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APA Citation Guide

The APA style is made up of a set of basic guidelines aimed at researchers and scientists, with the objective of unifying criteria
and avoid confusion, ambiguity and bias when writing articles whose audience is the scienti c community.

The basic guidelines are:

Citation
Text citation
Indirect sources citation (secondary sources)
Reference List
Use of Tables and Figures

Furthermore, when using the APA style, a series of premises must be known:

Any research starts with a pre-existing information, consequently, original sources must always be cited. Otherwise, you
are plagiarizing.
Every citation needs to be adequately quoted (source, year and editor, author(s), and so on).
Citation style always matches the corresponding means (it can differ, for example, a book needs a different citation than an
article).
During the writing process, the citation must appear simultaneously in two ways: in-text citation and also in the section called
“references list”, in alphabetical order.

This guideline follows the APA Style as in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition. The
examples above are adapted from the 2009 and 2015 editions of A. Pantoja (Coord.) Manual básico para la realización de Tesis,
Tesinas y trabajos de Investigación. Madrid: EOS.

1. General rules for in-text citation

Academic documents indicate the source of previous knowledge succintly in the text, next to the citation, and extensively in the
list of references or bibliography section, at the end of the document.

The following sections provide information on how to indicate the source in the text.

1.1. Direct citations (quotes)

A direct citation is a literal transcription of another author’s words.  The text must clearly attribute the right authorship.

The citation style is different depending on the length of the quote and the quantity of authors.

In all cases, , the in-text citation must specify the rst or last name of the author or authors, as referenced in the bibliography at
the end of the project, followed by the year and the page numbers must be speci ed.

1.1.1. Less than 40 words

In this case, the citation is placed in quotation marks following the cited paragraph. That is to say, right next to the cited text.

Example

The New Oxford American Dictionary’s  de nition of plagiarism is “the practice of taking
someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.” (2016, p. 1296)

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1.1.2.  40 or more words

This is considered a long citation or block citation. It  must have its own paragraph, with a left indentation of 1.3 cm  (5 inches)
from the margin. In addition, no quotation marks or italics are added. Citation of more than one paragraph will keep the same
indentation (1.3 cm or 5 inches).

Example

Genette (1997, p.408) justi es the function of paratexts because:

Being immutable, the text in itself is incapable of adapting to changes in its audience
in space and over time. The paratext – more exible, more versatile, always transitory
because transitive – is,as it were, an instrument of adaptation. Hence the continual
modi cation of the text’s “presentation”.

As can be seen in the example, the indentation of all the lines coincide. The year and page number can also be indicated in
parentheses after the citation (year,   (p) in parentheses, full stop and the page number).

In block citations, omitted text is marked with an ellipsis without parentheses. If you need to make some clari cation in the
citation or an additional explanation, it will be enclosed within square brackets. For example, emphasize one or more words in
the text and immediately afterwards, indicate “italics added”.

Example

By “paratext” we mean the “verbal or other productions, such as author’s name, a title, a
preface, illustrations […], accompanying [a book], which vary in extent and appearance”
(Genette, p. 1997, p. 1, italics added)

1.1.3. Quantity of authors

No matter if a citation is short or long, the amount of authors in uences how they are presented.

a) Up to two authors: both are cited throughout the text.

Example

In accordance with Campoy and Pantoja (2000, p. 17) “the new pro le and functions of the
tutor require a professional reorganization of the classical model prevailing in the
educational centers”, but at the present day, that is yet to come.

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b) From three to seven authors: all the last names are cited the rst time the reference appears. After that, only the last name
(depending on how is written then in the bibliographical references) of the rst author is mentioned followed by “et al.” (without
italics).

