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How to Cite an Encyclopedia in APA Style | Format & Examples

Published on November 12, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 27, 2023.

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.

You can easily cite an encyclopedia entry by using our free APA Citation Generator .

Cite an encyclopedia (entry) in APA Style now:

Table of contents, encyclopedia entries with no author or date, citing a print encyclopedia.

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 .

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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.

If the individual entry lists an author, include their name at the start and move the publisher name to the end.

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Caulfield, J. (2023, December 27). How to Cite an Encyclopedia in APA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/encyclopedia/

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APA Citation Guide (7th Edition): Encyclopedias & Dictionaries (Reference Works)

• Journal Articles
• Books, eBooks & Pamphlets
• Class Notes, Lectures, and Presentations
• Government Documents
• Codes of Ethics (Online)
• Images, Charts, Graphs, Maps & Tables
• Newspaper Articles
• Magazine Articles
• Personal Communication (Interviews, Emails)
• Social Media
• Videos & DVDs
• Encyclopedias & Dictionaries (Reference Works)
• When Information Is Missing
• When Creating Digital Assignments
• Works Quoted in Another Source
• Paraphrasing
• Informal Citations
• Citation Tools
• Conscious Language
• Reference List & Paper Formatting
• Annotated Bibliography

Authors/Editors

If an encyclopedia or dictionary entry has no author or editor, begin the citation with the title of the specific entry, followed by the year of publication in round brackets.

Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title of the entry and the title of the encyclopedia or dictionary.

Capitalize the first letter of proper names in titles, such as names of places or people. Example: Canada

Place of Publication

For cities in the US and Canada list the city name and the province or state code. For other countries, list the city name and the country. Examples: Toronto, ON ; Tokyo, Japan

Publication Information for Online Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Don't include the place of publication or a publisher for an online encyclopedia or dictionary.

If you accessed the encyclopedia or dictionary through a website, provide the url instead.

In-Text Citation - No Author

If a dictionary or encyclopedia entry has no author, the in-text citation should include the title of the entry. The title of the entry should be in quotation marks, with each word starting with a capital letter. The title of the entry will be followed by a comma and the year of publication. If you are quoting directly from the entry, you will also add the number of the page where the quote appears.

Paraphrasing :

("Cat Care," 2011)

("Cat Care," 2011, p. 38)

In-Text Citation - Page Numbers

Page numbers may not be available for an online dictionary or encyclopedia entry. Here are some options if you have no page numbers and you are quoting directly:

If paragraph numbers are given, use that number where you'd normally put the page number with the word "para." in front of it. Example: (Smith, 2012, para. 3). This example refers to the third paragraph in the entry

If you have no paragraph numbers, but the entry has section headings, you can use those. Encyclopedia entries often have section headings. Enter the section heading name, followed by the word "section" and then the number of the paragraph within that section. Example: (Smith, 2012, Climate section, para. 2). This example refers to the second paragraph under the Climate section of the entry.

If you have no paragraph numbers and no headings, as may be the case for many dictionary entries, skip the page/paragraph/section information and give the author's last name and date only. Example: (Smith, 2012)

Note : All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

Title of entry. (n.d.). In Wikipedia . Retrieved Month Day, Year that website was viewed, from URL for entry

Note : According to APA, n.d. is used instead of a date of publication as the date is difficult to determine. Include the date you viewed the website as the content is likely to change over time.

Wikipedia may not be considered an acceptable source for a college or university assignment. Be sure to evaluate the content carefully and check your assignment.

Online Encyclopedia or Dictionary From Library Database - Known Author - No D O I

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of entry. In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if given. Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary ( edition if given and is not first edition ) . Retrieved from Database Name database.

Online Encyclopedia or Dictionary From Library Database - Known Author - With D O I

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of entry. In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if given. Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary ( edition if given and is not first edition ) . doi: doi number

Online Encyclopedia or Dictionary From Library Database - Unknown Author - No D O I

Title of entry. (Year of Publication). In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if given. Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary ( edition if given and is not first edition ) . Retrieved from Database Name database.

Online Encyclopedia or Dictionary From a Website - Known Author

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication).Title of entry. In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if given. Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary ( edition if given and is not first edition ) . Retrieved from url

Online Encyclopedia or Dictionary From a Website - Unknown Author

Title of entry. (Year of Publication). In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if given. Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary ( edition if given and is not first edition ) . Retrieved from url

Encyclopedia or Dictionary Entry In Print - Known Author

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of entry. In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if given. Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary (Volume number, pp. first page of entry-last page of entry). Publication City, Province, State or Country: Publisher Name often shortened.

Encyclopedia or Dictionary In Print - Unknown Author

Title of entry. (Year of Publication). In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if given. Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary (Volume number if any, pp. first page of entry-last page of entry or p. page number for one page entry). Publication City, Province, State or Country: Publisher Name often shortened.

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / MLA Format / How to Cite an Encyclopedia in MLA

How to Cite an Encyclopedia in MLA

Encyclopedia – A book or a series of books used for reference on a range of materials or numerous information typically around one subject.

