How to Write an Academic Essay with References and Citations
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If you're wondering how to write an academic essay with references, look no further. In this article, we'll discuss how to use in-text citations and references, including how to cite a website, how to cite a book, and how to cite a Tweet, according to various style guides.
You might need to cite sources when writing a paper that references other sources. For example, when writing an essay, you may use information from other works, such as books, articles, or websites. You must then inform readers where this information came from. Failure to do so, even accidentally, is plagiarism—passing off another person's work as your own.
You can avoid plagiarism and show readers where to find information by using citations and references.
Citations tell readers where a piece of information came from. They take the form of footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical elements, depending on your style guide. In-text citations are usually placed at the end of a sentence containing the relevant information.
A reference list , bibliography, or works cited list at the end of a text provides additional details about these cited sources. This list includes enough publication information allowing readers to look up these sources themselves.
Referencing is important for more than simply avoiding plagiarism. Referring to a trustworthy source shows that the information is reliable. Referring to reliable information can also support your major points and back up your argument.
Learning how to write an academic essay with references and how to use in-text citations will allow you to cite authors who have made similar arguments. This helps show that your argument is objective and not entirely based on personal biases.
How Do You Determine Which Style Guide to Use?
Often, a professor will assign a style guide. The purpose of a style guide is to provide writers with formatting instructions. If your professor has not assigned a style guide, they should still be able to recommend one.
If you are entirely free to choose, pick one that aligns with your field (for example, APA is frequently used for scientific writing).
Some of the most common style guides are as follows:
AP style for journalism
Chicago style for publishing
APA style for scholarly writing (commonly used in scientific fields)
MLA style for scholarly citations (commonly used in English literature fields)
Some journals have their own style guides, so if you plan to publish, check which guide your target journal uses. You can do this by locating your target journal's website and searching for author guidelines.
How Do You Pick Your Sources?
When learning how to write an academic essay with references, you must identify reliable sources that support your argument.
As you read, think critically and evaluate sources for:
Objectivity
Keep detailed notes on the sources so that you can easily find them again, if needed.
Tip: Record these notes in the format of your style guide—your reference list will then be ready to go.
How to Use In-Text Citations in MLA
An in-text citation in MLA includes the author's last name and the relevant page number:
(Author 123)
How to Cite a Website in MLA
Here's how to cite a website in MLA:
Author's last name, First name. "Title of page."
Website. Website Publisher, date. Web. Date
retrieved. <URL>
With information from a real website, this looks like:
Morris, Nancy. "How to Cite a Tweet in APA,
Chicago, and MLA." Scribendi. Scribendi
Inc., n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2021.
<https://www.scribendi.com/academy/articles/how_to_cite_a_website.en.html>
How Do You Cite a Tweet in MLA ?
MLA uses the full text of a short Tweet (under 140 characters) as its title. Longer Tweets can be shortened using ellipses.
MLA Tweet references should be formatted as follows:
@twitterhandle (Author Name). "Text of Tweet." Twitter, Date Month, Year, time of
publication, URL.
With information from an actual Tweet, this looks like:
@neiltyson (Neil deGrasse Tyson). "You can't use reason to convince anyone out of an
argument that they didn't use reason to get into." Twitter, 29 Sept. 2020, 10:15 p.m.,
https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/1311127369785192449 .
How to Cite a Book in MLA
Here's how to cite a book in MLA:
Author's last name, First name. Book Title. Publisher, Year.
With publication information from a real book, this looks like:
Montgomery, L.M. Rainbow Valley. Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1919.
How to Cite a Chapter in a Book in MLA
Author's last name, First name. "Title of Chapter." Book Title , edited by Editor Name,
Publisher, Year, pp. page range.
With publication information from an actual book, this looks like:
Ezell, Margaret J.M. "The Social Author: Manuscript Culture, Writers, and Readers." The
Broadview Reader in Book History , edited by Michelle Levy and Tom Mole, Broadview
Press, 2015,pp. 375–394.
How to Cite a Paraphrase in MLA
You can cite a paraphrase in MLA exactly the same way as you would cite a direct quotation.
Make sure to include the author's name (either in the text or in the parenthetical citation) and the relevant page number.
How to Use In-Text Citations in APA
In APA, in-text citations include the author's last name and the year of publication; a page number is included only if a direct quotation is used:
(Author, 2021, p. 123)
How to Cite a Website in APA
Here's how to cite a website in APA:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year, Month. date of publication). Title of page. https://URL
Morris, N. (n.d.). How to cite a Tweet in APA, Chicago, and MLA.
https://www.scribendi.com/academy/articles/how_to_cite_a_website.en.html
Tip: Learn more about how to write an academic essay with references to websites .
How Do You Cite a Tweet in APA ?
APA refers to Tweets using their first 20 words.
Tweet references should be formatted as follows:
Author, A. A. [@twitterhandle). (Year, Month. date of publication). First 20 words of the
Tweet. [Tweet] Twitter. URL
When we input information from a real Tweet, this looks like:
deGrasse Tyson, N. [@neiltyson]. (2020, Sept. 29). You can't use reason to convince anyone
out of an argument that they didn't use reason to get into. [Tweet] Twitter.
https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/1311127369785192449
How to Cite a Book in APA
Here's how to cite a book in APA:
Author, A. A. (Year). Book title. Publisher.
For a real book, this looks like:
Montgomery, L. M. (1919). Rainbow valley.
Frederick A. Stokes Company.
How to Cite a Chapter in a Book in APA
Author, A. A. (Year). Chapter title. In Editor Name (Ed.), Book Title (pp. page range).
With information from a real book, this looks like:
Ezell, M. J. M. (2014). The social author: Manuscript culture, writers, and readers. In
Michelle Levy and Tom Mole (Eds.), The Broadview Reader in Book History (pp. 375–
394). Broadview Press.
Knowing how to cite a book and how to cite a chapter in a book correctly will take you a long way in creating an effective reference list.
How to Cite a Paraphrase in APA
You can cite a paraphrase in APA the same way as you would cite a direct quotation, including the author's name and year of publication.
In APA, you may also choose to pinpoint the page from which the information is taken.
