Reference list examples

Here are some examples of specific references. For basic rules, see our reference list page. For a sample reference list in context, see the reference page from our sample literature review or the sample master's thesis.

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association provides extensive examples covering a wide variety of potential sources on pages 239-281. Below are examples for some of the most commonly cited kinds of sources. If your particular source is not listed below, use the basic forms to determine the correct format, check the Publication Manual, or consult the APA style website, especially their Frequently Asked Questions about APA Style and their coverage of electronic references. Our additional resources section also has some links to examples and resources.

Journal article, one author

Journal article, three to six authors

Journal article, more than six authors

NOTE: The phrase et al. stands for "and others."

Work discussed in a secondary source

NOTE: Give the secondary source in the references list; in the text, name the original work, and give a citation for the secondary source. For example, if Seidenberg and McClelland's work is cited in Coltheart et al. and you did not read the original work, list the Coltheart et al. reference in the References. In the text, use the following citation:

Magazine article, one author

Book

An article or chapter of a book

A government publication

A brochure

A book or article with no author or editor named

NOTE: For parenthetical citations of sources with no author named, use a shortened version of the title instead of an author's name. Use quotation marks and italics as appropriate. For example, parenthetical citations of the two sources above would appear as follows: (Merriam-Webster's, 1993) and ("New Drug," 1993).

A translated work and/or a republished work

NOTE: When you cite this work in text, it should appear with both dates: Laplace (1814/1951).

A review of a book, film, television program, etc.

An entry in an encyclopedia

A print journal or newspaper article retrieved from an online database

When referencing material obtained from an online database (such as a database in the library), provide appropriate print citation information (formatted just like a "normal" print citation would be for that type of work). Then add information that gives the date of retrieval and the proper name of the database. This will allow people to retrieve the print version if they do not have access to the database from which you retrieved the article. You can also include the item number or accession number in parentheses at the end, but the APA manual says that this is not required. (For more about citing articles retrieved from electronic databases, see page 278 of the Publication Manual.)

An online journal article

Chapter or section of an online document

NOTE: Use a chapter or section identifier and provide a URL that links directly to the chapter section, not the home page of the Web site.

Message posted to an online newsgroup, forum, or discussion group

NOTE: If only the screen name is available for the author, then use the screen name; however, if the author provides a real name, use their real name instead. Be sure to provide the exact date of the posting. Follow the date with the subject line, the thread of the message (not in italics). Provide any identifiers in brackets after the title, as in other types of references.

A Motion Picture or Video Tape with international or national availability

A Motion Picture or Video Tape with limited availability

A Television Broadcast

A Television Series

A Single Episode of a Television Series

A music recording

What if I can’t find an example of my source?

This website has examples of some of the most common types of references that you will use, and the APA Publication Manual has even more. However, sometimes you will want to reference a source and cannot find an example for that specific type of source.

If that occurs, choose an example that seems to be the most like your source and use that format. Try to provide as much information as possible in the reference list so that readers can locate your source.

Below are listed some of the most common types of sources that students will come across that are not listed in the APA Publication Manual and what seems to be the best way to cite them. You may want to ask your instructor whether they have a preference in citing that type of source.

Handout from a conference

If you have gone to a conference and picked up a handout (or obtained a copy) of a paper or poster presentation and would like to use information from that handout, in section 4.16 (p. 260) the APA Publication Manual does describe how to reference this type of source. They refer to it as an "unpublished paper or presentation." The format is the same for posters and papers. Just make sure that you indicate whether your source is a poster or a paper.

PowerPoint presentation slides

Whether the slides are from a conference presentation or a class lecture, they would probably fit best as an "unpublished paper or presentation." You can use the format given for conference handouts. If the slides are from a class, be sure to indicate the date, class, and university. When making reference to a particular slide in the text, refer to the slide's number so that readers can quickly find the relevant information.

Lecture Notes

The best approach to citing information from your own personal notes from a class lecture seems to be to consider it as a “personal communication” because it includes “unrecoverable data.” For this reason, personal communications are only cited within the text and are not included in the reference list.

For example, you might say:

• In a lecture on November 16, 2002, to a PSY 235 class, Professor Smith said …
• … (A. B. Smith, PSY 235 lecture, November 16, 2002).

Class Handout

Since a handout could be requested by a reader from the professor of the class, “unpublished paper or presentation” seems like the most similar type of reference. Your professor should be considered the author. Be sure to provide information about the class and university.

Course Packet

Referencing information from a course packet really depends on the type of source within the course packet. The reference should be based on the specific source. If you are using information from a handout in the course packet, use the format suggested for “Class Handout.” If it is a journal article, it should be cited as a journal article. Don’t focus on the packet as a whole; focus on the individual source. Include as much information in the citation as you can, and leave out what you don't know.

If your particular source is still not listed here, use the basic forms to determine the correct format, check the Publication Manual, or consult the APA style website, especially their Frequently Asked Questions about APA Style and their coverage of electronic references. Our additional resources section also has some links to examples and resources.