Example

First time:

There are complicated ways of measuring how the reported value can deviate from actual
exchange value, and how certain lee-ways can still allow for cooperation (mutual bene ts)
and market equilibrium to be achieved. (see Pym, Grin, Sfredo & Chan, 2012, p. 150)

Second time:

This is in a world where we estimate there is only a need for 333,000 full-time translators
and interpreters who are professional enough to declare themselves as such when paying
taxes. (Pym et al.,  2012, p. 132)

c) Eight or more authors:  cite the rst author’s last name only followed by “et al”, as seen in the previous example.

Example

Álvarez Rojo et al. (2002, p. 93) refer to program design as a way of “making decisions
that are mostly arbitrary”.

1.2. Indirect citations

Indirect citations rephrase other author’s statements, keeping the original meaning.

Indirect citations do not have to include the page number, although its inclusion facilitates the location of a long or complex
source text.

The remaining recommendations for direct citations apply.

The following examples show a paragraph in the original source, and the indirect citation:

Example

Paragraph of the original source:

Most of the participants mentioned in the interviews that, beyond this experiment, they
had noticed low quality in non-professional subtitling available online, which relates to the
general assumption of low quality in amateur translations. Nevertheless, when they were
asked to assess the di culty of following the different subtitle versions  included in this

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experiment, the ratings for all conditions were highly similar.  Additionally, when asked if
they noticed any difference between the subtitles, they only mentioned subtitle speed and
appearance on the screen as relevant factors

Reviewed original source:

Orrego-Carmona, D.  (2013).  Where is the audience ? Testing the audience reception of
non-professional subtitling. In D. Orrego-Carmona and E. Torres-Simón (eds),  Translation
Research Projects 3, (pp. 77-91). Tarragona: Intercultural Studies.

Example of an indirect extracted citation:

Orrego-Carmona (2013) notes how despite previous assumptions of low quality of non-
professional subtitles, the study did not nd remarkable differences in subtitle ratings,
when the origin was hidden.

Some more examples of indirect citations:

Example

One author:

Pantoja (2004) deals extensively with the Information Society to place in it the
psychopedagogical intervention.

References to psychopedagogical intervention come from various points of view (Pantoja,

2004).

Several authors outside the parenthesis (in alphabetical order):

Campoy and Pantoja (2000) and Pantoja, Campoy and Cañas (2001) have explained the
transformation processes of the orientation in our country as a result of the entry into
force of the LOGSE.

Several authors in the parenthesis (in alphabetical order):

In recent years, various authors have worked on methodology for educational research
(Bisquerra, 2004; Buendía, Colás and Hernández, 1997; Cardona, 2002; Gil, 2004; Latorre,
Rincon and Arnal, 2003), clarifying the key concepts that are involved in any research
process.

Two works by the same author in the same year:

Zagalaz (2001a and 2001b) dealt with the theoretical foundations, ideologies and trends
of Physical Education in its different contexts.

The use of indirect citations is commonplace in academic works, since it often implies revising and summarizing ideas from
other authors.

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1.3. Secondary citations

Secondary citations are a quote of an author citing a second author. So, the citation is reproduced in a text we have read. In
these cases,  we must mention the original source and the secondary citation. In the reference list, we will only include the
document we have read and not the original document.

Example

Paragraph of the original source:

As indicated by Sabariego and Bisquerra (2004), “the interest in a topic is the starting
point of any scienti c research”. It is determined by personal experience, by readings, by
audiovisual materials, by Internet or any other Information and Communication
Technology (ICT), by a presentation or conference, an observation or, in a general way, an
idea or occurrence.

Reviewed original source:

Pantoja, A. (Coord.) (2009). Manual básico para la realización de tesis, tesinas y trabajos
de investigación. Madrid: EOS.

Example of secondary citation:

“The interest in a topic is the starting point of any scienti c research” (Salabriego and
Bisquerra, 2004, cited by Pantoja, 2009).

As seen in the example, the secondary citation is made in the same way as the direct citation, but indicating the primary source,
too. In other words, the original authors of the idea have to be stated, as cited by the author or authors of the text in which we
have read it.