Citing an Encyclopedia in Print

Cite your source

*Note: If the author of an article is not listed or known, start your citation with the article title instead. The article title (or a shortened version) would also be used in in-text citations in place of the author’s last name. 

Citing an Encyclopedia Found Online

Citing an encyclopedia article found in a database.

Note: If no edition or volume number is given, leave it out.

MLA Formatting Guide

MLA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Sample Paper
• Works Cited
• MLA 8 Updates
• MLA 9 Updates
• View MLA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all MLA Examples

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Citation Guide : How to cite ENCYCLOPEDIAS

• Research Paper Help
• Citing sources
• How to cite BOOKS, eBOOKS, CHAPTERS

How to cite ENCYCLOPEDIAS

• How to cite MAGAZINES/ JOURNALS
• How to cite NEWSPAPERS
• How to cite WEBSITES
• How to cite JOURNALS
• How to cite MAGAZINES
• How to cite ARTICLES IN JOURNALS
• How to cite DVDS, VIDEOS, CD-ROMS
• Chicago Style
• Useful Online Resources

APA Encyclopedia or Dictionary Entry Citation

• Examples are not double-spaced, but your References list should be double-spaced
• Examples do not show indented lines after the first line, but yours should be indented

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year of Publication). Title of entry or article. Name of reference source (Vol. number, pp. pages). Place of Publication: Publisher.

Examples : Home. (1989). In Oxford English dictionary (Vol. 8, p. 324). New York: Oxford University Press.

Ring, A. A. (1997). Real estate. In Encyclopedia Americana (Vol. 16, pp. 213-214). Danbury, CT: Grolier.

The art of architecture. (2002). In Encyclopædia Britannica: Macropædia (Vol. 1, pp. 243-261). Chicago: Encyclopædia Brittanica.

How to cite ONLINE Encyclopedias

APA Online Encyclopedia Entry

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. Title of entry or article. In Name of reference source . doi: number

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. Title of entry or article. In Name of reference source . Retrieved from name of database.

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. Title of entry or article. In Name of reference source . Retrieved Date, from complete URL

Example : Guttentag, J. Demand clause. In Mortgage encyclopedia . doi: 10.1036/0071458492

Concrete. In Funk & Wagnall's new world encyclopedia . Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Photonics. In The Columbia Encyclopedia . (6th ed.). Retrieved September 3, 2008, from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-photonics.html

Subject Guide

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Citation Guide: How to cite ENCYCLOPEDIAS

• Citing Sources
• Basics of MLA Citations
• How to cite BOOKS, eBOOKS, CHAPTERS
• How to cite ENCYCLOPEDIAS
• How to cite JOURNALS
• How to cite MAGAZINES
• How to cite NEWSPAPERS
• How to cite WEBSITES
• MLA Style, 9th Edition Overview
• Basics of APA Citations
• In-Text Citations
• How to cite MAGAZINES/ JOURNALS
• APA, 7th Edition
• Annotated Bibliography
• Useful Online Resources
• Research Paper Help
• Citing Visual Content

How to Cite Encyclopedias

  MLA Encyclopedia or Dictionary Entry Citation

• Examples are not double-spaced, but your Works Cited list should be double-spaced.
• Examples do not show indented lines after the first line, but yours should be indented.

Author's Last Name, First Name Middle Initial.  "Title of Entry or Article." Title of Reference Source. edition. year.

Examples : "Home." Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. 

Ring, Arnold A. "Real Estate." Encyclopedia Americana. 1997. 

"The Art of Architecture." Encyclopædia Britannica: Macropædia . 15th ed. 2002. 

How to Cite ONLINE Encyclopedias

MLA Online Encyclopedia or Dictionary Entry Citation

Author's Last Name, First Name Middle Initial. "Title of Entry or Article." Name of Reference Source . edition . Name of database . Date of access.

Example : “Concrete." Funk & Wagnall's New World Encyclopedia . EBSCO, 2009.  17 Jan. 2004.

Bigus, Jochen. "Business Bankruptcy." Encyclopedia of Law & Society:American and Global Perspectives . Sage, 2007. 16 Apr. 2009.

Elaine Reeves - Online Learning Librarian

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How to Cite an Encyclopedia in APA

Last Updated: October 11, 2022 References

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 11,926 times.

The American Psychological Association, or APA, format is a common means of citation in the social sciences. The citation style isn't difficult, but it does differ somewhat from MLA, the Chicago Manual, and other citation styles. To cite an encyclopedia entry, you need a few pieces of information, including the entry author, the year the encyclopedia was published, the entry title, the encyclopedia name, and the name and location of the encyclopedia publisher. Most of this information can be found on the title page or online footer.

Sample Citation

Using In-Text Citations

• The citation should always be added before the period at the end of the sentence like this: (Surname Year).
• If no author is listed but an editor is, use the editor's last name.
• So, for example, if your writing included information about Indianapolis, your in-text citation would be (Mayes 2016).

• So, for example, if you had an entry on salamanders with no author, the in-text citation would be (Salamanders 2016).

