The Publication Manual instructs writers to document quotations, paraphrases, summaries, and other information from sources as follows: "Document your study throughout the text by citing by author and date the works you researched. This style of citation briefly identifies the source for readers and enables them to locate the source of information in the alphabetical reference list at the end of an article" (p. 168). When using APA style, consult the Publication Manual for general style requirements (e.g., style for metric units) and for advice on preparing manuscripts and electronic texts. This chapter follows the conventions of APA citation style.

Although the 1994 Publication Manual gives recommendations for citing some kinds of electronic sources (e.g., subscriber-based and general-access online journal articles available via email or FTP), it acknowledges that "at the time of writing this edition, a standard had not yet emerged for referencing on-line information" (p. 218). More recently, the APA has posted at its Web site <www.apa.org> the document "Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the American Psychological Association" (1999, August 9), which includes new recommendations for citing email communications, Web sites, specific documents on a Web site, and articles and abstracts from electronic databases. The following guidelines extend the principles and conventions of the Publication Manual and provide additional examples based on principles and conventions established in "Electronic Reference Formats."¹

Box 6.1 Using Italics and underlining in APA style

APA style italicizes certain elements (e.g., book and journal titles) in printed publications but recommends underlining those elements in manuscripts. The use of underlining to represent italics becomes a problem when you compose texts for online publication. On the World Wide Web, underlining in a document indicates that the underlined word or phrase is an active hypertext link. (All HTML editing programs automatically underline any text linked to another hypertext or Web site.)  When composing Web documents, avoid underlining. Instead, use italics for titles, for emphasis, and for words, letters, and numbers referred to as such. When you write with programs such as email that don’t allow italics, type an underscore mark _like this_ before and after text you would otherwise italicize or underline.

1.	Link an in-text citation of an Internet source to a corresponding entry in the References.

In APA style, each text reference is linked to a specific entry in the list of References. The essential elements of an in-text citation are the author's last name (or the document's title, if no author is identified) and the date of publication. Information such as a page or chapter number may be added to show where in a source cited material appears. 

Create an in-text reference to an Internet source by using a signal phrase, a parenthetical citation, or both a previewing sentence and a parenthetical citation. 

Using a signal phrase   To introduce a short quotation, paraphrase, or summary, mention the author's name either in an introductory signal phrase or in a parenthetical reference immediately following the signal phrase and containing the publication date. (See 4e for a discussion of signal phrases and verbs.)

Here is the References entry for this source: 

 Weisenmiller, E. M. (1995). The impact of the Macintosh PowerPC on the prepress industry of the southeastern United States. Retrieved June 7, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://teched.vt.edu/ ElectronicPortfolios/Weisenmiller.ep/Thesistoc.html 

 Many companies have been successful in using the Macintosh PowerPC in the prepress process (Weisenmiller, 1995, chap. 5). 

H. R. Varian (1997) suggested one way a professional organization might develop and publish an electronic journal: 

First, the journal assembles a board of editors. The function of the board is not only to provide a list of luminaries to grace the front cover of the journal; they will actually have to do some work. 

Authors submit (electronic) papers to the journal. These papers have 3 parts: a one-paragraph abstract, a 5-page summary, and a 20- to 30-page conventional paper. The abstract is a standard part of academic papers and needs no further discussion. The summary is modeled after the Papers and Proceedings Issue of the American Economic Review: it should describe what question the author addresses, what methods were used to answer the question, and what the author found. The summary should be aimed at as broad an audience as possible. This summary would then be linked to the supporting evidence: mathematical proofs, econometric analysis, data sets, simulations, etc. The supporting evidence could be quite technical, and would probably end up being similar to current published papers in structure. (section 7.2)

Varian, H. R. (1997). The fufuture electronic journals. In Scholarly Communication and Technology. Conference organized at Emory University by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Retrieved October 7, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://arl.cni.org/scomm/scat/ varian.html 

The Publication Manual (1994) requires that "[you] give the author, year, and page number in parentheses (paragraph numbers may be used in place of page numbers for electronic text)" when you use a direct quotation (p. 97). Because Internet sources are rarely marked with page numbers, you will not always be able to show exactly where cited material comes from. If a source has internal divisions, use these instead of page numbers in your citation. Be sure to use divisions inherent in the document and not those provided by your browsing software. 

J. McGann (1996, May 6) pointed out that even decentered hypertexts are nevertheless always ordered: "To say that a HyperText is not centrally organized does not mean--at least does not mean to me--that the HyperText structure has no governing order(s), even at a theoretical level" (Coda: A Note on the Decentered Text). 

McGann, J. (1996, May 6). The rationale of HyperText. http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/public/jjm2f/rationale.html 

Many Internet sources appear as single screens. To let your readers know where your use of a single-screen Internet source with no text divisions ends, use a source-reflective statement.

Source-reflective statements give you an opportunity to assert your authorial voice. Writers use source-reflective statements to provide editorial comment, clarification, qualification, amplification, dissent, agreement, and so on. In the following example, the absence of a source-reflective statement creates uncertainty as to whether the writer has finished citing an Internet source or has merely moved from quoting directly to paraphrasing. 

