APA Style refers to guidelines developed by the American Psychological Association for authors. The APA style uses an author-date system of citation, in which brief citations within the text direct the reader to the corresponding entries in the reference list at the end of the paper. The entries in this list provide the full publication information for the sources used for the paper, allowing readers to trace these sources for their own use.
For more information, please see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association which is available in the Library Reference collection.
You can also find more information, including examples of citations, in our library Help files.
This guide provides examples for citing common business sources, based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition. Copies are available at the Reference Desk in the Angus L. Macdonald Library. According to the Publication Manual of the APA
Cite the work of those individuals whose ideas, theories, or research have directly influenced your work. They may provide key background information, support or dispute your thesis, or offer critical definitions and data. Citation of an article implies that you have personally read the cited work. In addition to crediting the ideas of others that you used to build your thesis, provide documentation for all facts and figures that are not common knowledge. (2009, p. 169)
Citing a work usually involves including an "in text" citation at the point in the paper where the work is quoted and inclusion of the work in the reference list.
Note: Business students should take guidance from their professor on the use of in text citations for StFX business class project presentations where the bulk of the material is taken from other sources. This is a special case where your professor may not want you to use extensive in text citations.
Annual reports or other reports from company website
Notes: The author of a company report is usually the corporate name of the company.
Format: Author, A. A, Author, B. B. & Author, C. C. (date of publication). Title. Retrieved from URL
Examples:
Tim Hortons Inc. (2011). Annual report on Form 10-K. Retrieved from https://annualreport.timhortons.com/downloads/full-ar.pdf
Empire Company Ltd. (n.d.). 2012 Annual report. Retrieved from https://www.empireco.ca/site/media/Empireco/2012 Annual Report.pdf
Tim Hortons Inc. (2011). Consolidated statement of cash flows. Retrieved from https://annualreport.timhortons.com/downloads/AR_Form10K_ConsolidatedStatementCashFlow.pdf.
Annual reports and filings from SEDAR and EDGAR
Examples:
Sears Canada Inc. (2012, March 19). 2011 Annual report. Retrieved from https://www.sedar.com
Starbucks Corporation. (2012, November 16). Form 10-K. Annual report. Retrieved from https://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml
Article from a journal
Notes: Check the Publication Manual of the APA for rules on author names. There are also examples on the Purdue OWL site.
Include the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) if there is one. The DOI may be listed on the first page of the article. As well, the DOI can often be found in Business Source Complete by using use “Cite” option.
If there is no DOI, include the URL of the journal home page if the article can be easily found online. APA does not consider it necessary to include the name of a database for articles retrieved from databases (p.191-192) but does leave it as an option for "material of limited circulation" (p.202). The examples here include the database information.
Format: Author, A. A., & Author, A. B. (year of publication). Article title. Journal Title, volume(issue), pages. DOI or Retrieved from database or URL
Examples:
Raes, A. L., Heijltjes, M. G., Glunk, U., & Roe, R. A. (2011). The interface of the top management team and middle managers: A process model. Academy Of Management Review, 36(1), 102-126. doi:10.5465/AMR.2011.55662566
Bernardi, R.A. & Threadgill, V. H. (2011). Women directors and corporate social responsibility. Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organizational Studies. 15(5). Retrieved from https://ejbo.jyu.fi/
Lukas, B. A., Whitwell, G. J., & Heide, J. B. (2013). Why do customers get more than they need? How organizational culture shapes product capability decisions. Journal of Marketing, 77(1), 1-12. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database.
Rethinking Sobeys. (2006). Marketing, 111(22), 46-46. Retrieved from ABI/Inform database.
Books
Format: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Date). Book title. Location: Publisher.
Driskill, G. W., & Brenton, A. L. (2011). Organizational culture in action: A cultural analysis workbook. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage.
Edited book: Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (Date). Book title. Location: Publisher.
