SOURCE

1. Definition of Source (9.23)

In a reference, the source indicates where readers can retrieve the cited work. As with titles,
sources fall into two broad categories: works that are part of a greater whole and works that
stand alone.
• The source for a work that is part of a greater whole (e.g., journal article, edited book
chapter) is that greater whole (i.e., the journal or edited book), plus any applicable DOI or
URL.
* A DOI, or Digital Object Identifier, is a string of numbers, letters and symbols used to
uniquely identify an article or document, and to provide it with a permanent web address
(URL) (e.g., "https://doi.orgl" or ''http://dx.doi.org")
* A URL (uniform resource locators) specifies the location of digital information on the
internet and can be found in the address bar of your internet browser. URLs in references
should link directly to the cited work when possible.
• The source for a work that stands alone (e.g., whole book, report, dissertation, thesis, film,
TV series, podcast, data set, informally published work, social media, webpage) is the
publisher of the work, database or archive, social media site, or website, plus any applicable
DOI or URL.
• Works associated with a specific location (e.g., conference presentations) include location
information in the source and depending on the work, may also include a DOI or URL.
2. Format of the Source Element (9.24)
The source element of a reference has one or two parts, depending on the reference
category. For example, the source for a print book without a DOI has one part: the book
publisher. However, the source for a journal article with a DOI has two parts: the periodical
information (the journal title, volume number, issue number, and page range or article
number) and the DOI. Information in the source may be omitted from the reference to avoid
repetition. Namely, when the author and publisher or site name of a book, report, webpage,
or website are the same, the publisher or site name is omitted from the source element.
3. Periodical Sources (9.25)
When a periodical (i.e., journal, magazine, newspaper, newsletter, or blog) is the source,
provide the periodical title, volume number, issue number, and page range or article number.
E.g., Journal Article:

• Capitalize the title of a periodical using title case, italicize it, and place a comma (not
italicized) after it.
• Reproduce periodical titles as shown on the cited work. If the periodical's official title
includes an abbreviation, reproduce that abbreviated title in the reference (e.g., PLOS ONE
[Public Library of Science], JAMA Pediatrics [an international peer-reviewed journal]).
However, do not abbreviate periodical titles yourself (e.g., do not abbreviate The New
England Journal of Medicine to N Engl J Med). Likewise, do not reproduce abbreviated titles
from other reference lists or databases (e.g., if you find an article from JAMA Pediatrics in
PubMed Central, use JAMA Pediatrics in the reference, not PubMed Central's abbreviation
of JAMA Pediatr).
• Italicize the volume number.
• Include the issue number for all periodicals that have issue numbers. Place the issue
number immediately after the volume number (with no space in between), and enclose the
issue number in parentheses. Place a comma after the closing parenthesis. Do not italicize
the issue number, the parentheses, or the comma after the issue number.
• Write the page range (or article number) after a comma and the issue number, without
italics. Separate page numbers in a range by an en dash, followed by a period. Separate
discontinuous page numbers by commas. E.g., 39-47, 50.
• Finish the periodical information part of the source element with a period, followed by a DOl
or URL as applicable.
4. Online Periodicals With Missing Information (9.26)
Many online periodicals (e.g., newspapers, blogs) publish articles without volume, issue,
and/or page numbers or article numbers. Omit these elements from the reference if they are
not present in the cited work. For example, for an online newspaper article or blog post, only
the title of the periodical (i.e., of the newspaper or blog) may be present.
E.g.,

E.g., The New York Times.

5. Article Numbers (9.27)
For articles with article numbers (which may be called "eLocators" or another term), write the
word ''Article'' (capitalized) and then provide the article number instead of the page range.
E.g., PLOS ONE, 11(7), Article e0158474.
E.g.,

If an article with an article number also has numbered pages (such as in a PDF), those page
numbers may be used for in-text citations but do not appear in the reference list entry.
6. Edited Book Chapter and Reference Work Entry Sources (9.28)
For edited book chapters and entries in reference works (e.g., dictionary definitions), the
source is the edited book or the whole reference work.
E.g.,

