APA Format: Listing Publication Information for Journals and Periodicals         

There are four main elements of a reference to a periodical: (1) the article authors; (2) the publication date; (3) the article title; (4) and the journal title and publication information. Consider the following example:

Karcher, Carolyn A. (1986). Censorship, American style:

      The case of Lydia Maria Child. Studies in the American

      Renaissance, 9, 283-303.

List the name(s) of the article authors at the head of the entry, last names first. Separate authors' names with commas, and use an ampersand (&) just before the last author whenever there are two or more authors. Spell out corporate authors. If a reference article has no author listed, place the title in the author position before the date. Finish the element with a period.

Next, list in parentheses the year the work was copyrighted (for unpublished works, this date should be the year the work was written). For articles which have been accepted by a journal but not yet published, write "in press" in parentheses rather than giving a date. Conclude the element with a period. Capitalize just the first word of the title and of the subtitle (if present), and all proper names. Do not underline the title or place quotation marks around it. Use arabic numbers rather than roman numerals in two-part titles unless the published title uses roman numerals. List additional necessary information for identification in brackets after the article title (i.e. [Letter to the editor]). Conclude this element with a period. List the full title of the journal, in both upper and lowercase letters, and italicize the title.  Italicize the volume number. List inclusive page numbers--just list the actual numbers for journal articles, but use 'pp.' before the page numbers for magazines and newspapers. Use commas to separate between the several parts of this element. Conclude this element with a period.

For more specific information, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Fifth Edition).