Answer: - APA format is the official style used by the American Psychological

Association (APA) and is commonly used to cite sources in psychology, education and
social sciences. The basic guidelines for APA format were laid out in a 1929 article
published in Psychological Bulletin. These guidelines were eventually expanded into
the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. APA format may
seem difficult, but it will become easier once you familiarize yourself with the rules and
format.

Reference Page in APA Format:

• Your references should begin on a new page. Title the new page "References" and
center the title text at the top of the page.
• All entries should be in alphabetical order.
• The first line of a reference should be flush with the left margin. Each additional
line should be indented (usually accomplished by using the TAB key.)
• Each reference should be single-spaced, but be sure to double space between
references.
• All sources cited should appear both in-text and on the reference page.
• Titles of books, journals, magazines, and newspapers should appear in italics.

APA format dictates a number of specific guidelines for in-text citations and references.
In virtually all instances, citations that appear in the text of your paper should be listed in
the reference section. The basic rules for documenting sources in APA format are bellow-

1. In-Text Author Citations in APA Format

Author citations should follow the basic author-date format, but there are a number of
different guidelines for citing authors in APA format. The following guidelines and tips
offer a number of examples for different situations:

a) No Author
While most articles, books, and other reference materials will include
an author attribution, some sources lack information on authorship. In-text citations
should use a short article title enclosed in parentheses and the date. When article titles are
long, simply use the first word or two of the title. For example: The study revealed a
strong positive correlation between the two variables (“Learn APA", 2006).

b) One Author:
When a book, article, or other source lists only one author, simply
provide the author’s last name followed by the publication date. For example: DU
students demonstrated solid understanding of the concepts and information (Jones, 2001).
Jones (2001) found that students demonstrated a solid understanding of the concepts and
information.

c) Two Authors:
When a source lists two authors, your in-text citations should provide the
last names of both authors and the publication date.
For example: Later studies demonstrated a similar effect (Ross & Hudson, 2004).

d) Three to Five Authors:

Proper APA format for sources with three to five authors
requires listing the last names of all authors the first time you cite the source as well as
the publication date. For example: The sum of the results indicated a strong positive
correlation between the two variables (Robsen, Hutchkins, Ru, & Selanis, 1989).

e) Organizations as Authors:
Always include the full name of the organization the first
time cite the source in-text. The citation should also include the acronym of the
organization if one is available. Subsequent citations can simply list the acronym and the
publication date. For example: The American Psychological Association (2000) reported
that...

2. In-Text Article Citations in APA Format

The basic structure for citing articles that appear in journals and other periodicals follows
the author-date format. APA format citations should include the author's last name
followed by the date of publication. For example: The study found a significant
statistical relationship between the two variables (Jones, 2001).
 a) Citing Articles with No Author:
In cases where no author is listed, include the
short title of the article followed by the date of publication.
For example: The findings were consistent with previous research ("New Study," 2003).

3. Author References in APA Format

The structure of the reference varies somewhat depending on who authored the source
and how many authors are credited.

a) No Author:
Articles and other works that do not provide an author attribution
should begin with the title of the work. If the title is a book, list the title first in italics.
The volume number and page numbers should follow article titles, while book titles
should be followed by the location and publisher name. For example: A student guide to
APA format. (1997).Psychology Weekly, 8, 13-27. and The ultimate APA format
guidebook. (2006). Hartford, CT: Student Press.

b) Single Author:
Works by a single author should list the author's last name and
initials. The date of publication should be enclosed in parentheses and followed by the
title of the article or book. Books and journals titles should be listed in italics. The
volume number and page numbers of the article should follow journal titles, while book
titles should be followed by the location and name of the publisher. For example:
McCrae, R. R. (1993). Moderated analyses of longitudinal personality stability. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 577-585.

c) Two Authors:
Works by two authors should list last names and first initials
separated by an ampersand (&). These names should be followed by the date of
publication enclosed in parentheses. If the work is a journal article, the title of the article
should immediately follow the publication date. If the reference is a journal article,
provide the volume number and page numbers. For books, list the location and name of
the publisher. For example: Kanfer, F. H., & Busemeyer, J. R. (1982). The use of
problem-solving and decision-making in behavior therapy. Clinical Psychology Review,
2, 239-266.

