APA: Reference list

The American Psychological Association has established rules and conventions for documenting sources that writers can follow when they are putting together their reference list. The APA-style is one of the most common styles taught at and used by colleges, universities and other organizations, including several institutes of the HAN University of Applied Sciences.

The following overview describes the most important APA guidelines:

Please note that a reference list is always written in alphabetical order, irrespective of the kind of source or material. 

1 Books

• A second or later edition is added between brackets after the title. Do not list the first edition, even if the publication does.
• If there is no author list the name of the editor, followed by Ed. (editor) or Eds. (editors) between brackets.
• If there are multiple authors or editors, an ampersand (&) is added before the final author's name.

- 1.1 Print

Author, A. (year of publication). Title of book. Publisher.
 

Examples

• One author
  Covey, S. R. (2020). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change (30th anniversary revised and updated edition). Simon & Schuster.
  
  Text: (Covey, 2020)
  or: Covey (2020)
    
• Multiple authors
  Baxter, H. T., Berghofer, J. A., MacEwan, L., Nelson, J., Peters, K., & Roberts, P. (2007). The individualized music therapy assessment profile: IMTAP. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
   
  Text: (Baxter et al., 2007)
  or: Baxter et al. (2007)
   
• Editor
  Malchiodi, C. (Ed.). (2018). The handbook of art therapy and digital technology. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
   
  Text: (Malchiodi, 2018)
  or: Malchiodi (2018)
   
• Edition
  Verschuren, P., & Doorewaard, H. (2010). Designing a research project (2nd edition). Eleven International Publishing.
   
  Text: (Verschuren & Doorewaard, 2010)
  or: Verschuren and Doorewaard (2010)
   
• Translated book
  Baarda, B. (2020). Research: This is it! Guidelines for designing, performing and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (J. W. Tjooitink; 3rd edition). Noordhoff Uitgevers.
   
  Text: (Baarda, 2020)
  or: Baarda (2020)

- 1.2 Online

Author, A. (year of publication). Title of book. Publisher. Retrieved Month day, year, from https://xxxx

Author, A. (year of publication). Title of book. Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxx

• If a DOI (digital object identifier) is given, do not include the retrieval date.
   

Examples

• DOI
  Kaya, M., & Alhajj, R. (2019). Influence and behavior analysis in social networks and social media. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02592-2
   
  Text: (Kaya & Alhajj, 2019)
  or: Kaya and Alhajj (2019)
   
• Google Books
  Armstrong, G., Harker, M., Kotler, P., & Brennan, R. (2009). Marketing: An introduction. Pearson Education. Retrieved October 13, 2020, from http://books.google.com/books?id=UNd1Bm9l6KUC
   
  Text: (Armstrong et al., 2009)
  or: Armstrong et al. (2009)
   
• E-book, access with HAN-account
  Weenk, E. (2019). Mastering the supply chain: Principles, practice and real-life applications. Kogan Page. Retrieved January 28, 2022, from http://stcproxy.han.nl/han/hanquest/search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=2037083&lang=nl&site=eds-live&scope=site
   
  Text: (Weenk, 2019)
  or: Weenk (2019)

2 Book chapters

A chapter from a book is mentioned only if the author/editor of the chapter differs from the author/editor of the entire book. If the author of the chapter has also written the rest of the book, the chapter is not mentioned separately.

• The initials of the editors of the entire book are placed before the last name.
• Do not include numbers of chapters.

- 2.1 Print

Author, A. (year of publication). Title of chapter. In A. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx-xx). Publisher.
 

Examples

• One author, one editor
  Vick, R. M. (2012). A brief history of art therapy. In C. A. Malchiodi (Ed.), Handbook of art therapy (2nd edition, pp. 5-16). Guildford Press.
   
  Text: (Vick, 2012)
  or: Vick (2012)
   
• Multiple authors, multiple editors
  Guile, D., & Lahiff, A. (2021) Rethinking the connective typology of work experience: The challenge of learning through internship. In E. Kyndt, S. Beausaert, & I. Zitter (Eds.) Developing connectivity between education and work (pp. 15-33). Routledge.
  
