NCC Library
APA Citation Guide
It is important to cite sources properly when you are researching and writing a paper or preparing a
presentation. This beginner’s guide to citing sources uses the 6th edition of the American Psychological
Association’s (APA) style format, a style most often used in fields related to the social and natural sciences.
When including these in your paper, remember to include them on a separate page in alphabetical order, with the
title “Reference List”.
For more information on citations in APA format, we like to suggest:
 Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/
 NoodleTools located on the NCC library’s homepage or at www.noodletools.com
 Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) located in the NCC
library
The following are some examples of APA-formatted citations:
Books:
Basic Form:
Author, A. A. or Editor, E.E. (Year of publication). Title of the book. Publisher location:
Publisher name.
Print:
Skloot, R. (2011). The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. New York, NY:
Broadway Paperbacks.
Online Form:
Author, A. A. or Editor, E.E. (Year of publication). Title of the book. Retrieved from
database name.
eBook:
Sun, E. C. (2011). Ant colonies: Behavior in insects and computer applications.
Retrieved from eBook Academic Collection Trial database.
Magazine and Newspaper Articles:
Basic Form:
Author, A. A. or Editor, E.E. (if given) (Year, Date of publication). Title of the article.
Periodical title, Volume(Issue), Pages.
Print (Mag):
Billings, L. (2013, June 8). Goodbye goldilocks? New Scientist, 40-43.
Print (News):
Breen, D. (2013, June 15). Rain raises range of crop issues. The N'West Iowa
Review, pp. A1, A6.
Online:
Thompson, M. (2013, June 18). Women in combat: The numbers racket. Time.
Retrieved from http://nation.time.com/2013/06/18/women-in-combat-thenumbers-racket/
Database:
Halpern, J. (2013, May 26). The empire built on hugs. The New York Times,
Business News, p. p1(L). Retrieved from Academic OneFile database.
Academic, Scholarly, or Peer-Reviewed Journals:
Basic Form:
Author, A. A. or Editor, E.E. (Year of publication). Title of the article. Journal title,
Volume(Issue no. if known), Pages.
Print:
Smith, L. S. (2013). Reaching for cultural competence. Nursing2013, 43(6), 30-37.
Database:
Mapes, J., & Wolch, J. (2011). 'Living green': The promise and pitfalls of new
sustainable communities. Journal of Urban Design, 16(1), 105-126.
Retrieved from Academic Search Elite database.
Film or Video Recording:
Basic Form:
Producer, P. P. (Producer), & Director, D. D. (Director). (Year). Title of movie or video.
[Videocasette or DVD]. Country of origin: Studio.
DVD/VHS:
McCarthy, K. (Director). (2012). Eat less! The upside of downsizing [Motion picture].
United States: Learning Seed.
Database:
Films Media Group (Producer). (2009). Chihuly: Fire and light [Video file].
Retrieved from Films on Demand database.
Online/Clip:
Khan Academy. (2011, July 1). Fun with strings [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/computer-science/v/fun-with-strings
Web Pages:
Basic Form:
Author, A. A. or Editor, E.E. (Date of publication or n.d. for no date). Title. DOI number
or retrieval statement including URL
Article:
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (Ed.). (2012, February 6). Patient's
bill of rights. Retrieved from
http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/rights/bill-of-rights/index.html
Commonly Used NCC Sources:
DSM-5:
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Narcolepsy. In Diagnostic and
statistical manual of mental disorders :DSM-5 (5th ed., pp. 372--378).
Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association.
Opposing Viewpoints: Bornstein, A. (2012). School lunch programs may encourage poor nutrition. In D.
Haugen & S. Musser (Eds.), Opposing Viewpoints Series: Nutrition (pp.
154-163). Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. (Reprinted from Why
are schools selling junk food to kids?, Men's Health, 23(9), 158-164, 2008,
November)
Health Reference:
Food Allergy Initiative. (n.d.). How to avoid peanut. In A. L. Sutton (Ed.), Health
Reference Series: Allergies sourcebook (4th ed., pp. 234-235). Detroit,
MI: Omnigraphics. (Reprinted from Peanut allergy, Website, 2010)
Revised June 2013
Parenthetical (In-text) References:
When using a quotation or any information obtained from a source, you must point the reader to a specific
entry included on your Reference List. This is referred to as a parenthetical reference or an in-text citation. If you
cite a reference in a text, it must also appear in the Reference List. The reverse is also true: if you add an entry to
the Reference List it must be cited within the text. The APA style of in-text citation includes the author name and
date of the publication. The following examples are the most common. For additional examples, please utilize the
sources listed at the end of this guide.
Print Sources
Basic Form:
Sentence (Author, date of publication).
Examples:
While many countries used blood groups to determine the paternity of a given
Child, “California did not do so until 1953” (Starr, 1998).
According to Starr (1998) California did not use blood groups to determine the paternity
of a child until 1953.
For authors with the same surname, add initials.
Example:
(H. L. Lawrence, 1992)
For two authors, always cite both names.
Example:
(Kennefick & Young, 1999)
For three or more authors, cite all authors the first time, then list the first author’s name followed by
“et al” for all following citations:
First time:
(Kris, Harms, Asmus & Johnson, 2008)
Rest of paragraph:
(Kris et al., 2008)
For six or more authors, cite the name of the first author followed by et al.
Example:
(Hannity et al., 2006)
For items with no author or anonymous, cite the first few words of the reference list entry (usually the
title) and the year.
Example:
(“What level,” 2003)
For more information on citations in APA format, we like to suggest:
 Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/
 NoodleTools located on the NCC library’s homepage or at www.noodletools.com
 Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) located in the NCC library
Revised June 2013