• So, for example, your sentence might say, “According to Mayes' writing for the Encyclopedia Britannica, Indianapolis is was originally founded under the assumption that the White River is navigable all the way to the ocean (2016).”

Listing a Print Encyclopedia in a References Section

• The first part of your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. If, for example, the entry was written by Paul Heart and Wanda L. Morris, cite them as: Heart, P. and Morris, W. L.
• If the entry does not have an author but the encyclopedia title page lists an editor, you can use their name. Simply add (Ed.) in parentheses afterward. So if the editor is Kyle Smith, list them as Smith, K. (Ed.).
• If the encyclopedia entry does not have an author or editor, skip to the next step and start the citation with the title of the entry.

• At this point, your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. (Year). So if the entry you are citing would look like: Heart, P. and Morris, W. L. (2011).

• At this point, your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. (Year). Article title. So if the entry you are citing is about alligator gar, it would look like: Heart, P. and Morris, W. L. (2011). Alligator gar.

• Now, your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. (Year). Article title. In Encyclopedia title. So if you found your information in the Encyclopedia Britannica, your citation would be: Heart, P. and Morris, W. L. (2011). Alligator gar. In Encyclopedia Britannica

• Not all encyclopedias will have a specific edition or volume. List what is provided by the encyclopedia, but you do not need to cite information that is not included by the publication.
• Now, your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. (Year) Article title. In Encyclopedia title (Edition, Vol., pp. x-x). So if you found your information in the New World Encyclopedia, your citation would be: Heart, P. and Morris, W. L. (2011). Alligator gar. In Encyclopedia Britannica (15th Edition, Vol. 2, pp. 20-24).

• Now, your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. (Year). Article title. In Encyclopedia title (Edition, Vol., pp. x-x) City, State Abbrev.. So if you found your information in the New World Encyclopedia, your citation would be: Heart, P. and Morris, W. L. (2011). Alligator gar. In Encyclopedia Britannica (15th Edition, Vol. 2, pp. 20-24). Chicago, IL:

• Now, your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. (Year). Article title. In Encyclopedia title (Edition, Vol., pp. x-x) City, State Abbrev.. So if you found your information in the New World Encyclopedia, your citation would be: Heart, P. and Morris, W. L. (2011). Alligator gar. In Encyclopedia Britannica (15th Edition, Vol. 2, pp. 20-24). Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.

Making a References Entry for an Online Encyclopedia

• The first part of your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. If, for example, the entry was written by Carla Mayes, cite them as: Mayes, C.
• If the encyclopedia entry does not have an author, you can skip to the next step and start the citation with the title of the entry.

• At this point, your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. (Year). Article title. So if the entry you are citing is about Indianapolis, it would look like: Mayes, C. (2016).

• At this point, your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. (Year). Article title. So if the entry you are citing is about Indianapolis, it would look like: Mayes, C. (2016). Indianapolis.

• Now, your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. (Year). Article title. In Encyclopedia title. So if you found your information in the Encyclopedia Britannica your citation would be: Mayes, C. (2016). Indianapolis. In Encyclopedia Britannica

• Not all online encyclopedias will list specific editions or volumes. Include only the information that is provided by the encyclopedia.
• Now, your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. (Year). Article title. In Encyclopedia title (Edition, Vol.). So if you found your information in the New World Encyclopedia, your citation would be: Mayes, C. (2016). Indianapolis. In Encyclopedia Britannica Online (18th ed.).

• There is no need to use the URL for the specific entry you are citing. The main URL for the encyclopedia will suffice.
• Now, your citation should look like: Surname, First Initial. (Year). Article title. In Encyclopedia title (Edition, Vol.). Retrieved from URL. So if you found your information in the New World Encyclopedia, your citation would be: Mayes, C. (2016). Indianapolis. In Encyclopedia Britannica Online (18th ed.). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com .

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocAPA.html
• ↑ http://apaformat.org/apa-encyclopedia-citation/
• ↑ http://libguides.dixie.edu/c.php?g=57887&p=371718
• ↑ http://guides.lib.wayne.edu/c.php?g=174728&p=1152035
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/09/
• ↑ http://libraryguides.goucher.edu/c.php?g=526130&p=3597326#s-lg-box-11118971

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APA Citation Guide

• APA Citations
• Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias - General Information

Print encyclopedia, online encyclopedia.

• Online Sources
• In-Text Citations
• Example Paper

FORMATTING ENCYCLOPEDIAS ON YOUR REFERENCES PAGE

Include the edition number and publication year for the encyclopedia. If you are using a print encyclopedia and there are multiple volumes, include the specific volume number that was used. If you are using an online encyclopedia from a database, include the DOI ( digital object identifier - a unique code for the encyclopedia article) at the end of the citation. If there is no DOI number assigned, give the URL of the database homepage.

