How to cite an encyclopedia in APA Style
To cite an online encyclopedia entry in APA Style, start with the author of the entry (if listed), followed by the publication year, the entry title, the name of the editor, the encyclopedia name, the edition, the publisher, and the URL.
| Format | Author last name, Initials. (Year). Entry name. In Editor initials. Last name (Ed.), Encyclopedia name (Edition). Publisher. URL |
|---|---|
| Reference entry | Wheeler, G. (2020). Bounded rationality. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Fall 2020 ed.). Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/bounded-rationality/ |
| In-text citation | (Wheeler, 2020) |
Encyclopedia entries with no author or date
Online encyclopedias are often updated on a continuous basis, so a publication date won’t necessarily be available. Additionally, they may not list authors or editors. When necessary, list the organization in the author position and write “n.d.” (no date) where the year would usually go, adding a retrieval date later:
Note that the format is slightly different when you want to cite Wikipedia.
Citing a print encyclopedia
When citing a print encyclopedia, it will always be a specific edition whose year of publication is stated, so you should include this information. The publisher should not be written again if it is already listed in the author position.
| Format | Publisher Name. (Year). Entry name. In Editor last name, Initials. (Ed.) Encyclopedia name (Edition, p. Page number). |
|---|---|
| Reference entry | Cambridge University Press. (2020). Aria. In Marvin, R. M. (Ed.), The Cambridge Verdi encyclopedia (p. 15). |
| In-text citation | (Cambridge University Press, 2020) |
If the individual entry lists an author, include their name at the start and move the publisher name to the end.