Referencing is an essential part of academic integrity. Learning how to write an academic essay with references and how to use in-text citations shows readers that you did your research and helps them locate your sources.
Learning how to cite a website, how to cite a book, and how to cite a paraphrase can also help you avoid plagiarism —an academic offense with serious consequences for your education or professional reputation.
Scribendi can help format your citations or review your whole paper with our Academic Editing services .
Take Your Essay from Good to Great
Hire an expert academic editor , or get a free sample, about the author.
Scribendi's in-house editors work with writers from all over the globe to perfect their writing. They know that no piece of writing is complete without a professional edit, and they love to see a good piece of writing transformed into a great one. Scribendi's in-house editors are unrivaled in both experience and education, having collectively edited millions of words and obtained numerous degrees. They love consuming caffeinated beverages, reading books of various genres, and relaxing in quiet, dimly lit spaces.
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Cite data and statistics.
- How to Cite Data and Statistics
- Citing Sources
General Guidelines
When you use numeric datasets or a prepared statistical table you must cite where you retrieved the information. Data and statistical tables contain unique elements not specifically addressed by most citation styles. Citations for data or statistical tables should include at least the following pieces of information, which you will need to arrange according to the citation style you use.
- Author or creator - the person(s), organization, issuing agency or agencies responsible for creating the dataset
- Date of publication - the year the dataset was published, posted or otherwise released to the public (not the date of the subject matter).
- Title or description - complete title or if no title exists, you must create a brief description of the data, including time period covered in the data if applicable
- Publisher - entity (organization, database, archive, journal) responsible for hosting the data
- URL or DOI - the unique identifier if the data set is online
Certain styles may also ask for additional information such as:
- Edition or version
- Date accessed online (Note: APA does not require this)
- Format description e.g. data file, database, CD-ROM, computer software
Tips for finding additional citation guidance:
- Check to see if the publisher or distributor of your dataset provides suggestions for citing their data. For example data providers like OECD and repositories like ICPSR and Dryad offer guidance for formatting citations to the hundreds of datafiles they host or produce.
- Look through your style manual for instructions on using a similar format such as citation styles for electronic resources, electronic references, web pages, or tables.
This guide provides information for citing data and tables to include in your bibliography. Consult the Purdue OWL for guidance on incorporating data and statistics in the body of your paper.
This guide is intended as a guideline only, check your citation manual, ask a librarian, or confer with your professor if your specific data set does not contain the elements needed to draft a useful citation. In general, it’s better to include more information than called for than to leave out information that could help the reader locate data you cite.
Examples - APA Style
Unless otherwise noted, the basic elements and guidelines described here are from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition (McHenry Reference Desk BF 76.7 .P83 2010). You may also wish to consult the Purdue OWL or How to Cite Data from Michigan State University for MLA examples and explanations.
1. Include format type in brackets [ ] to describe format , not title information (e.g. data set, data file and codebook). [See APA guidelines for "Nonroutine information in titles" (pp. 186)]
2. Use “Available from” if the URL or DOI points you to a website or information on how to obtain or download data at a general site that houses data sets. Use “Retrieved from” if the URL or DOI takes you directly to the data table or database. (APA Style Manual, 2001 ed ., pp.281 or Purdue OWL Electronic Sources : Data Sets)
Basic Elements: [Follow APA guidelines for "Data set" (pp. 210-211) or online from MSU ]
Author/Rightsholder, A. A. (Year). Title of publication or data set (Version number if available) [Data File]. Retrieved from (or available from) http://xxxx
The title of the data set should be italicized unless the data set is included as part of a larger work or volume
The World Bank, World Development Indicators (2012). GNI per capita, Atlas method [Data file]. Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD
Example of Table generated from an interactive data set:
Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce (2013). U.S. Direct Investment Abroad, All U.S. Parent Companies 2009-2010 . [Data file]. Available from BEA.gov/iTable
II. Table from a publication
Basic Elements: [Follow APA guidelines for "entry in a reference work" (p. 205)]
Author. (Year). Title of entry. In Editor (Edition), Title of publication (pp. xxx-xxx). Retrieved from http:// OR Location: Publisher OR doi:xxxx.
Example: (Note: Editor & Edition elements are not applicable in this example)
World Trade Organization. (2012). Table I.3: World merchandise trade and trade in commercial services by region and selected economy, 2005-2011. In International Trade Statistics, 2012 (p. 22). Retrieved from: http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/its2012_e/its12_toc_e.htm
The title of the data set should be italicized unless the data set is included as part of a larger work or volume , as in the example above.
Quick Guides to Citing Data
- ICPSR: How to Cite Data
- IASSIST Quick Guide to Citing Data
- How to Cite Data - Michigan State University A longer guide with many examples of how to cite datasets and statistical tables
- Writing with Statistics - Purdue OWL Explains how to properly incorporate statistics into a paper, including inferential and descriptive statistics, and using visuals: tables, graphs, and charts
- Census Data & Tables (American Factfinder)
What is a DOI?
DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier and is a unique number used to precisely locate electronic items like webpages, articles, files, etc. A DOI is persistent, which means it does not "break" the way a URL can when a website is updated.
- See: What is a DOI? (ICPSR)
- Next: Citing Sources >>
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- GIS/Spatial Data ↗ This link opens in a new window
- Textual Data
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Citing data
More resources for citing data.
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Data should be cited within our work for the same reasons journal articles are cited: to give credit where credit is due (original author/producer) and to help other researchers find the material. If you use data without citation, that is deeply problematic for academic integrity as well as reproducibility purposes. Pay attention to licenses (here's a page on those) and give attribution!
A data citation includes the typical components of other citations:
Author or creator: the entity/entities responsible for creating the data Date of publication: the date the data was published or otherwise released to the public Title: the title of the dataset or a brief description of it if it's missing a title Publisher: entity responsible for hosting the data (like a repository or archive) URL or preferably, a DOI: a link that points to the data Data Accessed: since most data are published without versions, it's important to note the time that you accessed the data in case newer releases are made over time.
Citation standards for data sets differ by journal, publisher, and conference, but you have a few options generally (depending on the situation):
- Use the format of a style manual as determined by a publisher or conference, such as IEEE or ACM. If you use a citation manager (highly recommended for organizing research reading!) like Zotero (which we support at NYU - check out our Zotero guide ), you can have them export your citations in whatever format you need.
