APA (6th ed.) Citing Guide

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)

APA Reference page entries for blogs & social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc) will usually include:

• Author/Creator written in format Lastname, FirstInitial. SecondInitial.
• Title
• Date the item was posted to the website
• URL that the item was retrieved from
• Note indicating what type of source it is, eg: [Blog post], [Tweet], [Facebook note]
   

There are two things to consider when using mobile app as an information source, are you referencing the whole app or a piece of information.

Follow this format for the whole app. 

Sample format:

Rightsholder, A. A. (year). Title of Software or Program (Version number) [Mobile application software]. Retrieved from http://xxxxx

Reference entry:

Instagram, LLC. (2018). Instagram (106.0) [Mobile application software]. Retrieved from http://itunes.apple.com

In-text citation

(Instagram, 2018)

Follow this format when referencing an entry in a reference work app. The example below is for a medical dictionary app.

Reference entry:

Sepsis. (2016). In Medical dictionary - healthcare definitions for Apple iOS (Version 1.7) [Mobile application software]. Retrieved from http://www.medicaldictionary.com/mobile/iphone 

In-text citation:

(Sepsis, 2016)

Screenshot source: Obama, B. [Barack]. (2014, April 17). Two victories for clean energy in California: http://ofa.bo/fYb [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/BarackObama

Reference page entry:

Obama, B. [Barack]. (2014, April 17). Two victories for clean energy in California: http://ofa.bo/fYb [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/BarackObama

In-text citation:

(Obama, 2014)

When citing a Facebook note from a particular group, include [Facebook note]. after the title of the post. Here is an example of a Facebook note posted by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Reference page entry:

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. (2014, April 14). Let's get active, at least 30 minutes every day. [Facebook note]. Retrieved May 5, 2014 from https://www.facebook.com/reduceyourrisk

In-text citation:

(Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, 2014)

LinkedIn profiles can be problematic because some are not available for public viewing!

Non-public LinkedIn Profiles:

• If the LinkedIn profile is not viewable by the public (i.e. in a closed group; everyone can't access it), cite it as a form of personal communication.

Public LinkedIn Profiles:

If a profile is public, you can cite it like any other social media status update, using the basic format: Author'sLastName, A. [Albert]. (n.d.) Posts [LinkedIn page].  Retrieved August 29, 2014 from http://www.linked.com/profile...

Screenshot source: Trudeau, J. [Justin]. (n.d.) Posts [LinkedIn page].  Retrieved August 19, 2016 from https://ca.linkedin.com/in/justintrudeau

Reference page entry:

Trudeau, J. [Justin]. (n.d.) Posts [LinkedIn page].  Retrieved August 19, 2016 from https://ca.linkedin.com/in/justintrudeau

In-text citation:

(Trudeau, n.d.).

For more social media citation guidelines, see the APA Style Blog - How to cite Social Media in APA style

Screenshot source: Chitwood, D. [Deb]. (n.d.). Dr. Seuss Unit Study [Pinterest post]. Retrieved August 19, 2016 from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1618549845267022/

Reference list entry:

Chitwood, D. [Deb]. (n.d.). Dr. Seuss Unit Study [Pinterest post]. Retrieved August 19, 2016 from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1618549845267022/

In-text citation:

(Childwood, n.d.)

Note: to find details about the person who pinned an item to complete your citation, you may need to click on the creator's profile image.