  Text: (Guile & Lahiff, 2021)
  or: Guile and Lahiff (2021)

- 2.2 Online

Author, A. (year of publication). Title of chapter. In A. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx-xx). Publisher. Retrieved Month day, year, from https://xxxx

Author, A. (year of publication). Title of chapter. In A. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx-xx). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxx
 

Examples

• Google Books
  Thornquist, E. (2017). Phenomenology: A source of inspiration. In M. Probst & L. Helvik Skjaerven (Eds.), Physiotherapy in mental health and psychiatry: A scientific and clinical based approach (pp. 18-22). Retrieved January 28, 2022, from https://books.google.nl/books?id=cHE3DwAAQBAJ
   
  Text: (Thornquist, 2017)
  or: Thornquist (2017)
   
• DOI
  Fenner, P. (2021). Art therapy in mental health recovery: Towards an expanded lens. In U. Volpe (Ed.), Arts therapies in psychiatric rehabilitation (pp. 29-31). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76208-7_4
   
  Text: (Fenner, 2021)
  or: Fenner (2021)
  ​ 

3 Journal articles

• The main words from the title of the journal are written in capital letters, example: Journal of Vocational Behavior.
• Write the title of the article as in a sentence, even if the publication contains several capitalized words.
  Correct: Identifying effective mentors in scientific communication: A latent profile analysis of mentor beliefs.
  Incorrect: Identifying Effective Mentors in Scientific Communication: A Latent Profile Analysis of Mentor Beliefs.
• If information is missing, for instance volume number or page range, omit it from the reference.

- 3.1 Print

Author, A. (year of publication). Title article. Name Journal, volume(number), first page-last page.

• If given, include month or date for a magazine article.

Examples

• Journal
  Aral, S., & Walker, D. (2011). Forget viral marketing - make the product itself viral. Harvard Business Review, 89(6), 34-35.
   
  Text: (Aral & Walker, 2011)
  or: Aral and Walker (2011)
   
• Magazine
  Coates, T.-N. (2020, September). A beautiful life. Vanity Fair, 62(9), 72-81, 148-149.
   
  Text: (Coates, 2020)
  or: Coates (2020)

- 3.2 Online

Author, A. (year of publication). Title article. Name Journal, volume(number), first page-last page. https://doi.org/xxxx

Author, A. (year of publication). Title article. Name Journal, volume(number), first page-last page. Retrieved Month day, year, from https://xxxx

• If available, the retrieval date and the link are being replaced by the DOI-link for online journal articles, a unique code with which the article can always be found, regardless of where the content resides. The DOI is usually prominently displayed on the first page of the article and/or on the publisher's website. Always put https://doi.org/ in front of the code.

Examples

• DOI
  Rapp, A., Agnihotri, R., & Baker, T. L. (2011). Conceptualizing salesperson competitive intelligence: An individual-level perspective. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 31(2), 141-155. https://doi.org/10.2753/PSS0885-3134310203
   
  Text: (Rapp et al., 2011)
  or: Rapp et al. (2011)
   
• Article number or eLocator
  Verschuren, C. M., Tims, M., & De Lange, A. H. (2021). A systematic review of negative work behavior: Toward an integrated definition. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 726973. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.726973
   
  Text: (Verschuren et al., 2021)
  or: Verschuten et al. (2021)
   
• URL (no DOI)
  Eryilmaz, S. (2020). Compare teachers and students attitudes according to mobile educational applications. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 20(1), 19-24. Retrieved January 21, 2021, from http://www.tojet.net/articles/v20i1/2013.pdf 
   
  Text: (Eryilmaz, 2020)
  or: Eryilmaz (2020)

4 Newspaper articles

• The main words from the title of the journal are written in capital letters, example: The Daily Telegraph.
• If no author is given (including 'from our editor'), the title is placed first. Put the first words of the title in the text in double quotes to indicate that it is not an author's name.

- 4.1 Print

Author, A. (date of publication). Title article. Name Newspaper, p. xx-xx.

Examples

• Author
  Barnes, B. (2021, May 24). Has Hollywood cracked the code to make a video game movie a success? The New York Times, p. 3.
   
