How To Cite A Syllabus In Apa Style

Citing a syllabus in APA style is essential for acknowledging the source of information and giving credit to the original creator. An accurate citation allows readers to easily locate and review the syllabus for further reference or verification.

To cite a syllabus in APA style, authors should include the following elements in the reference list: the title of the syllabus, the name of the institution or organization that issued it, the date of publication, and the location where it can be accessed. If the syllabus is available online, the URL should be included in the reference. For example:

Title: [Title of the syllabus]
Institution: [Name of the institution or organization that issued the syllabus]
Date: [Date of publication]
Location: [Location where the syllabus can be accessed]

Identifying the Citation Elements

To cite a syllabus in APA Style, you’ll need to gather the following information:

Course name: The full name of the course, including any course number or section number.
Instructor name: The full name of the instructor who created the syllabus.
Date: The date on which the syllabus was created or last revised.
Department: The department or program that offers the course.
University: The name of the university where the course is being offered.

If the syllabus is available online, you can usually find all of this information on the syllabus itself. If the syllabus is not available online, you may need to contact the instructor or department for the information.

Title and Author Information

The title of the syllabus should be formatted as follows:

Syllabus for [Course name]

The author information should be formatted as follows:

[Instructor name]
Department of [Department]
[University name]

If the syllabus is for a course that is taught by multiple instructors, list all of the instructors’ names in the author information.

Title and Author Information Example

Title: Syllabus for Advanced Composition (ENGL 310)

Author Information:

Dr. Jane Doe
Department of English
University of California, Los Angeles

Constructing the Parenthetical Citation

When citing a syllabus in APA style, the parenthetical citation includes the following elements:

Course Title: The full, official title of the course, as it appears on the syllabus.
Instructor’s Name: The full name of the instructor or professor responsible for the course.
Semester and Year: The semester and year in which the course was taken.

The elements are presented in the following format:

(
Course Title,
Instructor’s Name,
Semester Year
)

Punctuation and Spacing

Commas separate each element within the parentheses.
The final period is placed after the closing parenthesis.
There is a single space between each element.

Example

(Introduction to Psychology, Dr. Jane Doe, Spring 2023)

In-Text Examples

In the text, refer to the syllabus using the parenthetical citation at the appropriate location.
For example: "As stated in the course syllabus (Introduction to Psychology, Dr. Jane Doe, Spring 2023),…"

Variations

If the instructor’s name is not specified on the syllabus, omit it from the citation.
If the semester is not explicitly stated, use the semester implied by the course start and end dates.
If the year is not specified, omit it from the citation.

Formatting the Reference List Entry

To cite a syllabus in APA Style, follow these formatting guidelines for the reference list entry:

Author

List the instructor’s name in reverse order (last name, first name), followed by their academic title (e.g., Professor).

Title

Use the title of the syllabus, which is typically the course name and number.

Date

Include the date the syllabus was accessed or downloaded, in the format: Year-Month-Day.

Publisher

The publisher is the institution offering the course.

Location

Provide the website or platform where the syllabus is available.

Example Reference List Entry:

In the reference list, the syllabus citation should appear as follows:

Element	Format
Author	Smith, J. (Professor)
Title	Introduction to Psychology (PSY 101)
Date	2023-08-22
Publisher	University of California, Los Angeles
Location	https://www.ucla.edu/academics/courses/undergraduate/intro-psychology

Citing Syllabus with Multiple Authors

When a syllabus has multiple authors, follow these steps to cite it:
1. List the last name of the first author, followed by the initials of their first and middle names.
2. Insert a comma after the first author’s name.
3. List the last name of the second author, followed by the initials of their first and middle names.
4. Repeat step 3 for any additional authors.
5. Include the year the syllabus was published in parentheses after the last author’s name.
6. End the citation with the title of the syllabus in italics. If the title is long, use quotation marks instead.

For example:

Chicago Manual of Style (2017). The Chicago Manual of Style Online.

Citing a Syllabus from an Online Source

When citing a syllabus from an online source, include the following information in your citation:

Name of the course
Name of the instructor
Name of the institution
City and state where the institution is located
Date the syllabus was accessed
URL of the syllabus

Here is an example of a citation for a syllabus from an online source:

English 101 Syllabus. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.example.com/english-101-syllabus/

Additional Information for Online Syllabus Citations

If the syllabus does not provide a date, use the date you accessed the syllabus.

If the syllabus is not available from a stable URL, you may need to use a citation management tool to create a stable URL for the syllabus.

Element	Example
Course Name	English 101
Instructor Name	Dr. Jane Doe
Institution Name	Example University
City and State	Anytown, CA
Date Accessed	January 1, 2023
URL	https://www.example.com/english-101-syllabus/

Citing Syllabus with an Accession Number

When citing a syllabus without an author, use the accession number as the author. The accession number is a unique identifier assigned to the document by the database or repository where it is stored.

In the following example, the accession number for the syllabus is 123456789:

Element	Example
Author	123456789
Year	[Not applicable]
Title	Syllabus for [Course Name]
Source	[Name of Database or Repository]
URL or DOI	[Database URL or DOI]

The in-text citation for a syllabus with an accession number would be similar to the following:

(123456789, [Year])

For example:

(123456789, 2020)

Course Syllabus

In APA Style, a syllabus is treated as an unpublished document. The format for citing a syllabus in APA Style includes the following elements:

Course Title
Instructor Name
Institution Name
Semester and Year

Common Errors

Citing the syllabus as a book or report.
Using the instructor’s first name only.
Omitting the institution name.
Using the wrong semester or year.

Best Practices

Check the syllabus carefully for all the necessary information.
Follow the APA Style formatting guidelines precisely.
Proofread your citation before submitting it.

Additional Information

When citing a syllabus in the text of your paper, you can use the following format:

(Course Title, Semester and Year)

For example:

(Introduction to Psychology, Fall 2023)

In-Text Citation

When you cite a syllabus in the text of your paper, you can use the following format:

(Author, Year)

For example:

(Smith, 2023)

Reference List Entry

When you include a syllabus in your reference list, you can use the following format:

Course Title. (Semester and Year). Instructor Name. Institution Name.

For example:

Introduction to Psychology. (Fall 2023). John Smith. University of California, Berkeley.

HTML Table

The following HTML table provides a summary of the APA Style formatting for citing a syllabus:

Element	Format
Course Title	Title Case
Instructor Name	Last Name, First Name
Institution Name	Full Name
Semester and Year	Semester, Year