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Citing Electronic Resources With APA

The following Works Cited/Bibliography examples are only guidelines

Not all of your sources will fit the following; therefore, you may need to consult the APA Manual available at the Cornerstone Area beside the Reference Desk. If you have questions about how to cite sources, feel free to ask a Reference Librarian or your instructor.

Where will I cite my sources in my paper?

You will need to cite your sources in two places—within your paper as an in-text or parenthetical citation and at the end of your paper in a Bibliography or Works Cited list.

In-text Citation Examples:

Typically, in-text citations will include the author(s) last name and the publication year of the material (Smith 2004). However, some materials, like World Wide Web pages, do not identify an author and/or page number. An example of how to create an in-text citation for World Wide Web pages is given below.

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Examples of Common Citations

Online Journal/Magazine Articles

Online Subscription Services (Databases)

Online Encyclopedias

World Wide Web Sites

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Online Journal/Magazine Articles

These are articles found online that can come from print sources (i.e. Time, Newsweek, etc.) or be based solely online (Journal of Electronic Publishing, Journal of Mythic Studies). You will need to note in your citation when and where you found the article. If it is an online version of a print article, you will need to note this by indicating that is an [Electronic version], after the title. The following Works Cited/Bibliography examples are only guidelines; utilize the APA Manual for additional examples.

Article based on a Print Source:

What you need:

  1. Author(s)
  2. Publication Date
  3. Title
  4. Source (magazine/journal name)
  5. Volume & Issue Number
  6. Date you accessed the information
  7. URL

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

McGinn, D. (2005, June 27). Rewinding a video giant [Electronic version].
Newsweek, 145(26). Retrieved July 12, 2005, from
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8259044/site/newsweek.

*note* Only the first letter of the first word of the title is capitalized.

Article from an Internet-Only Source

What you need:

  1. Author(s) name
  2. Publication date
  3. Title
  4. Source (magazine/journal name)
  5. Volume & Issue Number
  6. Date you accessed the information
  7. URL

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

Siiner, M., & Jesper, H. (2002). An unraveling of principles we all have to use. Psycholoquy, 13. Retrieved July 18, 2005, from http://psycprints.ecs.stoton.ac.uk/archive/00000211

Online Subscription Sources (Databases)

Online subscription sources are journal, magazine, or newspaper articles found through a UCF library database. These articles will not be found by searching the World Wide Web using a search engine like Google or Yahoo. Each database may differ slightly; therefore, several examples are provided below. The following Works Cited/Bibliography examples are only guidelines; utilize the APA Manual for additional examples.

What you need:

  1. Author(s) name
  2. Publication date
  3. Title
  4. Source (journal, magazine, newspaper, etc.)
  5. Volume & Issue Number
  6. Page number(s) (if available)
  7. Date you accessed the information
  8. Database name
LEXIS-NEXIS Academic:
Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

Read, B. (2005, March 18). Seriously, iPods are educational. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 30. Retrieved July 5, 2005, from LEXIS-NEXIS Academic database.

Academic Search Premier on EBSCO
Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

Quinn, R.G. Mothers, molls, and misogynists: resisting Italian womanhood in the Sopranos. Journal of American Culture, 27(2), 166-174. Retrieved July 5, 2005, from Academic Search Premiere EBSCO database.

*note* 27(2) indicates that this article is found in volume 27, issue 2.

ABI/Inform Global Suite
Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

Ansen, D. (2005, July 11). Is anybody making movies we'll actually watch in 50 years? Newsweek, 146(2), 62+. Retrieved July 12, 2005, from ABI Inform/Global database.

*note* 62+ indicates that the page numbers are not consecutive (i.e. the article is on pages 62, 63, 64, and 80. This is often the case with Newspaper and Magazine articles.


Online Encyclopedias:

Online encyclopedias, like Encyclopedia Britannica Online, can be accessed through the library or the World Wide Web. Many of these sources will provide a suggested citation for each article. However, not all will be adapted to APA style. The following Works Cited/Bibliography examples are only guidelines; utilize the APA Manual for additional examples.

What you need:

  1. Entry name
  2. Date of entry
  3. Source (encyclopedia name)
  4. Date you accessed the information
  5. Database name
  6. URL
Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

Jazz Poetry. (2005). Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved July 12, 2005, from Encyclopaedia Brittanica Online at http://search.eb.com/eb/article?tocId=9125209


World Wide Web Sites:

There are many different kinds of web sites, so it is impossible to give just one set of precise instructions for citation format. If you can not find some of the information needed, cite what is available. The following Works Cited/Bibliography examples are only guidelines; utilize the APA Guidebook for additional examples.

What you need (at minimum):

  1. Site title (if there is no title use a description such as "Home Page")
  2. Publication date (use n.d. if no date is specified)
  3. Date you accessed the information
  4. URL

What you need (if available):

  1. Author(s)/Editor(s) name
  2. Organization/Institution name associated with the site
In-text Citation Format:

While younger activists admired King, tension was created when he decided not to participate in 1961's Freedom Rides (Carson 2005).

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

Carson, C. (Ed.). (2005). The Martin Luther King, Jr. papers project. Retrieved July 14, 2005 from http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king

Border, N. (n.d.). Home Page. Retrieved July 12, 2005, from
http://mypage.iu.edu/~nborder/

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This page is adapted from a guide by Indiana University, which credits the following sources

Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. (5th ed.) (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Asssociation.

Electronic reference formats recommended by the American Psychological Assocation. (2000, October 12). Wshington, DC: American Psychological Assocation. Retrieved August 30, 2001, from http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html

Li, X., & Crane, N.B. (1996). Electronic styles: A handbook for citing electronic information. (2nd ed.) Medford: NJ: Information Today.

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Need More Help?

If you have questions or need additional assistance, Ask a Librarian, call the Reference Department at (407) 823-2562, or e-mail the Department at askalibrarian@mail.ucf.edu.

The University Writing Center is another available resource for help with proper citation as well as any other writing related questions.

Also, feel free to schedule a Research Consultation for a one-on-one meeting with a librarian for additional help with your research needs.

Last Updated: January 30, 2008