APA Citation Guide, 7th edition: APA

How do I cite an article I found using an iPhone app?

It is irrelevant whether you read it on your iPhone, IPad, Android, Blackberry, MAC, laptop or in the library. Creating references is not about documenting "how" you located the information but providing the reader a direct path to the "original" source of the material.

Remember - the "iPhone app" is not the source of the article - the "journal" is your source. Cite it as you would any journal article.  

American Psychological Association (APA) style is commonly used for citing references in student papers in science, medical, public health, health sciences and nursing as well as the social sciences and education.

 The purpose of documentation is to:

• Identify (cite) other people’s ideas and information used within your essay or term paper.
• Indicate the authors or sources of these in a References list at the end of your paper.

This guide is based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) that was published in 2020.

The following sections provide you with information and examples that will help you to cite the sources that you come across during your research. 

General Style Guidelines

Books

Journal/Magazine Articles

Web Sites

Audiovisual Media

Figures/Images

Other Sources

For more examples and information, consult the following publications:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 

• All sources of information and data, whether quoted directly or paraphrased, are cited with parenthetical references in the text of your paper (p. 253).

      Example: (Walker, 2003).

• Double-space your entire paper, including the References list and any block quotes (p. 45).

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What is a DOI? A DOI (digital object identifier) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the internet. 

NOTE: It is regarded as the most important part of the citation because it will accurately direct users to the specific article.

Think of it as a "digital fingerprint" or an article's DNA!

FYI - Updated rules on using DOI (January 2020):

Correct:  

• https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114

Incorrect:     

• http://doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
• doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
• doi:http://doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
• Retrieved from http://doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114