APSA Citation - Learn How to Cite With Examples

APSA citation is a style of referencing used in political science and related fields. APSA stands for American Political Science Association, which publishes the APSA Style Manual for Political Science. 

This manual provides guidelines for citing sources, formatting papers, and writing clearly and consistently.

In this blog post, we will explain how to cite in APSA citation style, with examples and tips for different types of sources. 

We will also show you how to format your paper, in-text citations, and reference page in APSA. 

By the end of this post, you will be able to cite sources in APSA citation style with confidence and ease.

APSA Paper Formatting

Before we dive into the details of citing sources, let’s first review the general formatting rules for your paper, which include title page and paper settings:

APSA Title Page Formatting

The first step to follow the APSA style is to create a title page, which should include the following information: 

• Use Times New Roman, 12 pt, and leave one inch on each side of the page.
• Write your paper title in the middle of the page. It should be about one-third from the top. 
• Capitalize the first letter of each word cap, but not for words like “the” or “and”. 
• A few lines below the title, write your name, class information, and date. Each of them should be on a separate line.
• Do not write anything else on the title page, including the page number or running head.

Here is what a title page should look like:

APSA Page Settings

As the APSA citation style is an extension of the Chicago Style, it will follow the same paper formatting rules which are:

Font: Use a standard font, such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri, in 12-point size.

Margin Spacing: The margin spacing should be 1 inch on all sides.

Line Spacing: Double-space your text, including the title page, abstract, main body, and reference page.

Text Alignment: Align your text to the left and use a ragged right margin.

Formatting In-Text Citation in APSA Style

APSA uses the author-date method of Chicago Style for in-text citations or parenthetical citations. 

Parenthetical citation? is when you put the source information in parentheses at the end of the sentence or paragraph that contains the citation. 

The format of the parenthetical citation depends on the type of source you are citing, but generally, it includes the following elements:

• Author’s last name 
• Year/Date of publication

For Example:

Different Cases of In-Text Citation in APSA Style

Here are different cases you can encounter when adding in-text citations in APSA Style:

Author Name Already Mentioned:

If the author’s name is mentioned in the text, you do not need to repeat it in the citation. 

For example:

Two Authors: 

If the source has two authors, include both names in the citation, separated by “and”. 

For example:

Multiple Authors:

If the source has three or more authors, include only the first author’s name followed by “et al.” in the citation. 

For example:

No Author:

If the source has no author, use the title or a shortened version of it in the citation, in quotation marks or italics, depending on the type of source. 

For example:

No Date:

If the source has no date, use “n.d.” in the citation. 

For example:

Multiple Sources:

If you are citing multiple sources in the same citation, separate them by semicolons and order them alphabetically by the first author’s last name.

For example:

Formatting Different Sources in APSA Reference List

The format of the in-text citation is the same for all types of sources, but the format of the reference page entry varies depending on the type of source. 

The reference page is a list of all the sources you cited in your paper, arranged alphabetically by the first author’s last name. 

Here are some formats and examples of how to format different sources in APSA style, with the corresponding in-text citations:

Book

Basic Format:

Author’s name. Year of publication. Title of the book. Place of publication: Publisher.

For Example:

Book (Two Authors):

Author and Author. Year of Publication. Title of the book. Place of Publication: Publisher.

For Example:

Book Chapter:

Author. Year of Publication. "Chapter Title." In Book Title, edited by Editor, Page Numbers. Place of Publication: Publisher.

For Example:

Journal Article

Basic Format: 

Author’s name. Year of publication. “Title of the article.” Title of the journal Volume number (Issue number): Page range.

For Example:

Journal Article (Two Authors):

Author and Author. Year of publication. “Title of the article.” Title of the journal Volume number (Issue number): Page range.

For Example:

Journal Article (Online):

Author. Year of publication. “Title of the article.” Title of the journal Volume number (Issue number): Page range. DOI/URL. Accessed Date.

For Example:

Website

Basic Format:

Author’s name or Organization name. Year of publication or last update (if available). “Title of the web page.” Title of the website. Date of access. URL.

For Example:

Website (No Author)

 “Title of the web page.” Title of the website. Date of access. URL.

For Example:

Take a look at this example to have a better understanding of a reference list in APSA Style:

Try Our New and Improved Citation Machine

If you want to save time and avoid errors when citing sources in APSA style, you can use our new and improved citation machine. 

Our APSA citation machine is a free online tool that can help you generate accurate and consistent citations and references in APSA style. 

All you need to do is select the type of source you want to cite and enter the relevant information. 

Our citation machine is versatile and can also help you cite various other sources, such as APA, MLA, Harvard, etc.