Resource of the Month: Guide to Citing Sources Using APA Style (7th ed.)

If you have written a paper for a business, psychology, or sociology class here at Bentley, you’ve probably been required to cite your sources using APA Style. The Bentley Library’s Citing Online Business Resources Using APA Style guide has always been one of our most popular help guides, logging over 25,000 views annually!

New Edition of APA Style, New Library Help Guide!

In October of 2019 the American Psychological Association released the 7th edition of their official style guide, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, to reflect current best practices in scholarly writing and citation.

Over this past summer, reference librarians worked to update the library’s APA citation guide for the Fall 2020 trimester. The result is a completely revised APA Style help guide, featuring updated in-text citation guidance and new Reference list examples for over 50 different source types, including:

  • articles, books, and book chapters (print and electronic)
  • information retrieved from business databases and other specialized library resources (e.g. IBISWorld, Mintel, Mediamark, Statista)
  • websites, blogs, and social media
  • datasets
  • dissertations and theses
  • government reports, reports, and whitepapers
  • personal communications (emails, personal interviews, unrecorded lectures, etc).
  • PowerPoint slides and lecture notes
  • podcasts
  • webinars
  • focus groups (research participants)

Go to https://libguides.bentley.edu/citingsources-apa to bookmark the guide today! We guarantee you’ll return to the guide over and over again, especially when working on your GB course projects.

About APA Style, 7th edition

In addition to citation and reference format updates and clarifications, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition also presents:

  • new bias-free language guidelines
  • 100+ new reference examples
  • 40+ new sample tables and figures
  • additional student-specific resources, including sample student papers
  • expanded guidance on ethical writing and publishing practices

For a chapter-by-chapter overview of what’s new, check out the APA’s What’s New in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (7 pages, PDF). If you’d like to consult the full manual, you can find copies at the Reference Desk and in the Reference Stacks.

Get More Help

Here are some free help resources provided by the APA:

Need personal assistance with citing sources? Contact the Reference Desk or the Bentley Writing Center


Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to useful library databases, highlighting key features you should know about. If you would like more information about this resource (or any of the library’s databases), please contact us for research assistance. If you would like a demonstration of these resources for a class, please schedule a research instruction class using the instruction request form.