• For works with editors, in the source element of the reference, write the word "In" followed
by the initials and surnames (not inverted) of the editors. If there is one editor, follow that
editor's name with "(Ed.)." If there are two or more editors, follow the final editor's name with
"(Eds.)." Then add a comma, the title of the whole book or reference work in italic sentence
case, the page (abbreviated "p.") or page range (abbreviated "pp.") of the chapter or entry in
parentheses without italics, and a period. Then provide the name of the publisher.
E.g., In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx- xx). Publisher.
E.g.,

• If the edited book or reference work has edition or volume information in addition to page
numbers, include them in the same parentheses in the following order: edition, volume
number, and page numbers (separated by commas).
E.g., In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (3rd ed., Vol. 4, pp. 233–253).
Publisher Name.
• If a numbered book volume has its own title, include the volume number and title after the
main title of the book. A colon follows the main title, "Volume" is abbreviated "Vol.," and a
period follows the volume number, after which the volume title appears.
E.g., Main title of book: Vol. 2. Vo/ume title (2nd ed., pp. xx-xx).
E.g.,

• For a reference work (e.g., Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, APA Dictionary of Psychology,

mobile app reference work) with a group author, do not repeat the group author name in the
source element when the publisher is the same as the author. Simply write "In" and the
name of the reference work in italics.
E.g.,

• TV episodes, podcast episodes, and songs from albums follow the same pattern as edited
book chapters and entries from reference works
E.g.,

.
• Finish the source element with a period, followed by a DOl or URL as applicable.
7. Publisher Sources (9.29)
The name of the publisher is provided in the source element for a number of reference
categories, including whole books, edited book chapters, reports, computer software and
mobile apps, and data sets. Do not include the publisher location in the reference. Online
search makes a work easily discoverable without it, and it may be unclear what location to
provide for publishers with offices worldwide or online-only publishers that do not readily
disclose their location.
- Write the publisher name as shown on the work followed by a period. Do not
abbreviate the publisher name unless it is shown in abbreviated form on the work.
* Note: Some publishers may prefer to abbreviate publisher names (e.g., "John Wiley &
Sons" to "Wiley") to save space in reference list entries; this is acceptable as part of a house
style. If you intend to publish your work, consult the policies of the publisher to determine
whether to follow this practice.
- The format of publisher names may vary over time and across works (e.g., SAGE
Publishing vs. Sage Publications); use the spelling and capitalization of the publisher
name as shown on the work you used. It is not necessary to standardize the
presentation of a publisher's name if it appears in multiple entries in a reference list.
- If the work is published by an imprint or division, use the imprint or division as the
publisher (e.g., Magination Press, which is an imprint of the American Psychological
Association, would be used as the publisher).
- Do not include designations of business structure (e.g., Inc., Ltd., LLC) in the
publisher name.
- If two or more publishers are listed on the copyright page, include all of them in the
order shown on the work, separated by semicolons.
E.g., Guilford Press; Basic Books.
E.g.,

- When the author is the same as the publisher (such as with an annual report written
and published by the same company, a reference book published by a professional
organization, or a work from an organizational website), omit the publisher from the
reference to avoid repetition (see Chapter 10, ExampIes 32, 50, 54, and 55).
E.g.,
 - Finish the publisher information component of the source element with a period,
followed by a DOl or URL as applicable.
8. Database and Archive Sources (9.30)
Database and archive information is seldom needed in reference list entries. The purpose of
a reference list entry is to provide readers with the details they will need to perform a search
themselves if necessary, not to replicate the path the author of the work personally used.
Most periodical and book content is available through a variety of databases or platforms,
and different readers will have different methods or points of access. Additionally, URLs from
databases or library-provided services usually require a login and/or are session specific,
meaning they will not be accessible to most readers and are not suitable to include in a
reference list.
- Provide database or other online archive information in a reference only when it is
necessary for readers to retrieve the cited work from that exact database or archive.
+ Provide the name of the database or archive when it publishes original, proprietary
works available only in that database or archive (e.g., Cochrane Database of
Systematic Reviews or UpToDate). References for these works are similar to journal
article references; the name of the database or archive is written in italic title case in
the source element, the same as a periodical title.
E.g.,

+ Provide the name of the database or archive for works of limited circulation, such as
⇒ dissertations and theses published in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses
Global,
⇒ works in a university archive,
⇒ manuscripts posted in a preprint archive like PsyArXiv
E.g.,