- Use the author or repository's preferred citation that they list on the page where you downloaded the data initially.
Here's an example of how to find the citation information for a dataset hosted on Zenodo , a generalist repository that houses data, code, and more:
All scholarly or academic work requires that you cite your sources, whether you are writing a long paper or a quick report. Why is citing your research so important?
Researching and writing a paper ideally involves a process of exploring and learning. By citing your sources, you are showing your reader how you came to your conclusions and acknowledging the other people's work that brought you to your conclusions. Citing sources:
- Documents your research and scholarship
- Acknowledges the work of others whose scholarship contributed to your work
- Helps your reader understand the context of your argument
- Provides information for your reader to use to locate additional information on your topic
- Establishes the credibility of your scholarship
- Provides you with an opportunity to demonstrate your own integrity and understanding of academic ethics
Partially adapted from "When and Why to Cite Sources." SUNY Albany. 2008. Retrieved 14 Jan 2009.
- Data-Planet Data Basics Data Basics is a module in Data-Planet that provides resources and examples for citing datasets and statistics when incorporating them into research.
- IASSIST Quick Guide to Data Citation Includes examples from APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.
- How to Cite Data A comprehensive guide with examples from Michigan State University Libraries.
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- Next: Classes & Workshops >>
- Last Updated: May 23, 2024 2:40 PM
- URL: https://guides.nyu.edu/datasources
APA (7th ed.) referencing guide (Online): Statistics & Datasets
- Paraphrasing
- Direct quotes
- Secondary Referencing
- More than one work cited
- Author with two or more works cited in the same year
- Personal Communication
- In-text citations
- Reference list
- Referencing Tools
- Books with one author
- Books with two authors
- Books with three or more authors
- Edited book
- Chapter in an edited book
- Anthologies and Collected Works
- Critical Editions
- Multivolume work
- Religious and classical Works
- Thesis / Dissertation
- Translation
- Work within an Anthology
- Conference Paper
- Journal article with one author
- Journal article with two authors
- Journal articles with three or more authors
- Journal article with no identified author/anonymous author
- Newspaper articles
- Magazine articles
- Book review in a journal or newspaper
- Act of Parliament
- Law report (case law)
- Business Reports
- Statistics & Datasets
- Government reports
- YouTube/online videos
- Episode of a TV Show
- Radio Broadcast
Statistics and Derived Data
When you use numeric datasets or a prepared statistical table you must cite where you retrieved the information. Increasingly you will find yourself using data derived from other data elements. Databases often allow users to aggregate data. This requires you to cite using the Derived Data format. Examples of both are listed below.
NB: Date of retrieval is not normally required for datasets. However if the information is likely to change, it is recommended to include this information.
In-text: A single dataset
Financial Analysis Made Easy (2018) demonstrate that... OR ...(Financial Analysis Made Easy, 2018).
Example: According to the Office for National Statistics (2018)... OR ...(Office for National Statistics, 2018).
In-text: Derived Data
Financial Analysis Made Easy (2018) shows that...
...(Financial Analysis Made Easy, 2018).
Reference List: A single dataset
Corporate author. (Year). Title of dataset . Database name. URL
Financial Analysis Made Easy. (2018). John Wiley & Sons Ltd: Company financial data. http://fam e2.bvdep.com/
Office for National Statistics. (2018). Population estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: Mid- 2017. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/ populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/mid2017
Reference List: Derived Data
Corporate author. (Year). Data derived from: Title of dataset. Database name. URL
Financial Analysis Made Easy. (2018). Data derived from: Construction companies in Wales with a turnover exceeding £10,000. http://fame2.bvdep.com/
- << Previous: Business Reports
- Next: Government reports >>
- Last Updated: May 29, 2024 9:51 AM
- URL: https://libguides.swansea.ac.uk/APA7Referencing
We've launched our redesigned Learning Commons website. Our former site remains available until 12/16/2022.
APA Citations 7th Edition
- Why, When, and How to Cite
- General Tips & Sample Reference List
- Cite Books, Edited Book Chapters, and Entries From Reference Books
- Cite Journal, Magazine, Newspaper, and Blog Articles
- Cite Audiovisual, Audio, and Visual Works
- Cite Social Media and Webpages; and Guidance on Websites
- In-Text Citations
- Additional Help
Why to Cite
There are many reasons to cite your sources:
- to give credit to authors or artists whose work you have used
- to allow people who are reviewing your work to check your sources
- to show readers how you came up with your arguments or ideas
- to provide scholars with other sources for their research
- to avoid plagiarism
For more information about the dangers of plagiarism see the APA Blog .
For a quick overview of why and when to cite, view this short video, Cite a Source: How and Why You Should Do It .
Test your understanding of plagiarism by taking this short Plagiarism Quiz .
What you don't know CAN hurt you!
When to Cite
Cite a source when:
- you copy information exactly from it; t his includes primary sources, such as when you have interviewed someone or are referring to a work of art or image that you are referencing
- you paraphrase, summarize or use your own words to describe ideas from a work
- you cite statistics, data or other numerical information that was compiled by someone other than yourself.
NOTE: The exception to the rule is that you do not have to cite a source when you are using what is considered "common knowledge," such as a date in history, basic biographical facts about a prominent person, or the dates and circumstances of major historical events (e.g. there are 12 months in a year, the planets revolve around the sun, the American Civil War began on April 12, 1861, etc.). If the facts are in dispute, it is best to cite sources.
How to Cite
The essential components of APA citation style are the reference list and related in-text citations. These two components work together to allow readers to find the exact sources used by the writer, as well as where in the paper these sources were used.
The reference list is the master list of all sources used, and is located after the body of the paper. Each source has its own entry on the list and is written in a highly stylized format. The four basic elements of a reference are:
Author. (Date). Title. Source.
For example, here is a citation for an article from a magazine which contains the four basic elements along with additional elements needed to accurately describe a magazine article:
Chesney, R., & Citron, D. (2019, January/February). Deepfakes and the new disinformation war: The coming age of post-truth geopolitics. Foreign Affairs , 98 (1), 147–155.