Cooper, C. L., & Burke, R. J. (Eds.). (2011). Human resource management in small business: Achieving peak performance. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
Electronic book: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Date). Book title. Location: Publisher. Retrieved from DOI, URL or electronic database name
Holcombe, R. G. (2007). Entrepreneurship and economic progress. New York: Routledge. Retrieved from Novanet at StFX.
Book chapter: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Date). Title of chapter. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds). Book title (pp. pages). Location: Publisher.
Castogiovanni, G. J. (2011). The Role of Human Capital Factors in Small Business Performance and Success. In C. Cooper & R. Burke (Eds). Human resource management in small business: Achieving peak performance (pp. 71-92). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
CPA Handbook (formerly CICA Handbook)
Format (whole book): Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. (date). CPA Canada Handbook. Retrieved from CPA Canada Standards and Guidance Collection.
Format (section of book): Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. (date). Section title. In CPA Canada Handbook. Retrieved from CPA Canada Standards and Guidance Collection.
Examples:
Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. (2013, August). CPA Canada Handbook. Retrieved from CPA Canada Standards and Guidance Collection.
Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. (2013, July). Accounting standards: Specific items: Section 3465: Income taxes. In CPA Canada Handbook. Retrieved from CPA Canada Standards and Guidance Collection.
Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. (2013, August). Public sector accounting standards: concepts & principles: Sections PS 1000 – PS 1300. In CPA Canada Handbook. Retrieved from CPA Canada Standards and Guidance Collection.
Company, Industry or Country reports from Business Source Complete
Format: Author. (date of publication). Title. Retrieved from URL
Examples:
Datamonitor. (2011, June 17). Microsoft Corporation. [Industry profile]. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database
Marketline. (2012, November). Confectionery in the United States. [Industry profile]. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database
Economist Intelligence Unit. (2012, June). China. [Country report]. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database
Newspaper article
Notes: If there is no author, the title comes first in the entry.
Format: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (date of publication). Article title. Newspaper title, volume(issue), pages. Retrieved from URL of newspaper
Marotte, B. (2013, January 7). Airlines finish 2012 with strong load factors. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from https://theglobeandmail.com
Press release
Examples:
The Coca-Cola Company. (2012, November 12). Coca-Cola increases conservation support for world’s largest forest. [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.coca-colacompany.com/media-center/press-releases/coca-cola-increases-conservation-support-for-worlds-largest-forest
Statistics Canada
Notes: If a table or data set was obtained using CANSIM II @ CHASS, Equinox, or E-Stat include that information because they are not available to everyone.
Format: Statistics Canada. (Year of publication). Title of publication or data table (Catalogue or Publication # if not part of title). Retrieved from URL
Examples:
Statistics Canada. (2007). 2006 Community Profiles. Antigonish. Nova Scotia (County). Retrieved from https://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/index.cfm?Lang=E
Statistics Canada. (2011). Census of Agriculture, Farm and Farm Operator Data Catalogue no. 95-640-XWE. Retrieved from https://www29.statcan.gc.ca/ceag-web/eng/index-index
CANSIM table from CANSIM website
Statistics Canada. (n.d.) Table 179-0004. Corporations Returns Act (CRA), major financial variables, annual. CANSIM [Database]. Retrieved January 9, 2013 from https://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/
CANSIM Table from CHASS
Statistics Canada. (n.d.) CANSIM Table 2820088: Labour force survey estimates (LFS), employment by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), seasonally adjusted and unadjusted. CANSIM II [Database]. Using CHASS [Distributor]. Retrieved January 8, 2013 from https://clouddc.chass.utoronto.ca/ds/cansim/olap/displayCube.do?action=browse&a=2820088&lang=en
Stock information
Notes: Include the retrieval date if the information is likely to change over time.
Format: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (date). Title. Retrieved date from URL of newspaper
Examples:
Trefis. (n.d.). Exxon Mobil. Adjusted EBITDA. Retrieved January 7, 2013 from https://www.trefis.com
Stockguide. (2011). Intrepid Mines Limited. Retrieved December 15, 2012 from Stockguide