1.4. Tables and gures

Tables and gures must be accompanied by a numbered note, located above or below them (indications about the numbering of
tables and gures are included in the description of the formal aspects, which is available in the campus).

In addition, the gure or table note should include an explanatory text. At the end of the explanatory text, the source table or
gure should be cited. The following cases may occur:

If the copy of the table is verbatim, you must specify the page:
Source: Kotler, 2009, (page number)
If the table or gure is of the student’s own taking as a reference the data that an author gives, it is cited in the following way:
Source: own work based on Author (year)
It is recommended that the citation to the source is below the table or gure and the title at the top.

If you have included abbreviations in tables or gures, or they require clari cation, they must be below. e.g:

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2. Bibliography (references list)

According to APA, the References section or Bibliography must include only the documents cited in the text.

The list of references will be organized in alphabetical order by the rst surname of the rst author.
If the rst author has multiple works, they must listed chronologically. Documents by the same author in the same year will be
listed by adding a a, b, c…  For example: Smith, A. 2008a, Smith, A. 2008b…
References must have 1.3 cm (5 inches) left hanging indent.
The state or country will only be mentioned if the place name might lead to mistake.

2.1.  Printed documents

2.1.1. Books
Author, initial of the name. (Year). Title. City, State: Publisher

Differences on formatting depending on the number of authors apply to all types of documents.  So, the reference includes the
last name and the rst name’s initial of up to seven authors, linking the rest with “&”. In case of eight authors, the rst six will be
presented with last name and rst name’s initial, then a blank space and lastly, the last name and rst name’s initial of the last
author.

Example

One author:

Toriyama, A. (2012).  Dragon Quest 25th Anniversary Monster Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Enix
Square.

Pérez Ferra, M. (2000). Conocer el currículum para asesorar en centros. Archidona: Aljibe.

Up to six authors:

Campoy, T.J. & Pantoja, A. (2000). Orientación y calidad docente. Pautas y estrategias
para el tutor. Madrid: EOS.

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Lannister, C., Snow, J., Stark, A., Stark, S. & Targaryen, D. (2017)  Winter is coming. Essos:
Martin Edition.

More than six authors:

Berman, A., Snyder, S. J., Levett-Jones, T., Dwyer, T., Hales, M., Harvey, N. … Stanley,
D.  (2012).  Kozier and Erb’s fundamentals of nursing. Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson
Australia.

2.1.2. Book with one or more authors, coordinated, edited or compiled

Author, name’s rst initial. (Type) (year). Title. City, State: Publisher.

Some of the abbreviations of the role of the author are:

Coordinator (Coord.), Coordinators (Coords.), Editor (Ed.), Editors (Eds), Compiler (Comp.) or compilers (Comps).

Example

Pantoja, A. and Campoy, T.J. (Coords.) (2006). Programas de intervención en educación

intercultural. Granada: GEU.

Álvarez, M. (Coord.), Bisquerra, R., Espín, J.V. y Rodríguez Espinar, S. (2007). La madurez
para la carrera en Educación Secundaria. Madrid: EOS.

2.1.3. Book chapter

Author, name’s rst initial. (Year). Title. In Author’s name initial, surname, Title (pp. First-last page). City, State: Publisher.

Example

Sieber, J. E. (2000). Planning research: Basic ethical decision-making. In B.D. Sales & S.
Folkman (eds), Ethics in research with human participants (pp.13-26). San Diego: APA.

2.1.4. Other book formats

Example

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Book with several editions or reprints

Fox, D.J. (1987). The research project in education  (2nd  ed.)New York: Holt, Rinehart &
Winston.

Book in press

Nobi, N. (in press). How to build a cat-like robot. Tokyo: Asahi Press.

Book when the author is an agency or institutio

World Health Organization (2017).  WHO guidelines on use of medically important

antimicrobials in food-producing animals. New York: WHO.

Book without author

Manual de estilo da APA. Regras básicas (2006). Porto Alegre, RS: Artmed Editora.

