APA Citation Guide (7th Ed.)

• Articles
• Books
• Websites
• Course Materials
• Everything Else

• Blog Posts
• Case Studies
• Data & Statistics
• Discipline-Specific Database Content
• Films
• Generative AI
• Government Reports
• Images
• Knowledge Keepers & Indigenous Elders
• Legal Materials
• Maps
• Mobile Apps
• Pamphlets
• Podcast Episodes
• Scores
• Social Media (X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok)
• Song Lyrics & Music Recordings 
• Streaming Videos (e.g., YouTube)
• Tables & Graphs
• Theses/Dissertations
• TV Episodes
• Wikipedia Entries
• Works of Art
• Zines

Blog Posts

Case Studies

*Include a case identification number, if provided.

Data & Statistics

General template for citing data resources:

Dataset with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

Dataset without a DOI:

Data table or custom tabulation:

*If the publisher/distributor is the same as the author, omit the publisher information from the reference entry to avoid duplication.

Graphic representation of data:
*Include "n.d." for "no date" rather than a date of publication and a retrieval date as shown if information provided by the source changes over time and the source does not provide stable URLs or permanent links to previous versions.

Data dashboard:

Discipline-Specific Database Content

*General guidelines for specialized data and original content only available from select discipline-specific library databases (examples: Industry Reports from IBISWorld; Nursing Care Plans from Lippincott Advisor):

• If there is no person or group/organization author listed, use the corporate name of the database instead.
• Include a format description following the title for less common content types, e.g. [Company profile] [Industry profile] [SWOT report] [Patient care sheet].
• Include the name of the database in italics in the source position, following title [description]. Omit this if the database name has also been used as the author to avoid duplication. 
• Include the URL for the homepage of the database website. Locate the public database website with an internet search. Do not use the Library's subscription link.

Example with an author:

Example with no author listed (use database name as author and omit from the end):

*Include "Retrieved" followed by date accessed for sources that are updated over time.

Example with no date listed, but source likely to change over time:

*Include "n.d." for "no date" rather than a date of publication and a retrieval date as shown if information provided by the source is likely to change over time (not required if source links back to previous archived versions):

Films

Physical copy or from a subscription service: ​

*The director should be credited as the author. If unknown, list other(s) in a prominent role (e.g., writer, producer). 

Free online:

Generative AI 

*Students should refer to their Course Outline/Syllabus and talk to their instructor because courses will differ in terms of what uses are permitted or not permitted, as well as how to acknowledge AI tools. Please note these initial guidelines may change.

*This example is ChatGPT specific. Please note that there are several different Generative AI models.

Government Reports

*Include a catalogue or report number in parentheses, if given.

*If the author and publisher are the same, omit the publisher prior to the link to avoid duplication.

Images

General guidelines for including images from a published source:

• In APA, any illustration that is not a table is considered a "figure." If it is necessary to include images in your paper, give each a figure number in bold, and number these sequentially in your paper.
  • Be sure to refer to the figure in the text of your paper e.g., (see Figure 1).
• Below the figure number, provide a title describing the image in italics.
• Add a note underneath the image that starts with "Note." in italics. Notes should describe the image's contents if helpful to a reader to interpret the information provided, and include a copyright attribution if reprinted or adapted from a published source.
• Include a reference entry for the source of the image at the end of your paper.

Public domain images:
*The image below is in the public domain meaning there are no restrictions on how the image can be used. If publication year is not available, add n.d. for no date.

Figure 1

2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)


Note. From Public Domain Pictures.net, by G. Altmann, n.d. (https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=338559). In the public domain.

Creative commons licensed images:
*The image of an infographic below was posted online with a Creative Commons license. The "CC BY" means that the image can be shared and adapted as long as the original creator is credited. 

Figure 2

Infographic Depicting the Threats to the Climate Posed by Plastic 

Note. From Flickr, by Plastic Atlas, 2019 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/boellstiftung/48948044176). CC BY.

Knowledge Keepers & Indigenous Elders

*If you have spoken with an Indigenous Elder or Knowledge Keeper, provide an in-text citation with as much detail as possible to describe and contextualize the information you are citing, including their full name, nation or Indigenous group, location and any other relevant information followed by "personal communication" and the date or date range when the correspondence took place:

*Because this information is not retrievable, APA does not require that it be included in the reference list. However, MacEwan University Library recommends that Elders and Knowledge Keepers be cited in-text and in the reference list. The following citation style was developed by NorQuest College Library in the spirit of wahkôhtowin and reconciliation and was adapted under a CC BY-NC license.

Note: If you would like to approach an Elder or Knowledge Keeper for teachings, remember to follow protocol. If you are unsure what their protocol is, please ask them ahead of time.

