# UMGC APA format: citing at University of Maryland Global Campus

**Which citation style does University of Maryland Global Campus use, and what are UMGC's own APA rules?** University of Maryland Global Campus uses APA 7th edition for most science, social science, business and technical courses, and every student in its Graduate School of Management & Technology must use APA. Humanities courses use MLA 9 and history courses Chicago. UMGC's library adds its own APA format for classroom material, with the university as author and the course code.

Published 2026-10-02 by EdCitation. https://edcitation.com/newsletter/citing-at-university-of-maryland-global-campus

University of Maryland Global Campus uses APA 7th edition for most of its courses, and its library is where the rules live. The University of Maryland Global Campus Library (UMGC Library, 2026a) keeps an APA 7th Edition Citation Examples guide, with a format of UMGC's own for material in the online classroom.

EdCitation is not affiliated with University of Maryland Global Campus; this follows its public library guide, checked on 2 October 2026. Its pages are linked under References. EdCitation publishes this guide, and its last section quotes exactly what the free [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite/apa) and [Verify references](https://edcitation.com/verify-references) returned on UMGC's own examples, slips included.

## Which citation style does UMGC use?

APA 7 for most courses, MLA 9 in the humanities and Chicago in history; your syllabus decides. UMGC Library (2026g) gives that split in its research tutorial. Its Chicago guide adds the one fixed rule we found: every student in the Graduate School of Management & Technology cites in APA (UMGC Library, 2026e).

| Courses | Style | UMGC page that says so |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Most science, social science, business and technical courses | APA, 7th edition | Research tutorial; APA guide |
| Graduate School of Management & Technology, every student | APA | Chicago guide, "Which style?" |
| Humanities courses | MLA, 9th edition | Research tutorial; MLA guide |
| History courses | Chicago, 18th edition, notes and bibliography | Research tutorial; Chicago guide |
| IEEE | IEEE's own guidelines are linked; no course is named | Citing & Writing |

The Chicago guide says UMGC uses Chicago, not Turabian, and shows its examples as footnotes with a bibliography. EdCitation builds six styles only: APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 author-date, Harvard, IEEE and Vancouver. Its Chicago is the author-date form, so a UMGC history paper's notes are written by hand; our [Chicago and Turabian paper guide](https://edcitation.com/newsletter/chicago-and-turabian-student-paper-format) covers the layout. No UMGC page we read asks for Harvard or Vancouver.

### Does the Online Guide to Writing and Research set its own rules?

No. Its page on APA citations names the library as the "central hub" for citation guidance, so that out-of-date rules do not linger (University of Maryland Global Campus, 2022a).

## How do you cite UMGC classroom materials in APA?

Use UMGC's own pattern: University of Maryland Global Campus as author, the date or n.d., the title in italics, then "Document posted in UMGC", the course code and section, "online classroom, archived at" and the classroom address. UMGC Library (2026d) calls it the standard format UMGC set for every student citing course content. Its example:

> University of Maryland Global Campus. (n.d.). *Cross-curricular initiatives in NSCI 170*. Document posted in UMGC NSCI 170 6981 online classroom, archived at https://learn.umgc.edu

The citation in the text is (University of Maryland Global Campus, n.d.), and the entry ends at the address with no full stop. The pattern covers only material made for UMGC classrooms: a journal article your instructor posted is cited as an article.

### Discussion posts and classmates

A discussion post is cited like a paper: in-text citations for every source used, and a reference list at the end of the post. A classmate's post is not cited; name the classmate in your sentence, with the post's date in parentheses. In MLA courses the classroom entry changes shape: the title in quotation marks, the course code, "taught by" and the instructor, then D2L, UMGC, the date and learn.umgc.edu (UMGC Library, 2026f).

### Which classroom format is current?

The one in the APA guide. Several subject guides, including the Writing guide updated in July 2026, still carry an older box (UMGC Library, 2026h): "UMGC." as author, the old address http://campus.umgc.edu, a note that no official APA format exists, and "Retrieved from" before an ordinary address. Follow the APA guide unless your instructor says otherwise.

