APA 7th Citation Guide

Database information is rarely included in reference list entries, however, there are some exceptions in which they are. Provide the name of the database when it publishes original, proprietary works only available in that database. Also, provide the name of the database for works of limited circulation.

This page outlines the format and examples for three such databases we provide access to at Augusta University.

Title element

• Title of the article or other source: Write the title of the article or other source in regular font emphasis and in sentence case, like how you would write a journal article.

Source element

• Database title:
  • Typically the title of the database is in italics and how you see it displayed. For example, UpToDate; ERIC. 
  • Exceptions - you do not italicize the database title if the article is informally published or if the database name appears in text. 
• Electronic retrieval info: The default preference is to provide the DOI. If there is no DOI, then include the URL of the work UNLESS in the following instances:
  • The URL requires a login or is session-specific. In these cases, provide the URL of the database instead of the URL for the work.
  • The URL no longer works or no longer provides readers access to the content you intend to cite. In this situation, treat the source as a "non-recoverable source." Delete the reference list entry and substitute another reference if possible. (See Section Section 9.37 of the APA Manual for more info). 

The below chart is a general template to help you built citations for articles from Cochrane and UpToDate databases, and works of limited circulation from ERIC.  

On the left-hand panel of this guide, navigate to your specific sub-type to see the specific guidelines, format, and examples for it.

Specific Guidelines

Do not italicize the database name if it appears in text. For more detailed guidelines, please visit the APA Style Guide page.

Format

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of the article in sentence case. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/xxxx

Examples

Stolfi, A. (2020). Drug treatments for managing cystic fibrosis‐related diabetes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004730.pub5

Geoffrion, S., Hills, D.J., Ross, H.M., Pich, J., Hill, A.T., Dalsbø, T.K., Riahi, S., Martínez-Jarreta, B., & Guay, S. (2020). Education and training for preventing and minimizing workplace aggression directed toward healthcare workers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011860.pub2

Citing In-Text: Example of one of the references

(Onady & Stolfi, 2020) OR Onady and Stolfi (2020)

For more detailed guidelines on in-text citations go to our Citing In-Text tab.

Specific Guidelines

• Provide the URL for the article because articles in UpToDate database are only available in that database.
• Do not italicize the database name if it appears in text. 
• Provide the retrieval date because the content is designed to change over time and UpToDate does not archive previous versions of the page. 
• For more detailed guidelines, please visit the APA Style Guide page.

Format

Author, A. A. (Year of last update). Title of the article in sentence case. UpToDate. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://xxxx

Examples

Betancourt, J. R., Green, A.R., & Carrillo, E. (2020). Cross-cultural care and communication. UpToDate. Retrieved December 14, 2020, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/cross-cultural-care-and-communication

Graber, E. (2020). Acne vulgaris: Overview of management. UpToDate. Retrieved December 14, 2020, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/acne-vulgaris-overview-of-management

Citing In-Text: Example of one of the references

(Betancourt et al., 2020) OR Betancourt et al. (2020)

For more detailed guidelines on in-text citations go to our Citing In-Text tab.

Specific Guidelines

• For monographs (books) of limited circulation and informally published articles in ERIC write the database name.
• Insert the URL to the PDF (first preference), or HTML full-text.
• For regular journal articles, omit the database name, and do not include the URL unless it is freely accessible to the public.

Format

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article in sentence case (ERIC No.). ERIC. https://xxxx



Examples

Informally published article (NB: This article might be published eventually)

Bomgaars, J., & Bachelor, J. W. (2020). Visual thinking strategies: Exploring artwork to improve output in the L2 classroom (ED597593). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED597593.pdf

Monograph of limited circulation

Smith, R. B., Reyes, D., & Armstrong, N. (n.d.).  The sufficiency of different approaches to constructing behavioral objectives for the improvement of instruction (ED129658). ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED129658

Citing In-Text: Example of one of the references

(Bomgaars & Bachelor, 2020) OR Bomgaars & Bachelor (2020) 

For more detailed guidelines on in-text citations go to our Citing In-Text tab.

For more details and examples on how to reference informally published works, including types not covered here, consult the following section in the APA 7th Publication Manual:

Section 10.1 Textual Works 13-14 -- Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; UpToDate database.

Section 10.8 Unpublished Works and Informally Published Works 73 - 74 -- ERIC.

Augusta University provides free access to EndNote citation management tool students, faculty, and staff.

If you use EndNote to input your references, then choose the reference type underneath. If you export or import your citations, then check that EndNote automatically categorized them to the below reference type. Edit the reference type if it is incorrect.  

Reference Type: Electronic Article