Other formatting requirements:

• Your entire paper, including your References page, should be  double-spaced.
• Alphabetize your References list by the first word of the citation (usually the author's last name).
• Indent the second & following lines of the citation 0.5 inches  (a hanging indent).
• For 2-20 authors , your list of names will look like this: Wingert, P., Smith, J., & Brown, P.
• More than 20 authors:  provide the first six authors, an ellipsis, and the final author. For example Wingert, P., Smith, J., Brown, P., Harris, F., Johnson, A., Thompson, R.,...Lovett, M.
• Only capitalize the first word of the document title. If there is a colon in the title, capitalize the first word after the colon.
• Italicize the title of the encyclopedia.
• Include a page range whenever available. For encyclopedias, put p. or pp. in front of the page range.
• If you are citing an electronic encyclopedia article,  do not include a period after the DOI number or URL.
• Dates: Use n.d. (no date) when a publication date is not available.

Specialty encyclopedias, or encyclopedias that cover a specific subject, frequently list the author of each article. Authors of articles in general encyclopedias, or encyclopedias that cover all subject areas (such as the  Encyclopedia Britannica ), are not always listed.

There are few situations in which you would list an entire encyclopedia in your references; you will need to list the individual article(s) that you consulted.

The page range will have p. (for one page) or pp. (for multiple pages) in front of it.

PRINT ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRY WITH AUTHOR

Last Name, First Initial(s) . (Year). Title of encyclopedia entry. In editor's First Initial(s) L ast Name if available (Ed.),  Title of Encyclopedia.  (Vol. number, p(p).  Pages). Publisher.

Sucher, J. (1996). Charge, electronic. In J. S. Rigden (Ed.),  Macmillan Encyclopedia of Physics . (Vol. 1, pp. 191-193. Macmillan Reference USA.

PRINT ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRY - NO AUTHOR

Title of encyclopedia entry. (Year). In editor's First Initial(s) Last Name if available (Ed.),  Title of Encyclopedia. (Vol. number, p(p). Pages). Publisher.

Information theory. (2007). In The New  Encyclop e dia Britannica . (Vol. 21, pp. 631-637). Encyclop edia Britannica, Inc.

Specialty encyclopedias, or encyclopedias that cover a specific subject, frequently list the author of each article. Authors of articles in general encyclopedias, or encyclopedias that cover all subject areas (such as the  Encyclopedia  Britannica ), are not always listed.

ENCYCLOPEDIA FROM A DATABASE - HAS AUTHOR

Last Name, First Initial(s). (Year). Title of encyclopedia entry. In editor's First Initial(s) Last Name if available (Ed.),  Title of Encyclopedia.  Publisher if available. URL of entry

Padian, K. (1997). Origin of dinosaurs. In  P. J. Currie  &  K.  Padian (Eds.) ,  Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs . Elsevier Science & Technology. http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/estdino/ origin_of_dinosaurs/0

Ulak, J. T. (n.d.). Japanese art. In  Britannica Academic . http://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/399716

ENCYCLOPEDIA FROM A DATABASE - NO AUTHOR

Title of encyclopedia entry. (Year). In editor's First Initial(s) Last Name if available (Ed.),  Title of Encyclopedia . Publisher if available. URL of entry

Art history. (2016). In Britannica Academic . http://academic.eb.com.butlerlib.butlercc.edu/levels/collegiate/article/9662

Donatello. (2001). In N. J. Wilson (Ed.),  World Eras  (Vol. 1, p. 91). http://go.galegroup.com.butlerlib.butlercc.edu/ps/start.do?prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=klnb_bucc

Title of Wikipedia entry. (archived date). In  Wikipedia .  URL of Wikipedia entry

Television. (2020, March 11). In  Wikipedia . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television

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Citation Guide: How to cite ENCYCLOPEDIAS

• APA General Guidelines
• Citing Common Resources
• MLA General Guidelines
• Author/Editor ASA Format
• Basic ASA Rules
• How to cite AUDIO/VISUAL MATERIALS
• How to cite BOOKS, eBOOKS, and CHAPTERS
• How to cite ENCYCLOPEDIAS
• How to cite MAGAZINES
• How to cite JOURNALS
• How to cite NEWSPAPERS
• How to cite PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS
• How to cite WEBSITES
• In-text Citations
• Citation Software - Zotero

How to cite GENERAL ENCYCLOPEDIAs

Major reference books (major dictionaries and encyclopedias, i.e. World Book ) can be cited with a note in text rather than in a reference.

1. Encyclopaedia Britannica , 15th ed., s.v. "salvation."

How to cite SUBJECT-SPECIFIC ENCYCLOPEDIAs

ASA Subject Encyclopedia or Dictionary Entry Citation

• Examples are not double-spaced, but your Works Cited list should be double-spaced
• Examples do not show indented lines after the first line, but yours should be indented

Author's Last Name, First Name Middle Initial. Year of publication.  "Title of Entry or Article." Pp. numbers in Title of Reference Source . edition,  Vol. number, edited by Editor (editors use initials and not inverted). City of publication: Publisher.