Sosteric has noted that "exponential growth of the primary literature coupled with an explosive growth in the cost of distributing scholarly information has put serious strain on the financial resources of libraries and universities." This demand for and cost of distributing primary literature suggests that we can expect more electronic journals to appear online in the next few years—surely a benefit to scholarly communication. 

Here is the References entry: 

Sosteric, M. (1996). Electronic journals: The grand information future? Electronic Journal of Sociology, 4 (1). Retrieved June 7, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.sociology.org/content/ vol004.001/sosteric.html 

When using APA style, place a list of cited sources, arranged alphabetically, after the text of your essay but before any appendixes or explanatory notes. 

The Publication Manual also presents numerous variations that accommodate a variety of print sources (e.g., translations, government documents). For detailed information on creating a References list, see Chapter 3 of the Publication Manual, "APA Editorial Style." 

Using APA's "Electronic Reference Formats" and extending the citation practice of the Publication Manual to include Internet sources produces the following model: 

Online document

Author's name (last name, first and any middle initials). (Date of Internet publication). Document title. Retrieved date statement: URL or other retrieval information 

Internet sources differ in the kinds of information that are important for retrieval, and the model for each type of source reflects the information needed to retrieve that source. The following models enable you to document Internet sources in a manner consistent with the principles of APA style.²
 
 

1.	World Wide Web site

In providing guidelines for citing World Wide Web sites, "Electronic Reference Formats" notes, "All references begin with the same information that would be provided for a printed source (or as much of that information as is available). The Web information is then placed in a retrieval statement at the end of the reference. It is important to give the date of retrieval because documents on the Web may change in content, move, or be removed from a site altogether" (Citing specific documents on a Web site). 

To cite an entire Web site (but not a specific document on the site), simply give the site's URL in the text: 

Rainbow MOO is a virtual space designed especially for teachers and their elementary-school students (http://it.uwp.edu/rainbow). 

• Author's name 
• Date of publication or last revision (if known), in parentheses 
• Title of document 
• Title of complete work (if relevant), in italics or underlined 
• Other relevant information (volume number, page numbers, etc.) 
• Retrieval date statement 
• URL 

Personal site

Pellegrino, Joseph. (1998, December 16). Homepage. World Poetry Audio Library. Retrieved October 4, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.english.eku.edu/pellegrino/default.htm 

American Psychological Association. (1999). Electronic reference formats recommended by the American Psychological Association. Retrieved October 4, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.apa.org/journals/webref.html 

An online book may be the electronic text of part or all of a printed book, or a book-length document available only on the Internet (e.g., a work of hyperfiction). 

Bryant, P. (1999). Biodiversity and Conservation Retrieved October 4, 1999 from the World Wide Web: darwin.bio.uci.edu/ ~sustain/bio65/Titlpage.htm 

Fine, M., & Kurdek, L. A. (1993). Reflections on determining authorship credit and authorship order on faculty-student collaborations. American Psychologist, 48, 1141-1147. Retrieved June 7, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.apa.org/journals/amp/ kurdek.html 

Isaac. J. D., Sansone, C., & Smith, J. L. (1999, May). Other people as a source of interest in an activity [Abstract]. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 35, 239-265. Retrieved June 7, 1999 from IDEAL database on the World Wide Web: www.europe.idealibrary.com 

Adler, J. (1999, May 17). Ghost of Everest. Newsweek. Retrieved May 19, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://newsweek.com/ nw-srv/issue/20_99a/printed/int/socu/so0120_1.htm 

Azar, B., & Martin, S. (1999, October). APA's Council of Representatives endorses new standards for testing, hhighschool psychology. APA Monitor. Retrieved October 7, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct99/in1.html 

Parfit, M. (1997, December 7). Breathless. [Review of the book The climb: Tragic aambitionson Everest]. New York Times on the Web. Retrieved October 7, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://search.nytimes.com/books/97/12/07/reviews/971207.07parfitt.html 

Gray, J. (1999, May 7). Pesticides linger in land and air—and in our bodies [Letter to the editor]. Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved October 7, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/050799/lettersdocs/507letters.htm 

Bush, G. (1989, April 12). Principles of ethical conduct for government officers and employees. Exec. Order No. 12674. Pt. 1. Retrieved November 18, 1997 from the World Wide Web: http://www.usoge.gov/exorders/eo12674.html 

The "Electronic Reference Formats" rrecommendsthat email messages from individuals be cited as personal communications, as noted in the Publication Manual (pp. 173-174), and therefore not be included in the References. Here is how an in-text parenthetical reference to a personal email message might look. 

Bryan Burgin (personal communication, November 18, 1998) notified me that my proposal had been accepted. 

