• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

site logo
The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language
search
  • Home
  • About TESL-EJ
  • Vols. 1-15 (1994-2012)
    • Volume 1
      • Volume 1, Number 1
      • Volume 1, Number 2
      • Volume 1, Number 3
      • Volume 1, Number 4
    • Volume 2
      • Volume 2, Number 1 — March 1996
      • Volume 2, Number 2 — September 1996
      • Volume 2, Number 3 — January 1997
      • Volume 2, Number 4 — June 1997
    • Volume 3
      • Volume 3, Number 1 — November 1997
      • Volume 3, Number 2 — March 1998
      • Volume 3, Number 3 — September 1998
      • Volume 3, Number 4 — January 1999
    • Volume 4
      • Volume 4, Number 1 — July 1999
      • Volume 4, Number 2 — November 1999
      • Volume 4, Number 3 — May 2000
      • Volume 4, Number 4 — December 2000
    • Volume 5
      • Volume 5, Number 1 — April 2001
      • Volume 5, Number 2 — September 2001
      • Volume 5, Number 3 — December 2001
      • Volume 5, Number 4 — March 2002
    • Volume 6
      • Volume 6, Number 1 — June 2002
      • Volume 6, Number 2 — September 2002
      • Volume 6, Number 3 — December 2002
      • Volume 6, Number 4 — March 2003
    • Volume 7
      • Volume 7, Number 1 — June 2003
      • Volume 7, Number 2 — September 2003
      • Volume 7, Number 3 — December 2003
      • Volume 7, Number 4 — March 2004
    • Volume 8
      • Volume 8, Number 1 — June 2004
      • Volume 8, Number 2 — September 2004
      • Volume 8, Number 3 — December 2004
      • Volume 8, Number 4 — March 2005
    • Volume 9
      • Volume 9, Number 1 — June 2005
      • Volume 9, Number 2 — September 2005
      • Volume 9, Number 3 — December 2005
      • Volume 9, Number 4 — March 2006
    • Volume 10
      • Volume 10, Number 1 — June 2006
      • Volume 10, Number 2 — September 2006
      • Volume 10, Number 3 — December 2006
      • Volume 10, Number 4 — March 2007
    • Volume 11
      • Volume 11, Number 1 — June 2007
      • Volume 11, Number 2 — September 2007
      • Volume 11, Number 3 — December 2007
      • Volume 11, Number 4 — March 2008
    • Volume 12
      • Volume 12, Number 1 — June 2008
      • Volume 12, Number 2 — September 2008
      • Volume 12, Number 3 — December 2008
      • Volume 12, Number 4 — March 2009
    • Volume 13
      • Volume 13, Number 1 — June 2009
      • Volume 13, Number 2 — September 2009
      • Volume 13, Number 3 — December 2009
      • Volume 13, Number 4 — March 2010
    • Volume 14
      • Volume 14, Number 1 — June 2010
      • Volume 14, Number 2 – September 2010
      • Volume 14, Number 3 – December 2010
      • Volume 14, Number 4 – March 2011
    • Volume 15
      • Volume 15, Number 1 — June 2011
      • Volume 15, Number 2 — September 2011
      • Volume 15, Number 3 — December 2011
      • Volume 15, Number 4 — March 2012
  • Vols. 16-Current
    • Volume 16
      • Volume 16, Number 1 — June 2012
      • Volume 16, Number 2 — September 2012
      • Volume 16, Number 3 — December 2012
      • Volume 16, Number 4 – March 2013
    • Volume 17
      • Volume 17, Number 1 – May 2013
      • Volume 17, Number 2 – August 2013
      • Volume 17, Number 3 – November 2013
      • Volume 17, Number 4 – February 2014
    • Volume 18
      • Volume 18, Number 1 – May 2014
      • Volume 18, Number 2 – August 2014
      • Volume 18, Number 3 – November 2014
      • Volume 18, Number 4 – February 2015
    • Volume 19
      • Volume 19, Number 1 – May 2015
      • Volume 19, Number 2 – August 2015
      • Volume 19, Number 3 – November 2015
      • Volume 19, Number 4 – February 2016
    • Volume 20
      • Volume 20, Number 1 – May 2016
      • Volume 20, Number 2 – August 2016
      • Volume 20, Number 3 – November 2016
      • Volume 20, Number 4 – February 2017
    • Volume 21
      • Volume 21, Number 1 – May 2017
      • Volume 21, Number 2 – August 2017
      • Volume 21, Number 3 – November 2017
      • Volume 21, Number 4 – February 2018
    • Volume 22
      • Volume 22, Number 1 – May 2018
      • Volume 22, Number 2 – August 2018
      • Volume 22, Number 3 – November 2018
      • Volume 22, Number 4 – February 2019
    • Volume 23
      • Volume 23, Number 1 – May 2019
      • Volume 23, Number 2 – August 2019
      • Volume 23, Number 3 – November 2019
      • Volume 23, Number 4 – February 2020
    • Volume 24
      • Volume 24, Number 1 – May 2020
      • Volume 24, Number 2 – August 2020
      • Volume 24, Number 3 – November 2020
      • Volume 24, Number 4 – February 2021
    • Volume 25
      • Volume 25, Number 1 – May 2021
      • Volume 25, Number 2 – August 2021
      • Volume 25, Number 3 – November 2021
      • Volume 25, Number 4 – February 2022
    • Volume 26
      • Volume 26, Number 1 – May 2022
      • Volume 26, Number 2 – August 2022
      • Volume 26, Number 3 – November 2022
      • Volume 26, Number 4 – February 2023
    • Volume 27
      • Volume 27, Number 1 – May 2023
      • Volume 27, Number 2 – August 2023
      • Volume 27, Number 3 – November 2023
      • Volume 27, Number 4 – February 2024
    • Volume 28
      • Volume 28, Number 1 – May 2024
      • Volume 28, Number 2 – August 2024
      • Volume 28, Number 3 – November 2024
      • Volume 28, Number 4 – February 2025
    • Volume 29
      • Volume 29, Number 1 – May 2025
  • Books
  • How to Submit
    • Submission Info
    • Ethical Standards for Authors and Reviewers
    • TESL-EJ Style Sheet for Authors
    • TESL-EJ Tips for Authors
    • Book Review Policy
    • Media Review Policy
    • APA Style Guide
  • Editorial Board
  • Support

