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 initials. Last name (Ed.), Encyclopedia name (Edition, p. Page number). |
|---|---|
| Reference entry | Cambridge University Press. (2020). Aria. In R. M. Marvin (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.
2 comments
Jenna
August 18, 2021 at 1:13 PMHi there. I'm still a bit confused about print Encyclopaedia's that have Editors but no known author. Example: https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/encyclopedia-of-educational-reform-and-dissent/book230700
Would this reference be incorrect by the above guidelines?
Hunt, T. C., Carper, J. C, Lasley, J. J., II, & Raisch, C.D. (Eds.). (2010). Alternative Assessment. In Encyclopedia of educational reform and dissent. Sage Publications.
Have a put the editors in the incorrect place? Should "Sage" Appear as an author? also, do I need to include the Volume?
Thanks so much!
Jack Caulfield (Scribbr Team)
August 23, 2021 at 3:28 PMHi Jenna,
Assuming no individual authors/editors are listed for each entry in the encyclopedia, your approach is correct. However, make sure to list the page number or range of the entry you cite, after the title of the encyclopedia. And yes, if the encyclopedia comes in volumes then you should include the volume when citing an entry. For example:
… dissent (Vol. 1, p. 15). Sage Publications.