References General Rules
- This is for References at the END OF ESSAY section or LAST SLIDE.
- For IN TEXT and ON SLIDE citations, see Citation General Rules
- Before you read on, check:
- Is there a name? If not, use title
- Is there a date? If not:
- Add (n.d.)
- Add “Retrieved April 20, 2022, from “ before http (date you downloaded it)
- This is so reader can find the right version using Archive
- What is it? News, magazine, journal, or normal website?
- If news/magazine, can you buy a paper copy anywhere, or is it online only?
Alphabetical order. Numbers first
- 10 reasons for learning English. (n.d.).
- 23 places to go in Japan. (n.d.).
- Apple, A. (2012).
- Apple, B. (2007).
- Apple, B. (2008).
- Apple, C. (2008).
- Bananas are great. (2009, April 17).
- Questions are fun. (n.d.)
- Smith, M. (2003a).
- Smith, M. (2003b).
- Smith, M. (2004).
- UNHCR. (n.d.-a)
- UNHCR. (n.d.-b)
- UNHCR. (n.d.-c)
- Zod, G. (1999).
Common Mistakes
- Double check the formatting
- Times New Roman
- 12 pt
- Double spaced
- Burasage (書式–>段落–>最初の行–>ぶら下げ)
- The reference list matches the references used.
- Nothing in text that isn’t in list.
- Nothing in list that isn’t in the text
- 5 names in text = 5 matching names in references
- Double check you match the examples on:
- Title Case
- spaces, commas, and periods.
- One date. Either writing date or retrieved date.
- Not correct - no date or double date
- … (n.d.). Title of Source. http://etc
- … (2017). Title of Source. Retrieved April 27, 2022, from http://etc
- Correct - one date only
- … (2017). Title of Website Source. http://etc
- … (n.d.). Title of Website Source. Retrieved April 27, 2022, from …
- Not correct - no date or double date
- No first names
- OK: Suzuki, H. (2020)
- NO:
Hiroki, S.(2020) - NO:
Suzuki, Hiroki(2020)
- Ignore the case of the original!
- If the title is written “MY DOG”
- It doesn’t matter! Ignore it!
- Write “My dog” (book, article title) or My Dog (magazine name)
- If your newspaper is written “japantimes”
- It doesn’t matter! Ignore it!
- In your references, write “Japan Times”
- If the title is written “MY DOG”
A closer look at Italics
- Main rule: Italics in APA = the thing you hold in your hand
- For books, journals
- It doesn’t matter if they’re online or not
- Most of the good ones are both.
- For news sources, it changes
- If newspaper sells a paper copy
- You could buy and hold the whole issue
- You don’t rip out and hold the article
- No italics for article title.
- Italics for Newspaper Name
- Mainichi Shimbun
- Japan Times
- If newspaper is online ONLY
- You can’t buy and hold the whole issue
- You might print and hold one article
- Italics for article title.
- No italics for newspaper name
- BBC News
- Reuters / AP / AFPBBNews
- If newspaper sells a paper copy
A summary:
| Type | You hold this = italics | You do not hold = no italics |
|---|---|---|
| Book | Title of the book you hold | the chapter title you don’t rip out |
| Magazine | Title of the magazine you hold | the article title you don’t rip out |
| newspaper | Title of the newspaper you hold | the article title you don’t rip out |
| news website | Title of the article title you could print and hold | the news group - you couldn’t print the whole site |
| normal website | The title of the page you could print and hold | the site name - you couldn’t print the whole site |
| Journal article | The journal NAME and bound VOLUME number | The issue, article, or page number |
A Closer Look at Title Case
Title Case can be Confusing. Follow the Examples, but if you are Wondering why in APA is Title Case, Here is the Rule:
Title Case in APA = the Name of a Collection
| Type | Collection - Title Case | Not a collection = no title case |
|---|---|---|
| News | Newspaper Title | article title |
| Journal | Journal Title | article title |
| Video | TED Talks | video title |
| Websites | Website Name | website page title |
| Normal book | Nothing - not a collection | The book title. |
| Book with chapters by different people | Book Name | Chapter in book |
- PAPER collections are also italics
-
ONLINE collections are not italics
- If your book cover is written “MY DOG” or “My Dog”
- It doesn’t matter! Ignore it!
- In your references, write “My dog”
- If your newspaper is written “JAPAN TIMES” or “japan times” or “Japan times”
- It doesn’t matter! Ignore it!
- In your references, write “Japan Times”
Other common issues
- Academic journals
- volume number (3), not issue(2)
- Journal of Writing, 3(2)</blue>, 23-32
- this doesn’t break the “thing you hold” rule - ask me why in class if you want an explanation.
Journal of Writing, 3(2), 23-32
Citation managers
There are also some tools you can use, but they’re always full of mistakes. They get dates, page numbers, and online vs paper wrong all the time. Learn to do it manually first. However, if you’re doing a long dissertation with many citations and take the time to correct the mistakes, they’re great and integrate with Word or Google Docs. The main ones are:
- Zotero: https://www.zotero.org/ (recommended option)
-
Mendeley: https://www.mendeley.com/
- If you just want to check one citation, also try:
- Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.jp/ (search, click “Cite” and choose APA)
- BibMe: http://www.bibme.org
Answer not here?
- Search Google (e.g. “How to cite YouTube in APA”).
- Best websites for clear examples and answers are:
- Purdue Online: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl
- APA style blog: http://blog.apastyle.org/
- Copy from another article that uses the same or similar source.
- Read the actual APA manual
- Library has copies
- Careful you have the right one - 7th edition looks like this