When sources are used in the body of the paper, in-text citations are the link back to the exact entry for the source appearing on the reference list. For example, when the above source is quoted in the body of the paper it includes an embedded in-text citation:
Chesney (2019) speculates that "as deepfake technology develops and spreads, the current disinformation wars may soon look like the propaganda equivalent of the era of swords and shields."
Kinds of Sources
How to cite a source in the reference list is determined by the kind of source it is. APA citation style organizes sources into reference groups , then categories , and then types . The essential groups /categories / types covered in this guide are:
The one remaining group APA recognizes, "data sets, software, and tests," is not covered in this guide.
For more in-depth information on APA groups / categories / types, with examples, visit this APA Style Blog page .
NOTE: When selecting a group / category / type for a source, what group / category / type a source falls into is of more importance than how it happened to be accessed. For example, if you wanted to cite an article from a journal, when selecting a category/group/type the deciding factor would be that it was an article from a journal, not that you read it in print, or in a library research database, or on a website.
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- Next: Reference List >>
- Last Updated: Apr 22, 2024 12:00 PM
- URL: https://learningcommons.dccc.edu/apa7
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13.3 Creating a References Section
Learning objective.
- Apply American Psychological Association (APA) style and formatting guidelines for a references section.
This section provides detailed information about how to create the references section of your paper. You will review basic formatting guidelines and learn how to format bibliographical entries for various types of sources. This section of Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , like the previous section, is meant to be used as a reference tool while you write.
Formatting the References Section: The Basics
At this stage in the writing process, you may already have begun setting up your references section. This section may consist of a single page for a brief research paper or may extend for many pages in professional journal articles. As you create this section of your paper, follow the guidelines provided here.
Formatting the References Section
To set up your references section, use the insert page break feature of your word-processing program to begin a new page. Note that the header and margins will be the same as in the body of your paper, and pagination continues from the body of your paper. (In other words, if you set up the body of your paper correctly, the correct header and page number should appear automatically in your references section.) See additional guidelines below.
Formatting Reference Entries
Reference entries should include the following information:
- The name of the author(s)
- The year of publication and, where applicable, the exact date of publication
- The full title of the source
- For books, the city of publication
- For articles or essays, the name of the periodical or book in which the article or essay appears
- For magazine and journal articles, the volume number, issue number, and pages where the article appears
- For sources on the web, the URL where the source is located
See the following examples for how to format a book or journal article with a single author.
Sample Book Entry
Sample Journal Article Entry
The following box provides general guidelines for formatting the reference page. For the remainder of this chapter, you will learn about how to format bibliographical entries for different source types, including multiauthor and electronic sources.
Formatting the References Section: APA General Guidelines
1. Include the heading References , centered at the top of the page. The heading should not be boldfaced, italicized, or underlined. 2. Use double-spaced type throughout the references section, as in the body of your paper. 3. Use hanging indentation for each entry. The first line should be flush with the left margin, while any lines that follow should be indented five spaces. Note that hanging indentation is the opposite of normal indenting rules for paragraphs. 4. List entries in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. For a work with multiple authors, use the last name of the first author listed. 5. List authors’ names using this format: Smith, J. C. 6. For a work with no individual author(s), use the name of the organization that published the work or, if this is unavailable, the title of the work in place of the author’s name.
7. For works with multiple authors, follow these guidelines:
- For works with up to seven authors, list the last name and initials for each author.
- For works with more than seven authors, list the first six names, followed by ellipses, and then the name of the last author listed.
- Use an ampersand before the name of the last author listed.
8. Use title case for journal titles. Capitalize all important words in the title.
9. Use sentence case for all other titles—books, articles, web pages, and other source titles. Capitalize the first word of the title. Do not capitalize any other words in the title except for the following:
- Proper nouns
- First word of a subtitle
- First word after a colon or dash
Set up the first page of your references section and begin adding entries, following the APA formatting guidelines provided in this section.
- If there are any simple entries that you can format completely using the general guidelines, do so at this time.
- For entries you are unsure of how to format, type in as much information as you can, and highlight the entries so you can return to them later.
Formatting Reference Entries for Different Source Types
As is the case for in-text citations, formatting reference entries becomes more complicated when you are citing a source with multiple authors, citing various types of online media, or citing sources for which you must provide additional information beyond the basics listed in the general guidelines. The following guidelines show how to format reference entries for these different situations.
Print Sources: Books
For book-length sources and shorter works that appear in a book, follow the guidelines that best describes your source.
A Book by Two or More Authors
List the authors’ names in the order they appear on the book’s title page. Use an ampersand before the last author’s name.
Campbell, D. T., & Stanley, J. C. (1963). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
An Edited Book with No Author
List the editor or editors’ names in place of the author’s name, followed by Ed. or Eds. in parentheses.
Myers, C., & Reamer, D. (Eds.). (2009). 2009 nutrition index. San Francisco, CA: HealthSource, Inc.
An Edited Book with an Author
List the author’s name first, followed by the title and the editor or editors. Note that when the editor is listed after the title, you list the initials before the last name.
The previous example shows the format used for an edited book with one author—for instance, a collection of a famous person’s letters that has been edited. This type of source is different from an anthology, which is a collection of articles or essays by different authors. For citing works in anthologies, see the guidelines later in this section.
A Translated Book
Include the translator’s name after the title, and at the end of the citation, list the date the original work was published. Note that for the translator’s name, you list the initials before the last name.
Freud, S. (1965). New introductory lectures on psycho-analysis (J. Strachey, Trans.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton. (Original work published 1933).
A Book Published in Multiple Editions
If you are using any edition other than the first edition, include the edition number in parentheses after the title.
A Chapter in an Edited Book
List the name of the author(s) who wrote the chapter, followed by the chapter title. Then list the names of the book editor(s) and the title of the book, followed by the page numbers for the chapter and the usual information about the book’s publisher.
A Work That Appears in an Anthology
Follow the same process you would use to cite a book chapter, substituting the article or essay title for the chapter title.
An Article in a Reference Book
List the author’s name if available; if no author is listed, provide the title of the entry where the author’s name would normally be listed. If the book lists the name of the editor(s), include it in your citation. Indicate the volume number (if applicable) and page numbers in parentheses after the article title.
