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Learning Commons
Learning Commons
Articles are found in journals, magazines, and newspapers. However, it can be confusing to find articles because journals and magazines are also called periodicals. During your studies you will be accessing electronic and print articles. The most difficult task when citing articles is establishing what type and format you are using.
Journals are generally scholarly (often referred to as academic or peer-reviewed), and magazines are commonly more for general use.
If a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is listed on either a print or an electronic source and must be included in the reference list. A DOI is a unique alphanumeric code that identifies a certain source.
Example: doi:87.1678/16076320414622005
The DOI is commonly found on the first page of an article. For more information on DOIs and sample pictures indicating where to locate a DOI on a source, see pages 188 to 192 of the APA Manual.
The DOI flow chart created by APA staff is very useful. To learn more about DOIs see the tutorial video created by APA.
FAQs about the DOI system from the International DOI Foundation.
When a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is listed on the journal article or in the database record, include it in your reference. If no DOI, use the Free DOI Lookup from CrossRef.org to find the article's DOI.
If you have accessed a journal article on the Internet, and if there is no DOI, then give the URL of the journal's website.
REMEMBER: EBSCHost is NOT a database. You must locate the exact title of the database from which you are viewing or downloading the article.
Reference list entry for an article retrieved from a licensed database.
Example ONE - Journal Article with a DOI
Format:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article: Subtitle of article. Title of Journal, volume (issue),
page range. doi:xxxxxxxxx
Example:
Simons, M., Bernaards, C., & Slinger, J. (2012). Active gaming in Dutch adolescents: A
descriptive study. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity,
9(1), 118-128. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-9-118
If an article that has been accessed online through your library's licensed databases and does not have a DOI, then the citation ends with the URL of the journal's website, even if you actually retrieved the article through a database.
Example TWO - Journal Article without a DOI
Howard, K. R. (2007). Childhood overweight: Parental perceptions and readiness for
change. The Journal of School Nursing, 23, 73-79. Retrieved from
permalink from the database
The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University offers an online resource which can be used in some cases. However, it does not include everything required for citing sources in one place.
The APA citation style does not cover Canadian government sources, and has only a limited section on American government resources.
Please refer to the staff at the Library Reference Desk for clarification when citing Canadian government sources.