  Examples : Novak, Sarah A. 2008.  "Personal Relationships and Obesity." Pp. 557-58 in Encyclopedia of Obesity. Vol 2, edited by K. Keller. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Barr, Robert D., and William H. Parrett. 2003. "Alternative Schooling." Pp . 615-16 in Encyclopedia of Education . 2nd ed., Vol. 1, edited by J. W. Guthrie. New York: Macmillan Reference USA.

Lyas, Colin.1996. "Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von." Pp. 112 in Dictionary of Art. Vol. 12, edited by J. Turner. New York: Grove's Dictionary.

How to cite eENCYCLOPEDIAs

ASA Online Encyclopedia Entry

• Examples are not double-spaced, but your References list should be double-spaced

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. Year of publication. "Title of entry or article." Pp. in Name of reference source, edited by Editor (initials used for first and middle name, not inverted).  Place of publication: publisher. Complete URL from authoritative website or doi number.

Novak, Sarah A. 2008.  "Personal Relationships and Obesity." Pp. 557-58 in Encyclopedia of Obesity. Vol 2, edited by K. Keller. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/978141296382.n372.

Everett, Deborah. 2008. "Yazzie, Steven." Pp. 247-49 in Encyclopedia of Native American Artists , edited by D. Everett and E. Zorn. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.  http://libproxy.dixie.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3008500081&v=2.1&u=dixiesta&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=2c23bfbd6a5045d2db8d77469cec7ac2.

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• Spartanburg Community College Library
• SCC Research Guides
• Citing an Encyclopedia

Encyclopedias are an example of a reference source and can be great to use for background information about a subject. Encyclopedias provide overviews of various topics to help their readers learn more about a subject. The SCC Library has access to many encyclopedias, both online in library databases and in print on the shelves in the library.

• From a Database
• From a Book (Print)
• Help Resources

Encyclopedia from Library Database 

Known author:.

Format:  Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of Entry."  Title of Encyclopedia , edited by Editor's Name, Edition, vol. #, Publisher Name, Date of Publication, page number(s).  Database Name,  URL.

Example:  Moore, Leonard N. "Civil Rights Movement."  St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture , edited by Thomas Riggs, 2nd ed., vol. 1, St. James Press, 2013, pp. 608-611.  Gale eBooks,  pascal-scc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01PASCAL_SCC/1msufik/cdi_gale_incontextnref_ISN_ SFRNQP801853224.

*Note : You can usually omit the http:// unless needed to hyperlink.

*Note:  For URLs longer than 3 lines, you can shorten the URL. Always retain the host (main website) of the URL.

Unknown Author:

Format:  "Title of Entry."  Title of Encyclopedia , edited by Editor's Name, Edition, vol. #, Publisher Name, Date of Publication, page number(s).  Database Name , URL.

Example:  "Earthquakes."  Notable Natural Disasters , edited by Robert S. Carmichael, 2nd ed., vol. 1: Overviews, Salem Press Inc., 2017, pp. 40-56.  Gale eBooks , go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=spartechcl&v=2.1&it=etoc&id=GALE%7C9781682173336&sid=bookmark-GVRL.

Encyclopedia in Print

Format:  Author's Last Name, Author First Name.  " Title of Entry."   Title of Encyclopedia , edited by Editor's Name, Edition, vol. #, Publisher Name, Year of Publication, pp.  

Example:  Chapman, Russell L., and Debra A. Waters. "Algae."  Plant Sciences , edited by Richard Robinson, vol. 1, Gale, 2001, pp. 26- 31.

Format:  " Title of Entry."  Title of Encyclopedia , edited by Editor's Name, Edition, vol. #, Publisher Name, Year of Publication, pp.

Example:  "A Streetcar Named Desire."  Drama for Students,  edited by David M. Galens and Lynn M. Spampinato, vol. 1, Gale, 1998, pp. 281-297.

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How to Cite an Encyclopedia Article in Harvard Style

Published by Alaxendra Bets at August 27th, 2021 , Revised On August 23, 2023

Before delving into how encyclopedia articles are referenced in Harvard style, it’s important to know the difference between an encyclopedia and a dictionary.

• Encyclopedia: it’s a book or a collection of books that contain a lot of information about a certain word, a topic, or both. That is why encyclopedia entries are not referred to as ‘entries’ but as ‘articles,’ because they are longer than an entry in a dictionary.
• Dictionary: it simply ‘defines’ a word, its origins, antonyms, synonyms, and pronunciation, etc. it doesn’t really give more information than that.

For example, take the word ‘cognition.’ A dictionary entry for this title will simply define it. However, an encyclopedia article for ‘cognition’ will be way more comprehensive, as it might introduce the reader to its different branches, its importance, advantages, and disadvantages of methods used in the field, technological inventions in it, so on and so forth.

In-Text and Reference List Format with Examples

1.    basic format.

Basically, Harvard referencing uses the following in-text citation format for encyclopedia articles:

Name of encyclopedia followed by publication year and page # of entry if present:

(Wheeler, 2020) OR

(Wheeler 2020, p. #)

The reference list follows this format:

Author Surname, Author Initial. (Year Published). Title. In: Publication Title in italics. City: Publisher, p #.

