The author-date style is so named because references begin by listing the authors of a source followed by the date of publication. The text citations, too, gives the author and date of the source, and just the author and date (unless a page number is cited for a quotation). Thus the citation in the text, for example, (Bates, 1995), connects with the reference in the reference list which begins: Bates, J. K. (1995).

Citations and references are (almost) always paired. You cannot reference something you do not cite, and generally, vice versa (an exception is made for personal communications, which are cited but not referenced). Nor can you reference material that does not exist or is no longer retrievable. If a Web page is no longer available when you finish your paper you cannot cite and reference it (from personal experience I know that editors do check!). When using the APA author-date system reference what you cite, cite what you reference, and makes sure all sources are available.

There are just two other styles in addition to the author-date system. These are the bibliography style and the endnote/footnote style. The bibliography style is used by the Modern Language Association. The endnote system is used in medicine, and footnotes are used in history. APA style makes no provision for a bibliography, that is, a list of interesting sources that were not cited in the text. The style does make provision for referencing some sources in footnotes, but only in very rare circumstances (e.g., with tables).

References are composed of elements. In APA style there are four basic elements found in all references. The basic elements are: author, date, title, and publication information (publisher). Additional information is added on as needed. For example, the retrieval statement has come into use with the advent of the Internet. This is the part of the reference where the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) goes for online sources. Other add-on statements may indicate where a document might be found, or when it was originally published. These statements will be addressed in lesson 3. Consistencies in the elements, from one type of source to another, reveal the underlying logic to the APA reference style. Without this understanding APA references can appear to be a mass of arbitrary detail. With this understanding most APA references are easier to compose.

The goal in the process of documentation is to link an idea or quote in the text to a reference that has enough information to allow the reader to find the source. Books and journal articles are the standard fare of research writing, but there are many other sources that might be cited. It may be necessary to add additional information to the reference to enable the reader to find it, such as the URL (Uniform Resource Locator), or even the street address of the publisher of a report that might not find its way to most libraries. APA style makes provision for these sources, too. The key question when composing references: Can the reader find the source?

2.1.  APA Documentation: Authors and Citations
Every source has an author. Most of the time those authors are known, but not always. Sometimes the author given is a group or corporate entity, like the American Psychological Association. But many newspaper articles have no identifiable author. Irrespective of the type of document being referenced, APA style follows the same rules.

Citation:  (Brewer, Scherzer, Van Raalte, Petitpas, & Andersen, 2001).   Next citation (Trick 1): (Brewer et al., 2001).

Trick 1.  When there are three to five authors to a reference, all three, four, or five, are listed in the first citation. Thereafter, just the lead author is given followed by et al. In the example above all five authors are listed. But the next citation is (Brewer, et al., 2001).

Trick 2.  A comparable trick is used with group authors. The first citation follows this form: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2001, sec 3.43). The acronym APA (technically, it is an initialism) is inserted after the full name of the organization in square brackets. Thereafter, just the acronym is used: (APA, 2001, sec 3.43).

Note. These tricks can cause confusion. If the first and subsequent citations are close together, and used frequently thereafter, then the reader is not likely to be confused. But if you cite the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) early in your paper, then again 20 pages later, the reader may not remember what ICMJE stands for. This is less of a problem with a list of names. But, while they are given as rules in the APA Manual, they are really tricks intended to improve the readability of the text by not cluttering it up with long-winded citations. Their use is governed by the overriding demand for clarity. If instructions like this confuse the reader rather than add clarity, then don't follow them. That's why APA101 labels them as "tricks."

2.2.  APA Documentation: Publication Dates (A Passion for Parentheses!)
APA style loves parentheses. It seems to use them in references wherever it can. Got a bit of information you don't know what to do with? Put it parentheses and stick it somewhere. While this is a bit of an exaggeration, APA style puts dates in parentheses, along with the number of an edition (after the title), the abbreviation (Ed.) after the name of an editor, the page and editions of (edited volumes), and the (number of a report). You don't have to remember this stuff, just be aware that APA style loves parentheses.

Wilson, E. O. (1998, March). Back from chaos. Atlantic Monthly, 281, 41-62.

Goleman, D. (1991, October 24). Battle of insurers vs. therapists. New York Times, pp. D1, D9.

Note. Only the year is included in text citations: (Wilson, 1998; Goleman, 1991).

2.3.  APA Documentation: Titles & Capitalization

Two title formats are recognized in APA style: the titles of works that stand alone, and the titles of works that are parts of other works. The first group is set in italics; the second left as plain text.