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Home » Writer's Handbook » APA Documentation

Cite an electronic source

In general, you should cite an electronic source within your paper in the same way as you would a print source, by placing the author's last name (or short title of the source, if there is no author) and year of publication in parentheses.

Source with a DOI

If a publication includes a digital object identifier (DOI), a permanent identifier for an electronic publication, use that instead of a URL

Gaudio, J. L., & Snowdon, C. T. (2008). Spatial cues more salient than color cues in cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) reversal learning. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 122, 441-444. doi: 10.1037/0735-7036.122.4.441

Source without a DOI

If you retrieved a journal or newspaper article online but it does not have a DOI use "Retrieved from http:// . . . ," using the URL for the journal or newspaper's home page

Barringer, F. (2009, Sept. 14). Hawaii tries green tools in remaking power grid. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

Park, A. (2009, Sept. 14). A shot at cancer. Time 174(10), 32-39. Retrieved from www.time.com/

Journal article with page numbers

If you're referencing an electronic version of a journal article that appears in print and has page numbers (in a PDF, for example)use page numbers; no URL

Alibali, M. W., Phillips, K. M. O., & Fischer, A. D. (2009). Learning new problem-solving strategies leads to changes in problem representation. Cognitive Development, 24, 89-101. doi:10.1016

Sources retrieved from online databases

If you found a source through an online database do not list the database (such as PsycARTICLES, ScienceDirect, EBSCO, LexisNexis, ProQuest) you used to find an article; use "Retrieved from http:// . . ." using the URL for the magazine, journal, or newspaper's home page

Alibali, M. W., Phillips, K. M. O., & Fischer, A. D. (2009). Learning new problem-solving strategies leads to changes in problem representation. Cognitive Development, 24, 89-101. doi:10.1016/j.cogdev.2008.12.005

Park, A. (2009, Sept. 14). A shot at cancer. Time 174(10), 32-39. Retrieved from www.time.com/