NUR 6020 (Advanced Nursing Research): APA

A copy of the Concise Rules of APA Style (6th edition) is available at the Atherton Library Reference Desk.

If your article was retrieved online and does not have a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), you will need to cite the homepage of the periodical.  Ulrichsweb is a database of periodical literature.  Search Ulrichsweb for the title of the PERIODICAL (not the article).  The periodical's homepage can be found in the record retrieved.  You can also find out if the periodical is classified as a popular/trade magazine or a scholarly/academic journal.

Sample record in Ulrichsweb:

Guidelines and models are based on the format presented in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010, 6th ed.). Individual instructors may have additional requirements for student papers. 

The American Psychological Association's own style site is the most accurate and up-to-date guide to the sixth edition of their publication manual.  Below is a list of APA's Official Resources:

The guides below  cover basic formatting information, include in-text citation examples and provide a selection of references based on their respective subject area.

In addition, you count with tutoring support provided by Center for Academic Success to help you using APA Style. You can stop by either at Hawaii Loa Campus in the ETC (3rd floor) or Downtown campus at LB building Meader Library (6th floor).

• The References list should be double-spaced. Each entry should be formatted with a hanging indent (p.180).

• References cited in text must appear in the References list and vice versa. The only exceptions to this rule are personal communications and classical works; they are cited in text only and are not included in the References list (p.174).

• Use only the initial(s) of the author’s given name, not the full name (p.184).

• If the References list includes 2 or more entries by the same author(s), list them in chronological order with the earliest first (p. 182).

•  If the author’s name is unavailable, use the first few words of the title of the article, book or Web source, including the appropriate capitalization and italics formatting (pp.176-177). E.g. (Scientists Say, 2000).

• Arrange References entries in one alphabetical sequence by the surname of the first author or by title or first word if there is no author (pp.181-183). Ignore the words A, An, and The when alphabetizing by title.

• In titles and subtitles of articles, chapters, and books, capitalize only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns, except in parenthetical (in text) citations (p.185).

• Italicize book titles, journal titles, and volume numbers. Do NOT italicize issue numbers.

• If a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is listed on either a print or an electronic source it is included in the reference (pp.187-192). 

• When the References entry includes a URL that must be divided between two lines, break it before a slash or dash or at another logical division point  and Do NOT add a period after the URL (p.192). 

DOI stands for digital object identifier and it is a unique alphanumeric string that is used to identify a certain source (typically journal articles).  

Not all journal articles have DOIs but per APA style if an article has a DOI you must use it in the citation. 

Example:  McCoy, H., Vaughn, M. G., Maynard, B. R., & Salas-Wright, C. P. (2014). Caution or warning? A validity study of the                                                               MAYSI-2 with juvenile offenders. Behavioral Sciences & The Law, 32(4), 508-526. doi:10.1002/bsl.2128

Most databases provide DOI information, for articles that have them, in the articles' descriptions record. DOI are sometimes placed above or at the top or bottom of an article's first page.