How to Cite a Summary of a Magazine Article in APA Format

Some magazine articles require the APA format.

If you have to write a paper for a high school or college class, you may have to cite your references using APA style. APA stands for the "American Psychological Association." This style is also used in articles submitted to certain scholarly journals. If you are going to cite a magazine source, there are particular guidelines that you must follow.

Instructions

Article With Author

1. Give the author's name with the last name written first followed by the first and middle initials. An example might be: Jones, S. H.

2. Provide the date in parentheses with the year, month and day. Place a period at the end. An example would be: Jones, S. H. (2010, February 21).

3. Give the title of the article with only the first letter of the first word capitalized. If there is a semi-colon in the title, also capitalize the first letter of the following word, as in: Jones, S. H. (2010, February 21). Playing the piano: Ten easy steps.

4. Provide the name of the magazine in italics. Consider the following example: Jones, S. H. (2010, February 21). Playing the piano: Ten easy steps. Young Pianist. The title "Young Pianist" would be italicized.

5. Give the volume number of the magazine followed by the page number of the articles, as in: Jones, S. H. (2010, February 21). Playing the piano: Ten easy steps. Young Pianist, (3), 88-90. The volume number would be in parentheses and italicized. The page numbers should not be in parentheses or italicized.

6. Use hanging indents for all your references. This means the first line of the citation is 1 inch from the edge of the paper, and the following lines are 1.5 inches from the left edge. All lines must be double spaced.

Article With No Author

1. Give the title of the article first, such as: "How to train your dog."

2. Follow the title with the date in parentheses. "How to train your dog." (2009, May 1).

3. Give the magazine's name and volume number in italics, such as: "How to train your dog." (2009, May 1). Dog Trainer World, (2). ("Dog Trainer World, (2)" would be italicized.)

4. Provide the page numbers: "How to train your dog." (2009, May 1). Dog Trainer World, (2), 44-47.

5. Follow the same indentation and spacing rules as you would for a magazine article with an author.

References

• Ohio State University Libraries: APA Citation Guide
• Landmark College: APA Citation Style, 6th Edition