4. Article References in APA Format

The rules for APA format provide guidelines for referencing articles that appear in
academic journals and other periodicals. Article references will vary somewhat based on
where the article appears and who authored the content.

a) Basic Structure:
Start by listing the authors last name and first initials, followed by
the date of publication in parentheses. Provide the title of the article, but only capitalize
the first letter of the title. Next, list the journal or periodical and volume number in italics.
Finally, provide the page numbers where the article can be found. For example: Smith,
L. V. (2000). Referencing articles in APA format. APA Format Weekly, 34, 4-10.

b) Magazine Articles:
The structure for an article appearing in a magazine is similar
to that of a journal article. However, the publication date should also include the
month and day of publication. For example: James, S. A. (2001, June 7). Magazine
articles in APA format. Newsweek, 20,48-52.

c) Newspaper Articles:
References for newspaper articles follow the basic structure,
but use the initials ‘p.’ or ‘pp.’ to denote page numbers. For example: Tensky, J. A.
(2004, January 5). How to cite newspaper articles. The New York Times, pp. 4D, 5D.

5. Book References in APA Format

The basic structure of an APA format book reference includes the author's last name, first
initials, publication year, book title, location and publisher. You can find specific
examples of basic book references, edited book references and translated book references
in the following article:
 a) Basic Structure:
The basic structure of a book reference should list the author's last
name, first initials, publication year, book title, location and publisher. Reference should
appear as follows: Author, I. N. (Year). Title of book.Location: Publisher. For example:
Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person.Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

b) Edited Book with One or More Authors:

Edited books with one or more authors
should follow the basic structure of a book reference and include the initials, last name,
and 'Ed.' in parentheses after the book title.
For example: Adler, A. (1956). The individual psychology of Alfred Adler: A
systematic presentation of selections from his writings. (H. L. Ansbacher & R. R.
Ansbacher, Eds.). New York: Basic Books.

c) Edited Book with No Author:

Edited books with no author should list the last
name and first initials of the editor or editors, followed by 'Ed.' or 'Eds.' in parentheses.
The remainder of the reference should follow the basic structure and include the
publication year, book title in italics, location, and publisher. For example: Atkinson, J.
W. & Raynor, J. O. (Eds.). (1974). Motivation and achievement. Washington, DC: V. H.
Winston.

d) Article Featured in an Edited Book:

Articles by individual authors that appear in
edited books should list the last name and first initial of the author, followed by the
publication date and book title. For example: Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2005)
History of Forensic Psychology. In I. B. Weiner & A. K. Hess (Eds.), The Handbook of
Forensic Psychology (pp.1-27). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

e) Translated Books:
Books translated from another language should include the last
name and first initial of the author, followed by the year of publication and book title.
The first initials and last name of the translator and the notation 'Trans.' should then be
included in parentheses. For example: Freud, S. (1914). The psychopathology of
everyday life. (A. A. Brill, Trans.). London: T. Fisher Unwin. (Original work published
1901).

6. Electronic Sources in APA Format

There are a number of special style concerns for referencing electronic sources in APA
format. Online documents, journal articles, databases, online communications and
message boards all have unique referencing requirements.

a) Online Documents:
The basic structure for referencing online documents is very
similar to other references, but with the addition of a retrieval date and source. For
example: Van Wagner, K. (2006). Guide to APA format.About Psychology. Retrieved
November 16, 2006 from

b) Online Journal Article:

Online journal articles should be cited much like print
articles, but they should include additional information about the retrieval date and source
location. The basic structure is as follows: Author, A. B., Author, C. D., & Author, E. F.
(2000). Title of article. Title of Periodical, Volume number, page numbers. Retrieved
month day, year, from source
For example: Jenet, B. L. (2006) A meta-analysis on online social behavior. Journal of
Internet Psychology, 4. Retrieved November 16, 2006 from http://www.
journalofinternetpsychology.com/archives/volume4/ 3924.html

c) Article Retrieved from a Database:

Articles that are retrieved from online
databases are formatted like a print reference, but also provide information about the date
the article retrieved and the location of the database.
For example: Henriques, J. B., & Davidson, R. J. (1991) Left frontal hypoactivation in
depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 535-545. Retrieved November 16,
2006 from PsychINFO database.
 d) Online Forums, Discussion Lists, or Newsgroups:
Messages posted by users on
forums, discussion lists, and newsgroups should follow the basic structure for citing an
online document. When possible, use the posters real name.
If this is not possible, list the author’s online screen name.
For example: Leptkin, J. L. (2006, November 16). Study tips for psychology students
[Msg. 11].

Others:
Emails should not be included in your reference section, although they should be cited in-
text. The APA also provides information on the preferred spelling of several electronic
terms, including the following:
 e-mail
 e-journal
 database
 Internet
 FTP
 online
 Web