Is citing online sources in APA still a challenge for you?
Do you hate all those URLs and retrieval dates?
No worries here.
We’ve got you covered.
As always — just choose the exact type of source you need and cite it in the same way your professor wants.
In our citation examples, we use the following color coding:
- Red – Author
- Blue – Title of book/article/charter/webpage
- Pink – Date
- Orange – Website/Publisher
- Green – Title of journal
- Black – Volume/Issue
- Sienna – Pages
- Gray – URL/database/website where the source is retrieved
- Gold – Book, a part/chapter of which is being cited
- Peach – Additional information about the source (i.e. its type, specific features etc.)
Article in an online journal (DOI)
Now
The big question is:
What is DOI?
DOI is a special number or code given to the article when it is registered.
What’s the point of it?
It is used for identification. In other words, this number identifies such information as authors, titles etc.
Why are we writing about it?
Because according to the 7th edition of the APA Style Guide, it is necessary to provide a DOI of an article if it is available.
Yes, that’s not great but the fact is fact.
Here’s how you should do it:
Example:
Steg, L. (2023). Psychology of climate change. Annual Review of Psychology, 74
391-421. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-032720-042905
Article in an online journal (without DOI)
Example:
Mohammed, H. M., & El-Sol, A. E. H. (2020). Tele-nursing: Opportunities for nurses to
shape their profession’s future. International Journal of Novel Research in Healthcare and Nursing, 7(3) , 660-676. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from
https://www.noveltyjournals.com/upload/paper/Tele-Nursing%20Opportunities.pdf
Abstract
Example:
Abramovitch, A., Abramowitz, J. S., Riemann, B. C., & McKay, D. (2020). Severity benchmarks
and contemporary clinical norms for the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) [Abstract]. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 27, 100557.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2020.100557
Newspaper article
Example:
Casselman, B., Goldberg, E., & Koeze, E. (2024, March 8). Who still works from home? The
New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/08/business/economy/remote-work-home.html
Dissertation/thesis from a database
Example:
Gonaygunta, H. (2023). Factors influencing the adoption of machine learning algorithms to
detect cyber threats in the banking industry (Publication No. 30811800) [Doctoral dissertation, ProQuest University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
https://www.proquest.com/openview/6c00f25f91f8f49d29f9cd06be2169f0/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Graphic Data
Example:
Visually. (2023, May 2). Children and nature [Infographic]. Retrieved March 8, 2024, from
https://visual.ly/community/Infographics/environment/infographic-children-nature
Online lecture notes/presentation slides
Example:
Ahsan, N. (n.d.). Family and marriage – Sociology [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare.
https://www.slideshare.net/pokush/family-marriage-sociology-72239191
Blog
Example:
Yard, K. (2024, March 13). The best grasshopper pie recipe. KidsActivities.com.
https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/166307/the-best-grasshopper-pie-recipe/
Page from website
If the author and site name are the same, do not provide the site name as the source element.
Example:
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2020). Health literacy: Hidden barriers and
practical strategies.
https://www.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/improve/precautions/1stedition/tool3.html
Pye, J. (2023, December 5). The United States of debt: The fiscal future of America is
increasingly bleak. FreedomWorks.
https://www.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/improve/precautions/1stedition/tool3.html
Page from website with unknown author
Example:
CliftonStrengths online talent assessment. (n.d.). Gallup.com. Retrieved March 8,
2024, from https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx
Personal communication is not included in the reference list. Instead, when citing information from an email, cite the source of information in parentheses.
Example:
(K. Dawson, personal communication, April 24, 2023).
Video or film
You may mention Producer(s) or, Director(s).
Example:
Hancock, J. L. (Director). (2021). The little things [Film]. Warner Bros.
Podcast/YouTube
Example:
Psych Hub. (2020, October 5). What is cultural humility? [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_wOnJJEfxE
Government publication
Example:
United States Government Accountability Office. (2024). Head Start: Opportunities exist
to better align resources with child poverty.
https://www.gao.gov/assets/d24106077.pdf