Q. How do I cite a definition using APA style?
Last Updated: Feb 16, 2022 Views: 178629
The following is adapted from OWL at Purdue. See the link below for more detailed information.
Online:
Institution or organization name. (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work. Retrieved from (date and URL)
Example:
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Heuristic. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heuristic
Print:
Institution or organization name. (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work (edition, page numbers). Publisher name.
Example:
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. (1997). Goat. In Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed., pp. 499-500). Merriam-Webster, Inc.
To cite a definition within the text, you would place the institution or organizations and the date of publication in parentheses after the relevant phrase and before the punctuation mark.
Example:
(Merriam-Webster, 2003)
Merriam-Webster (2003)
If the definition is quoted, you must also add the page number.
Example:
According to Merriam-Webster, andragogy is "the art or science of teaching adults"... (Merriam-Webster, 1993, p. 85).
For additional help with using APA style, see resources below.
