Library

The purpose of a reference list is to provide enough unique information so a reader can retrieve listed items easily in a library search. When in doubt provide more information rather than less. The "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association," (Sixth Edition) was used to construct this guide.

• Last Names, First

  One Author

  List the author by last name first, then initial(s).

  • Luby, J. L. (2006). Handbook of preschool mental health: Development, disorders, and treatment. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

  
  Two to Seven Authors

  With two or more names but less than eight, use an ampersand (&) before the last name.

  • Lightfoot, C., Cole, M., & Cole, S. (2009). The development of children. New York, NY: Worth.

  
  Eight or More Authors

  Eight or more authors, include the first six, followed by three ellipsis points (...), and add the last author.

  • Gilbert, D. G., McClernon, J. F., Rabinovitch, R. E., Sugai, C., Plath, L. C., Asgaard, G.,... Botros, N. (2004). Effects of quitting smoking on EEG activation and attention last for more than 31 days and are more severe with stress, dependence, DRD2 A1 allele, and depressive traits. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 6, 249-267.
• Editors

  Books

  1. To refer to an edited book, put the editor's names first and enclose the abbreviation (Ed.) or (Eds.) in parentheses after the last editor.
  2. Give initials and surnames for all editors, regardless of the number of editors.
  3. When referring to a specific section of an edited book, use the abbreviation for page (p. or pp.).
  4. When an editor's name is not in the author position, write the initial(s) first, then the last name (note the placement of "M. Lewis," and "Berch, & M. M. M. Mazzocco" in the examples below).

  • Tate, G., & Corbett, E. P. J. (Eds.). (1988). The writing teacher's sourcebook (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

  • Yarrow, L. J., & Messer, D. J. (1983). Motivation and cognition in infancy. In M. Lewis (Ed.), Origins of intelligence: Infancy and early childhood (2nd ed., pp. 451-478). New York: Plenum.

  • Donlan, C. (2007). Mathematical development in children with specific language impairments. In D. B. Berch, & M. M. M. Mazzocco (Eds.), Why is math so hard for some children?: The nature and origins of mathematical learning difficulties and disabilities (pp. 151-172). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
• Titles

  Books

  Write the title of a book as you would a sentence, i.e., the first word is capitalized, as are any proper names and, any words following a colon. The title is italicized.

  • Shotton, M. A. (1989). Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency. London, England: Taylor & Francis.

  Journals

  Write the title of the journal in italics with each word capitalized and the volume number (which in the example below is 8). The title of the article is in sentence case.

  • Light, M. A., & Light, I. H. (2008). The geographic expansion if Mexican immigration in the United States and its implications fro local law enforcement. Law Enforcement Executive Forum Journal, 8(1), 78-82.
• Extra Information: Volumes & Editions

  Books

  Other information necessary for identification and retrieval (e.g., 2nd ed. or Vol.4) goes in parentheses right after the title without any period or comma separating this information from the title.

  • Wing, L. (Ed.). (1976). Early childhood autism: Clinical, educational and social aspects (2nd ed.). Oxford, NY: Pergamon.

  Journals

  If each issue of a journal begins with page 1, give the issue number in parentheses after the volume number. The issue and page numbers are not italicized.

  • Blanco, P. J., & Ray, D. C. (2011). Play therapy in elementary schools: A best practice for improving academic achievement. Journal of Counseling & Development, 89(2), 235-243.
• Publication Information
  Books

  1. Write the name of the city, and the two-letter postal code, such as NY.
  2. If outside the US write the city, followed by the country.
  3. Give the name of the publisher in a brief form.
  4. Omit unnecessary terms such as Publishers, Co., or Inc. But, keep the word Books and Press.
  5. If more than one publisher location is given, give the location listed first in the book.

  • Levine, L. E., & Munsch, J. (2011). Child development: An active learning approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Ben-Ari, E. (1996). Japanese childcare: An interpretive study of culture and organization. London, England: Kegan Paul.
• ERIC

  Online

  Give the ERIC number in parentheses at the end of the entry.

  • Howe, R. W., & Kasten, M. (1992). Students at risk in mathematics: Prevention and recovery in elementary schools. Retrieved from ERIC database (ED350175)