Research Guides: APA Citation Guide (7th Edition): Encyclopedias & Dictionaries (Reference Works) (2024)

FAQs

How to cite an encyclopedia in APA 7th edition? ›

Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary (Volume number if any, pp. first page of entry-last page of entry or p. page number for one page entry). Publication City, Province, State or Country: Publisher Name often shortened.

Author A. A. (Date). Title of entry. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Name of dictionary/encyclopedia (edition, if not the first). Publisher.

An APA in-text citation consists of the author's last name and the year of publication (also known as the author-date system). If you're citing a specific part of a source, you should also include a locator such as a page number or timestamp. For example: (Smith, 2020, p. 170).

The English language Encyclopædia Britannica and German Brockhaus are general encyclopedias. Some are about specific topics. For example, there are encyclopedias of medicine or philosophy. Others include the Dictionary of National Biography, the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, and Black's Law Dictionary.

If an encyclopedia or dictionary entry does not indicate a specific author or co-authors, begin the citation with a group author such as Merriam-Webster or American Psychological Association, followed by the year of publication in round brackets.

For APA, you use the authors' surnames only and the year in text. If you are using a direct quote, you will also need to use a page number. Parenthetical citations: If an in-text citation has the authors' names in brackets use "&" between the authors' names : (Jones & Smith, 2020, p. 29).

Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines: Set page margins to 1 inch on all sides. Double-space all text, including headings. Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches. Use an accessible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.).

In-text citations - author and date. APA7 style requires that in-text citations consist of the author(s) and date, in brackets, with a comma in between, eg; (Smith, 2020).

What does APA format look like? ›

An APA-style paper includes the following sections: title page, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and references. Your paper may also include one or more tables and/or figures. Different types of information about your study are addressed in each of the sections, as described below.

APA stands for: The American Psychological Association, which is an organization that compiled a set of style rules for academic writing. For more information on how it started, go to the About APA Style page on the APA Style Blog.

APA Style provides a foundation for effective scholarly communication because it helps writers present their ideas in a clear, precise, and inclusive manner.

Encyclopedia or Dictionary Entry In Print

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Entry." Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary, edited by Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number, Publisher Name, Year of Publication, pp. First Page - Last Page.

Name of Reference Source (if a book like Encyclopedia Britannica put it in italics), s.v. “Title of entry,” by Author First Name Author Last Name (if it has one), accessed date, URL.

There are two titles: the title of the encyclopedia (e.g. "Wikipedia") and the title of the article (e.g. "France"). The article is a summary of the most basic facts about a certain topic. The title of the article is not a full sentence. Instead, it's just the subject of the article (e.g. “France”).