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Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the American
Psychological Association
© 1999, 2000
American Psychological Association. See Copyright and
Permissions for policy on distribution and reuse. Last update:
January 10, 2001
Citing Email
Communications
First, a cautionary note: It is possible to send an email note
disguised as someone else. Authors—not journal editors or copy editors—are
responsible for the accuracy of all references, which includes verifying
the source of email communications before citing them as personal
communications in manuscripts.
Email communications from individuals should be cited as personal
communications, as noted in APA's Publication Manual (4th ed., pp.
173–174). The format in text (personal communications are not cited in the
reference list) is as follows: L. A. Chafez (personal communication, March
28, 1997). Citing a Web Site
To direct readers to an entire Web site (but not a specific document on
the site), it's sufficient to give the address of the site in the text.
For example,
Kidspsych is a wonderful interactive Web site for children
(http://www.kidspsych.org).
No reference entry is needed. Citations and
Quotations in Text
Follow the author/date format described on pages 168–174 in the
Publication Manual. To cite specific parts of a Web document,
indicate the chapter, figure, table, or equation as appropriate.
For quotations, give page numbers (or paragraph numbers) if they are
available. For example,
As Myers (2000, ¶ 5) aptly phrased it, "positive emotions
are both an end — better to live fulfilled, with joy [and other positive
emotions] — and a means to a more caring and healthy society."
If needed, the abbreviation "para." can be substituted for
the ¶ symbol. If page or paragraph numbers are not available (i.e., they
are not visible to every reader), they can be omitted from the in-text
citation. With most browsers, readers will still be able to search for the
quoted material.
Creating References for
Specific Documents on a Web Site
Web documents share many of the same elements found in a print document
(e.g., authors, titles, dates). Therefore, the citation for a Web document
often follows a format similar to that for print, with some information
omitted and some added. Here are some examples of how to cite documents
posted on APA's own Web site.
An action alert posted by our Public Policy Office: 1
American Psychological Association. (1995,
September 15). APA public policy action alert: Legislation would
affect grant recipients [Announcement]. Washington, DC: Author.
Retrieved January 25, 1996, from the World Wide Web:
http://www.apa.org/ppo/istook.html
An article from the journal American Psychologist:
1
Jacobson, J. W., Mulick, J. A., &
Schwartz, A. A. (1995). A history of facilitated communication: Science,
pseudoscience, and antiscience: Science working group on facilitated
communication. American Psychologist, 50, 750–765. Retrieved
January 25, 1996, from the World Wide Web:
http://www.apa.org/journals/jacobson.html
An article from the APA Monitor (article in a magazine, no
author identified):
1
From "character" to "personality": The lack
of a generally accepted, unifying theory hasn't curbed research into the
study of personality. (1999, December). APA Monitor, 30.
Retrieved August 22, 2000, from the World Wide Web:
http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec99/ss9.html
An abstract:
1
Rosenthal, R. (1995). State of New Jersey
v. Margaret Kelly Michaels: An overview [Abstract]. Psychology,
Public Policy, and Law, 1, 247–271. Retrieved January 25, 1996, from
the World Wide Web: http://www.apa.org/journals/ab1.html
An independent document (no author identified):
1
Electronic reference formats recommended
by the American Psychological Association. (2000, August 22).
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Retrieved August 29,
2000, from the World Wide Web: http://www.apa.org/journals/webref.html
All references begin with the same information that would be provided
for a printed source (or as much of that information as is available). If
no publication date is available for a document, use "n.d." (stands for
"no date") in its place. The Web information is then placed in a retrieval
statement at the end of the reference. It is important to give the date of
retrieval because documents on the Web may change in content, move, or be
removed from a site altogether. Creating References for
Articles and Abstracts Obtained From Electronic Databases
APA's recommendations for citing electronic media have changed
substantially since we published the fourth edition of the Publication
Manual. For databases, rather than the "Available: File: Item: "
statement specified in the Publication Manual, we now recommend a
retrieval statement that identifies the date of retrieval (omitted for
CD-ROMs) and the source (e.g., DIALOG, WESTLAW, SIRS, Electric Library),
followed in parentheses by the name of the specific database used and any
additional information needed to retrieve a particular item. For Web
sources, a URL should be given that points to an "entry page" for the
database. The basic retrieval statement for CD-ROM databases is as
follows:
Retrieved from [source] database ([name of database],
CD-ROM, [release date], [item no.--if applicable]) The
basic retrieval statement for on-line databases is:
Retrieved [month day, year,] from [source] on-line database
([name of database], [item no.--if applicable]) The
basic retrieval statement for databases accessed via the Web is:
Retrieved [month day, year,] from [source] database ([name
of database], [item no.--if applicable]) on the World Wide Web:
[URL] Examples
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (1998,
March). Encryption: Impact on law enforcement. Washington, DC:
Author. Retrieved from SIRS database (SIRS Government Reporter, CD-ROM,
Fall 1998 release)
Schneiderman, R. A. (1997). Librarians can
make sense of the Net. San Antonio Business Journal, 11(31), pp.
58+. Retrieved January 27, 1999, from EBSCO database (Masterfile) on the
World Wide Web: http://www.ebsco.com
Kerrigan, D. C., Todd, M. K., & Riley,
P. O. (1998). Knee osteoarthritis and high-heeled shoes. The Lancet,
251, 1399-1401. Retrieved January 27, 1999, from DIALOG database
(#457, The Lancet) on the World Wide Web: http://www.dialogweb.com
Davis, T. (1992). Examining educational
malpractice jurisprudence: Should a cause of action be created for
student-athletes? Denver University Law Journal, 69, 57+.
Retrieved January 27, 1999, from WESTLAW on-line database (69 DENULR 57)
Bowles, M. D. (1998). The organization man
goes to college: AT&T's experiment in humanistic education,
1953-1960. The Historian, 61, 15+. Retrieved January 27, 1999,
from DIALOG on-line database (#88, IAC Business A.R.T.S., Item 04993186)
1 In newer browsers (4.0 and higher), the citation examples
will appear in "hanging-indent" style (i.e., the first line is flush left
and all subsequent lines are indented). In older browsers, the citation
examples will appear in block format. (This is not APA style, but rather a
limitation of paragraph display in older browsers.) For papers or
manuscripts, either a regular paragraph indent or a hanging indent is
appropriate for references, as long as the format is consistent
throughout.
In addition, italics are used in place of underlining. As with the
paragraph indent, either italics or underlining is acceptable in an
APA-style manuscript, providing they are used consistently.
Finally, the examples are single spaced rather than double spaced. This
is also a browser limitation -- APA style calls for references to be
double spaced. |
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