The basic format for an APA reference is:
Template
Who. (When). What. Where.
OR
Author. (Date). Title. Source.
Who:
- The author, composer or creator of a work, whether an individual, a group of individuals or an organisation.
- Invert all personal author's names - surname followed by initials, e.g. Crick, F. H. C.
- For more information about this see the Authors button below.
When:
- The year the work was published or produced.
- For sources that have frequent issues, such as magazines, newspapers, conference papers and blog posts, give the exact date.
- For more information about this see the Publication details button below.
What:
- The title, journal title, website name etc.
- Article and chapter titles - capitalise only the first word of the title and the subtitle and any proper nouns, no italics.
- Journal, newsletter and magazine titles are in italics and capitalised.
- Book titles are in italics but capitalise only the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
- Additional information, such as edition or report numbers are included in parentheses after the title.
- Nonroutine information may be needed to identify the item. It follows the title in square brackets, e.g. [Lecture notes], [Audio podcast].
- If an item does not have a title, include a description of it in square brackets, e.g. [Photograph of Queensland Parliament House]
Where:
- Publication details.
- For a book, the publisher.
- For journal articles, the journal name (capitalised and in italics), volume, issue, page numbers, doi.
- Do not include ebook type or database name if it is from a standard academic database or source, unless the item is only available from that source
- For a website usually the URL
For more information about this see the Publication details and Build your own button below.
There are specific examples for many different types of sources on QUT cite|write. Further examples and information can be found in the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association or the APA Blog.
See also the APA blog regarding the Elements of a Reference.