Understanding APA Movie Citation
APA movie citation is an integral part of academic writing. It is a specific way to acknowledge the ideas or words of others in your text that you have used as a reference, in the case of this guide, specifically movies. An APA citation typically includes the authors name, the publication year, and the title of the source, and the location.
Why is it Important to Cite a Movie APA?
Referencing a movie in your academic work aids in avoiding plagiarism while also giving credit to the original creators. Additionally, it provides evidence of your research process and helps establish credibility to your work.
The Basics of APA Movie Citation
To correctly cite a movie in APA style, you have to keep in mind the four major information items in your citation: The director(s), the year of release, the title of the movie, and the location and name of the company that produced the movie.
1. Citing the Director(s) and Year of Release
Start your APA movie citation by citing the director(s) as the authors, followed by their credentials, and then the year of the movies release. It should look similar to this:
Smith, J. (Director). (2019).
2. Citing the Title of the Movie
Next, cite the title of the movie in italics. This will be done right after the year of release:
Every Movie Ever. (2019).
3. Mentioning the Location and Name of the Production Company
Finally, note the location and the name of the production company, separated by a colon:
Los Angeles, CA: Big Time Movies.
Full APA Citation Example
Now, let’s combine all these elements to create a complete APA movie citation:
Smith, J. (Director). (2019). Every Movie Ever [Film]. Los Angeles, CA: Big Time Movies.
Commonly Asked Questions about APA Movie Citation
Q: How to cite a movie in APA if the producer is different from the director?
If a producer is equally important and you choose to include them, mention them first before the director. But the APA style typically requires citing the director only.
Q: How to cite a movie in APA that doesn’t have a director?
In such cases, you can cite the producer instead. If both are unavailable, cite the company that created the movie.
Q: How to cite a film in APA when referencing a specific part of the movie?
You can use time stamps to point towards parts of the movie that helped build your argument. Following the entire citation, add from a timestamp – to timestamp.
Final Words
Understanding how to cite a movie APA way is a crucial academic skill. It may seem challenging at first, but with a bit of practice, it becomes second nature. Keep this guide handy to perfect your APA movie citations!
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