Dictionary Entry References

This page contains reference examples for dictionary entries, including the following:

  1. Entry in an online dictionary
  2. Entry in a print dictionary

1. Entry in an online dictionary

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Just-world hypothesis. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved January 18, 2020, from https://dictionary.apa.org/just-world-hypothesisopens in new window

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Semantics. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved January 4, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semanticsopens in new window

 

  • Parenthetical citations: (American Psychological Association, n.d.; Merriam-Webster, n.d.)
  • Narrative citations: American Psychological Association (n.d.) and Merriam-Webster (n.d.)
  • Because entries in the APA Dictionary of Psychology and Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary are updated over time and are not archived, include a retrieval date in the reference.
  • The author and publisher are the same for the dictionaries in the examples, so the name appears in the author element only to avoid repetition.
  • To quote a dictionary definition, view the pages on quotations and how to quote works without page numbers for guidance. Additionally, here is an example:
    • Semantics refers to the “study of meanings” (Merriam-Webster, n.d., Definition 1).

2. Entry in a print dictionary

American Psychological Association. (2015). Mood induction. In APA dictionary of psychology (2nd ed., p. 667).

Merriam-Webster. (2003). Litmus test. In Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (11th ed., p. 727).

 

  • Parenthetical citations: (American Psychological Association, 2015; Merriam-Webster, 2003)
  • Narrative citations: American Psychological Association (2015) and Merriam-Webster (2003)
  • The author and publisher are the same for the dictionaries in the examples, so the name appears in the author element only to avoid repetition.
  • Provide any edition information about the dictionary in parentheses without italics after the dictionary title.
  • Provide the page number for the entry in parentheses after the title of the dictionary. When both an edition and page number are present, place them in the same set of parentheses, separated with a comma.

Learn more

Dictionary entry references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.3 and the Concise Guide Section 10.3

This guidance has been revised from the 6th edition.

Date created: 2020