electronic sources in apa format

8/12/2019 Electronic Sources in APA Format

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http://psychology.about.com/od/apastyle/p/electronic.htm 1/3

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By Kendra Cherry

Electronic Sources in APA Format

There are a number of special style concerns for referencing electronic sources in APA format. Online documents, journal articles, databases, and

message boards all have unique referencing requirements. It is important to note the exact Web address on any online source you use. Always keep

track of the electronic resources you refer to as you are researching a topic and collecting references. The following examples can help you prepare

your electronic references in prope r APA format.

Online Documents:

Thebas ic structure for referencing online documents is very similar to other references, but with the addition of a retrieval date and source. List the

dayyou accessed the document online and provide the exact URL where it can be found.

Author, A. A. (2000). Title of work. Retrieved from source

For example:

Cherry, K. (2006). Guide to APA format. About Psychology. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/apastyle/guide

Online Journal Article:

Online journal articles should be cited much like print articles, but they should include additiona l information about the source location. The basic

structure is as follows:

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http://www.about.com/http://www.about.com/http://psychology.about.com/http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=CLKfXdwISU8bqE4K88wP4sIH4Cq6Bt4gEAAAQASAAUPnm6IP6_____wFg7cTdhawbggEXY2EtcHViLTg4MzQ5MjQ4ODc0ODMyNTnIAQLgAgCoAwHIA50EqgSmAU_Q5K5xflIWGAs-VaYyYYP2s_neqWKmyYCe1WTfbuU1L8lU-l5Z1iHKQzhSkBeHK1wXZzhy5DKwU99Kv_bcsIqVezx9CK701xYGsyhFQeuzLc4e_f6MBKIYlSTcX_ja9Q10noHjpTrXX3j56RZWVDN9ZwTTmaGnoxy9MM3qbN-d6i4f_jsC_s-38nr4FqfGxQQx5uFf5qdv9qbVoqC934nS-KQLTv_gBAGgBhQ&num=0&sig=AOD64_23RFnoB6nTgNznR4mtSJo1xO8NAA&client=ca-pub-8834924887483259&adurl=http://arthritis.about.com/od/arthritislearnthebasics/a/arthritis_facts.htmhttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=CLKfXdwISU8bqE4K88wP4sIH4Cq6Bt4gEAAAQASAAUPnm6IP6_____wFg7cTdhawbggEXY2EtcHViLTg4MzQ5MjQ4ODc0ODMyNTnIAQLgAgCoAwHIA50EqgSmAU_Q5K5xflIWGAs-VaYyYYP2s_neqWKmyYCe1WTfbuU1L8lU-l5Z1iHKQzhSkBeHK1wXZzhy5DKwU99Kv_bcsIqVezx9CK701xYGsyhFQeuzLc4e_f6MBKIYlSTcX_ja9Q10noHjpTrXX3j56RZWVDN9ZwTTmaGnoxy9MM3qbN-d6i4f_jsC_s-38nr4FqfGxQQx5uFf5qdv9qbVoqC934nS-KQLTv_gBAGgBhQ&num=0&sig=AOD64_23RFnoB6nTgNznR4mtSJo1xO8NAA&client=ca-pub-8834924887483259&adurl=http://arthritis.about.com/od/arthritislearnthebasics/a/arthritis_facts.htmhttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=CLKfXdwISU8bqE4K88wP4sIH4Cq6Bt4gEAAAQASAAUPnm6IP6_____wFg7cTdhawbggEXY2EtcHViLTg4MzQ5MjQ4ODc0ODMyNTnIAQLgAgCoAwHIA50EqgSmAU_Q5K5xflIWGAs-VaYyYYP2s_neqWKmyYCe1WTfbuU1L8lU-l5Z1iHKQzhSkBeHK1wXZzhy5DKwU99Kv_bcsIqVezx9CK701xYGsyhFQeuzLc4e_f6MBKIYlSTcX_ja9Q10noHjpTrXX3j56RZWVDN9ZwTTmaGnoxy9MM3qbN-d6i4f_jsC_s-38nr4FqfGxQQx5uFf5qdv9qbVoqC934nS-KQLTv_gBAGgBhQ&num=0&sig=AOD64_23RFnoB6nTgNznR4mtSJo1xO8NAA&client=ca-pub-8834924887483259&adurl=http://arthritis.about.com/od/arthritislearnthebasics/a/arthritis_facts.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/bio/Kendra-Cherry-17268.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/apastyle/p/electronic.htm?p=1http://psychology.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http%3a%2f%2fpsychology%2eabout%2ecom%2fod%2fapastyle%2fp%2felectronic%2ehtm&zItl=Electronic%20Sources%20in%20APA%20Formathttp://www.about.com/http://www.about.com/education/http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=CLKfXdwISU8bqE4K88wP4sIH4Cq6Bt4gEAAAQASAAUPnm6IP6_____wFg7cTdhawbggEXY2EtcHViLTg4MzQ5MjQ4ODc0ODMyNTnIAQLgAgCoAwHIA50EqgSmAU_Q5K5xflIWGAs-VaYyYYP2s_neqWKmyYCe1WTfbuU1L8lU-l5Z1iHKQzhSkBeHK1wXZzhy5DKwU99Kv_bcsIqVezx9CK701xYGsyhFQeuzLc4e_f6MBKIYlSTcX_ja9Q10noHjpTrXX3j56RZWVDN9ZwTTmaGnoxy9MM3qbN-d6i4f_jsC_s-38nr4FqfGxQQx5uFf5qdv9qbVoqC934nS-KQLTv_gBAGgBhQ&num=0&sig=AOD64_23RFnoB6nTgNznR4mtSJo1xO8NAA&client=ca-pub-8834924887483259&adurl=http://arthritis.about.com/od/arthritislearnthebasics/a/arthritis_facts.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/


