2020 Success Center

Citation Guide
Based on the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association—7th Edition
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Citation Guide – 7th Edition

This document covers certain citation formats addressed in the 7th edition of the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) but is not a complete
guide. Should you have any questions, please contact the CSU Success Center by email at
teamsucceed@columbiasouthern.edu or by phone at (877) 875-0533.
For all rules and requirements of APA, please refer to the 7th edition of the Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association, which can be purchased through the
American Psychological Association at https://apastyle.apa.org/products/publication-manual-
7th-edition/.

The Writing Center also provides an accompanying tutorial for the CSU Citation
Guide. This tutorial provides further explanation on several APA formatting topics:
Citation Guide Tutorial.
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Contents

What is APA format and why is it used? ................................................................................................... 4

Citing Sources ............................................................................................................................................ 5
Citations in In-text ................................................................................................................................. 5
Examples of in-text citations ............................................................................................................. 6
Example of block quote in-text citation............................................................................................. 7
Reference List ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Examples of reference list entries ..................................................................................................... 8
Selecting Appropriate Research Sources ............................................................................................. 12
Formatting ............................................................................................................................................... 12
Document formatting in APA style ...................................................................................................... 12
Steps for document formatting ........................................................................................................... 13
Specific formatting steps for documents ............................................................................................. 16
Library Resources and Services for CSU Students ................................................................................... 17
Sample Essay ........................................................................................................................................... 18
Sample Research Paper ........................................................................................................................... 19
References ............................................................................................................................................... 20
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What is APA Format and Why is it Used?

The American Psychological Association is a professional organization representing

psychologists in the United States. APA format is a set of rules developed to assist with writing
and the citing of sources. Following the rules laid out in the Publication Manual helps to
prevent plagiarism and acknowledges the original author of the information used. It is meant
to provide a concise and standardized citation format for written assignments (such as essays,
research papers, and article critiques, among others) and is used for all Columbia Southern
University courses.

In educational institutions, academic integrity is an area of great concern. Academic

integrity refers to being intellectually honest by “avoiding… cheating, plagiarism, self-
plagiarism, and/or poor scholarship” (Columbia Southern University, 2019, p.28). Adhering to
APA guidelines can prevent academic integrity violations (especially plagiarism) by clearly
marking which words and ideas belong to outside sources. Committing an academic integrity
violation of any kind can have serious consequences.

Plagiarism is the act of stealing someone else’s work and passing it off as one’s own. It
can be deliberate or accidental; deliberate plagiarism includes directly copying, summarizing, or
paraphrasing a source without giving credit to the author or putting it in quotation marks. This
type of plagiarism also includes turning in a paper that has been bought, written by another
student, or copied from another source. Accidental plagiarism is when a writer uses another
author’s thoughts or ideas without realizing credit must be provided. This includes working in
groups and submitting the same answers as other students, forgetting to place quotation marks
around a direct quotation, omitting an in-text citation for a summary or a paraphrase, and
omitting an in-text citation for the ideas of another writer. Accidental plagiarism also includes
submitting an assignment that has already been previously submitted in another course.
Unfortunately, both types of plagiarism can result in a failing grade, suspension from the
university, or even expulsion.

There are a few ways APA can help students avoid plagiarism. The primary way to avoid
it is to cite any ideas that are not one’s own. Citations help readers to locate the sources used in
a paper. Citations should not only be used for direct quotes, but they should also be provided
when information is paraphrased or summarized from another author. Paraphrasing a source’s
material is a good way to avoid copying directly from an outside source and possibly being
reprimanded. If any questions or concerns about APA format, please feel free to contact the
CSU Success Center by email at teamsucceed@columbiasouthern.edu or by phone at (877) 875-
0533.
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Citing Sources
When writing a paper in APA 7th edition style, there are two specific ways to cite the
information that is used: within the text and in the reference list at the end of the paper.
Citations are utilized when a phrase, a piece of specific information, or a sequence of sentences
is drawn from an outside source. To meet APA requirements specified for CSU written essay
responses, in-text citations and a reference list must be included if any outside sources are
used. For formal papers, follow all guidelines listed in this handout. For all rules and
requirements of APA, please refer to the 7 th edition of the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association, which can be purchased through the American Psychological
Association at https://apastyle.apa.org/products/publication-manual-7th-edition/.

