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APA Citation

Date Information

Years must match

The year information in the in-text citation must match the year information in the reference list citation.

 

Example in-text citation:

The economic wellbeing of both Canada and Mexico is dependent on their relations with the United States (Clarkson & Mildenberger, 2011).  

Example reference list citation:

Clarkson, S., & Mildenberger, M. (2011). Dependent America?: How Canada and Mexico construct U.S. power. University of Toronto Press.

 

Do not use exact dates in in-text citations

Use only the year in the in-text citation, even if the reference list entry contains a more specific date (e.g., year, month, month and day).

 

Example in-text citation

Gunn (2025) describes her struggles to make ends meet; for her even condiments are "a luxury" (p. 32). 

Fishman (2025) argues that being media literate is crucial for democracy.

Example reference list citation:

Gunn, J. (2025, August). Confessions of the working poor. Maclean's, 138(7), 28-36.

Fishman, A. (2025, May 6). Opinion: Why media literacy should be mandatory in B.C. classrooms. The Vancouver Sun. https://vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/opinion-why-media-literacy-should-be-mandatory-in-b-c-classrooms

 

No date

For works with no date, use “n.d.” in the date information spot.

 

Example in-text citation

As of June 2025, the United States is the third most populous country in the world (U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.)

Example reference list citation:

U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). U.S. and world population clock. U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://www.census.gov/popclock/

 

Works not yet published

For works that have been accepted for publication but have not yet been published, use “in press.” in the date information spot.

 

Example in-text citation

A recent study by Jessop (in press) found that ,,,,,

Example reference list citation:

Jessop, C. (in press) ....