  Text: (Barnes, 2021)
  or: Barnes (2021)
   
• No author
  Champion featherweight boxer and telephone engineer from Hull. (2022, April 2). The Times, p. 77.
   
  Text: ("Champion featherweight boxer", 2022)
  or: "Champion featherweight boxer" (2022)

- 4.2 Online

Author, A. (date of publication). Title article. Name Newspaper. Retrieved Month day, year, from https://xxxx

• For online news websites (not to be confused with online newspapers as shown here), see 5 Internet sources.
• When an article is obtained from Nexis Uni, database information, retrieval date and URL are omitted.
   

Examples

• Author
  Ferguson, D. (2021, October 17). How Leonard Cohen mined sacred texts for lyrics to his songs. The Observer. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/17/how-leonard-cohen-mined-sacred-texts-for-lyrics-to-his-songs
   
  Text: (Ferguson, 2021)
  or: Ferguson (2021)
   
• No author
  Killer whale trainer warns captive orca could kill again. (2022, April 5). The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved April 6, 2022, from https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/killer-whale-trainer-warns-captive-orca-could-kill-again/6BAOZPTGN6QTWHTJ3JP3DEL6NA/
   
  Text: ("Killer whale trainer", 2022)
  or: "Killer whale trainer" (2022)
   
• Nexis Uni
  Aujla, I. (2022, April 3). Water, climate, agriculture, energy in focus as India & the Netherlands mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. The Times of India.
   
  Text: (Aujla, 2022)
  or: Aujla (2022)

5 Internet sources

• The URL always starts with http:// or https://; file:///C is your own computer.
• If no author is mentioned, list the name of the organization. Omit the name of the website if it is identical to the name of the organization.
• A long URL may be shortened with a URL shortener, for example bitly.

- 5.1 Webpage

Author, A. (date of publication). Title of webpage. Website name. Retrieved Month day, year, from http://xxxx

• Include the full date in the reference list and the year in the text.
• If no date is given, write n.d. (=no date).
  Note: the year of copyright, for example © 2022, is not the same as year of publication. Write n.d. if only a copyright year is mentioned.

- 5.2 Online dictionary or encyclopedia

Entry. (date of publication). In Title dictionary or encyclopedia. Retrieved Month day, year, from http://xxxx

Examples

• Dictionary no author
  Social media. (n.d.). In Collins English online dictionary. Retrieved June 4, 2015, from
  http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/social-media
   
  Text: ("Social media", n.d.)
  or: Social media (n.d.)
   
• Dictionary with group author
  Merriam-Websire. (n.d.). Light. In Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary (11th edition). Retrieved January 17, 2022, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/light
   
  Text: ("Light", n.d.)
  or: Light (n.d.)

- 5.3 Databases

Author, A. (date of publication). Title of article. Database name. Retrieved Month day, year, from http://xxxx

• If no author is mentioned, the reference starts with the title of the webpage.
• Databases may provide less or additional information. Try to be as complete as possible, when an article has a number this can be put in brackets after the title.

Examples

• Business Source Ultimate
  MarketLine. (2021). Starbucks Corporation: Company profile (Reference code E86AFA79-07E1-4115-AA0C-0016416541FE). Business Source Ultimate. Retrieved November 17, 2021, from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=152237185&site=ehost-live
   
  Tekst: (MarketLine, 2021)
  of: MarketLine (2021)
   
  MarketLine has its own platform, MarketLine Advantage (see below). The example above is a company profile created by this company and made public by another database.
   
• MarketLine
  Royal Grolsch NV. (2017, June 5). MarketLine. Retrieved August 10, 2021, from https://advantage-1marketline-1com-1sc0k7tjt070f.stcproxy.han.nl/Company/Summary/royal-grolsch-nv
   
  Text: ("Royal Grolsch NV", 2017)
  or: "Royal Grolsch NV" (2017)
  
  Note: Royal Grolsh NV is put between quotation marks because it is the title of the article, not the company as author.
   