In-text Citations
• An in-text citation should be used when a phrase, a piece of specific information, or an
idea is drawn from an outside source.
• In-text citations are also required when putting the author’s information in your own
words (paraphrasing).
• Citing helps to prevent plagiarism, and it acknowledges the original author of the
information used.
• In-text citations and reference citations must always correspond; each in-text citation
must have a matching reference citation and vice-versa. APA uses the author-year
method of citation.
• It is standard practice for the period at the end of the sentence to be placed after the
last parentheses of the in-text citation. An exception is made if inserting a direct quote
that contains more than 40 words; in this instance, the period is placed directly before
the in-text citation.
Paraphrased Information
When paraphrasing or summarizing a source, provide the author’s last name and year of
publication (separated by a comma). Page and paragraph numbers are not required when you
are paraphrasing information. However, be sure to consult with your faculty member to
determine his or her preference on adding page numbers in citations.

Direct Quotations
If utilizing a direct quote, this must be indicated by placing the passage in quotation marks.
Further, the specific page or paragraph number is always required. If there is no page or
paragraph number, as is the case for many electronic sources, provide a section heading or
other label to indicate the passage the quote was borrowed from.

For additional information, please see the Writing Center’s In-text Citations Tutorial.
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Examples of in-text citations

Reference Examples of in-text citations

Type
It has been found … can be concluded (Simpson, 2007).
Paraphrased
information from According to Simpson (2007), … can cause problems.
one author Other people say… based on Simpson (2007).
There are … at this point (Stemmer & Tisdale, 2008).
Paraphrased
information from Stemmer and Tisdale (2008) mention … a set of styles.
two authors This plan will … according to Stemmer and Tisdale (2008).
Paraphrased
When stating…. can be located (Padgett et al., 2004).
information from
three or more Padgett et al. (2004) explain … is further noted.
authors
“It is amazing…with confidence” (OSHA, 2010, p. 121).
Direct quotation less According to Davis and Dudley (2005), “We are…to save” (para. 5).
than 40 words
“What is lost…come at all” (Ingram et al., 2001, pp. 8-9).
When using data … can be seen (“Title of Document,” 2003).
Paraphrased
information with no If information is … was conquered (“Driving and Talking,” 2004).
author listed According to “Leadership Versus Management” (2001), … is an art form.
It can be found … in Stemmer’s work (as cited in Pratt, 2008).
Information from a According to Stemmer’s work (as cited in Pratt, 2008), “…” (p. 65).
secondary source
**Add the page number if you use a direct quote from Stemmer found in Pratt’s work.

J. M. Newsome (personal communication, May 30, 2008) expressed …

Information via
personal …of time (V. P. DeLuca, personal communication, November 9, 2007).
communication **Personal communication should only be listed in the in-text, not on the reference list.

…will have everlasting life (King James Bible, 1769/2017, John 3:16).
Information found in
classical works …as read in the Bible in John 3:16 (King James Bible, 1769/2017).
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Direct Quotations of 40 or more words

Block quotations (quotes that contain 40 words or more) are formatted differently, as they
have no quotation marks. In formal writing, block quotations are acceptable, although their use
should not be in excess. While block quotes are accepted in formal writing, the use of them in
essay responses is not encouraged due to the length of the assignment. Block quotations are
indented an additional .5” and double spaced. The period is placed before the citation.

