APA Referencing Guide
APA Referencing Guide
Table of Contents
In-text citations............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Reference List............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Basic format to reference a book................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Referencing a book: Examples ................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Basic format to reference journal articles ................................................................................................................................................................ 12
Referencing journals articles: Examples ................................................................................................................................................................ 13
Basic format to reference newspaper articles ......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Referencing newspaper articles: Examples............................................................................................................................................................ 17
Basic format to reference material from the web ................................................................................................................................................... 19
Referencing material from the web: Examples...................................................................................................................................................... 20
***(For more comprehensive information, consult the Referencing in Library section on Moodle)*** https://lms.stotts.edu.au/course/view.php?id=10
APA style is an author-date citation style which consists of two components: the in-text author-date citation at the appropriate place within the text of the
document, e.g. (Smith, 2010), and the detailed reference list at the end of the document.
All in-text citations must have a corresponding reference list entry, and vice versa reference list entries must match in-text citations. This guide is based on
more detailed information in:
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
American Psychological Association. (2012). APA style guide to electronic references (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
In-text citations
are inserted when your work has been influenced by someone else's work, for example:
o when you directly quote someone else's work
o when you paraphrase someone else's work
consist of:
o author surname(s) which are in the same order that they appear on the actual publication, followed by the year of publication.
o page or paragraph numbers for direct quotes e.g. (Weston, 1988, p. 45). Page numbers are not normally included when paraphrasing but
possible if desired.
are inserted immediately after the information being cited.
If quoting or citing a source which has been cited within another document, mention the original source together with the secondary reference
details, for example: (Smith, 2008, as cited in Jones, 2010). Only the secondary reference (i.e. Jones, 2010) should be included in the reference list.
If a citation is at the end of a sentence, ensure a full stop is placed after the citation.
For citations in brackets with two authors the ‘&’ symbol must be used. If the author citation is a part of your sentence the word ‘and’ must be used,
o e.g. (Brown & Black, 2010) OR “Brown and Black (2010) indicate that…”
Reference List
Begin your reference list on a new page and title it References and Centre the title on the page.
Double-space your reference list and have a hanging indent
Left align the first line of each reference with subsequent lines indented to the right to a width by 5 -7 spaces or 1.25 cm.
All citation sources in the text must be included in the reference list (unpublished items, such as personal correspondence, are an exception).
Reference items must be ordered alphabetically by author’s surname/family name or organisation name.
Follow the capitalisation and italicisation in the examples.
o Book, and article titles – Only first word, all proper nouns, and first word of a subtitle are capitalised
o Book titles and journal titles are italicised. Journal titles are proper nouns so they are also capitalised.
Example: Arnott, G. D. (2017). The disability support worker (2nd ed.). South Yarra, VIC: Cengage Learning.
For books with multiple authors, edited books, E-books and chapters in books see examples below.
Referencing a book: Examples
Book: 3, 4 or 5 Authors The “challenge for destinations is to become robust" (Innerhofer, Innerhofer, E., Fontanari, M., & Pechlaner, H. (2018).
Fontanari & Pechlaner, 2018, p. 67). Destination resilience: Challenges and opportunities
OR for destination management and governance. Milton
Innerhofer, Fontanari, and Pechlaner (2018, p. 67) suggest that the Park, England: Routledge.
“challenge for destinations is to become robust”.
Provide the names of all authors in the reference list.
Cite all of the authors the first time the reference occurs. In
subsequent citations include only the surname of the first
author followed by et al., and the year (as well as page numbers for
a direct quote), e.g.
Innerhofer et al. (2018) note that coping strategies differ…
OR
…disturbance may exceed absorptive coping (Innerhofer et al., 2018).
Wiggins et al. (2016) note that ethics protects both the researcher Wiggins, M. W., Stevens, C., Chidester, T. R., Hayward, B.
and the participants. J., Johnston, N., & Dismukes, R. K. (2016). Aviation
Book: 6 or 7 Authors
OR social science: Research methods in practice.
…research practiced within the broader society (Wiggins et al., 2016). Abingdon, England: Routledge.
Material Type In-Text Example Reference List Example
Cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al., and the Provide the names of all authors in the reference list up
year, for the first and subsequent citations. to and including seven authors.
Book: 8 or Moniz-Cook et al. (2016, p. 113) highlight the “importance of Moniz-Cook, E., Woods, B., Killick, J., Nolan, M., Ryan, T.,
more Authors playfulness, laughter, joking and amusement”. Quinn, C.,... Wolverson, E. (2016). Positive
OR psychology approaches to dementia. London,
“…playfulness, laughter, joking and amusement” (Moniz-Cook et al., England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
2016, p. 113).
Include the first six authors' names, followed by three
Cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al., and the dots (ellipsis), then add the last author's name.
year, for the first and subsequent citations.