APA Style Guide

Note: All TESL-EJ articles should be prepared in Microsoft Word or in RTF format. All formatting, such as italics, diacritical marks, etc., should be included in the manuscript. Please put tables and figures in place in the manuscript (not at the end) and number and title all figures and tables.  See also: The TESL-EJ Style Sheet.


APA STYLE GUIDE

Version 4.0, Revised June 2024

Prepared by Maggie Sokolik <sokolik@socrates.berkeley.edu> & Thomas Robb <editor@tesl-ej.org>

(Previous versions developed by Maggie Sokolik and Ron Corio <rcorio@saturn.vcu.edu> with the assistance of Abraham Lee)

Adapted from:

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

The following is not a complete overview. If you have a reference or citation that does not fit the examples given here, please consult the official APA style guide. More information can be found on their website: http://www.apastyle.org.

Instructions

Include a reference list (headed “References”) at the end of the TESL-EJ article that documents your sources and provides the necessary information to identify and retrieve each source. References must include only the sources that were used in the research and preparation of the article. A reference list cites specific works that support a particular article. A bibliography cites works for background or for further reading. APA journal style requires reference lists, not bibliographies.

Please note that the examples used in this document are for illustration only, and should not be used for actual citations. Many are fictional or partly fictional. Check all your sources carefully.


I. In-text Documentation

Citation within the text of a document refers the reader to an alphabetical reference list at the end of the article. APA format uses the author-date method of citation. The surname of the author and the date of publication are inserted at the appropriate point in the text.

A. One work by single author

If the name of the author appears in the text, cite only the year of publication in the text. Do not include suffixes such as Jr.