Block Quotation Example

The solutions proposed by a number of advocacy groups underscore this interest in

political and cultural change. A report outlined trends that may have contributed to the
childhood obesity crisis.
This includes food advertising for children as well as a reduction in physical
education classes and after-school athletic programs, an increase in the availability
of sodas and snacks in public schools, the growth in the number of fast-food outlets,
and the increasing number of highly processed high-calorie and high-fat grocery
products. (Kaiser, 2004, pp. 1-2)

Reference List
The reference list is of the utmost importance, as it allows the reader to access the sources
cited in the in-text and enables the student writer to give credit where credit is due. For this
reason, the references should contain accurate information, as well as proper punctuation and
spelling. References will follow the conclusion of any APA document. For each reference listed,
there will be at least one corresponding in-text citation in the document. Examples of reference
source formatting can be found on the following pages.

• If there is a digital object identifier (DOI) available, include that in the reference. The DOI
is precisely used to give the reader information about where the document can be
found on the Internet. The DOI is typically located near the copyright notice on the first
page of the electronic journal article. In the case that there is no DOI, provide the
homepage URL of the web page where you found the article. (Please note the DOI,
when available, is required in doctoral courses.)
• Multiple citations containing the same author and year should first be listed
chronologically by the specific date (with newer sources being listed first) and then
alphabetically by the title. A lowercase a, b, c, etc. should be placed after the year to
distinguish between the entries. This is also used in the in-text citations. For example:

Smith, J. (2013a, March 8). How to groom cats. Garden Press.

Smith, J. (2013b, January 20). How to groom dogs. Garden Press.

For additional information, please see the Writing Center’s References Tutorial.
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Examples of reference list entries

Reference What to Include Information and Examples

List
General • When listing the author on the reference list, the
Referencing last name should be first, followed by the
Information
author’s first and middle (if applicable) initials.
For example: Smith, J. R.
• References should be placed in alphabetical order
by the first author’s last name, by associates (if
the work is authorized by an organization), or by
anonymous. Anonymous should only be listed as
the author if it is signed as such.
• If a particular person did not create the document
being cited, use the organization that created the
document.
• The document title can be substituted as the
author if no author is provided. In this case, the
first word of the title will dictate the alphabetical
placement (“a,” “an,” and “the” notwithstanding).
• The letters “n.d.” (no date) can be utilized if the
source listed has no listed date. Substitute “n.d.”
where the date would normally go.
For example: Smith, R. T. (n.d.)…
• Professional credentials, such as Ph. D., should
not be used on the reference page.
• References beginning with numerals should be
alphabetized based on the spelling of the numeral
• States should be identified with their two letter
abbreviations, such as AL, MS, and NY.
• Spell out cities and countries outside the United
States.
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Reference What to Include Information and Examples

List
Books • For titles on the reference list, only capitalize the
first word of the title, proper nouns, and the first
word after a colon or dash.
• Book titles should be italicized within the
reference list.
• For eBooks, use the URL of the homepage if they
are not available for public access.
Book
Book Example:
Author(s). (date of
publication). Book Morenberg, M. (2014). Doing grammar (5 th ed.).
title. Publisher. Oxford University Press.
eBook
Author(s). (date of eBook Example:
publication). Book Thomas, R. L. (2010). Swimming and the effects on
title. Publisher.
the respiratory system. Random House.
Retrieval
https://amazon.com
information

Periodicals: • For the name of the actual publication the article

Journals, appears in (journal, magazine, or newspaper), use
magazines, standard title capitalization. Capitalize all words
and with the exception of conjunctions, articles, and
newspaper short propositions; however, capitalize all words
articles
that have four letters or more.

• Magazine articles, newsletters, and newspaper

articles require the listing of the entire date when
available (month or month and day).
For example: (2001, May) or (2001, May 2)

• Journal articles and books only require the year.