Book: No Author As defined in the Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Style manual for authors, editors and printers. (2002).
Printers (2002) reference lists should be double-spaced. (6th ed.). Canberra, ACT: AGPS.
If no author or editor, the title is used as the first
... should be double-spaced (Style Manual for Authors, Editors and
element of the reference.
Printers, 2002).
Capitalise the major words in titles of books and articles when used
within the body of your essay.
Book: Editor(s) … open access data is of great value to researchers (Perry, 2018). Perry, S. M. (Ed.). (2018). Maximizing social science
OR research through publicly accessible data sets.
Perry (2018) promotes the use of... Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
Material Type In-Text Example Reference List Example
First Use With more than one editor use multiple author format
as above and use (Eds.).
Big data is giving insight into collective human behaviour (Lauro,
Amaturo, Grassia, Aragona, & Marino, 2017). Lauro, N. C., Amaturo, E., Grassia, M. G., Aragona, B., &
Marino, M. (Eds.). (2017). Data science and social
research: Epistemology, methods, technology and
Subsequent Uses
applications. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
According to Lauro et al. (2017)…
Book: With Author and "A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of" Austen, J. (1814/2005). Mansfield Park (J. Wiltshire, Ed.).
Editor (Austen, 1814/2005, p. 195) Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Include the original publication date in the citation.
Chapter or part of a Shah (2018, p. 38) advocates “the use of analytics to make informed Shah, T. H. (2018). Big data analytics in higher education.
Book to which a decisions at the executive leadership level”. In S. M. Perry (Ed.), Maximizing social science
number of authors OR research through publicly accessible data sets (pp.
have contributed There is value in “the use of analytics to make informed decisions at 38-61). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
the executive leadership level” (Shah, 2018, p. 38).
Note that the editor's name appears with initials first
In the in-text reference name the author of the chapter. and surname following.
Book: With volume ... as this complex theory is dealt with in detail by Russell (2003, vol. Russell, B. (2003). The autobiography of Bertrand
numbers 2, p. 23; vol. 3, pp. 17-36). Russell (Vols. 1-3). London, England: Allen & Unwin.
If more than one volume is given, separate with a semi-colon.
Material Type In-Text Example Reference List Example
Book: Translator & (Marklund, 2011) Marklund, L. (2011). Exposed (N. Smith,
Author Trans.). Montreal, Canada: Random House.
E-book: With DOI “…children with ADHD are likely to have negative experiences more Young, S. & Smith, J. (2017). Helping children with ADHD:
assigned frequently” (Young & Smith, 2017, p. 248). A CBT guide for practitioners, parents and teachers.
(More information OR Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. doi:
about DOIs) Young and Smith (2017, p. 248) note that “children with ADHD are 10.1002/9781118903155
likely to have negative experiences more frequently.”
If a DOI is available include it at the end of the citation.
The database name, URL or date of retrieval are not
required.
Book: Anonymous (Anonymous, 2000) Anonymous. (2000). Maximum Security (3rd ed.).
author Indianapolis, IN: Prentice Hall.
In your reference list, include such titles in your
When a work's author is designated as Anonymous include the
alphabetical listing as if 'Anonymous' were a true name.
word 'Anonymous' followed by a comma and year.
Book on a Kindle ... in all outcomes (Gladwell, 2008). Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success [Kindle
OR DX version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com
Gladwell (2008) remarks ...
Include the type of e-book version you read e.g.
Kindle DX version. In lieu of publisher information,
Material Type In-Text Example Reference List Example
For direct quotations of online material without pagination, name include the book’s DOI or where you downloaded
the major sections, chapter, section, and paragraph number e.g. the e-book from if there is no DOI.
(More information about DOIs)
One of the author’s main points is that “people don’t rise from
nothing” (Gladwell, 2008, Chapter 1, Section 2, para. 5).
Book: Multiple works Perceptions of an event have more impact than the event itself, so Fujishin, R. (2016). Natural bridges: A guide to
same author accurate perceptions are key (Fujishin, 2016, 2018). interpersonal communication. Abbingdon, England:
OR Routledge.
Fujishin (2016, 2018) tells us gesture is critical to creating genuine Fujishin, R. (2018). The natural speaker (9th ed.). New
interpersonal connections. York, NY: Routledge.
Order multiple works by the same authors by year of
publication, earliest first.
Book: Multiple works …complementary therapies and the complexities of critical care Lindquist, R., Tracy, M. F., & Snyder, M.
in the same citation (Lindquist, Tracy & Snyder, 2018; Morton & Fontaine, 2018). (2018). Complementary and alternative therapies in
nursing (8th ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
OR
Morton, P. G., & Fontaine, D. K. (2018). Critical care
Lindquist, Tracy and Snyder (2018) offer an alternative view to
nursing: A holistic approach (11th ed.). Philadelphia,
Morton and Fontaine (2018)…
PA: Wolters Kluwer Health.
