Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias provide short overviews or summaries of a subject. These overviews or summaries are called articles. Encyclopedias can cover a broad range of subjects, or focus on one discipline or subject area. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by article name and sometimes by theme, and these entries are longer and more detailed than an entry in a dictionary. Encyclopedias can be in print or electronic, and there are free online encyclopedias.
Examples of Encyclopedias
- Encyclopedia Britannica
- Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health
- The Anime Encyclopedia
Reference List Entry: Format (10.2-10.3)
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Author. (Date). Title of article. In Editor (Ed.) Title of publication. Publisher. Retrieval Date, from URL, if applicable.
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Remember! The citation style and reference list entry format for print and electronic encyclopedias is very similar. When citing an online encyclopedia, include a link and retrieval date, i.e.: Retrieved September 3, 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/
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Reference List Entry: Example
Godman. H. & Pruszynski, K. (2023). Influenza. In D. S. Haim (Ed.), Gale encyclopedia of emerging diseases. Gale. Retrieved December 2, 2024, from https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3664800061/GVRL?u=bell77134&sid=GVRL&xid=5be0368d
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Remember! Some electronic or online encyclopedias will have a DOI or a URL. Include the DOI if possible. If a DOI is not available, include the URL.
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Remember! Encyclopedias may have authors for individual entries, and an editor for the whole encyclopedia. The author of the entry is listed first, and the editor of the whole work is listed second, after the title of the entry and before the title of the whole work. If the article does not have an author, the title of the article becomes the first piece of information in the citation, followed by the date, title of the encyclopedia, publisher, and URL, if applicable.
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Parenthetical Citation (Paraphrase)
(Author, Date), or (Author & Author, Date), or (Author et al., Date) for encyclopedia entries with three or more authors, e.g.: Some of the most common complications resulting from influenza include pneumonia, bronchitis, and asthma (Godman & Pruszynski, 2023).
Remember! According to APA Style, it is not required to provide a page number when paraphrasing, only the last name(s) of the author(s), and the year of publication. However, a page number can be included if it would help interested readers to find the relevant section in the resource being cited. See section 8.23 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (the Publication Manual).
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Parenthetical Citation (Direct Quotation)
(Author, Date, Page number), or (Author & Author, Date, Page number), or (Author et al., Date, Page number) for encyclopedia entries with three or more authors, e.g.: “Complications from flu can be dangerous. The most common complication is pneumonia, but other complications include bronchitis, asthma flare-ups, heart problems, ear infections, and muscle problems, and central nervous system problems” (Godman & Pruszynski, 2023, para. 6).
Hint! Online encyclopedias may not have a page number. The example above is from an electronic encyclopedia which does not include page numbers. If no page number is available, provide readers with another way of finding the quoted information. The Publication Manual gives several options, including providing a paragraph number. In the example above, a paragraph number is given instead of a page number. For more information, see section 8.28 of the Publication Manual.
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Narrative Citation (Paraphrase)
Author (Date), Author and Author (Date), or Author et al. (Date) for encyclopedia entries with three or more authors, e.g.: Godman and Pruszynski identify multiple complications that can arise from an influenza infection, some extremely serious or even life-threatening (2023).
Narrative Citation (Direct Quotation)
Author (Date, Page number), Author and Author (Date, Page number), or Author et al. (Date, Page number) for encyclopedia entries with three or more authors, e.g.: Godman and Pruszynski note that, “the most common complication is pneumonia, but other complications include bronchitis, asthma flare-ups, heart problems, ear infections, and muscle problems, and central nervous system problems” (Godman & Pruszynski, 2023,
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Remember! For in-text citations of works with two authors, list the last names of both authors. For works with three authors or more, list the last name of the first author followed by et al.
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Sources
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style. (7th ed.).
Encyclopedias provide short overviews or summaries of a subject. They can cover a broad range of subjects, or focus on one particular discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by article name and sometimes by theme, and these entries are longer and more detailed than an entry in a dictionary. Encyclopedias can be in print or electronic, and there are free online encyclopedias.
Dictionaries help us to understand key terms. Most people are familiar with defining dictionaries – the ones that give definitions of words, like the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). There are also bilingual or translation dictionaries, which are used to translate words or phrases from one language to another. Finally, there are specialized or technical dictionaries, which focus on one topic or field of study. These are useful for terms that are unique to a certain subject area. Dictionaries can be in print or electronic, and there are free online dictionaries.
In an APA Style citation, the author is the person or people, or the group responsible for creating the work. An author can be a single person, multiple people, a group like an institution or a government agency, or a combination of individuals and groups.
In an APA Style citation, the date refers to the date of publication.
In an APA Style in-text citation or reference list entry, the title refers to the name of the work being cited.
In an APA Style citation, the source refers to where the information was found. The source includes - but is not limited to - the names of publishers, URLs and DOIs.
URLs are persistent links to information on the Internet. URLs can be found in the address bar of the web browser.
Citing is the process of acknowledging the sources of information and ideas. This takes the form of a citation. Citations must include specific pieces of information and must follow a consistent format. There are two parts of a citation – the in-text citation, and the reference list entry.
A reference list entry is the information in a reference list at the end of an assignment or essay. An APA Style reference list entry includes author(s), a date, a title, and a source.
APA Style is set of guidelines created by the American Psychological Association (the APA). These guidelines help writers, including students, to format written work and citations in a consistent way.