Two or More Books by the Same Author
List the entries in order of their publication year, beginning with the work published first.
Swedan, N. (2001). Women’s sports medicine and rehabilitation. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers.
Swedan, N. (2003). The active woman’s health and fitness handbook. New York, NY: Perigee.
If two books have multiple authors, and the first author is the same but the others are different, alphabetize by the second author’s last name (or the third or fourth, if necessary).
Carroll, D., & Aaronson, F. (2008). Managing type II diabetes. Chicago, IL: Southwick Press.
Carroll, D., & Zuckerman, N. (2008). Gestational diabetes. Chicago, IL: Southwick Press.
Books by Different Authors with the Same Last Name
Alphabetize entries by the authors’ first initial.
A Book Authored by an Organization
Treat the organization name as you would an author’s name. For the purposes of alphabetizing, ignore words like The in the organization’s name. (That is, a book published by the American Heart Association would be listed with other entries whose authors’ names begin with A .)
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders DSM-IV (4th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
A Book-Length Report
Format technical and research reports as you would format other book-length sources. If the organization that issued the report assigned it a number, include the number in parentheses after the title. (See also the guidelines provided for citing works produced by government agencies.)
Jameson, R., & Dewey, J. (2009). Preliminary findings from an evaluation of the president’s physical fitness program in Pleasantville school district. Pleasantville, WA: Pleasantville Board of Education.
A Book Authored by a Government Agency
Treat these as you would a book published by a nongovernment organization, but be aware that these works may have an identification number listed. If so, include it in parentheses after the publication year.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2002). The decennial censuses from 1790 to 2000 (Publication No. POL/02-MA). Washington, DC: US Government Printing Offices.
Revisit the references section you began to compile in Note 13.73 “Exercise 1” . Use the guidelines provided to format any entries for book-length print sources that you were unable to finish earlier.
Review how Jorge formatted these book-length print sources:
Atkins, R. C. (2002). Dr. Atkins’ diet revolution . New York, NY: M. Evans and Company.
Agatson, A. (2003). The South Beach diet. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Griffin.
Print Sources: Periodicals
An article in a scholarly journal.
Include the following information:
- Author or authors’ names
- Publication year
- Article title (in sentence case, without quotation marks or italics)
- Journal title (in title case and in italics)
- Volume number (in italics)
- Issue number (in parentheses)
- Page number(s) where the article appears
DeMarco, R. F. (2010). Palliative care and African American women living with HIV. Journal of Nursing Education, 49 (5), 1–4.
An Article in a Journal Paginated by Volume
In these types of journals, page numbers for one volume continue across all the issues in that volume. For instance, the winter issue may begin with page 1, and in the spring issue that follows, the page numbers pick up where the previous issue left off. (If you have ever wondered why a print journal did not begin on page 1, or wondered why the page numbers of a journal extend into four digits, this is why.) Omit the issue number from your reference entry.
Wagner, J. (2009). Rethinking school lunches: A review of recent literature. American School Nurses’ Journal , 47, 1123–1127.
An Abstract of a Scholarly Article
At times you may need to cite an abstract—the summary that appears at the beginning—of a published article. If you are citing the abstract only, and it was published separately from the article, provide the following information:
- Publication information for the article
- Information about where the abstract was published (for instance, another journal or a collection of abstracts)
A Journal Article with Two to Seven Authors
List all the authors’ names in the order they appear in the article. Use an ampersand before the last name listed.
Barker, E. T., & Bornstein, M. H. (2010). Global self-esteem, appearance satisfaction, and self-reported dieting in early adolescence. Journal of Early Adolescence, 30 (2), 205–224.
Tremblay, M. S., Shields, M., Laviolette, M., Craig, C. L., Janssen, I., & Gorber, S. C. (2010). Fitness of Canadian children and youth: Results from the 2007–2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey. Health Reports, 21 (1), 7–20.
A Journal Article with More Than Seven Authors
List the first six authors’ names, followed by a comma, an ellipsis, and the name of the last author listed. The article in the following example has sixteen listed authors; the reference entry lists the first six authors and the sixteenth, omitting the seventh through the fifteenth.
Writing at Work
The idea of an eight-page article with sixteen authors may seem strange to you—especially if you are in the midst of writing a ten-page research paper on your own. More often than not, articles in scholarly journals list multiple authors. Sometimes, the authors actually did collaborate on writing and editing the published article. In other instances, some of the authors listed may have contributed to the research in some way while being only minimally involved in the process of writing the article. Whenever you collaborate with colleagues to produce a written product, follow your profession’s conventions for giving everyone proper credit for their contribution.
A Magazine Article
After the publication year, list the issue date. Otherwise, treat these as you would journal articles. List the volume and issue number if both are available.
A Newspaper Article
Treat these as you would magazine and journal articles, with one important difference: precede the page number(s) with the abbreviation p. (for a single-page article) or pp. (for a multipage article). For articles whose pagination is not continuous, list all the pages included in the article. For example, an article that begins on page A1 and continues on pages A4 would have the page reference A1, A4. An article that begins on page A1 and continues on pages A4 and A5 would have the page reference A1, A4–A5.
A Letter to the Editor
After the title, indicate in brackets that the work is a letter to the editor.
Jones, J. (2009, January 31). Food police in our schools [Letter to the editor]. Rockwood Gazette, p. A8.
After the title, indicate in brackets that the work is a review and state the name of the work being reviewed. (Note that even if the title of the review is the same as the title of the book being reviewed, as in the following example, you should treat it as an article title. Do not italicize it.)
Revisit the references section you began to compile in Note 13.73 “Exercise 1” . Use the guidelines provided above to format any entries for periodicals and other shorter print sources that you were unable to finish earlier.
Electronic Sources
Citing articles from online periodicals: urls and digital object identifiers (dois).
Whenever you cite online sources, it is important to provide the most up-to-date information available to help readers locate the source. In some cases, this means providing an article’s URL , or web address. (The letters URL stand for uniform resource locator.) Always provide the most complete URL possible. Provide a link to the specific article used, rather than a link to the publication’s homepage.
