What is APA format mean?

APA stands for American Psychological Association and is a

common formatting style for essays and papers in the social sciences. APA
style has unique formats for in-text citations and reference pages.
What is APA style example?
APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of
publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page
number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14). For sources such as
websites and e-books that have no page numbers, use a paragraph number
How do you write a research paper in APA format?
The APA style requires using an easy to read font and recommends using a
12pt Times New Roman font. Double spacing is required on both the title page
and throughout the paper. Margins should be 1" concerning all sides of the
page. Paragraph indentation should be set to one half inch from the left side of
the page.
How do you make an APA reference page?
References begin on a separate page from the last page of your writing. Put
the word "References" at the top center of the page. Your reference list is
alphabetized according to the first word of each end reference.
The reference list is double spaced and formatted using a hanging indent
Roger,T. (2013)conferences and conventions: a global industry( 3rd
ed).New York , NY : Rutledge.
APTEP
•Author’s Name followed by its Initial
•Year of publication
•Article title Followed by full stop
•Name of journal in italic form
•Volume followed by comma
•Page no
•Example
•Alibali,M.W.,Philips,K.M.K,& Ficcher, A.D., (2009). Learning new
problem –solving strategies leads to change in problem representation
, cognitive ,24, 89-101
APA in-text citation
APA in-text citations consist of the author’s last name, publication year and, if
applicable, page numbers. Page numbers are required when quoting and
encouraged when paraphrasing. Omit page numbers when referring to a source
as a whole.
In-text citation can be included in multiple ways:

•The author claims that “plagiarism is becoming a bigger problem” (Smith, 2014, p. 170).

•Smith states that plagiarism is an increasingly big problem (2014, p. 170).

•The study of Smith (2014) shows that plagiarism is an increasingly big issue.

APA in-text citation multiple authors
Multiple author names are separated using a comma. Only the final name in the list is preceded by an ampersand ( “&”), for
example: (Taylor, Johnson, & Parker, 2019). Use “et al.” to shorten in-text citations of sources with 6+ authors (first in-text citations)
and 3+ authors (subsequent in-text citations), for example: (Taylor et al., 2019).

