How to Reference Authors in APA Format

How to Reference Authors in APA Format Student Resources APA Style and Writing Print How to Reference Authors in APA Format By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Updated on September 16, 2019 Eternity in an Instant / The Image Bank / Getty Images More in Student Resources APA Style and Writing Study Guides and Tips Careers In This Article Table of Contents Expand No Author Single Author Two Authors Three to Seven Authors More Than Seven Authors View All Back To Top APA format establishes a number of clear rules for how to list reference works using author information. How you reference different sources varies depending on the number of authors to whom the source is attributed. For example, the way that you reference a single author will differ somewhat from how you reference a source with multiple authors. Before you create a reference section for a psychology paper, it is important to know how to properly list books, articles, and other sources in APA format. The following guidelines can help you prepare a reference section for your APA format paper. How to Start Writing an APA-Style Paper 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. Single Author Works by a single author should list the authors 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. and Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Two Authors Works by two authors should list the 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. Next, the title of the book or journal should be listed in italics. 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. and Buss, A. H., Pomin, R. (1975). A temperament theory of personality development. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Three to Seven Authors Works by three to seven authors should list last names and first initials of each author separated by an ampersand. Author names should be followed by the date of publication enclosed in parentheses. If the work is a journal article, include the title of the article immediately following the publication date. The title of the book or journal should then be listed in italics. 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: Abma, J. C., Chandra, A., Mosher, W. D., Peterson, L. S., Piccinino, L. J. (1997). Fertility, family planning, and women’s health: New data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth. Vital and Health Statistics, 23(9), 1-67. and Alper, S., Schloss, P. J., Etscheidt, S. K., Macfarlane, C. A. (1995). Inclusion: Are we abandoning or helping students? Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. More Than Seven Authors When a work is credited to more than seven authors, the reference is listed by providing the names of the first six authors followed by . . . and then the final author. The remainder of the reference follows the same format as that for seven or fewer authors. Author last names and initials are followed by the date of publication enclosed in parentheses. The name of the article is listed immediately after the publication date. The title of the journal or the book title should be provided in italics. The volume number and page number should follow journal titles, while book titles should be followed by the location and publisher name. For example: Black, C. P., Arlo, S. T., Rechit, R., Machlen, J. P., Sempson, K., Bee, A. L., . . . Smith, R. K. (1999). Citing seven or more authors in APA format. Journal of APA Style and Format, 17, 45-75. and Black, C. P., Arlo, S. T., Rechit, R., Machlen, J. P., Sempson, K., Bee, A. L., . . . Clark, S. P. (2001). APA format for psychology students. Newark, NJ: Prentice-Hall. You can read more about a few different aspects of referencing sources in APA format if you have book references, article references, and electronic sources.