How Do I Cite an APA Paper With No Author?

It is likely that at some time during your college career, you may be asked to write a paper according to the guidelines set out by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), especially if you are a student of the social sciences. You may run into a problem, however, if you find a source with no known author. However, APA format has clear guidelines for the proper citation of sources with unknown authors both within the text and in your reference list.

Instructions

    • 1

      Begin your reference list entry with the title of the work instead of the author. For example, if you are referencing a book, use the following format:

      Title in italics. (year). City of Publication, State: Publisher.

      For example:

      Great ideas in modern American psychology. (2008). Boston, MA: Psyche Press.

    • 2

      Alphabetize works without authors by their titles in your reference list. For example, your entry for "Great ideas in modern American psychology" should appear between entries for works written by Tom Farris and Jennifer Green.

    • 3

      Use the title instead of the author when you cite within the text. This information, along with the year of publication, should appear inside parentheses. For example:

      According to one unknown author, American psychology has been characterized by small ideas that had very large impacts (Great Ideas, 2008).

      The titles of books, reports and major works should appear in italics. The titles of individual chapters and lesser works such as articles and web pages should appear in quotation marks. For example:

      According to one unknown author, American psychology has been characterized by small ideas that had very large impacts ("Great Ideas", 2008).

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