• Statista
  Koptyug, E. (2021, July 7). Revenues from mobile online advertising in Germany from 2015 to 2024* (in million euros). Statista. Retrieved August 10, 2021, from https://www-1statista-1com-1fhlz2qjt0712.stcproxy.han.nl/statistics/398355/mobile-online-advertising-revenues-germany/
   
  Text: (Koptyug, 2021)
  or: Koptyug (2021)

- 5.4 Social media

Author, A. [username]. (date of publication). Content of the post up to 20 words [Description]. Site name. Retrieved Month day, year, from https://xxxx

• If the name of the author or organization is known, put it in front followed by the username in square brackets. If only a username is known, write it without square brackets.
• Retain hastags, emoji's, URLs, etc.

Examples

• Facebook
  National Trust. (2022, April 7). Trees are incredibly important in our day-to-day lives, but they also play a huge role in our cultural heritage. Silent [Status update]. Facebook. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3jrIbJp
   
  Text: (National Trust, 2022)
  of: National Trust (2022)
   
• Instagram
  National Geographic [@natgeo]. (2021, July 15). Photo by Keith Ladzinski @ladzinski / A female jaguar descends a tree in Brazil’s Pantanal region, pausing to lock eyes with my camera [Photo]. Instagram. Retrieved August 10, 2021, from https://www.instagram.com/p/CRUw2GQMuhc/
    
  Text: (National Geographic, 2021)
  or: National Geographic (2021)
   
• Twitter
  Obama, B. [@BarackObama]. (2020, June 5). I wrote out some thoughts on how to make this moment a real turning point to bring about real change [Tweet]. Twitter. Retrieved June 8, 2020, from https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1267459874788646912
   
  Text: (Obama, 2020)
  or: Obama (2020)

7 Unpublished works

Author, A. (year of publication). Title of publication [Description]. Name of Institution.

 
Examples

• Berends, B. (2010). Rexroth Bosch Group: The Drive & Control Company [Placement report]. Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen.
   
  Text: (Berends, 2010)
  or: Berends (2010)
   
• Klein Woolthuis, R. (1998). Sleeping with the enemy: About trust and dependence in inter-organisational relationships in a technological setting (Research report 98W-007/T&O-005). Research Centre of the University of Twente Entrepreneurship Centre.
   
  Text: (Klein Woolthuis, 1998)
  or: Klein Woolthuis (1998)

8 Tables and figures

The APA guidelines distinguish two types of images: tables (information that can be read horizontally and vertically in columns and rows) and figures (all other images: photographs, illustrations, diagrams, etc.).

Both tables and figures have a number, placed in bold above the table or figure, followed by a white line and the title in italics. If necessary, below the table or figure a note can give additional information, preferably in a smaller font.
A note is also used to indicate if the table or figure was taken from a publication. If so, also include a copyright notice or a Creative Commons licence or In the public domain. When a copyright notice is missing, write Copyright n.d. by unknown.
Also provide a reference list entry for the work the table or figure was reproduced from.

If a table or figure is altered, change 'From' into 'Adapted from'.

9 Audiovisual materials

Author, A. (Function). (year of publication or date of broadcasting). Title [Description]. Production company.

Examples

• TV-programme
  Coninx, A. (Host). (2003, August 21). McDonald’s vs. Subway [TV series episode]. In Terzake. Canvas. 
   
  Text: (Coninx, 2003)
  or: Coninx (2003)
   
• Audiobook
  Leven, J. D., & Allen, J. M. (Directors). (2013). Customs of the world: Using cultural intelligence to adapt, wherever you are [Audiobook]. Teaching Company.
   
  Text: (Leven & Allen, 2013)
  or: Leven and Allen (2013)
       
• YouTube
  Hyshler. (2016, June 29). How to solve a rubik's cube in 2 easy moves! [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved August 18, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyMQP2JlEz4
   
  Text: (Hyshler, 2016)
  or: Hyshler (2016)
   
• Podcast episode
  Arnett, W., Bateman, J., & Hayes, S. (Hosts). (2020, 31 augustus). Robert Downey Jr. (Nr. 2) [Audio podcast episode]. In Smartless. Simplecast. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/robert-downey-jr/id1521578868?i=1000489613549
     
  Text: (Arnett et al., 2020)
  or: Arnett et al. (2020)