The reference list displays full citations for any sources you have incorporated into your writing, by quoting or paraphrasing the authors, referring to data or statistics collected by the authors, or reproducing images created by them.
The list is arranged in alphabetical order by the surname of the first named author of a work, the first word of a corporate author name, or the first word of the title of a work when no author is named.
The core elements of an APA reference citation are author, date, title, and source. The general format for an APA reference citation is: Author. (Date). Title [Format]. Source.
Definitions, formats, and guidelines for describing each element accurately and consistently are defined in Chapter 9 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition.
For more information and examples see APA Style: Reference examples
Individual or group authors are listed in Lastname, Initial(s) format:
Corporate authors are listed by name and may include any of these:
Other contributors may include:
In general, publication date, but other dates may be used:
The date format may be displayed variously, depending on the source:
Italic Title Format for works that stand alone:
Example (book)
Kitzman, Robert. (2020). Designing babies: How technology is changing the ways we create children. Oxford University Press.
Italic Source Format for works that are part of a greater whole:
Example (journal article)
Liao, S. M. (2019). Designing humans: A human rights approach. Bioethics, 33(1), 98-104. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.12519
Information for books may include:
Information for articles may include:
Information for online sources may include:
Citation Information: Online Article
Citation Format:
Liao, S. M. (2019). Designing humans: A human rights approach. Bioethics, 33(1), 98-104. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.12519
Book citation -- two authors
Doudna, J. A., & Sternberg, S. H. (2017). A crack in creation: Gene editing and the unthinkable power to control evolution. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Credo Reference encyclopedia article citation -- no author
Genetic engineering. (2018). In P. Lagasse, & Columbia University, The Columbia encyclopedia (8th ed.). Columbia University Press. http://svproxy.svcc.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/columency/genetic_engineering/0?institutionId=5866
Journal article citation -- three authors
Ravitsky, V., Birko, S., & Dupras-Leduc, R. (2015). The “three-parent baby”: A case study of how language frames the ethical debate regarding an emerging technology. American Journal of Bioethics, 15(12), 57–60. https://doi-org/10.1080/15265161.2015.1103809
Journal article citation -- 20+ authors
Xiang, X., Corsi, G. I., Anthon, C., Qu, K., Pan, X., Liang, X., Han, P., Dong, Z., Liu, L., Zhong, J., Ma, T., Wang, J., Zhang, X., Jiang, H., Xu, F., Liu, X., Xu, X., Wang, J., Yang, H., Bolund, L., … Luo, Y. (2021). Enhancing CRISPR-Cas9 gRNA efficiency prediction by data integration and deep learning. Nature Communications, 12(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23576-0
Webpage -- corporate author, no publication date
National Human Genome Research Institute. (n.d.). Introduction to genomics. National Institutes of Health. https://www.genome.gov/About-Genomics/Introduction-to-Genomics
YouTube Video
Reactions. (2017, September 6). Genetically modified humans? CRISPR/Cas-9 explained [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gQGWJraptU