Book: Classical or (Aristotle, trans. 1911, p. 34-35) You do not need to include an entry in the reference list.
Religious text OR
(Aristotle, 1934 version, p. 178)
Material Type In-Text Example Reference List Example
1 Cor. 13:1 (Revised Standard Version)
(Qur'an 5:3-4)
Where the parts of classic or religious texts are numbered
consistently across all editions, use these numbers rather than page
numbers.
Secondary sources: Intuition is defined as ”knowledge or knowledge structures that Hernández-Romero, L. (2017). Re-evaluating creativity:
When you are predispose individuals to think and act in particular ways without The individual, society, and education. New York, NY:
referring to the ideas much conscious reflection” (Torff & Sternberg as cited in Hernandez- Palgrave Macmillan.
or words of an author Romero, 2017, p. 134).
Provide the full reference for the book that
who has been cited in
OR you actually read.
another author's
work. Also called Torff and Sternberg (as cited in Hernandez-Romero, 2017, p.134)
'secondary citation'. define intuition as “knowledge or knowledge structures…”.
Only recommended
where the original
work cannot be
obtained.
Basic format to reference journal articles
A basic reference list entry for a journal article in APA must include:
Example: Ruxton, C. (2016). Tea: Hydration and other health benefits. Primary Health Care, 26(8), 34-42. doi:10.7748/phc.2016.e1162
Referencing journals articles: Examples
Journal Article: 2 ... connection and optimism (Aspy & Proeve, 2017), but others Aspy, D. J., & Proeve, M. (2017). Mindfulness and loving-
authors contend ... kindness meditation: Effects on connectedness to
OR humanity and to the natural world. Psychological
Aspy and Proeve (2017) have found ... Reports, 120(1), 102-117.
doi:10.1177/0033294116685867
Cite both authors each time the reference occurs.
Journal Article: 3, 4, or 5 ... nurses must care as well as be competent (Geraghty, Lauva & Geraghty, S., Lauva, M., & Oliver, K. (2016).
authors Oliver, 2016). Reconstructing compassion: Should it be taught as
OR part of the curriculum? British Journal
Geraghty, Lauva and Oliver (2016) suggest ... of Nursing, 25(15), 836-839.
doi:10.12968/bjon.2016.25.15.836
Cite all of the authors the first time the reference occurs. In
subsequent citations, include only the surname of the first Provide the names of all authors in the reference list.
author followed by et al. and the year.
Material Type In-Text Example Reference List Example
... can teach compassion (Geraghty et al., 2016).
OR
Geraghty et al. (2016) have shown ...
Journal Article: 6 or Fitness levels are impacted by “... proximity to parks, playgrounds Eime, R. M., Harvey, J., Charity, M. J., Casey, M.,
more authors and sports facilities” (Eime et al., 2017, p. 248). Westerbeek, H., & Payne, W. R. (2017). The
OR relationship of sport participation to provision of
Eime et al. (2017, p. 254) found “the level of sport participation sports facilities and socioeconomic status: A
is…” geographical analysis. Australian and New Zealand
Journal of Public Health, 41(3), 248-255.
Cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the
doi:10.1111/1753-6405.12647
year. For direct quotes, include the page number after the year.
Provide the names of all authors in the reference list.
Journal Article: 8 or Newton et al. (2015) have found ... Newton, J. D., Klein, R., Bauman, A., Newton, F. J., Mahal,
more authors OR A., Gilbert, K., . . . Smith, B. J. (2015). The MOVE study:
... health protections afforded by physical exercise (Newton et al., A study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
2015). assessing interventions to maximise attendance at
physical activity facilities. BMC Public
Cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the
Health, 15(403), 1-9. doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1735-0
year, for the first and subsequent citations.
Journal article: No ... as was the case for most students ("The Pain of Being a Caffeine The pain of being a caffeine freak. (2001, October 6). New
author Freak," 2001). Scientist, 172(2311), 27.
OR
For magazines, newsletters, and newspapers, give the
... as in "The Pain of Being a Caffeine Freak" (2001) which reveals ...
year and the exact date of the publication (month or
When a work has no identitfied author, cite in-text the first few month and day), separated by a comma.
words of the reference entry (usually the title) and the year. Use
double quotation marks if you are referring to the title of an
article, chapter or web page.
Italicize the title if you are referring to the title of a periodical,
book, brochure or a report, see Book: No Author
Material Type In-Text Example Reference List Example
Online Journal ... in all outcomes (Williams, 2008). Williams, J. (2008). The victims of crime. Sociology
Article: No page OR Review, 17(4). Retrieved from
numbers Williams (2008) remarks ... http://magazines.philipallan.co.uk/
Magazines/Sociology-Review.aspx
For direct quotations of online material without pagination, name
the sections and paragraph number.
