APA is a citation style. APA stands for the American Psychological Association, and its format provides a standardized set of rules for writing and documenting research papers, particularly in the fields of psychology, education, and other social sciences.
It ensures clarity and professional communication, and gives credit to sources by specifying how to format a paper's structure and properly cite ideas, theories, and research within the text and in a reference list.
This page is meant to assist you with basic formatting guidelines and with finding information for in-text citations and references, using examples. We have also included visual examples of where to find the information for the references. We hope that this helps with your APA formatting!
Please note: Some formatting elements have been changed for accessibility purposes. Always refer to the APA Publication Manual for full guidelines.
When writing an APA paper, it should always include page numbers. Here is a link that will show you how to insert page numbers. It should also be double-spaced. When you are writing that paper for Southern New Hampshire University, it should be written in Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Title Page
A title page appears at the beginning of your paper. It is a standalone page, containing only identifying information, and no content from your paper. It is all double-spaced and centered.
Text-only heading
Title of Paper or Name of Assignment
Penny Penman
Department of Psychology, Southern New Hampshire University
PSY-12345 Name of Course
Dr. A. Professor
June 28, 2026
Reference Page
When you complete your paper, you will space down to a new pace to begin your reference page. Centered, in bold, in the first line, you will put the word references. Then you will enter your references in alphabetical order, according to the primary (first) author’s last name.
Text-only references (without indentation)
Reference
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). Link to website
Curtis, R. (Director).(2003). Love actually [Film]. StudioCanal; Working Title Films; DNA Films.
Dweck, C. (2016). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Ballentine Books. (Original work published 2006).
Gilligan, C. (1993). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development. Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1982).
Global Wellness Institute. (n.d.). What is wellness? Link to website
Sidik, S. (2023, May 6). The water turned a shade of sickly green: Blooms of toxic “blue-green algae” could be suffocating fish in a remote Alaskan fishing town. The Atlantic.Link to Article
Tobin, R. M., Schneider, W. J., & Cohen, R. J. (2022). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurements (10th ed.). McGraw Hill
Wood, G.(1930). American Gothic[Painting]. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States. link to artwork
What is an In-Text Citation?
Citations are notations within or at the end of a sentence to signal to a reader that a portion of the sentence contains material from another source. It also directs the reader to the corresponding reference.
When Are Citations and References Used?
- Citations and references should always be used with a direct quote.
- Citations should always be used when incorporating specific information, such as statistics, dates, or facts.
- When paraphrasing, summarizing, or putting information in your own words.
- Whenever the information being used is not completely your unique opinion, experience, or knowledge.
Types of In-Text Citations
Parenthetical
Approaching an unfamiliar task with a positive attitude and knowing that failure is an opportunity to learn will lead to success (Dweck, 2016).
Narrative
Dweck (2016) maintains that focusing on doing one’s best leads to success.
Direct Quote with a Page Number
“Those with a growth mindset found success in doing their best, learning, and improving” (Dweck, 2016, p. 98).
Direct Quote without a Page Number
"Those with a growth mindset found success in doing their best, learning, and improving"(Dweck, 2016, para. 93).
Direct Quote of an Audio/Visual Work
"Those with a growth mindset found success in doing their best, learning, and improving" (Dweck, 2016, 2:40:25).
In-Text Citations with Two Authors
Parenthetical Citation (Lin & Muenks, 2022)
Narrative: Lin and Muenks (2022)
Direct Quote:(Lin & Muenks, 2022, p. #)
In-Text Citations with Multiple Authors
Parenthetical Citation (Zainuddin et al., 2019)
Narrative: Zainuddin et al. (2019)
Direct Quote:(Zainuddin et al., 2019, p. #)
What is a Reference?
A reference is the detailed information of a source listed at the end of a scholarly paper and is in alphabetical order by primary author. The references list corresponds to the in-text citations in the body of the paper.
Depending on the medium, APA references will have slightly different formats. We have provided examples of a few of the more commonly used types here.
The citation entry examples below do not show hanging indents. Remember to use hanging indents for citation entries.
Tobin, R. M., Schneider, W. J., & Cohen, R. J. (2022). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurements (10th ed.). McGraw Hill
Parenthetical Citation: (Tobin et al., 2022)
Narrative Citation: Tobin et al. (2022)
Direct Quote: (Tobin et al., 2022, p. #)
Publication information for a book can be found on the book's first page.
The below image shows where citation information can be found in the front of a book.
Seo, D., Patrick, C. J., & Kennealy, P. J. (2008, December). Role of serotonin and dopamine system interactions in the neurobiology of impulsive aggression and its comorbidity with other clinical disorders. Aggressive and Violent Behavior, 13(5), 383-395. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2008.06.003
Parenthetical Citation: (Seo et al., 2008)
Narrative Citation: Seo et al. (2008)
Direct Quote:(Seo et al., 2008, p. #)
The image below indicates where citation information can be found in a digital journal article.
Global Wellness Institute. (n.d.). What is wellness? Link to website
Parenthetical Citation: (Global Wellness Institute, n.d.)
Narrative Citation: Global Wellness Institute (n.d.)
Direct Quote: (Global Wellness Institute, n.d., para. #)
The image below indicates where to locate citation information for web pages authored by a group or organization.
