LibGuides: APA Citation Guide (6th ed.): Magazine Articles

How do I cite...

How Do I Know If It's a Magazine?

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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. Seneca Libraries suggests that the database name be used instead.

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 if Page Numbering Begins at 1 for Each Issue in the Volume), first page number-last page number. Retrieved from Database Name database.

Reference List Example

Abramsky, S. (2012, May 14). The other America 2012. Nation, 294(20), 11-18. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

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 - Unknown Author

Article title: Subtitle if any. (Year of Publication, Month Day if Given). Name of Magazine, Volume Number(Issue Number if Page Numbering Begins at 1 for Each Issue in the Volume), first page number-last page number if given. Retrieved from Database Name database.

Reference List Example

Syria's free army. (2012, June 11). Newsweek, 159(24). Retrieved from Academic OneFile database.

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 if Page Numbering Begins at 1 for Each Issue in the Volume), first page number-last page number if given. Retrieved from Database Name 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.

Reference List Example

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

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

Reference List 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 if Page Numbering Begins at 1 for Each Issue in the Volume), 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.

Reference List 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 here

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

Reference List 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, para. 2)

Note: When there are no visible page numbers on the online article, indicate which section (if given) and paragraph the quote came from in your in-text citation.

Magazine Article In Print - Unknown Author

Reference List 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

Reference List 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)