For instance, Anon, (2014). In: Test , 1st ed. Wien: Hana, p.37.

Here’s another example for in-text citation of an encyclopedia article:

Who’s Who in the Twentieth Century (Smith 1999, p. 9) says, ‘Aung San

Suu Kyi was deprived…”.

Its corresponding reference list entry would be:

Smith, J 1999, ‘Aung San Suu Kyi’, Who’s Who in the Twentieth Century , Encyclopedia, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.

2.    Encyclopedia Articles without Author Name or Date

  In some rare cases, only the title of the encyclopedia article is available, while the author’s name and date or year of publication is missing or unavailable. Such a source is cited in the text as:

(Title of the article followed by n.d. for ‘no date’)

For example (Animalia n.d.) where ‘Animalia’ is the title of the encyclopedia article.

3.    Citing a Print Encyclopedia

Citation for such an encyclopedia article follows the same format as that of a print book, i.e.:

(Title of Encyclopedia followed by Year of article Publication)

For example, (Cambridge University Press 2020) OR

(Cambridge University Press 2020, p. #103)

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To cite an encyclopedia article in Harvard style:

• Author(s) Last name, First initial. (Year). “Article Title.” In Encyclopedia Title, edition. Publisher. URL (if online).
• Example: Smith, J. (2023). “Climate Change.” In Encyclopedia of Environmental Science, 2nd ed. Green Publishing. [URL]

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Sometimes citing the Movie, Television and Radio Programs in Harvard Style is very tricky. Here is the easiest guide to do so

Surname, (or Newspaper/Magazine Title,) Year. Title of article. Newspaper/Magazine Title [online], Day Month Year or Volume (Issue), URL [Accessed date].

Podcasts have become a common source for research. We have prepared this article on how to cite a podcast in Harvard referencing.

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Encyclopedia or dictionary from library database - known author, encyclopedia or dictionary from library database - unknown author, encyclopedia or dictionary from a website - known author, encyclopedia or dictionary from a website - unknown author, encyclopedia or dictionary entry in print - known author, encyclopedia or dictionary in print - unknown author, citing two authors, citing three or more authors, abbreviating months.

In your works cited list, abbreviate months as follows: 

January = Jan. February = Feb. March = Mar. April = Apr. May = May June = June July = July August = Aug. September = Sept. October = Oct. November = Nov. December = Dec.

Spell out months fully in the body of your paper. 

It can sometimes be difficult to find out who the author of a website is. Remember that an author can be a corporation or group, not only a specific person. Author information can sometimes be found under an "About" section on a website.

If there is no known author, start the citation with the title of the article instead.

Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. You do not need to capitalize words such as: in, of, or an. Do not use all-caps (except for words like USA where each letter stands for something), even if the words appear that way on the article.

If there is a colon (:) in the title, include what comes after the colon (also known as the subtitle).

The publisher or sponsoring organization can often be found in a copyright notice at the bottom of the home page or on a page that gives information about the site.  When the page is authored and published by the same corporation/group/organization, omit the author and begin your citation with the title. 

Publisher information may be omitted for:

• periodicals (journals, magazines, newspapers)
• works published by an author or editor
• web sites whose title is the same as the name of the publisher
• a web site not involved in producing the work it makes (e.g. user-generated content sites like  YouTube )

The best date to use for a website is the date that the content was last updated. Otherwise look for a copyright or original publication date. Unfortunately this information may not be provided or may be hard to find. Often date information is put on the bottom of the pages of a website.

If you do not know the complete date, put as much information as you can find. For example you may have a year but no month or day.

Access Date

Date of access is optional in MLA 9th edition. When no publication date is included, we recommend including the date you last accessed the site.

Note : For your Works Cited list, all citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Entry." Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , edited by   Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number if more than one volume, Publisher Name, Date of Publication,  pp. First Page-Last Page. Name of Database .  https://doi.org/DOI if there is one.

 Note : MLA 9th edition recommends including a DOI, stable link, or URL. We recommend that URLs be left out when citing a work found in a library database. Because library databases require a login most URLs will stop working after the session ends. If there is a DOI, include this as the last element, beginning with https://doi.org/.

If you do not have information such as an editor's name, a volume or page numbers leave those sections out of your citation.

 "Title of Entry."  Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , edited by   Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number, Publisher Name, Date of Publication, pp. First Page-Last Page.  Name of Database .   https://doi.org/DOI if there is one.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Entry."  Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , Publication or Update Date,   URL. Accessed  Day Month Year site was visited .  

"Title of Entry."  Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , Publisher if known, Copyright Date or Date Updated,   URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited .  

"Title of Entry." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia,  Wikimedia Foundation, Day Month Year entry was last modified, Time entry was last modified, URL of entry. Accessed Day Month Year Wikipedia entry was last viewed.

 Note : The date and time the article was last modified appears at the bottom of each Wikipedia article.

Keep in mind that Wikipedia may not be considered an acceptable source for a college or university assignment. Be sure to evaluate the content carefully and check with your instructor if you can use it as a source in your assignment.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Entry."  Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , edited by   Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number, Publisher Name, Year of Publication, pp. First Page-Last Page.

