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Q. How do I cite a chemical entry from the Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), using APA style?

I need to cite a reference to a chemical as listed in the Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB, a subset of the TOXNET database, from NIH/NLM). For example, the entry for Acetone is here http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/r?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+41

Specifically, I need to cite this using APA.

Unfortunately, I cannot determine how to properly cite - in APA format - the HSDB entry for a chemical.

Answered By: Ron Schwertfeger

Last Updated: Mar 09, 2016 Views: 969

We consulted the APA Style experts at http://apastyle.org, who replied as follows:

This situation follows the pattern for a work in a database, meaning you give database URL or name (I went with URL). There is no author, so the title (Acetone) moves to the author position. I used the year of the last complete update for the year.

Acetone. (2015). Retrieved March 8, 2016, from http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/r?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+41

In text: (“Acetone,” 2015).

The retrieval date is included because TOXNET updates their content so you would want to state when you retrieved the work.