How to Cite a Letter to the Editor From a Journal in APA

Giving proper due to informational source is an important element of any research assignment. At some point in your educational career, it is very likely you will need to compose a research paper or complete a research project. Your instructor will expect you to consult outside sources and you must accurately give credit to other people's ideas and work regardless of how much -- or little -- you use their specific words. Some smaller or more obscure sources can be tricky to cite, but they will follow the general principles of the style you are required to use.

Instructions

  1. Citing A Letter to the Editor in APA Style

    • 1

      Format your essay in the proper APA Style: 12-point font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins.

    • 2

      Cite your source by author and then date of publication the way it appears in the publication. For example, if the source letter was written by Dr. Smith in 1998, you would cite like this: "According to a letter by Dr. Smith, all children should be weaned off their bottles by eighteen months of age (Smith, 1998); he also goes on to say that modern mother's cuddle their children too much."

      If the source does not have a date -- some electronic resources do not -- put n.d for "no date." In the above example, it would be cited: (Smith, n.d.)

    • 3

      Include the page number or paragraph number if you include a direct quote from the author of the source letter: "According to a letter by Dr. Smith, all children should be weaned off their bottles by eighteen months of age (Smith, 1998); he also goes on to say, ' Modern mothers cuddle their children too much.' (p. 734)."

    • 4

      Create a reference list and submit along with your assignment. Your instructors may have called this a "Works Cited Page" or "Bibliography" but the principle is the same -- a list of all the research sources you consulted. The list must be arraigned with the authors in alphabetical order. Include the date, publication the letter was included in, date and pages of the source.

      An example would be: Smith, John Edward, PhD. (July, 1998). Overly Indulgent Parenting [Letter to the Editor]. Psychology Today. 101

Learnify Hub © www.0685.com All Rights Reserved