## What are UMGC's own APA rules?

Most are plain APA 7, with the manual's pages cited under each. Here are the main ones, each with the page of the APA guide it comes from.

| Rule | What UMGC asks | UMGC page |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Et al. | From three authors, in every citation; past 20 authors, the first 19, an ellipsis and the last | Authors |
| Group author | Full name in the list; an abbreviation in brackets at the first citation | Authors |
| Capitals | Sentence case for article, book and web page titles; journal, magazine and newspaper names in title case | Titles |
| Page labels | In the list, "p." and "pp." only for book chapters and newspaper articles; "para." in the text for unpaged sources | Page Numbers; In-Text Citations |
| DOIs | As https://doi.org/, whenever one exists; remove ezproxy.umgc.edu | Academic Journals; Books; FAQ |
| Database source without a DOI | No URL | Academic Journals; Books |
| Web pages | Site name left out when it is the author; a retrieval date only for content that will change | Websites |
| Classroom material | UMGC's own format, above | Online Classroom Materials |
| Personal communication | In the text only | Interviews, E-mail Messages |
| Generative AI | The company, the chat's date, its title in italics, [Generative AI chat], the tool, the link | AI: ChatGPT, etc. |
| Business databases | Database name and home page for reports found only there | Business Sources |
| Building any entry | [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite/apa), then [Verify references](https://edcitation.com/verify-references) | EdCitation |

One rule is easy to miss: the journals and books pages both say to give a DOI whenever one is available, so look for one first (UMGC Library, 2026b). Our [et al. guide](https://edcitation.com/newsletter/when-to-use-et-al) covers the author rules.

### Where do UMGC's own samples need a second look?

- **An extra word.** The Munn example reads "choosing between a systematic or a scoping review approach". The article's record at Crossref and in Europe PMC has no second "a" (Munn et al., 2018).
- **DOIs left out.** Reitzes and Mutran's 2004 article, UMGC's model of a database article without a DOI, has one at Crossref, 10.2190/nypp-rffp-5rfk-8eb8. So does Veletsianos's *Learning online*, filed with books without one: 10.1353/book.73824. By UMGC's own rule, both go in.
- **A dead link.** The CDC page in UMGC's web page example returns a 404 (not found) error at https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/learn/index.html; the page has moved (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024).
- **Proxy links.** UMGC Library (2024) tells students to turn doi-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu into doi.org, yet the Online Guide's own reference list keeps two proxied DOIs (University of Maryland Global Campus, 2022b).

## What does a UMGC APA reference list look like?

Here is a short list in exactly UMGC's form, each entry with a hanging indent: two journal articles, a US government web page, a classroom document and a book with a DOI.

> Bukaveckas, P. A. (2022). Carbon dynamics at the river–estuarine transition: A comparison among tributaries of Chesapeake Bay. *Biogeosciences, 19*(17), 4209–4226. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4209-2022
>
> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, October 16). *What is health literacy?* https://www.cdc.gov/health-literacy/php/about/index.html
>
> Munn, Z., Peters, M. D. J., Stern, C., Tufanaru, C., McArthur, A., & Aromataris, E. (2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. *BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18*(1), Article 143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x
>
> University of Maryland Global Campus. (n.d.). *Cross-curricular initiatives in NSCI 170*. Document posted in UMGC NSCI 170 6981 online classroom, archived at https://learn.umgc.edu
>
> Veletsianos, G. (2020). *Learning online: The student experience*. Johns Hopkins University Press. https://doi.org/10.1353/book.73824

The matching citations in the text:

- (Bukaveckas, 2022)
- (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2024) the first time, then (CDC, 2024)
- (Munn et al., 2018)
- (University of Maryland Global Campus, n.d.)
- Veletsianos (2020) in a sentence; (Veletsianos, 2020) in parentheses

The CDC entry is UMGC's example at the page's new address, with the date the page shows; the CDC is also the site, so the site name is left out.