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Author, A. B., Author, C. D., & Author, E. F. (2000). Title of article. Title of Periodical, Volume number, page numbers. Retrieved

from source

For example:

Jenet, B. L. (2006) A meta-analysis on online social behavior. Journal of Internet Psychology, 4.Retrieved from http://www.

journalofinternetpsychology.com/archives/volume4/ 3924.html

Article Retrieved from a Database:

Articles that are retrieved from online databases are formatted like a print reference. According to the sixth-edition of the APA style manual, it is not

necessary to include databa se information since these databases tend to change over time.

For example:

Henriques, J. B., & Davidson, R. J. (1991) Left frontal hypoactivation in depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 535-545.

Online Newspaper Article:

When citing an online newspaper article, you should provide the URL of the newspaper's home page. The APA suggests doing this in order to avoid

the problem of nonworking URLs.

For example:

Parker-Pope, T. (2011, November 16). Practicing on patients. The New York Times.Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

Electronic Version of a Print Book:

The APA style manual suggests that you should only include electronic book references if the book is only available online or is very difficult to find inprint. Your reference will be very similar to a regular print book reference, except the electronic retrieval information takes the p lace of the publisher

location and name.

For example:

Freud, S. (1922). Totem und Tabu: Einige bereinstimmungen im Seelenleben der Wilden und der Neurotiker[Kindle version]. Retrieved

from http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37065.kindle.images


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Online Forums, Discussion Lists, or Newsgroups:

Messages posted by users on forums, discussion lists, and newsgroups should follow the basic structure for citing an online document. When possible,

use the posters real name starting with the last name and followed by a first initial. If this is not possible, list the author's online screen name. You

should also include the exact date that the message was posted.

For example:

Leptkin, J. L. (2006, November 16). Study tips for psychology students [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from

http://groups.psychelp.com/forums/messages/48382.html

More Tips:

Emails should not be included in your reference section, although they should be cited in-text.

The APA also provides information on the preferred spe lling of several electronic terms, including the following:

e-mail

e-journal

database

InternetFTP

online

Web

Top Related Searches Exact Web Address Van Wagner Internet Psychology Meta Analysis Database Articles Exact Url
http://search.about.com/r.htm?q=exact%20urlhttp://search.about.com/r.htm?q=database%20articleshttp://search.about.com/r.htm?q=meta%20analysishttp://search.about.com/r.htm?q=internet%20psychologyhttp://search.about.com/r.htm?q=van%20wagnerhttp://search.about.com/r.htm?q=exact%20web%20address