O’Hannon’s (1989) linguistic analysis….

Otherwise, place the surname of the author and the year of publication with a comma separating the two.

…lead to successful language learning (Minton, 1988).

Within a paragraph you need not repeat the references to an author’s work as long as it cannot be confused with other work cited in the article.

B. One work by two or more authors

When a work has two authors, always use the surnames of both authors in all citations. Join the two names by an ampersand (&) within parentheses, or by “and” within the text.

…or simply read it (Will & Tarry, 1988).

… or as Will and Tarry (1988) state…

When a work has 3-6 authors, use the surnames of all authors in the first citation. In subsequent citations, include only the surname of the first author followed by “et al.”

…process the text hierarchically (Little, Baker, & Showe, 1984)….

When a work has three or more authors, use only the surname of the first author followed by “et al.”

…on a test with exclusively open-ended questions (Willets et al., 1988).

C. Works with no authors

When a work has no author, cite the first two or three words of the reference list entry followed by the year. The first entry is usually the title. Underline the title of a periodical or book and use double quotation marks around the title of an article or chapter.

…on language use (“World languages,” 1992).

… in the book (Language Use, 1991).

D. Specific parts of a source

To cite a specific part of a source, include the page, chapter, figure, table, or equation in the citation. The words “page” and “chapter” are abbreviated in such citations (see Abbreviations).

…and rewriting what is read (Freire, 1983, p. 11).

E. Abbreviations

chap. chapter
ed. edition
Rev. ed. revised edition
2nd ed. second edition
Ed. (Eds.) Editor (Editors)
Trans. Translator(s)
p. (pp.) page (pages)
Vol. Volume (as in Vol. 4)
vols. volumes (as in four volumes)
No. Number
Pt. Part
Tech. Rep. Technical Report
Suppl. Supplement

Geographical abbreviations: For the U.S., states and territories in the reference list should use the official two-letter U.S.P.S. abbreviation. City names and country names should not be abbreviated.

F. Personal communications

Letters, memos, telephone conversations, etc. are not included in the Reference List, thus are cited in the text only. Include the initials as well as the surname of the author and provide as exact a date as possible.

…according to D.B. Cooper (personal communication, April 15, 1969).

G. References in parenthetical material

If a reference appears within parentheses, use commas (not brackets) to set off the date.

…the second level (see Figure 1 of Powell & Goss, 1992, for full explanation.)

II. Reference List

A. Complete reference list

The reference list should be in alphabetical order by author’s surnames. With names including “de”, “von”, etc., those names should be alphabetized according to the rules of the language from which they originate. Each entry should be indented five spaces from the second line forward (“hanging indent”), and there should be a blank line between entries.

B. APA style

Please note that all references must be accompanied by either a DOI or a URL, when one of these is available.

  1. Periodicals
    Doyle, W. (1977). Learning the classroom environment:
         An ecological analysis. Journal of Teacher
         Education, 28, 51-55.
  2. Books. Entire books
    Bishop, A. J., & Whitfield, R. C. (1982). Situations in
         teaching. [Note: The geographical location of the publisher is no longer required.]