APA in-text citation multiple authors

Number of authors First in- Subsequent in-text citations
text
citation
1 author (Taylor, (Taylor, 2018)
2018)
2 authors (Taylor & (Taylor & Kotler, 2018)
Kotler,
2018)
3 – 5 authors (Taylor, (Taylor et al., 2018)
Kotler,
Johnson,
& Parker,
2018)
6+ authors (Taylor et (Taylor et al., 2018)
al., 2018)
Organization (identified through (Centers
abbreviation) for
Disease
Control
and
Preventio
n [CDC],
2018)
Using “et al.” in APA in-text citations
Sources with three, four or five authors are shortened after the first citation. From
the second citation onwards, include only the first author name followed by “et
al.” (“and others”). Sources with six or more authors are always shortened,
including in the first citation.
Punctuation in APA in-text citation
•When using the abbreviation “et al.,” always include a period (“.”).
•Include a comma between “et al.” and the publication date (e.g. Taylor et al.,
2018).
•There should be no punctuation between “et al.” and the author’s name
preceding it.
•The period ending the sentence always comes after the citation (even when
quoting).
Never use an ampersand symbol (“&”) in the running text. Instead, use the full
word “and.”
•According to research by Taylor & Kotler … (2018).
•Taylor and Kotler conclude … (2018).
Page numbers in APA in-text citation
Including the page number(s) in the in-text citation is required when quoting a
source. It is encouraged, but not required, when paraphrasing a source. Don’t
include page numbers when referring to a work as a whole, e.g. “the study shows…”.
If the quote or paraphrase covers just one page, use “p. 16.” If it covers two or more
pages, use a double ‘p’ followed by a page range (e.g. pp. 16-18).
The in-text citation can be included in three different ways:
•This is also confirmed by the business plan: “creating an APA Citation Generator is a
lot of work but many students benefit from it” (Smith, 2014, pp. 14–15).
•Smith (2014) states: “making an APA Citation Generator is a lot of work but many
students benefit from it” (pp. 14–15).
•In 2014, Smith wrote: “making an APA Citation Generator is a lot of work but many
students benefit from it” (pp. 14–15).
No page numbers
When quoting a source that has no pages or page numbers, you can include a chapter or
paragraph number instead.
If the source uses headings, cite the heading and the paragraph number following it. Long
headings may be shortened, but then they should be enclosed in quotation marks.
•(Johnson, 2019, Chapter 3)
•(McCombes, 2016, para. 4)
•(Smith, 2014, Conclusion, para. 2)
•(Streefkerk, 2019, “No Page Numbers,” para. 2)
•Young consumers experience no risk for online purchases (Porter, 2016, pp. 63-64).
Exceptions and missing information
The basic APA guidelines are not applicable to every source. Information can be missing,
confusing for the reader or simply different. The most common exceptions are listed below.
No author
If the author is unknown, cite the first few words of the reference list entry instead (usually
the title). Enclose the title in double quotation marks when citing an article, web page or
book chapter. Italicize the title of periodicals, books, reports and brochures.
•(“U.S. Flood Risk Could Be Worse Than We Thought,” 2015)
•(Thinking, Fast and Slow, 2017)
No date
For sources without a year of publication, use “n.d.” (no date) instead: (Johnson, n.d.).
Multiple sources in the same parentheses
If you’re using multiple sources to support a statement, you can combine the in-text
citations and separate them using semicolons. Order the sources alphabetically.
Several studies show that … (Brown & Brody, 2009; Porter, 2004; Swaen, 2017).
Multiple publications from the same author(s) in the same year
To differentiate between two publications from the same author published in the same
year, add a suffix after the publication year.
Research by Swaen (2014a) shows that …
Repeated use of the same source
For citing the same source multiple times in a paragraph there are specific APA guidelines. The first
mention should include the author and publication year. For subsequent mentions in the running text,
you only have to include the author’s last name, not the year. However, citations in parentheses
should always include the year.
Research by Swaen (2016) shows that students think the APA Citation Generator is a useful
tool. Swaen also states that universities are increasingly using the generator. Scribbr is therefore
continuing to develop the APA Citation Generator (Swaen, 2016).
Different authors with the same last name
To differentiate between two (or more) authors with the same last name, include the initials. This rule
applies even if the year of publication is different.
B. Swaen (2017) states that … , as does G. H. Swaen (2008).
Citing a source within a source (secondary source)
If you want to cite a source that you found in another source, you can do one of two things. First of all,
you should try to find the original source (primary source). If you’re able to find it you can use regular
APA guidelines.
If you are not able to find the primary source, you should cite it through the source that led you to it (
secondary source). The in-text citation looks like this:
Porter (as cited in Johnson, 2017) states that…
Note that you only need to include the publication year of the source you consulted (here Johnson).
Personal communication
Personal communication such as phone calls, emails and conversations are not cited in the 
reference list because they can’t be found anywhere. However, you should still cite them using an in-
text citation.
Give the initials and the last name of the person you communicated with and provide as exact a date
as possible.
Single Author
Last name first, followed by author initials.
Berndt, T. J. (2002). Friendship quality and social development. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 11, 7-10.
Two Authors
List by their last names and initials. Use the ampersand instead of "and."
Wegener, D. T., & Petty, R. E. (1994). Mood management across affective states: The
hedonic contingency hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 1034-
1048.
Three to Seven Authors
List by last names and initials; commas separate author names, while the last author
name is preceded again by ampersand.
Kernis, M. H., Cornell, D. P., Sun, C. R., Berry, A., Harlow, T., & Bach, J. S. (1993). There's
more to self-esteem than whether it is high or low: The importance of stability of self-
esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 1190-1204.
More Than Seven Authors
List by last names and initials; commas separate author names. After the sixth author's
name, use an ellipsis in place of the author names. Then provide the final author name.
There should be no more than seven names.
Miller, F. H., Choi, M. J., Angeli, L. L., Harland, A. A., Stamos, J. A., Thomas, S. T., . . .
Rubin, L. H. (2009). Web site usability for the blind and low-vision user. Technical
Communication, 57, 323-335.
Organization as Author
Also known as a "corporate author." Here, you simply treat the publishing organization the same way you'd treat the
author's name and format the rest of the citation as normal.
American Psychological Association. (2009). Blog guidelines. APA Style Blog. Retrieved from
https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/blog-guidelines.html
Unknown Author
Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
NOTE: When your essay includes parenthetical citations of sources with no author named, use a shortened version
of the source's title instead of an author's name. Use quotation marks and italics as appropriate. For example,
parenthetical citations of the source above would appear as follows: (Merriam-Webster's, 1993).
Two or More Works by the Same Author
Use the author's name for all entries and list the entries by the year (earliest comes first).
Berndt, T. J. (1981).
Berndt, T. J. (1999).
When an author appears both as a sole author and, in another citation, as the first author of a group, list the one-
author entries first.
Berndt, T. J. (1999). Friends' influence on students' adjustment to school. Educational Psychologist, 34, 15-28.
Berndt, T. J., & Keefe, K. (1995). Friends' influence on adolescents' adjustment to school. Child Development, 66,
1312-1329.
References that have the same first author and different second and/or third authors are arranged alphabetically by
the last name of the second author, or the last name of the third if the first and second authors are the same.
Wegener, D. T., Kerr, N. L., Fleming, M. A., & Petty, R. E. (2000). Flexible corrections of juror judgments:
Implications for jury instructions. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 6, 629-654.
Wegener, D. T., Petty, R. E., & Klein, D. J. (1994). Effects of mood on high elaboration attitude change: The mediating role of
likelihood judgments. European Journal of Social Psychology, 24, 25-43.
Two or More Works by the Same Author in the Same Year
If you are using more than one reference by the same author (or the same group
of authors listed in the same order) published in the same year, organize them in
the reference list alphabetically by the title of the article or chapter. Then assign
letter suffixes to the year. Refer to these sources in your essay as they appear in
your reference list, e.g.: "Berdnt (1981a) makes similar claims..."
Berndt, T. J. (1981a). Age changes and changes over time in prosocial intentions
and behavior between friends. Developmental Psychology, 17, 408-416.
Berndt, T. J. (1981b). Effects of friendship on prosocial intentions and
behavior. Child Development, 52, 636-643.

Personal communication
Personal communication such as phone calls, emails and
conversations are not cited in the reference list because they can’t be
found anywhere. However, you should still cite them using an in-text
citation.
Give the initials and the last name of the person you communicated
with and provide as exact a date as possible.