020, March 13). Scholastic creates free, open-access

     digital hub to help keep students learning while schools are

     disrupted by coronavirus [Press release].

     https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scholastic-creates-free-

     open-access-digital-hub-to-help-keep-students-learning-while-schools-

     are-disrupted-by-coronavirus-301023010.html

 

CONFERENCE SESSIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

This category includes conference sessions and presentations. If a conference paper has been published in a journal, cite it as a journal article. If conference papers and presentations have been included in a published volume of the proceedings, you can cite that volume as an edited book, or you can cite the individual paper/presentation as a chapter in an edited book.

The reference structure for conference sessions and presentations is as follows:

Author

 

 

 

Date

 

 

 

Title

 

 

 

Source

Conference Information

DOI or URL

Presenter, A. A., & Presenter, B. B.



(2019, September 1–3).


(2020, April 30–May 2).

Title of contribution [Type of contribution]. 



 

Conference Name,
Location



 

https://doi.org/xxxx


https://xxxxxx

 

Tips:

  • Include the dates of the full conference in the Date element of your reference (2019, April 12–13), even though the presentation likely took place on just one day of the conference.
  • Describe the type of source in brackets after the title. Typically, you’ll use [Conference session], [Poster presentation], or [Conference paper].

SOURCE TYPE

REFERENCE EXAMPLE

Conference session





Cohoon, J. M., Nable, M., & Boucher, P. (2011, Oct. 12–15). Conflicted

     identities and sexism in computing graduate programs 

     [Conference session]. Frontiers in Education Conference,
     Rapid City, SD, United States.
     https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2011.6142915

 

Poster presentation






Dean, L. R. (2016, April 27). A decade in the Buckeye State: The
     effect 
of unemployment, home value, and local taxes on
     population
change in the counties of Ohio between 2000
     and 2010
 [Poster presentation]. 20th Annual Undergraduate
     Research and Creative Achievement Day, Baltimore, MD, United
     States. https://ur.umbc.edu/files/2016/06/deanLoganSm.pdf

 

DISSERTATIONS AND THESES

This category includes doctoral dissertations as well as master’s and undergraduate theses.

The reference structure for dissertations and theses are as follows:

Author

 

 

 

Date

 

 

 

Title

 

 

 

Source

Database or archive name

URL

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B.

  


(2020).





Title of dissertation [Doctoral dissertation, Name of Institution Awarding the Degree]. 

Title of thesis [Master’s thesis, Name of Institution Awarding the Degree].

 

Database Name. 



Archive Name.



 

https://xxxxxx





 

Tips:

  • Only include a URL if the dissertation is published online but not through a database.

SOURCE TYPE

REFERENCE EXAMPLE

Dissertation or thesis from a database








McWilliams, K. M. (2014). Responding to trauma: How presidential

     discourses reshape the dialogues of healing (UMI No. 1556870)

     [Master’s thesis, University of Colorado Denver]. ProQuest

     Dissertations & Theses A&I.

 

Tenorio, R. (2018). Deconstructing trauma (Order No. 10809919)

     [Doctoral dissertation, Arizona State University]. ProQuest

     Dissertations Publishing.