    b. Article or chapter within a book

    Heath, S. B. (1989). The learner as culture member, In M. L.
          Rice & R. L. Schiefelbusch (Eds.), The teachability of
          language (pp. 333-350). Paul H. Brookes.
  3. Technical and research reports
     Cummins, J. (1981). The role of primary language
          development in promoting educational
          success for language minority students. In California
          State  Department of Education (Ed.), Schooling
          and language minority students: A theoretical framework.
          Los Angeles: California State University,
          Evaluation, Dissemination, and Assessment Center.
  4. Proceedings of Meetings and Symposiums
    Olson, D. R., & Hildyard, A. (1980). Literacy and the comprehension
          of literal meaning. Paper presented at the Conference
          on the Development and Use of Writing Systems,
          Biefefeld, Germany.
  5. Doctoral Dissertations and Master’s Theses
    Besnier, N. (1986). Spoken and written registers in a
          restricted-literacy setting. Unpublished doctoral
          dissertation, University of Southern California,
          Los Angeles.
  6. Unpublished Manuscripts and Publications of Limited Circulation
    Parry, J. (1982). Popular attitudes towards Hindu
          religious texts. Unpublished manuscript.
  7. Translations and Non-English Text
    • Translation:
      Freud, S. (1920). A general introduction to psychoanalysis
           (J. Riviere, Trans.). Pocket Books.
    • Non-English Text:
      Raynaud de Lage, G. (1975). Introduction à l'ancien francais
           (9e ed.). [Introduction to Old French (9th ed.)].
           Paris: Société d'Edition d'Enseignement Superieur.
  8. Reviews and InterviewsReviews should indicate the medium (book, film, etc.) being reviewed within the bracketed information.
    • Book review:
      Rea, P.M. (1984). [Review of the book Issues in Language
            Testing by Charles Alderson and Arthur Hughes, Eds.].  
            Language Learning 34, 3, 175-188.
    • Published interview:
      Smith, D. (1998). [Interview with Wu Leong]. English
            Yesterday 10, 5, 57-90.
  9. Nonprint Media
    • Film:
      Kurosawa, A. (Director & Producer). (1970). Dodes 'kaden
            [Film]. Tokyo: Films Ltd.
    • Audio Recording:
       Carter, B. (Speaker). (1977). The growth of English 
            (Cassette Recording No. 222). Audio
            Associates.
  10. Electronic Media
    • Computer Programs:
      Sandford, J.A. & Browne, R.J. (1985). Captain's log: Cognitive
            Training System (Version 1.3) [Computer program]. Indianapolis:
            Psychological Software Services, Inc.
    • Online databases:
      The educational directory [Online]. (1992). Available:
            Knowledge Index File: The Educational Directory (EDUC6).
    • Abstract on CD-ROM
      Albee, I. (1998). The great adventure [CD-ROM]. Adventuring
            Spirit 9, 34. Abstract from: JSTOR 234567.
    • Online Periodical
      Martin, G., Knappen, S., & Dorr, J. (2003). Role of accent in
            the selection of international teaching assistants
            [Electronic version]. Journal of ITA Research, 5, 11-13.

      If you are referencing an online article that has been changed (e.g., the format is different from the print version or the page numbers are not indicated) or that includes additional information, add the date you retrieved the document and the URL.

      Martin, G., Knappen, S., & Dorr, J. (2003). Role of accent
           in the selection of international teaching assistants
           [Electronic version]. Journal of ITA Research, 5, 11-13.
           Retrieved October 21, 2003, from http://jstor.org/articles.html
    • Article in an Internet-only journal
      Sherman, B. D. (2001, May 17). The use of pronominal reference in Urdu.
            Urdu Linguistics, 13, Article A1. Retrieved November 2, 2001, from
            http://journals.org/urdu/volume22/131a.html
    • Stand-alone document, no author identified, no date
GWU's 9th English language survey. (n.d.). Retrieved August 8, 2003,
      from https://www.gwu.org/usersurvey/survey2000/

If the author of a document is not identified, begin the reference with the title of the document.

Citations in Text of Electronic Material

The following is excerpted from the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual. Some elements of the seventh edition’s style guidelines for electronic resources differ from our previously published guidelines.

To cite a specific part of a source, indicate the page, chapter, figure, table, or equation. Give page numbers for quotations. The words page and chapter are abbreviated in text citations:

(Cheever & Williams, 1991, p. 32)
(Simon, 1989, chap. 12)

For electronic sources that do not provide page numbers, use the paragraph number, if available, preceded by the paragraph symbol or the abbreviation para. If neither paragraph nor page numbers are available, cite the heading and the number of the paragraph following it to lead the reader to the location of the material.

(Bayers, 2002, ¶ 3)
(Statler, 2001, Introductory section, para. 3)

© 1994–2025 TESL-EJ, ISSN 1072-4303
Copyright of articles rests with the authors.