• For journal articles, there is no need to write out

the words volume, issue, p., or pp. The order of
the numbers indicate what they represent.
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Reference What to Include Information and Examples

List
Journal Examples:
Author(s). (date of
publication). Article Clark, L. B. (2019, April). Education as property.
Periodicals: title. Journal Title, Virginia Law Review, 105(2), 397-424.
Journals, volume (issue), page
magazines, numbers.
and Retrieval Rouw, R., & Erfanian, M. (2018, March). A large-scale
newspaper information.
study of misophonia. Journal of Clinical
articles
Psychology, 74(3), 453-479.
continued *Retrieval
information for https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22500
online sources can
be either a URL or a Smith, J. E. (2003). Addiction and environmental
DOI. If neither is change. Journal of Personality and Social
available, treat the Psychology, 66(3), 47-68.
journal like a print
http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/psp/
source.

Websites • Do not add a period after the retrieval

information (URL or DOI). Otherwise, the
period might be mistaken as part of the URL.
• The URL can either be an active hyperlink
(blue and underlined), or the hyperlink
formatting can be removed.
• To ensure accuracy, always test the URL prior
to submission.
• Italicize the titles of webpages.

Author(s). (date of Website Examples:

publication). Title of
page. Name of Cain, A., & Burris, M. (1999). Investigation of the use
website. Retrieval of mobile phones while driving. Center for
information Urban Transportation Research.
(including direct http://www.cutr.eng.usf.edu/oldpubs
URL) /mobile_phone.pdf
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Reference What to Include Information and Examples

List
Websites
continued
Starbucks Coffee Company. (n.d.). Starbucks social
impact. https://starbucks.com/responsibility

If there is not an author listed, you can use the

company that created the website as an
organizational author. If the company and website
names are the same, the name of the website is not
needed again after the title.

PowerPoint • The PowerPoint format description in brackets is

slides used because the format is something out of the
ordinary.
• The title of the PowerPoint should be italicized.
PowerPoint Examples:

Author(s). (date of Sprott, J. C. (2000). Is global warming for real?

publication). Title of [PowerPoint slides]. Popular Lectures.
slideshow [Format http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/
of document].
lectures.htm#warming
Retrieval
information How to succeed in business [PowerPoint slides].
(n.d.). Columbia Southern University.
http://online.columbiasouthern.edu
/webapps.jsp

If there is no author, list the title of the document in

the author’s position.

Due to retrieval inability, personal conversations,

Personal
emails, interviews, and letters should not be listed on
conversations,
Do not include on the reference page. Instead, cite these as a personal
emails,
the reference page. communication in the in-text. For an example, see
interviews,
the chart on page 6 (information via personal
and letters
communication).
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Selecting Appropriate Research Sources

In academic writing, only certain types of resources are considered acceptable. All sources
mentioned in this guide are sources that are considered to be academic. If you have any
questions regarding acceptable and unacceptable sources or how different types of sources can
be used, please contact the CSU Library. Additional information about the CSU Library can be
found on page 17 of this guide.

Formatting
When writing any type of formal paper, the document should have in-text citations and a
reference list, and should be formatted in accordance to APA format. The following are specific
instructions on how to set up a document in APA format using Microsoft Word.
Document formatting in APA style

General Information
Formatting
Margins • All margins (top, bottom, and sides) should be set at one inch.
• Microsoft Word allows the user to set the margin at a default of
one inch on all sides.
Page Numbers • Page numbers should be listed in the top right corner of the
document, beginning on the title page.

Alignment/ • All documents following APA guidelines are required to be flush-left

Line Spacing style and double-spaced throughout the entire document.
• Additional spacing should not be used between headings and
paragraphs.
Font Type and • APA font options include the following:
Size o Times New Roman, size 12
o Calibri, size 11
o Arial, size 11
o Lucida Sans Unicode, size 10
o Georgia, size 11
o Computer Modern, size 10
Paragraph • All papers typed in APA format require the first line of each
Indention paragraph to be indented .5”.
• Pressing the Tab button on the keyboard automatically indents the
text .5”.

