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APA Citation Guide (6th edition): Magazine Articles

This guide shows you how to cite using APA 6th edition

How Do I Know If It's a Magazine?

Multiple magazines with covers facing out on display. Image from Flickr by Mannobhai

Photo courtesy of Flickr by Manoj Jacob. Available under a Creative Commons license.

Not sure whether your article is from a magazine? Look for these characteristics:

Popular magazines:

  • Main purpose is to entertain, sell products or promote a viewpoint.
  • Appeal to the general public.
  • Often have many photos and illustrations, as well as many advertisements.
  • Author may or may not have subject expertise.
  • Name and credentials of authors often NOT provided.
  • Articles tend to be short –less than 5 pages.
  • Unlikely to have a bibliography or references list.

Trade magazines:

  • Main purpose is to update and inform readers on current trends in a specific industry or trade.
  • Audience is members of a specific industry or trade or professors and students in that trade or industry.
  • May have photos and numerous advertisements, but still assume that readers understand specific jargon of the profession.
  • Usually published by an association.
  • Authors are professionals working in the specific industry or trade.

Articles may also come from journals or newspapers.

Tips

Author

If a magazine article has no author, start the citation with the article title.

If a magazine article is written by "Anonymous", put the word "Anonymous" where you'd normally have the author's name.

Titles

Italicize titles of magazines. Do not italicize the titles of articles.

Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of the article title. If there is a colon in the article title, also capitalize the first letter of the first word after the colon.

Dates

If an article has no date, use the short form n.d. where you would normally put the date.

Volume and Issue Numbers

Italicize volume numbers but not issue numbers.

Retrieval Dates

Most articles will not need these in the citation. Only use them for online articles from places where content may change often, like a free website or a wiki.

Page Numbers

If an article doesn't appear on continuous pages, list all the page numbers the article is on, separated by commas. For example (4, 6, 12-14)

Articles from Library Databases

The APA Manual (6th ed.) notes that the URL of a magazine home page should be used for online articles.

Formatting

Note: All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

Magazine Article From a Library Database - One Author

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication, Month Day if Given). Title of article: Subtitle if any. Name of Magazine, Volume Number(Issue Number), first page number-last page number. Retrieved from Name of Database.

Note: The APA guide recommends using the URL for the magazine's homepage after Retrieved from. However, we recommend using the name of the database where you found the article. 

Example

Abramsky, S. (2012, May 14). The other America 2012. Nation, 294(20), 11-18. Retrieved from MAS Ultra.
In-Text Paraphrase

(Author's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Abramsky, 2012)
In-Text Quote

(Author's Last Name, Year, p. Page Number)

Example: (Abramsky, 2012, p. 14)

Magazine Article From a Library Database - Two to Seven Authors

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given., & Last Name of Second Author, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication, Month Day if Given). Title of article: Subtitle if any. Name of Magazine, Volume Number(Issue Number), first page number-last page number if given. Retrieved from Name of Database.

Note: Separate the authors' names by putting a comma between them. For the final author listed add an ampersand (&) after the comma and before the final author's last name. 

Note: The APA guide recommends using the URL for the magazine's homepage after Retrieved from. However, we recommend using the name of the database where you found the article. 

Example

Gross, A., & Murphy, E. (2010, January/February). Seal of disapproval. E: The Environmental Magazine, 21(1), 34-37. Retrieved from Canadian Points of View Reference Centre.
In-Text See chart

Magazine Article From a Library Database - Unknown Author

Article title: Subtitle if any. (Year of Publication, Month Day if Given). Name of Magazine, Volume Number(Issue Number), first page number-last page number if given. Retrieved from Name of Database.

Note: The APA guide recommends using the URL for the magazine's homepage after Retrieved from. However, we recommend using the name of the database where you found the article. 

Example

Syria's free army. (2012, June 11). Newsweek, 159(24). Retrieved from MAS Ultra.

Note: No page numbers were provided for this article.
In-Text Paraphrase

("One two or three words from title," Year)

("Syria's," 2012)
In-Text Quote

("One two or three words from title," Year)

("Syria's," 2012)

Note: This entry has no page numbers, paragraph numbers or section headings so this information is left out of the in-text citation.

 

Magazine Article From a Library Database - Signed Anonymous

Anonymous. (Year of Publication, Month Day if Given). Article title: Subtitle if any. Name of Magazine, Volume Number(Issue Number), first page number-last page number if given. Retrieved from Name of Database.

