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APA (6th ed.) Citing Guide

APA examples are not exhaustive & focus on referencing & citations. Assistance from your professor and/or Writing Centre is suggested. The library is not responsible for errors, omissions, or interpretation.

APA 6th Edition

This guide is representative of the 6th edition Publication Manual of APA.

APA examples are not exhaustive and focus on referencing and citations. Assistance from your professor and/or Writing Centre is suggested for clarification.

Users are responsible for interpretation of APA style guidelines and to seek further assistance when necessary.

Effective October 1, 2019.

 

Georgian will be adopting the 7th edition Publication Manual of APA in September 2020. (posted February 24, 2020)

Getting Started

Encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference type materials are cited in a similar way to the sections of a book. These reference page entries will usually include:

  • Author/Creator written in format Lastname, FirstInitial. SecondInitial.
  • Date
  • Title of the encyclopedia entry or word being used
  • Location & publisher information
  • An edition
  • Web address (URL) for source if found online
Something is missing

Something is missing

What to do if information (such as date or author) is missing for your APA citation.

Something is missing

Where do I find

Where do I find?

Learn how to find the author, date, title and publication information.

Where do I find ...?

Dictionaries

Reference page entry (unknown author):

Therapy. (2010). In Collins Canadian Dictionary (1st ed., p. 621). Toronto, ON: HarperCollins Publisher.

In-text citation:

(Therapy, 2010)

Note: Use pp. if the entry spans multiple pages; use p. if the entry is only on a single page.

Many free, online dictionaries exist. The following example shows how to cite an entry / definition from http://www.dictionary.com :

Reference page entry:

Therapy. (n.d.). In Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/therapy

In-text citation:

(Therapy, n.d.)

Definitions can be obtained from Google by adding "define:" to the start of your search terms.

Sample Google definition search for "therapy"

However, if you require a definition to use in your assignment, it's better to use a standard web-based or printed dictionary for the purposes of citing. Google draws from a number of sources to create this definition, and it's not always easily to identify their source.

Choose an electronic or printed dictionary from the library, or use a free dictionary online for your definition.

 

Wikipedia & other wiki type sites

Reference page entry:

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. (2014, April 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved, May 2, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catherine,_Duchess_of_Cambridge&oldid=606514600

In-text citation:

(Catherine, 2014)

 Note: Webpages such as Wikipedia are frequently edited. You need to include the date you retrieved the information, just in case the information on the page changes at a later date!