 "Title of Entry."  Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , edited by   Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number, Publisher Name, Year of Publication, pp. First Page-Last Page.

If there are two authors, cite the the authors as follows (list authors in the order they are given on the page, not alphabetically):

Last Name, First Name of First Author, and First Name Last Name of Second Author.

Example: Smith, James, and Sarah Johnston.

If there are three or more authors, cite only the name of the first author listed with their Last Name, First Name followed by a comma et al.

Example: Smith, James, et al.

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Gale, Springer, Sage and Ebsco refer to the publisher or platform. Gale and Ebsco are the broadest, Springer is more scientifically focused and Sage has more in the Social Sciences.

​To find encyclopedias on your topic, either print or online, type in a subject, i.e. dreams, followed by the word encyclopedias:

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How to Cite a Dictionary or Encyclopedia in APA Style: a Quick Guide & Examples

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Writing involves frequent use of additional sources of information and the importance of how to cite a dictionary in APA. Dictionaries and encyclopedias are highly helpful in citing specific notions. You can cite different subject areas and disciplines. These are engineering, psychology, social sciences, and science. Adhering to this specific style and formatting will make your research paper more original. It will be accepted by other committed representatives. That is because the work will not copy the concepts and ideas of other authors. It will reflect unique approaches and thoughts with correct citation to similar conceptions. For your good, we have outlined all the main rules. You can also find accurate and correct examples of referencing these sources. So check this guide from our dissertation help service and make your paperwork perfectly written!

APA Dictionary Citation: Definition and Purpose

APA citation dictionary contains various entry elements that you must include. Terms, interpretations, explanations are often found exactly in dictionaries. So, it becomes a handy material to enrich research papers with valuable items. Accordingly, to start citing a dictionary, one will point out an author,  publication date, citing word, dictionary name, retrieved date, publisher. Usually, it is available online. You should also refer to an online dictionary. Accordingly, URL address should be mentioned too. Thus, keep reading our guide to find out how to provide in-text quotes! You will also learn different citations rules on a reference page in the next section. Alternatively, you can ask our academic professionals to ‘ write my college paper ’ and get flawless assistance.

APA Dictionary and Encyclopedia: The Main Difference

When it comes to reference, there is a difference in how to cite an online encyclopedia APA. It is essential to clarify the meaning of each notion. Dictionary comprises linguistic information about words with their interpretations. It always demonstrates various examples of usage. Scientists often come to look up specific terms in terminological, narrow specialized dictionaries. On the other hand, encyclopedia discloses every additional thing associated with a word cited. It can be an environment it is used in or geographical connotation. Culture, mentality it refers to, and other options are okay too. Encyclopedias cover many branches of knowledge. That's why they became an integral part of investigation for a researcher. The citation method is almost equal to both references. But some entry elements differ. It can be the use of Editor’s Name when referring to encyclopedias. So how to cite these two references correctly? Follow our instructions and get valuable insights.

How to Cite an Online Dictionary in APA Style: Website

Researchers operate with a notions from an online dictionary from a website. That's when they need to meet APA dictionary citation . Typically, it may contain an author or website name. Add the entry title used in work is cited in reference list and in-text citation. The general format of an entry is as follows:

In APA style, Publication Year is given in parentheses, Source Name is italicized. Between Editor's Name and Dictionary Name there is a comma. In-text citation includes only two positions. These are Author Last Name and Publication Year taken in parentheses. Due to narrative approach, the first position is taken out of parentheses. The formats of in-text citations are the next:

How to Cite Dictionary or Encyclopedia From a Website APA: Multiple Authors

Do you want to know how to cite a dictionary (APA) with multiple authors? After all, they can be mentioned in a dictionary or encyclopedia. There is nothing tricky. There are two simple rules to consider.

• When 2 or 3 authors are mentioned, they should be listed and separated with commas. The last Author Name is used with ampersand instead of “and” before it.
• If there are more than 7 authors, then the first 19 of them should be placed with the following ellipsis (...) and the last author name.

Thus, this format looks like this:

An in-text citation with multiple authors involves the same format as in the previous section. But with more than 7 authors, an abbreviation “et al.” should be used after the first Author Name due to APA style.

APA Dictionary or Encyclopedia Citation From a Website: No Author

When researcher provides APA citation, encyclopedia's articles can lack author's name. But citing your source is crucial for your work! This concerns dictionaries as well. Information is regularly updated, but no author, editor, or date can be unavailable. Accordingly, a name of an entry title replaces Author(s) Name. And the reference format takes such a look:

In-text format reference takes the same shape as in an example of the previous section. It concerns APA style. If you need how to cite a dictionary in MLA , there are other rules to follow.

How to Cite an Online Dictionary in APA: No Date

As mentioned above, a researcher can come across information with no date placed. But the APA in-text citation dictionary should be provided somehow! The general entry format is standard. Only the Publication Year element is replaced by the abbreviation “n.d.” (no date). Consequently, the format is as follows:

In-text no date citation keeps the same two componential structures with “n.d.”.