Note: If and only if the work is signed "Anonymous", use Anonymous where you'd normally put the author's name. If the work has no named author but is not signed "Anonymous", follow the example for Unknown Author.

Note: The APA guide recommends using the URL for the magazine's homepage after Retrieved from. However, we recommend using the name of the database where you found the article. 

Example

Anonymous. (2011). I was going to cheat. Glamour, 109(2), 166-167. Retrieved from Canadian Reference Centre.
In-Text Paraphrase

(Anonymous, Year)

Example: (Anonymous, 2011)
In-Text Quote

(Anonymous, Year, p. Page Number)

Example: Anonymous, 2011, p. 166)

Magazine Article In Print - One Author

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication, Month Day if Given). Title of article: Subtitle if any. Name of Magazine, Volume Number(Issue Number), first page number-last page number.

Example

Hessler, P. (2012, May 21). Identity parade: Life in a police lineup. The New Yorker, 88(14), 24-28.
In-Text Paraphrase

(Author's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Hessler, 2012)
In-Text Quote

(Author's Last Name, Year, p. Page Number)

Example: (Hessler, 2012, p. 25)

Magazine Article With Two to Seven Authors

Last Name of First Author, First Initial. Second Initial if Given, & Last Name of Second Author, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication, Month Day if Given). Article title: Subtitle if any. Name of Magazine, Volume Number(Issue Number), first page number-last page number.

Note: Separate the authors' names by putting a comma between them. For the final author listed add an ampersand (&) after the comma and before the final author's last name.

Example

Kaiser, D., & Creager, A.N.H. (2012, June). The right way to get it wrong. Scientific American, 306(6), 70-75.
In-Text See chart

Magazine Article From a Website

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of article: Subtitle if any. Name of Magazine, Volume Number(Issue Number if given), first page number-last page number if given. Retrieved from URL

Example

Freedman, D.H. (2012, June). The perfected self. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/06/the-perfected-self/8970/4/?single_page=true

Note: If no volume, issue and/or page numbers are provided, skip them in the citation.
In-Text Paraphrase

(Author's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Freedman, 2012)
In-Text Quote

(Author's Last Name, Year, p. Page Number or Paragraph Number or Section Heading)

Example: (Freedman, 2012)

Note: This entry has no page numbers, paragraph numbers or section headings so this information is left out of the in-text citation.

Magazine Article In Print - Unknown Author

Article title: Subtitle if any. (Year of Publication, Month Day if Given). Name of Magazine, Volume Number(Issue Number), first page number-last page number.

Example

Outsmart your cravings. (2008, January 30). Prevention, 160(1), 45.
In-Text Paraphrase

("Article title," Year)

Example: ("Outsmart," 2008)

Note: Use double quotation marks around the title of an article in the in-text citation.
In-Text Quote

("Article title," Year, p. Page Number)

Example: ("Outsmart," 2008, p. 45)

Note: Use double quotation marks around the title of an article in the in-text citation.

Magazine Article In Print - Signed Anonymous

Anonymous. (Year of Publication, Month Day if Given). Article title: Subtitle if any. Name of Magazine, Volume Number(Issue Number), first page number-last page number.

Note: If and only if the work is signed "Anonymous", use Anonymous where you'd normally put the author's name. If the work has no named author but is not signed "Anonymous", follow the example for Unknown Author.

Example

Anonymous. (2008). Barb Round: Crafting a rich and colourful career. The Canadian Nurse, 104(6), 36-37.

Note: Barb Round is a person's name, so both first and last names are capitalized.
In-Text Paraphrase

(Anonymous, Year)

Example: (Anonymous, 2011)
In-Text Quote

(Anonymous, Year, p. Page Number)

Example: Anonymous, 2011, p. 166)

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

Number of Authors/Editors First Time Paraphrased Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased First Time Quoting Second and Subsequent Times Quoting
Two

(Case & Daristotle, 2011)

(Case & Daristotle, 2011)

 (Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57) (Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57)
Three to Five (Case, Daristotle, Hayek, Smith, & Raash, 2011) (Case et al., 2011) (Case, Daristotle, Hayekm, Smith, & Raash, 2011, p. 57) (Case et al., 2011, p. 57)
Six or More

(Case et al., 2011)

 (Case et al., 2011) (Case et al., 2011, p. 57) (Case et al., 2011, p. 57)