Biology 209: Nutritional Science: APA Style and Citations

A citation is a reference that gives a reader information about a source.

It generally includes the author, title of the work or journal, title of the article, volume and issue number and date.

Digital articles often include a DOI number, or digital object identifier. This is the permanent link to an online article.

There are several citation styles used by academics. Those in the sciences and social sciences generally use APA format.

APA stands for American Psychological Association. Their standards for citation may be found in the Publication Manual of the APA. Check out the links on the right for more help and information about APA style.

To create a list of your references using citations from the databases, open a new document in MS Word.

Type References  at the top of the page in the font and size you are using for the paper. Center it. Then copy and paste the citation created in the database.

Select "match destination formatting" from the paste icon.

If you are using MSWord 2010, select "Merge Formatting" from the paste icon.

Correct any inaccuracies, such as capitalization of title words.

As you add citations to the page, reorder the citations alphabetically.

Copy and paste this document to your paper.

Always save your work!

Sources at the end of chapters or articles will be citedin APA format.  These citations may be used to  help locate the original article.

This is an example of an APA citation:

Most of the databases now provide citations for articles. You must locate the tools box and look for the link to cite or citation tools. This image from Gale databases such as Health Reference Academic,  Infotrac General Onefile/ Academic Onefile shows the link for citation tools.

 Once you click on the link, you will be given several choices.  Select APA 6th edition and then choose Save. Next, choose Open to see the citation. You do not need the URL. Copy and paste this citation into your works cited page.  Make sure it is correct. All words in the title of the  journal must be capitalized but only the first word of the article is capitalized. Once you have all your citations, make sure they are in alphabetical order by the authors' last names.

This is the tool box for all EBSCO databases such as CINAHL and Nursing Reference Center. Once you click on the Cite link, you will be given all possible citation formats for the article. Select APA 6th edition. Copy and paste the citation into your works cited page. Be sure to check that titles are capitalized and formats are correct.

Always be sure to select the APA 6th edition version of the citations you are using!

Here are some links to APA format that will be of help.

Librarians will help you with your citations. Go to the Information Commons Help Desks or use the "Ask a Librarian" links. Writing Center tutors will help as well. Check the link below for locations and times for the Writing Center labs.

Formats may be found in the APA Style manual or at the websites below.

If you use one of the citation generators below, be sure to check the citations for accuracy. If the article has a DOI be sure to include it in the citation.