It is possible to send an email note disguised as someone else. Authors—not journal editors or copy editors—are responsible for the accuracy of all references, which includes verifying the source of email communications before citing them as personal communications in manuscripts. (Citing email communications)

To document a posting to a Web discussion forum, provide the following information: 

• Author's name 
• Date of posting, in parentheses 
• Title of posting 
• Type of message (if appropriate) 
• Retrieval date statement 
• URL 

Abeles, T. (1999, May 21). Technology and the future of higher education. Formal discussion initiation. Retrieved June 9, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://ifets.gmd.de/past_archives/archiv_150499_250899/0107.html 

Marcy, B. (1999, April 3). Think they'll find any evidence of Mallory & Irvine? Retrieved May 28, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://everest.mountainzone.com/99/forum 

To document a listserv message, provide the following information: 

• Author's name 
• Date of posting, in parentheses 
• Subject line of posting 
• Type of message, if appropriate 
• Retrieval date statement 
• Word listserv 
• Listserv address 

Holland, N. (1999, May 30). Re: Colorless green ideas. RRetrievedJune 2, 1999 from the listserv: http://web.clas.ufl.edu/ipsa/psyart.htm 

Parente, V. (1996, May 27). On expectations of class participation. Retrieved May 29, 1996 from the listserv: philosed@sued.syr.edu 

To document information posted in a newsgroup discussion, provide the following information: 

• Author's name 
• Date of posting, in parentheses 
• Subject line 
• Retrieval date statement 
• Word newsgroup 
• Name of newsgroup 

Brett. (1999, June 6). Experiments proving the collective unconscious. Retrieved June 8, 1999 from the newsgroup: alt.psychology.jung 

lrm583@aol.com (1996, May 26). Thinking of adoption. Retrieved May 29, 1996 from the newsgroup: alt.adoption 

To document a real-time communication, such as those posted in MOOs, MUDs, and IRCs, provide the following information: 

• Name of speaker(s) (if known), or name of site 
• Date of event, in parentheses 
• Title of event (if relevant) 
• Type of communication (e.g., group discussion, personal interview), if not indicated elsewhere in entry 
• Retrieval date statement 
• URL or other Internet address 

Fox, R. (1999, February 2). ENG 301 Class MOO: Concept mapping for Web project. Retrieved February 3, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://moo.du.org:8000 

Sowers, H., Fields, M., & Gurney, J. (1999, May 29). Online collaborative conference. Retrieved May 29, 1999 from LinguaMOO: telnet://lingua.utdallas.edu:8888 

The most common use of telnet is for participation in real-time communication (see 6b-6). Although the use of telnet for document retrieval has declined dramatically with increased Web access to texts, numerous archived documents are available only by telnet. To document a telnet site or a file available via telnet, provide the following information: 

• Name of author or agency 
• Date of publication, in parentheses 
• Title of document 
• Retrieval date statement, including name of database 
• Telnet address with directions for accessing document 

Aquatic Conservation Network. (n.d.). About the Aquatic Conservation Network. National Capital Freenet. telnet freenet.carleton .ca login as guest, go acn, press 1 (1996, May 28). 

Environmental Protection Agency. (1990). About the Clean Air Act (CAA) database. Retrieved June 2, 1999 from FedWorld Information Network: telnet fedworld.gov go Regulatory Agencies 

To document a file available for downloading via file transfer protocol, provide the following information: 

• Name of author or file 
• Date of publication, in parentheses 
• Size of document (if relevant) 
• Title of document 
• Retrieval date statement 
• Complete FTP address 

everest2.gif. (1993, April 4). 535K. Image of Mt. Everest. Retrieved June 3, 1999 from the World Wide Web: ftp://ftp.ntua.gr/pub/images/ views/sorted.by.type/Mountains/everest2.gif 

Mathews, J. (1992). Preface. In Numerical methods for mathematics, science, and engineering. Retrieved June 8, 1999 from the World Wide Web: ftp://ftp.ntua.gr/pub/netlib/textbook/index.html 

The gopher search protocol brings texts files from all over the world to your computer. Popular during the early 1990s, especially at universities, gopher was a step toward the World Wide Web's hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Although the advent of HTML documents and their retrieval on the Web has diminished the use of gopher, many documents can still be accessed. 

To document information obtained by using gopher, provide the following information: 

• Author's name 
• Date of online publication, in parentheses 
• Title of document 
• Any print publication information, italicized or underlined where appropriate 
• Retrieval date statement 
• Gopher address with directions for accessing document 

Goody, J. (1993, Spring). History and anthropology: Convergence and divergence. Bulletin of the Institute of Ethnology, 75 (2). Academia Sinica, 75. Retrieved June 2, 1999: gopher://gopher.sinica.edu.tw/00/ ioe/engbull/75b.txt 

Reference
American Psychological Association. (1994). Publication
    Manual of the American Psychological Association (4th ed.).
    Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
American Psychological Association (1999, August 9). Electronic
    reference formats recommended by the American Psychological
    Association. Retrieved October 4, 1999 from the World Wide Web:
    http://www.apa.org/journals/webref.html

²These documentation models are much more compact than those suggested by others (Land, 1995; Li & Crane, 1993, 1996). The preliminary models in the Publication Manual, drawn from Li and Crane (1993), include descriptive expressions such as "[On-line]," "Available:," and "Hostname:," which are not necessary for understanding Internet specifications and also place potentially misleading symbols near electronic addresses. (Return to text.) 
 
 

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