Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA)
APA Overview
Tools for Formatting Your Citations
When searching library databases for your sources, use the Cite tool and select APA to copy and paste the citation for that source.

NOTE: You must always double-check the formatting that the database provides. It is not always accurate. Look over the format of the authors' names and capitalization in particular.
APA Tutorial and Quiz

 
Click on the image to begin the tutorial.
APA In-Text Citations

An in-text citation allows your reader to track down a specific source you use in your paper. The in-text citation should provide enough information to point your reader to the full citation in your reference list. An in-text citation must be included when you quote or paraphrase information from one of your sources.

In APA Style, an in-text citation typically includes the author's last name and the date of publication, in parenthesis. If you use a direct quote, include the page number for the reference. For three or more authors, include the first author followed by et al. (Smith et al., 2009, p. 16).

Examples from OWL at Purdue and APA Style Blog:

After the intervention, children increased in the number of books read per week (Smith & Wexwood, 2010). 

Smith and Wexwood (2010) reported that after the intervention, children increased in the number of books read per week. 

According to Jones (1998), "Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199).

Johnson (1984) argued that "the universe..." (as cited in Smith, 2003, p. 102).
APA References List

For a full list of examples, see APA References: Documenting Sources at the End of Your Paper 
(from Excelsior Online Writing Lab)
 
Tips for your reference list:
  • Start the reference list on a new page with the word References at the top.
  • Double-space all reference entries.
  • Use a hanging indent (instructions for Word or Google Docs) where the first line of the reference is left-justified and all subsequent lines are indented.

Sample Papers