Volume of a work

Gil Pascual, J.A. (2003). Métodos de investigación en educación. Análisis multivariante

(Vol. 3). Madrid: UNED.

2.1.5. Scienti c journal article

 

Author, name’s rst initial. (Year). Title. Journal, volume (number), rst page-last page.

In the case of documents from electronic sources, use the “Digital Object Identi er” known by its acronym as “DOI”. The “DOI” is
an alphanumeric, unique series for electronic documents which is assigned by the publisher. The “DOI” msut appear at the end of
the reference.

Example

One author:

Torres-Simón, E. (2008). Non-Standard Translation Practices in Post-Bellum Korea.

FORUM. Revue internationale d’interprétation et de traduction,  6 (2),  215-235.
doi:10.1075/forum.6.2.11tor

Timmons, M. (2007). Navegating contradictory communities of practice in learning to

teach for social justice. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 38(4), 380-404.
doi:10.1525/aeq.2007.38.4.380

Up to six authors:

Pantoja, A. & Zwierewicz, M. (2008). Procesos de orientación en entornos virtuales de

aprendizaje. Revista Española de Orientación y Psicopedagogía, 19 (3), 282-290.

Poupaud, S., Pym, A., & Torres, E. (2009). Finding translations. On the use of
bibliographical databases in translation history.  Meta: Journal des traducteurs/Meta:
Translators’ Journal, 54(2), 264-278.

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More than six authors:

Yonkers, K. A., Ramin, S. M., Rush, A. J., Navarrete, C. A., Carmody, T., March, D., . . . Leveno,
K. J. (2001). Onset  and persistence of postpartum depression in an inner-city maternal
health clinic system.  American Journal of Psychiatry,  158(11), 1856-1863.
doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.158.11.1856

2.1.6. Proceedings

Author, initial of the name. (Year). Title. In Author’s name initial, surname, Title (pp. First-last page). City, State: Publisher.

Example

Up to seven authors:

Sancho, M.I. (2007). El seseo: estado de la cuestión. In M.I. Sancho y C. Conti (Coords.), I
Jornadas sobre seseo (pp. 13-46). Jaén: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad.

More than seven authors:

Pantoja, A., Campoy, T.J, Jiménez, A.S., Villanueva, Gomes, E., Díaz Linares, M.A. et al.
(2008). Internet y la construcción de una ciudadanía intercultural. Balance de una
experiencia. In A. Pantoja, T.J. Campoy, A.S. Jiménez y C. Villanueva (Eds), El carácter
universal de la Educación Intercultural. Actas de las I Jornadas Internacionales y VI
Jornadas sobre Diagnóstico y Orientación (pp. 72-128). Jaén: Servicio de Publicaciones
de la Universidad.

2.1.7. Thesis
Published theses are treated like books. Unpublished thesis follow a different structure. The reference must indicate whether it is
a PhD thesis or a Master’s Degree thesis.

Author. Author, name’s rst initial. (Year). Title in italics. Unpublished doctoral thesis, University, City.

Example

Torres-Simon, E. (2013). The role of translation in  post-bellum image building; Korean
literature in the US. Unpublished doctoral thesis,  Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona.

2.2. Audiovisual content

Although not common in research projects, video and audio recordings must also be listed.

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Example

Movie

Hamilton, D. (Producer) and Mehta, D. (Scriptwriter/Director) (2005). Water [Motion

Picture]. Canada: Mongrel Media.

Video

Fonda, J. (2005). Jane Fonda Collection:  Low Impact Aerobics and Stretch; Abs, Buns &
Thighs; Total Body Sculpting. [Video le]. Los Angeles: Warner Bross.

Audio

Ros, L. (2008). Canto a los Orishas. Lázaro Ros, el apkwón mayor [CD]. La Habana: Egrem.