For additional information, please see the Writing Center’s Formatting Formal Assignments Tutorial.
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Steps for document formatting

Formatting Steps

Title Page NOTE: The title page of the document can be thought of as the paper’s first
impression. For this reason, it is important to pay attention to the format
required by APA.
1. The title of the paper (in bold) should be centered on the page and
followed by an extra line of space between the title and other
information. Then, also centered, list the student’s name, the name
of the university, the course, the name of the instructor, and the
due date.
Abstract NOTE: All papers at CSU do not require an abstract. Please consult the
course syllabus or professor for specifications about this.

1. The abstract tells the audience why they should care about the
presented topic.

2. It provides the methods that will be utilized in order to get the

results.

3. The word “Abstract” will be listed, centered and bold, one inch from
the top of the page as the heading for the abstract.

4. The abstract itself should be flush left and should not be indented.
5. The abstract should be an accurate and concise reflection of the
document’s content.
6. Typically, the abstract should only be one paragraph (150-250
words) in length, with no direct quotations, and be on a page of its
own directly after the title page.
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Formatting Steps

Headings 1. Headings are titles of different sections of a formal written

assignment.
2. They can be used to add structure, organize ideas, and tell the
reader what content to expect.
3. The following headings should be used when required:

For additional information, please see the Writing Center’s Level Headings Tutorial.
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Formatting Steps

References NOTE: At the end of each APA document, there should be a references page
Page containing the sources used within the paper.

• Every reference cited in-text should be listed on the references

page(s), and every reference listed on the references page(s) should
be cited in the in-text.

• The exceptions to this are personal communications and secondary

sources.

• With secondary sources, only the original source should be cited on

the reference page.

• References are of the utmost importance, as they allow the reader to

access the sources cited in-text, and they enable the author of the
document to give credit where credit is due.

• The references should contain accurate information, as well as proper

punctuation and spelling.

• References will accompany the conclusion of any APA document.

• For each reference listed, there must be at least one corresponding in-
text citation in the document.

• All margins should be one inch.

• The word “References” should be used as the heading, and it should

be centered and bold.

• Double spacing should be used.

• With the exception of the first line of each reference, all lines are
indented .5”. This is called a hanging indention.
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Specific formatting steps for documents

Software Click the following icons to access formatting.

MS Word 2016

MS Word Office 365

MS Word for Mac

MS Word Online

Pages for Mac 2019

Google Docs
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Library Resources and Services for CSU Students

The CSU Library supports the CSU community with access to information and research
assistance. The online collection contains resources chosen to support the programs of study at
Columbia Southern University. Library resources such as journal articles or ebooks can be
accessed at any time through the library website.

The library resources include:

• Online databases that contain a wide variety of resources including journal, magazine,
and newspaper articles.
• A collection of over 180,000 online books in eBook Academic Collection.
• Electronic journal subscriptions in specialized fields of study.
• Video tutorials and research guides designed by CSU librarians.

Contact a librarian when you need to do the following:

• Brainstorm appropriate research strategies such as determining keywords for your

topic.
• Navigate library databases for journal articles and other library resources to support
your assignments.
• Locate and obtain specific articles or other resources assigned in your courses.
• Limit your search by article type (such as peer-reviewed), date of publication, or article
length.

The CSU Library is staffed by professional librarians available to help when you need them. The
three main avenues of library support are phone, email, and chat. To reach a CSU librarian
during regular business hours, call (877) 268-8046 or email library@columbiasouthern.edu.
Chat reference assistance is available via the library homepage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
including holidays. Students may also communicate with an individual member of the library
staff through the contact information provided on the library webpage.
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Sample Essay
Click on the sample below to view an example of an APA style essay (this view is only the first page):
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Sample Research Paper

Click on the sample below to view an example of an APA style paper (this view is only the first page):
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References

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological

Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Columbia Southern University. (2019). Student handbook.

https://www.columbiasouthern.edu/downloads/pdf/handbook/csustudenthandbook.aspx