⇒ works posted in an institutional or government repository, and

⇒ monographs published in ERIC or primary sources published in JSTOR.
E.g.,

+ These references are similar to report references; the name of the database or
archive is provided in the source element (in title case without italics), the same as a
publisher name.
- Do not include database information for works obtained from most academic
research databases or platforms because works in these resources are widely
 available. Examples of academic research databases and platforms include APA
PsycNET, PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Ebook Central,
EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, JSTOR (excluding its primary sources collection
because these are works of limited distribution), MEDLINE, Nexis Uni, Ovid,
ProQuest (excluding its dissertations and theses databases, because dissertations
and theses are works of limited circulation), PubMed Central (excluding authors' final
peer-reviewed manuscripts because these are works of limited circulation),
ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science. When citing a work from one of these
databases or platforms, do not include the database or platform name in the
reference list entry unless the work falls under one of the exceptions.
- If you are in doubt as to whether to include database information in a reference, refer
to the template for the reference type in question.
- Finish the database or archive component of the source element with a period,
followed by a DOI or URL as applicable.
9. Works With Specific Locations (9.31)
For works associated with a specific location, such as conference presentations, include the
location in the source element of the reference to help with retrieval. Provide the city; state,
province, or territory as applicable; and country. Use the two-letter postal code abbreviations
for U.S. states and the analogous abbreviations (if any) for states, provinces, or territories in
other countries.
E.g., New York, NY, United States

10. Social Media Sources (9.32)

Use social media as a source only when the content was originally published there (e.g., an
original Instagram post). If you found a link to content via social media (e.g., a pin on
Pinterest), cite the content you used directly and do not mention that you originally
discovered it through a link on social media, except as necessary in describing your
research methodology.
• When social media is the source (e.g., Instagram photo, tweet, Facebook post), provide the
social media site name (in title case without italics) in the source element.

• Include a period after the social media site name, followed by the URL.
11. Website Sources (9.33)
When a website is the source for a webpage, follow these guidelines to format the website
source.
• Provide the website name (in title case without italics) in the source element: BBC News.
• Include a period after the website name, followed by the URL
E.g.,

.
• When the author of the work is the same as the website name, omit the site name from the
source element to avoid repetition. In this case, the source element will consist of only the
URL of the work.
E.g.,

