Dissertations are not only very difficult to write; they also take a lot of time to elaborate and research. If you invest a few months into your paper, you expect it to be the best possible. You also expect to get the best possible grade for all your hard work. The truth is that you can get penalized and get a lower grade just because of a few mistakes. For example, if your paper is following APA style, you must ensure that all citations are properly formatted. Otherwise, your paper will not get the praise you wish for it to get.

There are many other formatting styles you must adhere to when writing in APA style. If you are unsure about whether or not you’ve missed something, visit this company and they will help you proofread and edit your dissertation. Let’s see how to properly make citations in APA style in an academic paper.

APA Style Citations

When you cite some information from a website, or a document found on a website, you need to also create an entry in the References list. Include the author, the date, the title of the document, and the URL of the website.

When creating in-text citations, you only need to use the surname of the author and the publication year of the work you are citing. For example: Shakespeare, 1590. If the work does not have an author use the title of the work instead of the surname. If the date is unknown, use the “n.d.” abbreviation.

When citing e-books (electronic books), create an entry in the References section. You must include the author, the date, the title, and the source where the book can be found. For example: John Smith, A. (1934). A Book, Any Book. Retrieved from http:www.anywebsite.com.

When citing interviews, use any reference format appropriate for the source where the interview can be found (on the Web, in a book, etc.). If someone agreed to be presented as a source in your paper, use a personal communication citation (in-text). For example: James Smith, personal communication, May 12, 2016.

You can cite information from social media. For example, you can use URLs of social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter) as in-text citations. If your readers can’t access the information (they are not in your Friends list on Facebook), cite it using a personal communication citation.

What About a Bibliography?

In general, you should avoid bibliographies when writing dissertations in APA style. Include a References list always instead of a bibliography. What is the difference between the two?

A reference list displays all sources that have been cited throughout the text, ordered in alphabetic order after the author family name. Bibliographies include sources that were used as sources of information but were not cited in your paper. Sources in bibliographies are ordered chronologically or even after by their subject.

Be careful when citing your sources in your paper because you will be penalized quite harshly for not adhering to the APA style.