## How do you build a UMGC reference list, step by step?

1. Find the style on the syllabus. EdCitation's free [Check your paper](https://edcitation.com/check) reads assignment instructions into a checklist, each rule with the sentence it came from.
2. Find sources in the library's OneSearch or in [Find sources](https://edcitation.com/), which searches about 300 million published works.
3. Build each entry from its DOI, ISBN or web address in [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite/apa). A doi-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu link can be pasted as it is.
4. Write classroom material and personal communications from UMGC's patterns by hand.
5. Correct what a record cannot know: a web page's author and date, an edition's year. UMGC Library (2023) warns that database citation tools make small errors, such as names in capitals.
6. Paste the finished list into [Verify references](https://edcitation.com/verify-references) and settle every "check this".

## Which EdCitation style is closest for UMGC, and what do you change by hand?

For APA courses, EdCitation's APA 7 is UMGC's style itself, and on UMGC's own DOIs and ISBN it matched the library's examples. Change by hand:

- **Classroom material.** Write it from UMGC's pattern.
- **Web pages.** Write an organisation's name in full and use the date the page shows. On an undated page, delete the "Retrieved … from" words Cite a source adds, unless the content will change.
- **Books.** Check the year against the copyright page, and add a DOI if the book has one.
- **MLA 9.** [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite/mla) builds the entry; the D2L classroom pattern is yours to write.
- **Chicago.** Notes and bibliography, by hand from UMGC's Chicago guide.

## What did EdCitation return on UMGC's own examples?

EdCitation is the strongest free tool for a UMGC reference list because it starts from the publisher's record: each reference is looked up, never written, which no chatbot can offer. In the runs below every journal entry came straight from its DOI record, and two matched the entries on UMGC's own pages, one differing only by a dash. [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite/apa) builds APA 7 and five other styles from a DOI, title, PubMed ID, ISBN or web address, and screens each source for retraction; [Verify references](https://edcitation.com/verify-references) checks a whole list. Both are free, with no account. EdCitation never writes any part of a student's paper: it finds, cites and checks, and every sentence stays yours. Runs are from 2 October 2026, quoted as plain text.

### Cite a source on DOIs, ISBNs and a US web page

For 10.1080/08923647.2013.783265 it returned UMGC's Dumais example word for word, except an en dash in "100–110" where UMGC types a hyphen. For 10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x it gave the Munn entry above, title as the record has it. For the Online Guide's proxied link, https://doi-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu/10.1086/682568, it dropped the proxy:

> Bejan, T. M. (2015). Evangelical toleration. The Journal of Politics, 77(4), 1103–1114. https://doi.org/10.1086/682568

For the ISBN 9781421438092 it gave "Veletsianos, G. (2020). Learning online: The student experience. Johns Hopkins University Press.", UMGC's example exactly; add the DOI by hand. For 9780195167399, Arking's third edition, it gave "Arking, R. (2005). The biology of aging: Observations and principles (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press." UMGC dates it 2006, which Verify references matched to a library catalogue record; take the year from your copy.

For UMGC's old CDC address it answered "That page could not be read. Some sites block automated readers.", though the address in fact returns a 404 (not found) error. At the new address it read "CDC. (2025, October 15). What is health literacy?", but the page shows Oct. 16, 2024. With the name and that date corrected in the form, it gave the entry in our list; with no date, it added "Retrieved October 2, 2026, from".

### Verify references on eight UMGC sample entries

We pasted eight of UMGC's own entries. [Verify references](https://edcitation.com/verify-references) returned:

- Dumais et al., Linhares and Brum, and Munn et al. with its extra "a": verified, "The DOI resolves to this record and the title matches." The DOI carried Munn through, so copy titles from Cite a source.
- Reitzes and Mutran, and Veletsianos: verified, "Title, year and first author match a published record", matched to the DOIs above.
- Arking, 2006, third edition: verified, "Title, author, edition and year match a library catalogue record."
- The old CDC address: "check this", "The address answers that there is no page there. Check the address."
- The classroom document: "check this", "The address works, but the page there has a different title. Check it is the page meant." learn.umgc.edu opens a sign-in page, so read that as a reminder.

### Copilot or a record check?

UMGC's library suggests Microsoft Copilot, free to UMGC students, for proofreading an APA reference. It also says AI "can commit errors", that you need enough APA to catch them, and that you should ask your professor first and say you used it (UMGC Library, 2026c). On the library's own Copilot example, Cite a source needed only the DOI, 10.5194/bg-19-4209-2022, and returned the Bukaveckas entry above, identical to Copilot's corrected version. The library's prompt asks whether typed text is correct APA; EdCitation begins from the record.