As you know, web addresses are not always stable. If a website is updated or reorganized, the article you accessed in April may move to a different location in May. The URL you provided may become a dead link. For this reason, many online periodicals, especially scholarly publications, now rely on DOIs rather than URLs to keep track of articles.
A DOI is a Digital Object Identifier—an identification code provided for some online documents, typically articles in scholarly journals. Like a URL, its purpose is to help readers locate an article. However, a DOI is more stable than a URL, so it makes sense to include it in your reference entry when possible. Follow these guidelines:
- If you are citing an online article with a DOI, list the DOI at the end of the reference entry.
- If the article appears in print as well as online, you do not need to provide the URL. However, include the words Electronic version after the title in brackets.
- In other respects, treat the article as you would a print article. Include the volume number and issue number if available. (Note, however, that these may not be available for some online periodicals).
An Article from an Online Periodical with a DOI
List the DOI if one is provided. There is no need to include the URL if you have listed the DOI.
Bell, J. R. (2006). Low-carb beats low-fat diet for early losses but not long term. OBGYN News, 41 (12), 32. doi:10.1016/S0029-7437(06)71905-X
An Article from an Online Periodical with No DOI
List the URL. Include the volume and issue number for the periodical if this information is available. (For some online periodicals, it may not be.)
Note that if the article appears in a print version of the publication, you do not need to list the URL, but do indicate that you accessed the electronic version.
Robbins, K. (2010, March/April). Nature’s bounty: A heady feast [Electronic version]. Psychology Today, 43 (2), 58.
Provide the URL of the article.
McNeil, D. G. (2010, May 3). Maternal health: A new study challenges benefits of vitamin A for women and babies. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/health/04glob.html?ref=health
An Article Accessed through a Database
Cite these articles as you would normally cite a print article. Provide database information only if the article is difficult to locate.
APA style does not require writers to provide the item number or accession number for articles retrieved from databases. You may choose to do so if the article is difficult to locate or the database is an obscure one. Check with your professor to see if this is something he or she would like you to include.
An Abstract of an Article
Format these as you would an article citation, but add the word Abstract in brackets after the title.
Bradley, U., Spence, M., Courtney, C. H., McKinley, M. C., Ennis, C. N., McCance, D. R.…Hunter, S. J. (2009). Low-fat versus low-carbohydrate weight reduction diets: Effects on weight loss, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular risk: A randomized control trial [Abstract]. Diabetes , 58 (12), 2741–2748. http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2009/08/23/db00098.abstract
A Nonperiodical Web Document
The ways you cite different nonperiodical web documents may vary slightly from source to source, depending on the information that is available. In your citation, include as much of the following information as you can:
- Name of the author(s), whether an individual or organization
- Date of publication (Use n.d. if no date is available.)
- Title of the document
- Address where you retrieved the document
If the document consists of more than one web page within the site, link to the homepage or the entry page for the document.
American Heart Association. (2010). Heart attack, stroke, and cardiac arrest warning signs. Retrieved from http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053
An Entry from an Online Encyclopedia or Dictionary
Because these sources often do not include authors’ names, you may list the title of the entry at the beginning of the citation. Provide the URL for the specific entry.
Addiction. (n.d.) In Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary . Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/addiction
If you cite raw data compiled by an organization, such as statistical data, provide the URL where you retrieved the information. Provide the name of the organization that sponsors the site.
US Food and Drug Administration. (2009). Nationwide evaluation of X-ray trends: NEXT surveys performed [Data file]. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationSafety/NationwideEvaluationofX- RayTrendsNEXT/ucm116508.htm
Graphic Data
When citing graphic data—such as maps, pie charts, bar graphs, and so on—include the name of the organization that compiled the information, along with the publication date. Briefly describe the contents in brackets. Provide the URL where you retrieved the information. (If the graphic is associated with a specific project or document, list it after your bracketed description of the contents.)
US Food and Drug Administration. (2009). [Pie charts showing the percentage breakdown of the FDA’s budget for fiscal year 2005]. 2005 FDA budget summary . Retrieved from mhttp://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/ReportsManualsForms/Reports/BudgetReports/2005FDABudgetSummary/ucm117231.htm
An Online Interview (Audio File or Transcript)
List the interviewer, interviewee, and date. After the title, include bracketed text describing the interview as an “Interview transcript” or “Interview audio file,” depending on the format of the interview you accessed. List the name of the website and the URL where you retrieved the information. Use the following format.
Davies, D. (Interviewer), & Pollan, M. (Interviewee). (2008). Michael Pollan offers president food for thought [Interview transcript]. Retrieved from National Public Radio website: http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=100755362
An Electronic Book
Electronic books may include books available as text files online or audiobooks. If an electronic book is easily available in print, cite it as you would a print source. If it is unavailable in print (or extremely difficult to find), use the format in the example. (Use the words Available from in your citation if the book must be purchased or is not available directly.)
Chisholm, L. (n.d.). Celtic tales. Retrieved from http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/BookReader?bookid= chicelt_00150014&twoPage=false&route=text&size=0&fullscreen=false&pnum1=1&lang= English&ilang=English
A Chapter from an Online Book or a Chapter or Section of a Web Document
These are treated similarly to their print counterparts with the addition of retrieval information. Include the chapter or section number in parentheses after the book title.
Hart, A. M. (1895). Restoratives—Coffee, cocoa, chocolate. In Diet in sickness and in health (VI). Retrieved from http://www.archive.org/details/dietinsicknessin00hartrich
A Dissertation or Thesis from a Database
Provide the author, date of publication, title, and retrieval information. If the work is numbered within the database, include the number in parentheses at the end of the citation.
Computer Software
For commonly used office software and programming languages, it is not necessary to provide a citation. Cite software only when you are using a specialized program, such as the nutrition tracking software in the following example. If you download software from a website, provide the version and the year if available.
Internet Brands, Inc. (2009). FitDay PC (Version 2) [Software]. Available from http://www.fitday.com/Pc/PcHome.html?gcid=14
A Post on a Blog or Video Blog
Citation guidelines for these sources are similar to those used for discussion forum postings. Briefly describe the type of source in brackets after the title.
