How to Cite an Audio CD in APA Format

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American Psychological Association style is used widely in papers written for science and social sciences fields. According to the 6th edition of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association," APA style requires writers to give credit to any outside sources used in the paper. If a writer chooses to refer to an audio CD in his research paper, an APA style citation and reference must be included.

In-Text Citation

The in-text citation goes at the end of the sentence referencing the song and before the final punctuation. For example: (Underwood, Lindsey, & Kear, 2012, track 3). Begin the in-text citation with the last name of the songwriter responsible for the song lyric you are citing in the paper. It is possible the performer wrote or co-wrote the lyric; check the track listings to verify the writer of the song. Include the year the song was recorded and the track number on the CD.

Reference List Citation

On the References page, you will include detailed information about the CD: Last name, comma, first initial of the songwriter, period. The year the CD was released in parentheses, period. Song title, capitalizing only the first word, period. "On," and then the album title in italics with all major words capitalized, "CD" in brackets, period. Location of the record label, colon, record label name, period. For example: Underwood, C., Lindsey, H., & Kear, J. (2012). Two black cadillacs. On Blown Away [CD]. Nashville: Arista Nashville.