Free APSA Citation Generator
APSA is the author-date citation standard for political science and international relations publications. CiteMe formats APSA references automatically from 10+ scholarly databases — paste a DOI or search by topic for formatted citations instantly.
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What to do next
How to use the APSA citation generator
Search your source in APSA
Enter a title, DOI, URL, ISBN, or author name to find the right source in real academic databases.
Verify the metadata
Check author names, year, title, and source details before copying the final citation.
Copy the citation and in-text format
Get the full APSA reference plus the matching in-text citation or footnote format instantly.
Why Use Our APSA Citation Generator?
Real Academic Databases
Search 250M+ works from OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, and CrossRef. Every citation is real and verifiable with DOI links.
APSA Format
Formatted per APSA guidelines. Author-date system with specific political science conventions.
Political Science Focus
Optimized for political science, international relations, and public policy papers.
Export Options
Copy formatted citations or export to BibTeX/RIS for use with Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, and other reference managers.
APSA Citation Examples
Journal Article
In-text: (Smith and Johnson 2024)
Book
In-text: (Williams 2023)
Edited Volume Chapter
In-text: (Garcia 2024)
Examples in APSA style
APSA In-Text Citations
Parenthetical
Author and year:
Narrative
Author in sentence:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is APSA citation style?
APSA (American Political Science Association) citation style is the standard referencing format for political science. It uses author-date in-text citations and a references list at the end of the paper. APSA style is based on the APSA Style Manual for Political Science.
How do APSA in-text citations work?
APSA uses parenthetical author-date citations in the text. Include the author's last name and the year of publication, separated by a space. For direct quotes, add the page number. Example: (Smith 2024) or (Smith 2024, 45).
What is the difference between APSA and APA citation styles?
While both use author-date in-text citations, APSA and APA differ in formatting details. APSA does not use an ampersand before the last author, uses no comma before the year in in-text citations, and has different reference-list formatting. APSA is for political science; APA is for psychology and social sciences.
How do I format the APSA references list?
The references list is alphabetized by author last name. Each entry includes author name, year, title in italics for books or quotes for articles, publication information, and DOI when available. Use a hanging indent for entries longer than one line.
How do I cite a government document in APSA?
For government documents, use the issuing body as the author. Example: U.S. Department of State. 2024. "Report Title." Washington, DC: Government Publishing Office. For congressional documents, use the chamber and committee as author.
Is this APSA citation generator free?
Yes! CiteMe offers free APSA citations with a generous monthly limit. Search by DOI, title, or author to generate properly formatted political science references in seconds.
Common APSA citation mistakes
Avoid the most frequent formatting errors with a quick checklist by source type.
Open mistakes guide →Cite by Source Type in APSA
Start with the source pages most readers need, then explore the full set of examples and formatting rules for this style.
Journal Article citations
Generate accurate APSA citations for journal articles. Search 250M+ academic papers from real databases.
PDF citations
Generate accurate APSA citations for PDFs, technical reports, white papers, and government documents.
Website citations
Generate accurate APSA citations for websites, web pages, and online articles. Handles missing authors and dates automatically.
Citation tools & comparisons
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