APA 5th edition Referencing Guide
(updated Mar 2024)


Last updated:
How to do citations in APA 5th edition style?

This is the Citationsy guide to APA 5th edition citations, reference lists, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
The complete, comprehensive guide shows you how easy citing any source can be. Referencing books, youtube videos, websites, articles, journals, podcasts, images, videos, or music in APA 5th edition.

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cite APA 5th edition  — Referencing Guide



How do you cite a book in the APA 5th edition referencing style? (2024 Guide)

One of the most cited mediums is of course books. Here’s how to cite a book in APA 5th edition

Here’s an example book citation in APA 5th edition using placeholders:
Last Name, F. N. (2000). Title. (E. F. N. Editor Last Name, Ed.) (Edition.). City: Publisher.
So if we want to cite, for example, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou we’d do so like this:
APA 5th edition citation:
Angelou, M. (1969). I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1st ed.). New York: Random House.
And an in-text citation book citation in APA 5th edition looks like this: (Angelou, 1969)


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How to reference a journal article in the APA 5th edition citation style?

How do you cite scientific papers in APA 5th edition format?

The basic information included in your citation will be the same across all styles. However, the format in which that information is presented is somewhat different depending on style you need. To cite a paper in APA 5th edition, follow this example

Here’s a APA 5th edition journal citation example using placeholders:
Author1 LastnameA. F., & Author3 LastnameA. F. (2000). Title. Container, Volume(Issue), pages Used. Journal Name. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from URL
So if we want to reference this scientific article: “Testing consumer preferences for iced-coffee: Does the drinking environment have any influence?” by C. Petit and J.M. Sieffermann in APA 5th edition:
Petit, C., & Sieffermann, J. (2007). Testing consumer preferences for iced-coffee: Does the drinking environment have any influence?, 18(1), 161-172. Food Quality and Preference. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2006.05.008
And an in-text citation would look like this: (Petit & Sieffermann, 2007)


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How to cite a website in a paper in APA 5th edition style?

Have you come across a news article, blogpost or essay on the web and are not sure how to reference in APA 5th edition? Here’s how to easily cite it

Here’s an APA 5th edition example website reference:
Author1 LastnameA. F., & Author2 LastnameA. F. (2000, January 1). Title. Publisher. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://www.example.com
To reference the article located at this link:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/uselections20083
on The Guardian website:
Tran, M. (2008, November 5). Barack Obama To Be America’s First Black President. The Guardian. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/uselections20083
And an in-text citation would look like this: (Tran, 2008)

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How to cite a YouTube video APA 5th edition in 2024

If you’ve previously cited a video from a website in APA 5th edition, then the process for citing a video from YouTube is basically the same. Here’s how to do it

Here’s a APA 5th edition citation YouTube video example:
ChannelName. (2000, January 1). Title. YouTube. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXX
So how to cite a video APA 5th edition?
Pixar. (2015, June 3). Pizza Clip — Inside Out. YouTube. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W6rntBADUQ
And an in-text video citation would look like this: (Pixar, 2015)

How to cite a podcast using APA 5th edition referencing style

Are you listening to a podcast and you want to use it in your essay or presentation? Here’s how to cite it in APA 5th edition

It is becoming more and more common to reference podcasts in essays or other school work.
Here’s how to reference a podcast it in APA 5th edition.
Lastname, F. (2000, January 1). Title. Publisher. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from http://www.example.com
Podcast referencing example in APA 5th edition using “This American Life” episode 640:
This American Life. (2018, March 2). 640: Five Women. WBEZ Radio. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://thisamericanlife.org/640/five-women
And an in-text citation would look like this: (This American Life, 2018)

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How to cite a piece of music or a song using APA 5th edition referencing style?

Many people think that referencing songs or lyrics to songs isn’t common practise. That’s why we’re here to make it as simple and easy for you to reference a song in APA 5th edition. This is all you need

An example song citation in APA 5th edition.
Lastname, F. (2000). Song Title. Album. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from http://www.example.com
Let‘s say we want to reference “Here Comes the Sun” off The Beatles “Abbey Road” album in APA 5th edition:
The Beatles. (1969). Here Comes the Sun. Abbey Road. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/here-comes-the-sun/401186200?i=401187150
And an in-text citation would look like this: (The Beatles, 1969)


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