APA Citation Guide (7th edition): Welcome

Citing: The process of acknowledging the sources of your information and ideas.

DOI (doi): Some electronic content, such as online journal articles, is assigned a unique number called a Digital Object Identifier (DOI or doi). Items can be tracked down online using their doi.

In-Text Citation: A brief note at the point where information is used from a source to indicate where the information came from. An in-text citation should always match more detailed information that is available in the Reference List.

Paraphrasing: Taking information that you have read and putting it into your own words.

Plagiarism: Taking, using, and passing off as your own, the ideas or words of another.

Quoting: The copying of words of text originally published elsewhere. Direct quotations generally appear in quotation marks and end with a citation.

Reference: Details about one cited source.

Reference List: Contains details on ALL the sources cited in a text or essay, and supports your research and/or premise.

Retrieval Date: Used for websites where content is likely to change over time (e.g. Wikis), the retrieval date refers to the date you last visited the website.

Below is a summary of the major changes in the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual.

Essay Format:

• Font - While you still can use Times New Roman 12, you are free to use other fonts. Calibri 11, Arial 11, Lucida Sans 10, and Georgia 11 are all acceptable.
• Headers - No running headers are required for student papers.
• Tables and Figures - There is a standardized format for both tables and figures.

Style, Grammar, Usage:

• Singular "they" required in two situations: when used by a known person as their personal pronoun or when the gender of a singular person is not known.
• Use only one space after a sentence-ending period.

Citation Style:

• Developed the 'Four Elements of a Reference" (Author, Date, Title, Source) to help writers to create references for source types not explicitly examined in the APA Manual.
• Three or more authors can be abbreviated to First author, et al. on the first citation.
• Up to 20 authors are spelled out in the References List.
• Publisher location is not required for books
• Ebook platform, format, or device is not required for eBooks.  
• Library database names are generally not required
• Hyperlinks -
  • No "doi:" prefix, simply include the doi.
  • All hyperlinks retain the https://
  • Links can be "live" in blue with underline or black without underlining

• Remember that the purpose of citing is to credit the author and to provide information so that readers can find the sources.
• Before you start on your assignment, check with your instructor for specific requirements they may have. 
• There are rules for how to cite the most common sources. If you have a unique one, use the closest example. All sources can be cited using APA style. 
• Rather than focus on where you retrieved a source, think about what type of reference it is, for example, a journal article or book. 
• Learn the four basic elements of APA citations and double-check that you've included them.
• If you're not sure whether you should include an element in your citation, err on the side of more information rather than less.
• If a reference has missing information, refer to this table for how to adapt the citation.
• In general, punctuation and grammar rules don't change. Once you know them, citing becomes easier
• If you use a citation tool, be sure to check the result. They're often incorrect and ultimately, you're responsible. Common errors occur in the use of capitalization and italics in titles. 
• If you think it's helpful to add information for clarity, for example, the type of resource, put it in square brackets e.g. [video].
• Consider buying the 7th ed. Publication Manual or Concise Guide to have the guidelines at your fingertips.