Legal Materials

For more examples: Refer to the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (call number: KE 259 .C36 2010), also called the "McGill Guide."

Legislation and statutes:

*General Guidelines

• If the title is long, shorten it for the in-text citation.
• Only include page or section numbers if your instructor requests them.
• Providing a URL is optional. 

Cases:

*General guidelines:

• Only include page or section numbers if your instructor requests them.
• Providing a URL is optional. 

Bills:

*General guidelines:

• Because bills are in-progress, including an access date can help the reader determine the stage at which you viewed the document.
• If the title is long, shorten it for the in-text citation.
• Only include page or section numbers if your instructor requests them.
• Providing a URL is optional. 

Legal materials in Martin's Annual Criminal Code:

Maps

Noninteractive Maps (like an image or PDF document) 

Interactive Maps (maps that you can enter search terms into to see different results)

In square brackets and in place of a title, describe the search or interaction used to produce the map. If the site you are using produces a unique URL address for that interaction (like a Google Maps search), use that URL address in your references entry. Your reader will be able to access the same version of the map by following the link. 

If the map does not produce a unique URL address for that interaction, your reader will not be able to access the same version of the map by following your link, so it is best to take a screenshot image of the map and include it as an appendix as well. 

Mobile Apps

Pamphlets

*If the author and publisher are the same, omit the publisher from the end to avoid duplication.

Podcast Episodes

*General guidelines:

• The host(s) or executive producer(s) can be listed as the author(s) for the podcast. Include the roles of the contributors in brackets after each name in the author list.
• Differentiate between audio and video podcasts using a format description, e.g. [Audio podcast episode], [Video podcast episode]. 
• Include a URL at the end if available online. Omit a URL if available through an app.

Scores

*General guidelines:

• Include composer(s) as the author(s) and any other prominent contributors with roles in brackets as appropriate.
• Include a format description that best describes the score following the title, e.g. [Vocal score] [Orchestral score].

Original score:

Transcribed score:

Social Media (X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok)

*Include the following:

• The name of the account owner followed by username in square brackets, if provided.
• No more than 20 words of individual posts.
• The presence of audiovisual content in square brackets after the post, e.g. [Video attached] [Image attached]
• A format description in square brackets following the post, e.g. [Tweet]. 

Facebook example (learn more):

Instagram example (learn more):

X example (learn more):

TikTok example (learn more):

Song Lyrics & Music Recordings

*General guidelines:

• There is no neeed to identify where the song was heard be it a CD, Spotify, or elsewhere.
• Include a URL at the end only if that is the only place a song can be located, e.g. an independent artists' SoundCloud account.

Cover version of a song:

Streaming Videos (e.g., YouTube)

*Include the name of the account owner, if given, followed by the username in square brackets:

*If no person’s name is given, only include the account or screen name:

Tables & Graphs

*General guidelines if including a table or graph from a published source:

• Tables and graphs can appear in the text of your paper if highly relevant to the text, or at the end as supplementary materials after the References, but before or as part of an appendix. If included at the end, place each table or graph on its own page. 
• Give a table number or figure number (for graphs) in bold, and number these sequentially in your paper.
  • Be sure to refer to the table or graph in the text of your paper e.g., (see Table 1). 
• Below the Table or Figure number, provide a title describing the table or graph in italics. 
• Add a note underneath the table that starts with "Note." in italics. Notes should describe the table's contents to help a reader interpret the information provided, and include a copyright attribution if reprinted or adapted from a published source.
• Include a reference entry for the source of the table or graph at the end of your paper. 

Visit the APA Style Blog to learn more about formatting and citing tables and graphs. 

Table example:

Graph example:

Figure 3

Academic Librarian Full and Part-Time Employment, 2018

Note. Adapted from 2018 census of Canadian academic librarians user guide and results summary, by E. Revitt, E. Magnus, A. Schrader, & J. Wright, 2019, p. 30 (https://capalibrarians.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2018_Census_March_24_2019.pdf). Copyright 2019 by the Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians.

Theses/Dissertations

With a DOI:

Without a DOI:

TV Episodes
 

*There is no need to identify where or how the show was viewed be it Netflix, a DVD, or elsewhere.

Wikipedia Entries

*Since Wikipedia content changes frequently, cite the archived version of the page you have accessed. To do so, select "View History" from the article page and select the link for the version you have accessed noting its date for the reference entry. 

Works of Art

Original work in a museum:

Image of an original work from a museum website:

Image of an original work from a library database (e.g., ARTstor):

Zines

* General Guidelines:

• If publication year is not available, add n.d. for no date.
• If the author and publisher are the same, omit the publisher at the end of the reference entry to avoid duplication.