All of that is free. Pro at $8 a month adds [References from a file](https://edcitation.com/tools/references-from-a-file), which checks every reference and matches every in-text citation to the list, and [Mechanics QA](https://edcitation.com/tools/mechanics-qa), which checks formatting against the APA 7 student paper. Max at $24 a month adds Theoretics QA, which judges a paper against its own assignment and rewrites nothing. See [pricing](https://edcitation.com/pricing). None of it promises a grade.

## Quick questions

### Does UMGC use APA 7?

Yes. UMGC's library bases its APA guide on the seventh edition, and the Graduate School of Management & Technology requires APA.

### How do I cite a UMGC course module in APA?

University of Maryland Global Campus as author, the date or n.d., the title in italics, then "Document posted in UMGC", the course code and section, "online classroom, archived at https://learn.umgc.edu".

### Do I cite a classmate's discussion post at UMGC?

No. UMGC's library says to name the classmate in your sentence, with the post's date, and to cite your sources as in a paper.

### Can EdCitation build Chicago footnotes for a UMGC history course?

No. EdCitation's [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite/chicago) builds Chicago 18 in author-date form only, and UMGC's Chicago guide uses notes and a bibliography.

### Should a UMGC reference keep the ezproxy.umgc.edu link?

No. Change it to doi.org, as UMGC's library says; [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite/apa) does this when you paste the proxied link.

## References

- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, October 16). *What is health literacy?* [https://www.cdc.gov/health-literacy/php/about/index.html](https://www.cdc.gov/health-literacy/php/about/index.html)
- Munn, Z., Peters, M. D. J., Stern, C., Tufanaru, C., McArthur, A., & Aromataris, E. (2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. *BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18*(1), Article 143. [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x)
- University of Maryland Global Campus. (2022a). *Online guide to writing: In-text or parenthetical citations, APA style*. [https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/online-guide-to-writing/tutorial/chapter5/ch5-16](https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/online-guide-to-writing/tutorial/chapter5/ch5-16)
- University of Maryland Global Campus. (2022b). *Online guide to writing: References*. [https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/online-guide-to-writing/tutorial/references](https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/online-guide-to-writing/tutorial/references)
- University of Maryland Global Campus Library. (2023). *Why do database citations contain errors?* Ask a Librarian. [https://libanswers.umgc.edu/faq/219283](https://libanswers.umgc.edu/faq/219283)
- University of Maryland Global Campus Library. (2024). *How do I create a DOI link that does NOT contain ezproxy.umgc?* Ask a Librarian. [https://libanswers.umgc.edu/faq/261558](https://libanswers.umgc.edu/faq/261558)
- University of Maryland Global Campus Library. (2026a). *APA 7th edition citation examples*. [https://libguides.umgc.edu/apa-examples](https://libguides.umgc.edu/apa-examples)
- University of Maryland Global Campus Library. (2026b). *APA 7th edition citation examples: Academic journals*. [https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=1003870&p=7270660](https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=1003870&p=7270660)
- University of Maryland Global Campus Library. (2026c). *APA 7th edition citation examples: Check your citations with AI*. [https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=1003870&p=10768816](https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=1003870&p=10768816)
- University of Maryland Global Campus Library. (2026d). *APA 7th edition citation examples: Online classroom materials*. [https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=1003870&p=7270668](https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=1003870&p=7270668)
- University of Maryland Global Campus Library. (2026e). *Chicago Manual of Style 18th edition examples: Which style?* [https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=1018624&p=7378062](https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=1018624&p=7378062)
- University of Maryland Global Campus Library. (2026f). *MLA citation examples: Online classroom materials*. [https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=1018622&p=7378050](https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=1018622&p=7378050)
- University of Maryland Global Campus Library. (2026g). *Research tutorial: Citing sources*. [https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=709287&p=5420325](https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=709287&p=5420325)
- University of Maryland Global Campus Library. (2026h). *Writing: Citing sources*. [https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=316601&p=10133053](https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=316601&p=10133053)