Because the content may not be carefully reviewed for accuracy, discussion forums and blogs should not be relied upon as a major source of information. However, it may be appropriate to cite these sources for some types of research. You may also participate in discussion forums or comment on blogs that address topics of personal or professional interest. Always keep in mind that when you post, you are making your thoughts public—and in many cases, available through search engines. Make sure any posts that can easily be associated with your name are appropriately professional, because a potential employer could view them.
A Television or Radio Broadcast
Include the name of the producer or executive producer; the date, title, and type of broadcast; and the associated company and location.
West, Ty. (Executive producer). (2009, September 24). PBS special report: Health care reform [Television broadcast]. New York, NY, and Washington, DC: Public Broadcasting Service.
A Television or Radio Series or Episode
Include the producer and the type of series if you are citing an entire television or radio series.
Couture, D., Nabors, S., Pinkard, S., Robertson, N., & Smith, J. (Producers). (1979). The Diane Rehm show [Radio series]. Washington, DC: National Public Radio.
To cite a specific episode of a radio or television series, list the name of the writer or writers (if available), the date the episode aired, its title, and the type of series, along with general information about the series.
Bernanke, J., & Wade, C. (2010, January 10). Hummingbirds: Magic in the air [Television series episode]. In F. Kaufman (Executive producer), Nature. New York, NY: WNET.
A Motion Picture
Name the director or producer (or both), year of release, title, country of origin, and studio.
Spurlock, M. (Director/producer), Morley, J. (Executive producer), & Winters. H. M. (Executive producer). (2004). Super size me. United States: Kathbur Pictures in association with Studio on Hudson.
A Recording
Name the primary contributors and list their role. Include the recording medium in brackets after the title. Then list the location and the label.
Smith, L. W. (Speaker). (1999). Meditation and relaxation [CD]. New York, NY: Earth, Wind, & Sky Productions.
Székely, I. (Pianist), Budapest Symphony Orchestra (Performers), & Németh, G. (Conductor). (1988). Chopin piano concertos no. 1 and 2 [CD]. Hong Kong: Naxos.
Provide as much information as possible about the writer, director, and producer; the date the podcast aired; its title; any organization or series with which it is associated; and where you retrieved the podcast.
Kelsey, A. R. (Writer), Garcia, J. (Director), & Kim, S. C. (Producer). (2010, May 7). Lies food labels tell us. Savvy consumer podcasts [Audio podcast] . Retrieved from http://www.savvyconsumer.org/podcasts/050710
Revisit the references section you began to compile in Note 13.73 “Exercise 1” .
- Use the APA guidelines provided in this section to format any entries for electronic sources that you were unable to finish earlier.
- If your sources include a form of media not covered in the APA guidelines here, consult with a writing tutor or review a print or online reference book. You may wish to visit the website of the American Psychological Association at http://www.apa.org or the Purdue University Online Writing lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu , which regularly updates its online style guidelines.
- Give your paper a final edit to check the references section.
Key Takeaways
In APA papers, entries in the references section include as much of the following information as possible:
- Print sources. Author(s), date of publication, title, publisher, page numbers (for shorter works), editors (if applicable), and periodical title (if applicable).
- Online sources (text-based). Author(s), date of publication, title, publisher or sponsoring organization, and DOI or URL (if applicable).
- Electronic sources (non-text-based). Provide details about the creator(s) of the work, title, associated company or series, and date the work was produced or broadcast. The specific details provided will vary depending on the medium and the information that is available.
- Electronic sources (text-based). If an electronic source is also widely available in print form, it is sometimes unnecessary to provide details about how to access the electronic version. Check the guidelines for the specific source type.
Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.
The Sheridan Libraries
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Citing Data and Statistics
Guide to data citation.
Whether you use a numeric dataset or a prepared statistical table from an existing source (print or electronic) you need to cite the source of your information.
It is critical to correctly cite data and statistics. This ensures that research data and statistics can be:
- replicated for verification
- credited for recognition
- tracked to measure usage and impact
By citing your dataset or statistics, you ensure that your work can be reproduced, and you also attribute credit to those who provided the data or statistics.
Elements of Data Citation
It is important to identify the elements of your data and statistics, as these elements are organized into a properly formatted citation in accordance with your associations preferred style guide.
These are the minimum elements required for dataset identification and retrieval. Fewer or additional elements may be requested by author guidelines or style manuals. Be sure to include as many elements as needed to precisely identify the dataset or statistics you have used.
Arrange these elements following the order and punctuation specified by your style guide. If examples for datasets are not provided, the format for books is generally considered a generic format that can be modified for other source types.
Source: Quick Guide to Data Citation - IASSIST Special Interest Group on Data Citation (SIGDC)
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How to Cite Statistics
Last Updated: May 1, 2024 References
This article was co-authored by Gerald Posner and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 30,231 times.
When you're working on a research paper, citing datasets and statistics you used is just as important as citing articles and other references from your research. It allows your readers to independently examine the data and verify the methodology used in collecting it. The basic information in your citation is similar, but the format may differ depending on whether you're using the Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), or Chicago citation style. [1] X Research source
- Example: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
- Individual author example: Sunshine, Sally.
- If there are 2 authors, place a comma after the first author's name, then type the word "and" and list the second author's name in first name-last name order. For example: Sunshine, Sally and Luna Wolfe.
- For more than 2 authors, type the first author's name and a comma followed by the abbreviation "et. al." For example: Sunshine, Sally, et. al.
- Example: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. "Community Health Profiles 2015, Brooklyn Community District 17: East Flatbush."
- Example: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. "Community Health Profiles 2015, Brooklyn Community District 17: East Flatbush." NYC.gov , New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2015.
- If a specific date is provided, use day-month-year format, abbreviating months with names longer than 4 letters. For example: 22 Feb. 2016.
- URL example: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. "Community Health Profiles 2015, Brooklyn Community District 17: East Flatbush." NYC.gov , New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2015. www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2015chp-bk17.pdf.
- DOI example: "Hazardous Drinking Rates, Drinkers Only, Population Aged 15-74." Tackling Harmful Alcohol Use: Economics and Public Health Policy , Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 24 Dec. 2015. OECD iLibrary , doi:10.1787/9789264181069-graph7-en.
- Example: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. "Community Health Profiles 2015, Brooklyn Community District 17: East Flatbush." NYC.gov , New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2015. www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2015chp-bk17.pdf. Accessed 24 Jan. 2017.
