How to Reference a Lab Manual in APA Format
Researchers and students in the behavioral and social sciences often use lab manuals for information about procedures, equipment and safety. They may need to include this material when writing about their studies. The sixth edition of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association" offers guidelines for citing lab manuals.
In-Text Citation
When you include information from a lab manual in text, put a citation inside parentheses. Insert the name of the issuer of the manual, such as a company, a college department or an instructor's surname. Add a comma and then list the publication year, such as:
(Department of Physics, 2012).
If you mention the issuer in text, omit the name from the parentheses.
References Page
Include the in-text citation on the References page. Begin with the name of the issuer of the manual, such as a company, a college department or an instructor. If it is an individual, list the last name, a comma and initials. Add a period. Insert the publication year within parentheses. Add a period. Next put the italicized title of the manual in sentence case with a period. Finish with the place of publication, a colon, the publisher and a period. For example:
Department of Physics. (2012). Introductory physics handbook and lab manual (in italics). New York, NY: Best College.
References
Writer Bio
Living in upstate New York, Susan Sherwood is a researcher who has been writing within educational settings for more than 10 years. She has co-authored papers for Horizons Research, Inc. and the Capital Region Science Education Partnership. Sherwood has a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University at Albany.
