When you are creating your reference list, make sure that:
All the sources you cited in the main body of your essay are on this list (your in-text citations)
The sources are in alphabetical order
Each source is formatted with a hanging indent
Each source is formatted correctly for the source type
Lastname, F. M., & Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, Vol.(Issue), page numbers. DOI or URL.
Example with a DOI) Drollinger, T., Comer, L. B., & Warrington, P. T. (2006). Development and
validation of the active empathetic listening scale. Psychology & Marketing,
23(2), 161-180. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20105
Example without a DOI) Perreault, L. (2019). Obesity in adults: Role of physical activity and
exercise. UpToDate. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/obesity-in-adults-
Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of page. Site name. URL
Example 1) Walano, R. (2024, January 30). Twenty-three nursery rhymes your little ones will love.
The Bump. https://www.thebump.com/a/nursery-rhymes
*spell out numbers that appear in titles
Lastname, F. M. (n.d.). Title of page. Site name. URL
Example) Krabbenhoft, L. (n.d.). New to storytime: Choosing songs and
rhymes. Jbrary. Retrieved November 7, 2024, from
https://jbrary.com/new-to-storytime-choosing-songs-and-rhymes/
*Include a "Retrieved" date if the electronic source has no date and is likely to change over time
Director, D. D. (Director). (Date of publication). Title of motion picture [Film]. Production company 1; Production Company 2.
Example) Scott, R. (Director). (1982). Blade runner [Film]. The Ladd Company; Shaw Brothers;
Warner Bros.
Person or group who uploaded video. (Date of publication). Title of video [Video]. Website host. URL
Example) Your NLC Library (2024, April 9). How to cite sources in APA style - 7th edition [Video].
YouTube. https://youtu.be/yQL1zDcgWOs?si=ii4kDAHVPnAVMKFx
In-person conversations, phone calls, text messages, and emails are all forms of personal communication. Personal communications generally do not require a reference entry. However, for communications with Elders and Knowledge Keepers, consider using the template in the "Elders and Knowledge Keepers" tab instead.
For informal communications, create an in-text citation as follows:
First Initial. Last Name, personal communication, Month Day, Year.
Example) (E. Beaudette, personal communication, October 14, 2024).
OR) E. Beaudette (personal communication, October 14, 2024) stated that many students she
meets with struggle with citations and references.
Last name, First initial., Nation/Community. Treaty Territory if applicable. Where they live if applicable. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. personal communication. Month Date, Year.
Example) Okemow, Karen. Woodland Cree First Nation. Treaty 8. Lives in Peace River. Oral
teaching. personal communication. September 27, 2024.
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher Name. DOI (if available)
Example) Pickrell, J. (2014). Flying dinosaurs: How fearsome reptiles became birds.
Columbia University Press.
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (# ed.). Publisher. DOI (if available)
Example) Fastovsky, D.E. & Weishampel, D.B. (2016). Dinosaurs: A concise natural history
(3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher. DOI (if available)
Example) Weishampel, D.B. & White, N.M. (Eds.). (2003). The dinosaur papers, 1676-1906.
Smithsonian Books.
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (pp. pages of chapter). Publisher. DOI (if available)
Example) Noble, B. (2018). Materializing Mesozoic time-space. In Articulating dinosaurs:
A political anthropology (pp.29-49). University of Toronto Press.
Chapter's Author, A. A., (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (pp. pages of chapter). Publisher. DOI (if available)
Example) Ward, P. & Berner, R. (2011). Why were there dinosaurs? Why are there birds? In
G. Dyke & G. Kaiser (Eds.), Living dinosaurs: The evolutionary history of modern
birds (pp. 30-38). Wiley-Blackwell.
Instructor Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of presentation [Lecture notes, PowerPoint slides, etc]. Publisher. URL
Example) Cardinal, A. (2023, October 13). Introduction to social work [PowerPoint slides].
Brightspace. https://learn.northernlakescollege.ca/d2l/le/content/1650/view
Instructor Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of lecture [Video]. Bongo/Teams. URL
Example) Davis, G. (2023, April 4). Family dynamics [Video]. Bongo.
https://learn.northernlakescollege.ca/d2l/le/content/11610/viewContent/48930/View
Lastname, First Initial, Second Initial if available
Example) Eberth, D.A. (2015). Origins of dinosaur bonebeds in the Cretaceous of Alberta,
Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 52(8) 655-681.
https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2014-0200
List by last names and initials. Add a comma between each author. Use "&" before the final author's name.
Example) Henderson, D. M., & Tanke, D. H. (2010). Estimating past and future dinosaur skeletal
abundances in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth
Sciences, 47(10), 1291–1304.
List by last names and initials. Add a comma between each author. After the first 19 authors' names, use "..." instead of the remaining authors' names. Then, end with the final author's name (do not use "&" before it). There should not be more than twenty names in the reference in total.
Example) Ryan, M.J., Evans, D.C., Cardinal, M.E., Shepherd, K., Liu, C.S., Ulrich, V.L., Edebiri,
A.P., Ouellette, R.J., Kirk, B.E., Yeo, M.E., Salvatore, D.J., Campbell, J.W., O'Brien, L.,
Rose, T.A., Romano-Gutierrez, M.E., Normand, L.G., Chow, F.C., Laboucan, K.,
Durocher, B., ... Johnson, R.A. (2009). Feathered non-avian dinosaurs of North
America. Science, 217(4106), 310–314.
Group authors can include corporations, government agencies, organizations, etc. Treat the group author the same way you'd treat an author's name and format the rest of the citation as normal. You can shorten the group author's name for your in-text citations, but be sure to give the full name of the group author in your reference list.
Example) Health Canada. (2011, March 7). Physical activity. Canada.ca. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/healthy-living/physical-activity
Omit author's name if there is no known author. Move the title of the source to the beginning of the reference. Only use “Anonymous ” if the author is the source is signed “Anonymous.”
Example) Ten easy preschool activities. (n.d.). Play to Learn Preschool. Retrieved January 7,
2024, from https://playtolearnpreschool.us/10-preschool-activities
*include "Retrieved" date if there is no author AND the information is likely to change over time
*spell out numbers that appear in titles
*For the in-text citation, use a shortened version of the source's title instead of an author's name.
*If you are citing a source that doesn't fit to these standard citation rules, consult your APA manual or another reputable source, such as Purdue University's APA Guide. They provide more in-depth details on how to create in-text citations for a variety of source types.