Prisco, J. (2025, September 24). Black hole collision confirms decades-old predictions by Einstein and Hawking. CNN. Link for CNN article
Parenthetical Citation: (Prisco, 2025)
Narrative Citation: Prisco (2025)
Direct Quote:(Prisco, 2025, para. #)
The image below indicates where citation information can be located in an online article on a website.
Brightspace. (2023, May 2). [Module 1-1 Discussion]. Department of Psychology,
Southern New Hampshire University. Link to Brightspace content
Parenthetical Citation: (Brightspace, 2023).
Direct Quote Citation: (Brightspace, 2023, para. 1).
The image below indicates what information is entered into brackets in the citation entry (the title of the page or assignment).
The image below shows where the content was located. This is where the link used for the citation entry will be retrieved.
TED. (2015, November 23). How to stay calm when you know you'll be
stressed.[Video]. YouTube. Link to video
Parenthetical Citation: (TED, 2015)
Narrative Citation: TED (2015)
Direct Quote: (TED, 2015, 12:15)
- Always cite who has uploaded the video to the platform.
- Date information can be found by clicking on “…more” in the video description box.
- Because a video is not a written format, the media type is noted in brackets.
The image below indicates where citation information can be found underneath a YouTube video.
Oxford Mathematics. (2019, October 23). Introductory calculus: Oxford mathematics 1st year student lecture. [Video]. YouTube. Link to Video
Parenthetical Citation: (Oxford Mathematics, 2019)
Narrative Citation: Oxford Mathematics (2019)
Direct Quote:(Oxford Mathematics, 2019, 25:26)
- Always cite who has uploaded the video to the platform. Citation information can be found by clicking “more” in the “about the presentation” section.
- Refer to the TED Talk image on where to locate reference information.
- Because a video is not a written format, the media type is noted in brackets.
Sidik, S. (2023, May 6). The water turned a shade of sickly green: Blooms of
toxic “blue-green algae” could be suffocating fish in a remote Alaskan fishing town.The Atlantic.Link to Article
Parenthetical Citation: (Sidik, 2023)
Narrative Citation: Sidik (2023)
Direct Quote:(Sidik, 2023, p. #)
The image below indicates where to find citation information in an online magazine article.
Curtis, R. (Director).(2003). Love actually [Film]. StudioCanal; Working Title Films; DNA
Films.
Parenthetical Citation: (Curtis, 2003)
Narrative Citation: Curtis (2003)
Direct Quote:(Curtis, 2003, 25:52)
- A film does not have an author, rather a director, which is indicated in parentheses.
- Because a film is not a written format, the media type is noted in brackets.
Beyoncé. (2016). Formation [Song]. On Lemonade. Parkwood; Columbia.
Parenthetical Citation: (Beyoncé, 2016)
Narrative Citation: Beyoncé (2016)
Direct Quote:(Beyoncé, 2016, 01:52)
- Because a song is not a written format, the media type is noted in brackets after the title of the song.
- Then, after the word On, list the name of the album, in italics.
- The publishers, no matter how many there may be, will be separated by a semicolon (;).
Gibran, K.(n.d.). On love. PoetryFoundation. Link to Poem
Parenthetical Citation: (Gibran, n.d.)
Narrative Citation: Gibran (n.d.)
Direct Quote: (Gibran, n.d., stanza 5).
Wood, G.(1930). American Gothic[Painting]. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL,
United States. link to artwork
Parenthetical Citation: (Wood, 1930)
Narrative Citation: Wood (1930)
Because a work of art is not a written format, the media type is noted in brackets.
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists
and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). Link to website
Parenthetical Citation: (American Psychological Association, 2017)
Narrative Citation: American Psychological Association (2017)
Direct Quote: (American Psychological Association, 2017, para. #)
The image below indicates where to find citation information for APA Principles and Ethics Code References.
Ozman, E. (2014). Cat [Photograph]. Flickr, Kitten Photo
Parenthetical Citation: (Ozman, 2014)
Narrative Citation: Ozman (2014)
Because a photograph is not a written format, the media type is noted in brackets.
Images require a citation below them
Note: From Cat [Photograph] by Elio Ozman, 2014, Flickr
Assignment Title: Annotated Bibliography
Dweck, C. (2016). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Ballentine Books. (Original work published 2006).
Mindset is an excellent reference because it breaks down the different aspects of self-concept and self-esteem. Touching on childhood and adult experience, Dweck (2016/2006) illustrates how a fixed mindset is formed and how to challenge one’s inner monologue from fixed (I cannot) to growth (I can). The author holds a Ph.D. in psychology and has published numerous academic research papers in the field of psychology.
Gilligan, C. (1993). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development. Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1982).
In a different voice, the different perceptions of morality between males and females are discussed. Through scholarly research, Gilligan (1993/1982) found that discussing women and their place in society directly challenges the established patriarchal societal norms. By challenging patriarchal social norms, feminism becomes a radical endeavor rather than a needed societal change. Carol Gilligan holds a Ph.D. in social psychology and is best known for her scholarly research on women, society, and morality (Gilligan, 1993/1982).
Remember to use a hanging indent for your annotated bibliography. The image below shows what the annotated bibliography would look like in a document with the hanging indent and formatting.
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