How to Cite a Print Dictionary in APA Style

Citing the dictionary APA in a print edition is still in use. It usually doesn’t list authors. But when it does, Author Name should be given as well as Publisher. Thus, the general format is as follows, including compulsory elements like:

APA format in text citation of print dictionaries involves the same structure. Check out these examples below:

How to Cite a Dictionary or Encyclopedia in Print APA With Multiple Authors

A similar format is applied for citing an encyclopedia (APA) when dealing with multiple authors. One should account for a number of authors to understand how correctly to present a citation at large. An Entry structure is the same as in the previous section but containing possible multiple authors:

When referring to a term in a text, a multitude of more than 7 authors is expressed through “et al.” after the first Author Name. Example:  

APA Citing a Dictionary or Encyclopedia in Print With No Author

Looking for specific terms, in APA citation of dictionary, researchers frequently will face articles with an entry word and no author in it. In this case, Entry Title replaces Author Name and follows a format:

When you cite a source in-text, provide your Entry Title in quotation marks. If Entry Name is long, then you shouldn't shorten it. Example:  

You may face with citing a government website APA in your work. If it is such an occasion, follow all the rules and pay attention to the different details we prepare in our blog.

How to Cite a Printed Dictionary or Encyclopedia With No Date

The standard approach is used almost in all cases to cite a dictionary APA in print. The compulsory elements are the same, with some modifications on the existence or absence of an author. Another point is related to no date identified. Thus, a writer should use “n.d.” (meaning no date) instead of Publication Year. So, the format takes a general look:

In case you face with APA PowerPoint citations , just open one more blog we prepared for our users. Use the guide and follow all the rules to cope with this task easily.

How to Cite a Dictionary in APA: Final Thoughts

Starting an educational performance at a university or other institution, lots of students will stumble upon a question "how to cite a dictionary in APA". The manual for it can be included practically in every research work. Every researcher deals with a range of terms and interpretations they need to present within work as well as to cite them in references. We have shown you the main principles of citing a dictionary or encyclopedia in detail with practical examples. Whether there is no author, no date, or any other entry element, each rule is explained easily and understandably. So, you will proceed with your quality writings and on-time delivery. We welcome you to sign up for our service and be up-to-date with all novelties and insights we want to share with you.

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Citation Databases

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Bibliometrics Overview

Welcome to Purdue University's Citation Databases Research Guide

Here you will find...

• Information on citation databases
• Descriptions of these databases
• Helpful examples on how to use them
• Use cases for each of the major citation databases
• Useful tips and tricks on how to best make use of them

Here are some definitions of common terms made use of by citation databases

• Bibliometrics is the statistical analysis of scholarly output like articles, book chapters, and reviews.
• Altmetrics: is the statistical analysis of alternative forms of capture such as twitter impressions of a piece of scholarly output.

Some common metrics are the H-index, Journal Impact Factor, and the FWCI (called CNCI in Web of Science).

• H-Index is a measure of how many times a journals published articles are cited, an index of fifteen means an article has been cited 15 times.
• Journal Impact Factor (IF) – A measurement of how many times a journal’s published articles are cited by different researchers.
• FWCI – Publication Field weighted citation indices indicate how the number of citations received by researcher’s publications compared to the average number for similar publications.
• Category Normalized Citation Impact (CNCI) – Calculated using Web of Science, CNCI is “an indicator of impact normalized for subject focus, age and document type. A CNCI of 1 is at par with the world average, anything above 2 is twice the global average
• SJR - Scimago Journal Rank is a measure of the "prestige" of journals which makes use of both the number of citations a journal accrues and the perception of those journals in the wider academic community
• SNIP - Source Normalized Impact per Paper is a metric which accounts for the field specific differences between journals. The need for this is that some fields have different publishing practices, time frames, and constraints. This results in the need for a metric like SNIP which is calculated by comparing the citations per journal with the citation potential of the field as a whole, in other words it would measure of history journal against other history journals and vice versa for other academic disciplines

Here are the five most common Citation Databases' Key Strengths and Use Cases

• Web of Science: Core Collection Access the world’s leading scholarly literature in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities and examine proceedings of international conferences, symposia, seminars, colloquia, workshops, and conventions. -Science Citation Index Expanded (1900-present) -Social Sciences Citation Index (1900-present) -Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975-present) -Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science (1990-present) -Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Social Science & Humanities (1990-present) -Book Citation Index– Science (2005-present) -Book Citation Index– Social Sciences & Humanities (2005-present) -Current Chemical Reactions (1985-present) (Includes Institut National de la Propriete Industrielle structure data back to 1840) -Index Chemicus (1993-present) -Emerging Sources Citation Index (2005 – present)
• Google Scholar Searches for scholarly materials such as peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from broad areas of research. It includes a variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as scholarly articles available across the web.
• Dimensions Dimensions is a citations database which specializes in providing abstracts, citations, and patents to users. While the Library does not currently subscribe, you can access the free version of the database from this link

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