2.3. Electronic documents

Electronic documents follow the guidelines of printed documents, but must also include the URL to locate the le. The
abbreviations n.d. (no date) and n.a. (no author) can be used if the full information is not located.

Example

Internet document

With author:

Gil, G. (n.d.). Cultura libre: el caso brasileño. Retrieved from

http://www.aulaintercultural.org/article.php3?id_article=1688

Without Author:

Drom Kotar, mujeres gitanas en red para promover el acceso a la educación (n.a.).
Retrieved from http://www.aulaintercultural.org/article.php3?id_article=1684

Book

Swennen, A. y Van der Klink, M. (Eds.) (2008). Becoming a teacher educator. Amsterdan:
Springer Netherlans. Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com/content/p8j5p0/?
p=9de2488f70ee4e49a00aef982e763d2f&pi=0

Conferences, presentations and communications on the Internet

Tiana, A. (2006). Una reforma educativa para el Siglo XXI. Conference conducted at the V
International Congress “Education and Society”. Retrieved from
http://congreso.codoli.org/conferences/Tiana.pdf

Article

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Molero, D. (2007). Rendimiento académico y opinión sobre la docencia del alumnado
participante en experiencias piloto de implantación del Espacio Europeo de Educación
Superior. Revista Electrónica de Investigación Educativa (RELIEVE), 13 (2). Retrieved from
http://www.uv.es/RELIEVE/v13n2/RELIEVE v13n2_2.htm

Example

Internet document Area, M. (2009). Introducción a la tecnología educativa. Universidad de la Laguna. Retrieved from
http://issuu.com/manarea/docs/tecnologiaeducativa Arsham, H. (2004). Razonamiento estadístico para la toma de decisiones
gerenciales. Retrieved from http://www.staff.vu.edu.au/sarath/Business-stats/opre504S.htm Undated document Estrada, E.
(s.f.). La apicultura en México. México. Retrieved fromhttp://www.netcall.com.mx/abejas/alianza.html Article with DOI Huertas,
A. y Pantoja, A. (2016). Efectos de un programa educativo basado en el uso de las TIC sobre el rendimiento académico y la
motivación del alumnado en la asignatura de tecnología de educación secundaria. Educación XX1, 19 (2). doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.16464 Videos (online) Author, A. A. [user name]. (Year, month day). Title of the video

. Retrieved from http://xxxxx del nespro. (2011, March 10th) Redes (Nº 75) – No me molestes, mamá, estoy aprendiendo

. Retrieved fromhttps://youtu.be/usRHveRfLgU

3. Tables and gures

According to the APA model, for the entire table or gure, there are a few general rules:

All tables and gures must have a heading consisting of: Type of numbering. Table/ gure name (author of the source, year
of the source) This title will be located at the top, in the case of the tables and gures, at the bottom.
Numbering: they must be identi ed in accordance with their order of appearance with two numbers. The rst number
corresponds to the chapter in which the table can be found. The second number is for the order of appearance of that table or
gure in the chapter. For example, “Table 2.1” is the rst table for chapter 2.
Numbering is independent, that is to say, there is one numbering for the tables and another one for the gures.
.
Heading: the heading or should be concise and provide information on the table contents, and it must be unique: two tables
or gures cannot have the same heading.The name Figure 1.1 has to be in italics and the legend in a regular font size (for
tables, it is exactly the opposite).
Source: always cite the source shortly in the heading (author, year) and extend the information about the source below the
table or gure. If the source for the data is the own author, do not write anything.
The tables and gures in the body of the document will always be referenced. The forms “The table below…”, “the table
above…”, among others, are not correct. Some valid options are: As it can be seen in table 5… Table 1 shows… Figure 3
illustrates… […] the percentage of students who nished the University was very low (see Figure 7).
Simplicity should prevail above everything else, that is to say, without much color and detail. Usually, tables are presented in
black and white, no background, and single space. Body of the table source: Times New Roman, 10 points, Table notes: 9
points.
Redundancy must be avoided, that is to say, the simultaneous use of tables and graphs to present the same information.