MLA Works Cited Entry Format:
Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Document: Subtitle if Any." Title of Website or Publication , Name of Publisher, Day-Month-Year published or last modified. URL/DOI. Accessed Day-Month-Year.
- For example, you might write: Statistics show 30 percent of the adult residents of East Flatbush are obese (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene 9).
- If the source isn't paginated, you only need to provide the author's last name in the parenthetical citation.
- If you mention the author's name in your text, provide a page number in the parenthetical. For example, you might write: According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 30 percent of the adult residents of East Flatbush are obese (9). If the source is not paginated, you don't need a parenthetical at all if you mention the author's name in your text.
- Example: National Center for Health Statistics.
- If there are 2 to 7 authors, list each name using the same last name-initials format. Place a comma between names and an ampersand before the final author's name. If there are more than 7 authors listed, place an ellipsis after the 6th author's name, then provide the last author's name. Never list more than 7 authors in an APA reference list entry. [4] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
- Example: National Center for Health Statistics. (2016).
- Example: National Center for Health Statistics. (2016). Health, United States, 2015: With special feature on racial and ethnic health disparities [Statistical report].
- Examples of possible descriptions include "statistical report," "data file," "dataset," "preliminary report," or "statistical analysis."
- If there is a version number, include it in parentheses between the title and the description.
- URL example: National Center for Health Statistics. (2016). Health, United States, 2015: With special feature on racial and ethnic health disparities [Statistical report]. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus15.pdf
- DOI example: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (2015). Hazardous drinking rates, drinkers only, population aged 15-74 [Statistical report]. Retrieved from doi: 10.1787/9789264181069-graph7-en
APA Reference List Format:
Author Last Name, A. A. (Year). Title of document: Subtitle if any (Version # if available) [Description of document]. Retrieved from URL/DOI
- For example, you might write: In 2014, life expectancy for males increased 1.4 years (National Center for Health Statistics, 2016).
- If you mention the author in the text of your paper, include the year in parentheses immediately after the author's name. For example, you might write: According to the National Center for Health Statistics (2016), life expectancy for males increased by 1.4 years in 2014.
- If you happen to mention both the author's name and the year of publication in the text of your paper, there's no need for a parenthetical citation unless you have directly quoted the source. In that case, you would include the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence.
- Institutional author example: National Center for Health Statistics.
- Individual author example: Sunshine, Sally K.
- For 2 or 3 authors, list each author's name separated by commas with the word "and" before the final author's name All authors other than the first author are listed in first name-last name format. For example: Sunshine, Sally K. and Luna Wolfe.
- If there are more than 3 authors, type the first author's name followed by a comma and the abbreviation "et. al." For example: Sunshine, Sally K., et. al. [10] X Research source
- Example: National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2015: With Special Feature on Racial and Ethnic Disparities .
- Example: National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2015: With Special Feature on Racial and Ethnic Disparities . Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
- Example: National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2015: With Special Feature on Racial and Ethnic Disparities . Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Distributed by Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2016.
- URL Example: National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2015: With Special Feature on Racial and Ethnic Disparities . Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Distributed by Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2016. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus15.pdf.
- DOI example: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Hazardous Drinking Rates, Drinkers Only, Population Aged 15-74 . Paris, France: OECD iLibrary. doi: 10.1787/9789264181069-graph7-en.
Chicago Bibliography Format:
Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Document: Subtitle if Any. Location: Publisher. Distributed by Location: Distributor (if different from publisher), Year. URL/DOI.
- Example: National Center for Health Statistics, Health, United States, 2015: With Special Feature on Racial and Ethnic Disparities , (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, distributed by Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2016) https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus15.pdf, 65-86.
Expert Q&A
- If the statistics are reported in a book or journal article, rather than a statistical report or data set, cite to the book or journal article. There is no special format required because you're citing statistics rather than other content. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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- ↑ https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/files/ICPSR/enewsletters/iassist.html
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_in_text_citations_the_basics.html
- ↑ https://guides.library.ucsc.edu/citedata
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_author_authors.html
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_the_basics.html
- ↑ https://guides.lib.umich.edu/c.php?g=282964&p=3285995
- ↑ https://library.ulethbridge.ca/chicagostyle/books/multiple
- ↑ https://research.wou.edu/c.php?g=551307&p=3785233
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At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays, research papers, and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises). Add a citation whenever you quote, paraphrase, or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.
When learning how to write an academic essay with references, you must identify reliable sources that support your argument. As you read, think critically and evaluate sources for: Accuracy. Objectivity. Currency. Authority. Keep detailed notes on the sources so that you can easily find them again, if needed.
You may also wish to consult the Purdue OWL or How to Cite Data from Michigan State University for MLA examples and explanations. Notes: 1. Include format type in brackets [ ] to describe format, not title information (e.g. data set, data file and codebook). [See APA guidelines for "Nonroutine information in titles" (pp. 186)]
A data citation includes the typical components of other citations: Author or creator: the entity/entities responsible for creating the data. Date of publication: the date the data was published or otherwise released to the public. Title: the title of the dataset or a brief description of it if it's missing a title.
Statistics and Derived Data. When you use numeric datasets or a prepared statistical table you must cite where you retrieved the information. Increasingly you will find yourself using data derived from other data elements. Databases often allow users to aggregate data. This requires you to cite using the Derived Data format.
The reference list is the master list of all sources used, and is located after the body of the paper. Each source has its own entry on the list and is written in a highly stylized format. The four basic elements of a reference are: Author. (Date). Title. Source.
1. Include the heading References, centered at the top of the page. The heading should not be boldfaced, italicized, or underlined. 2. Use double-spaced type throughout the references section, as in the body of your paper. 3. Use hanging indentation for each entry.
Citing Data and Statistics. Whether you use a numeric dataset or a prepared statistical table from an existing source (print or electronic) you need to cite the source of your information. It is critical to correctly cite data and statistics. This ensures that research data and statistics can be: discovered. reused. replicated for verification.
Type a space after the period, then type the title of the statistical document. Use title case, capitalizing the first word and all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives. If there is a subtitle, place a colon after the title, then type the subtitle in title case. Place a period at the end.