12. When to Include DOIs and URLs (9.34)

The DOl or URL is the final component of the reference list entry. Because so much
scholarship is available and/or retrieved online, most reference list entries end with either a
DOI or a URL. A DOI, or digital object identifier, is a unique alphanumeric string that
identifies content and provides a persistent link to its location on the internet. It is typically
located on the first page of an article near the copyright notice, and it starts with
"https://doi.orgl" or ''http://dx.doi.org" or "DOI:" and is followed by a string of letters and
numbers. DOIs begin with the number 10 and contain a prefix and a suffix separated by a
slash. The prefix is a unique number of four or more digits assigned to the organization by
the International DOI Foundation (https://www.doi.org/); the suffix is assigned by the
publisher and was designed to be flexible with publisher identification standards. The
publisher assigns a DOI to a work when it is published, and many publishers have
retroactively assigned DOIs to works published prior to the implementation of the DOI
system in 2000. Registration agencies, such as Crossref, use DOIs to provide reference-
linking services to the scientific publishing sector. DOIs can also be found in database
records and the reference lists of published works. A URL, or uniform resource locator,
specifies the location of digital information on the internet and can be found in the address
bar of your internet browser.
URLs in references should link directly to the cited work when possible. For example, when
citing a comment on an online newspaper article, the URL in the reference should link to the
comment itself rather than to the article or the newspaper's home page (direct links to
comments may be available if you click the comment’s time stamp and copy the URL for the
comment that appears in your browser).
Follow these guidelines for including DOIs and URLs in references:
• Include a DOI for all works that have a DOI, regardless of whether you used the online
version or the print version.
• If a print work does not have a DOI, do not include any DOl or URL in the reference.
• If an online work has both a DOI and a URL, include only the DOI.
• If an online work has a URL but no DOI, include the URL in the reference as follows:
- For works without DOIs from websites (not including databases), provide a URL in the
reference (as long as the URL will work for readers).
- For works without DOIs from most academic research databases, do not include a URL or
database information in the reference because these works are widely available. The
reference should be the same as the reference for a print version of the work.
- For works from databases that publish works of limited circulation (such as the ERIC
database) or original, proprietary material available only in that database (such as the
UpToDate database), include the name of the database or archive and the URL of the work.
If the URL requires a login or is session specific, meaning it will not resolve for readers,
provide the URL of the database or archive home page or login page instead of the URL for
the work.
- If the URL is no longer working or no longer provides readers access to the content you
intend to cite, follow the guidance for works with no source.
• Other alphanumeric identifiers such as the International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
and the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) are not included in APA Style
references.
13. Format of DOIs and URLs (9.35)
Follow these guidelines to format DOIs and URLs.
• Present both DOIs and URLs as hyperlinks (i.e., beginning with ''http://'' or "https://).
Because a hyperlink leads readers directly to the content, it is not necessary to include the
words "Retrieved from" or "Accessed from" before a DOI or URL.
• lt is acceptable to use either the default display settings for hyperlinks in your word-
processing program (e.g., usually blue font, underlined) or plain text that is not
underlined.E.g., https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples
• Links should be live if the work is to be published or read online.
• Follow the current recommendations of the International DOI Foundation to format DOIs in
the reference list, which as of this publication is as follows: https://doi.org/xxxxx
Here, "https://doi.org/" is a way of presenting a DOI as a link, and "xxxxx" refers to the DOI
number. The preferred format of the DOI has changed over time; although older works use
previous formats (e.g., ''http://dx.doi.org/'' or "doi:" or "DOI:" before the DOI number), in your
reference list, standardize DOIs into the current preferred format for all entries. For example,
use https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040251 in your reference even though that article, published in
2016, presented the number in an older format.
* Why use the new 001 format? The current DOI format presents the DOI as a direct link to
the work rather than as an unlinked number or a link through a proxy server. It simplifies and
standardizes retrieval.
• Copy and paste the DOl or URL from your web browser directly into your reference list to
avoid transcription errors. Do not change the capitalization or punctuation of the DOl or URL.
Do not add line breaks manually to the hyperlink; it is acceptable if your word-processing
program automatically adds a break or moves the hyperlink to its own line. If your work is
published, the typesetter may break hyperlinks after punctuation to improve page flow.
• Do not add a period after the DOl or URL because it may interfere with link functionality.
 14. DOI or URL Shorteners (9.36)
When a DOl or URL is long or complex, you may use short DOls or shortened URLs if
desired. Use the short DOI service provided by the International DOI Foundation
(http://shortdoi.org/) to create short DOls. A work can have only one DOI and only one short
DOI; the short DOI service will either produce a new short DOI for a work that has never had
one or retrieve an existing short DOI.
Some websites provide their own branded shortened URLs, and independent URL
shortening services are available as well. Any shortened URL is acceptable in a reference as
long as you check the link to ensure that it takes you to the correct location. See Examples 4
and 18 in Chapter 10 for a short DOI and a shortened URL, respectively, used in a
reference. E.g.,

15. No Source (9.37)

A reference without a recoverable source cannot be included in the reference list because
readers cannot retrieve the work. In most cases, nonrecoverable sources such as personal
emails, classroom lectures, and intranet sources should be cited only in the text as personal
communications.
Online works that are no longer accessible are considered nonrecoverable sources. Before
submitting a paper, test the URLs in your reference list to ensure that they work and update
them as necessary. Do not include broken URLs in your paper. If the content you cited is no
longer available online, search for an archived version of the page on the Internet Archive
(https://archive.org/) and use the archived URL. If no archived version of the URL is
available, delete the reference list entry and substitute another reference if possible.
Clay, Z. (2018). Exiled in America: Life on the margins in a residential
motel. Social Work, 63(2), 186–187. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swy010

Hargis, M. B., Siegel, A. L., & Castel, A. D. (2019). Motivated memory, learning, and
decision-making in older age: Shifts in priorities and goals. In G. R. Samanez-Larken (Ed.),
The aging brain: Functional adaptation across adulthood (pp. 135-163). American
Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000143-006

Goldin-Meadows, S. (2015). Gesture and cognitive development. In L. S. Liben & U. Mueller

(Eds.), Handbook of child psychology and developmental science: Vol. 2. Cognitive processes
(7th ed., pp. 339-380). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118963418.childpsy209