3.1. Tables structure

According to the APA, tables have three parts that must be respected:

1. At the top, the table number and heading. The heading of the table should be short, clear and explanatory. It must be written
at the top of the table, in the top left margin, below the word “Table” (with the rst letter capitalized) and accompanied by the
number that designates it (tables should be numbered with Arabic numerals sequentially within the text and in its entirety).
The name Table 1.1 is written with a regular font and the legend in italics (for the gures, it is exactly the opposite) E.g.: Table
1.1, Table 1.2, Table 1.3, etc.
2. Then, the table with the data well organized and in a simple way.
3. At the bottom, a few explanatory notes that contribute to add important information, as well as the data source.

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3.1.1. Table Notes

Tables may have three types of notes: general notes, speci c notes and probability notes. “Notes are useful for eliminating
repetition from the body of a table” (APA, 2010, p. -141). They are introduced on the left margin (no indented) below the table
(add two spaces between the table and the note). And they should be ordered in this sequence: general note, speci c note,
probability note, and each type of note must be placed on a new line. The tables have three kinds of notes, that are placed below
them.

General note: “A general note describes, explains or gives information related to the complete table and ends with an
explanation of the abbreviations, symbols or so. Within the general notes, credit for any table from other sources will be
included” (APA, 2010, pp. 140-141).
a b c
Speci c note: it refers to a particular column, row, or cell and it is indicated by superscripts lowercase letters ( , , ).
Probability note: it indicates the p value and the results of the hypothesis testing veri cation, and they are indicated with an
asterisk (*)

Example

Note  (o Notes, if appropriate): N=242. CI=Con dence Interval LL=Lower Limit UL=Upper
Limit Adapted from “Early Predictors of Job Burnout and Engagement”, por C. Maslach &
M. Leiter, 2008. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, p. 509. Copyright 208 por la American
Psychological Association. a Four variables were recorder in relation to weight. *p<05.
***p<01

3.1.3. Example of a table

Table 1.1 Psychometric properties of the identi cation variables of the study.

3.2. Figures structure

A gure can be a graphic, diagram, a map, a drawing or a picture. As with the tables, but in this case after the explanatory text,
any clari cations deemed as appropriate will be placed, including the source of such clari cation. The text is continuous, no full
stop needed. According to the APA, the gures also have to be subject to the following indications:

1. First of all there is the gure itself.

2.  Then, under the gure, the heading is speci ed. There must be the number of the chapter, in Arabic numerals, in a sequence
within the text as a whole after the word “Figure” ( rst letter should be capitalized). E.g.: Figure 1.1, Figure 1.2, Figure 1.3, etc.

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The title of the gure must be short, clear and explanatory. The name Figure 1.1 has to be in italics and the legend in a regular
font size (for tables, it is exactly the opposite).
3.  After the heading and title, there will appear any other information necessary to elucidate the gure (as the unit of measure,
symbols, scales, and abbreviations), that is not included in the legend. The legend is the explanation of the symbols used in
the gure and it must be written within the limits of the gure.

Example

Figure 1.1. Generic mediation model subject to a test according to Bron & Kenny (1996).
Adapted from “Preschool Home Literacy Practices and Children’s Literacy Development. A
Longitudinal Analysis”, by M. Hood, E. Conton & G. Andrews, 2008. Journal of Educational
Psychology, 100, p. 259. Copyright 2008 by the American Psychological Association.

3.2.1. Example of a gure

Figure X. Some of this phases are subdivided into diverse content blocks. The present article’s objective is phase 1: a) Who are
we? b) My job c) My relatives’ jobs; d) Research on the manufacturing of a typical product. Adapted from “Discovery of one’s own
and the other’s work environment through an intercultural career guidance virtual system”, by A. Pantoja & J. M. Resola, 2014.
Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 132, p. 181.

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