One of the author’s main points is that “people don’t rise from
nothing” (Williams, 2008, Section 2, para. 5).
Secondary Sources: “…global movement toward a more naturalistic approach for Sullivan, D. H., & McGuiness, C. (2015). Natural labor pain
When you are referring childbirth” (Goldbas as cited in Sullivan & McGuiness, 2015, p. 20). management. International Journal of Childbirth
to the ideas or words of OR Education, 30(2), 20-25. Retrieved from
an author who has been Goldbas’s overview (as cited in Sullivan & McGuiness, 2015) http://icea.org/
cited in another work. indicates…
Also called 'secondary
Provide names of both authors. Provide the full reference for the journal article that you
citation'.
actually read.
Example:
Tillet, A. (2018, May 9). Australians encouraged to age at home. The Australian Financial Review, p. 5.
Zeitlin, M. (2012, December 29). The milk cliff explained: Why a gallon may soon hit $7. Newsweek. Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com
Please note:
As many newspapers are daily publications, the date of the newspaper must be included.
Check with your lecturer/teacher if they would like you to include the online newspaper database and access date.
Newspaper: from a …brunette not blonde (Spring & Earl, 2018). Spring, A. & Earl, C. (2018, May 22). ‘Just not blond’: How the
Website diversity push is failing Australian fashion. The Guardian:
OR
Australia Edition. Retrieved from
Spring and Earl (2018) discuss diversity… https://www.theguardian.com/au
If an article already contains punctuation, such as the single
quotes around 'Just not blonde' in the above example, retain
these in your reference.
Newspaper: from a …work integrated learning programs (Woodman, 2018). Woodman, D. (2018, May 16). Internships have much to offer
database but provisions are necessary to ensure the young truly
OR
benefit. The Australian, p. 29. Retrieved from Factiva.
Woodman (2018) highlights the need…
Newspaper article: …leading exponent of behavioural economics (“Economics Economics nudging people away from war. (2017, December
without author Nudging,” 2017). 16). The Age, p. 33.
OR Use the first word of the title to place this reference in the
alphabetical sequence of your reference list.
As discussed in “Economics Nudging” (2017), governments…
Material Type In-Text Example Reference List Example
Use a shortened title (or full title if it is short) in Headline
Case enclosed in double quotation marks.
Newspaper article: "… niche dramas" (Idato, 2018, p. 20). Idato, M. (2018, May 10). Art of cutting humanity down to
from a separately size. The Age: Green Guide, p. 20.
paginated section
Note: 'Green Guide' before the page number indicates a
separately paginated section of the newspaper.
Press or Media (CSIRO, 2007) CSIRO. (2007, March 20). Cyclone science shows rainforest
Release impacts and recovery [Press release]. Retrieved from
(Prime Minister of Australia, 2010) http://www.csiro.au/news/ps2wj.html
Prime Minister of Australia. (2010, July 7). Gillard Government
to boost resources to international border patrols [Press
release]. Canberra, ACT: AGPS.
Please note:
Include author(s) surname for web page/ web document references where possible. An author may be a corporate body or organisation responsible
for creating, producing or publishing a web page or website.
Where there is no identifiable author or authoring body, use the title of the web page or website.
Check the web page for the date of the last update. Advice on this can be found in the videos at the bottom of this page.
Web Document: Of course, massage is also effective for many Association of Massage Therapists. (n.d.). Benefits of massage. Retrieved from
No date musculoskeletal disorders (Association of Massage http://www.amt.org.au/massage-and-you/benefits-of-massage.html
Therapists, n.d.).
Use the abbreviation n.d. (no date) in place of the year of publication.
Web Document: …may not predict outcomes in later life Researchers replicate famous marshmallow test, make new observations.
No Author (“Researchers Replicate Famous,” 2018). (2018). Retrieved from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-05-
replicate-famous-
OR
marshmallow.html?utm_source=tabs&utm_medium=link&utm
A recent article, “Researchers Replicate Famous” _campaign=story-tabs
(2018), revisited earlier findings…
When a work has no identitfied author, cite in-text
the first few words of the reference entry (usually
the title) and the year. Use double quotation
marks if you are referring to the title of an article,
chapter or web page, using Headline Case.
Web Document: Plavix, generic name Clopidogrel has been effective Plavix. (2017). In MIMS Online. Retrieved from https://www.mims.com.au
(Online reference in treating... ("Plavix", 2017).
work, no author
In place of the author cite the first few words of
or editor) Publication date: Use revision date as listed in Full PI.
the reference entry (usually the title) and the year.
MIMS Online Include double quotation marks as the entry is
part of a larger work.
Web Document: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. (2017). Understanding the needs
Government of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls: A joint project
…listen to women and girls from these communities
Department as with the Australian Human Rights Commission. Retrieved from
(Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
Author https://pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/factsheet-supporting-
[PM&C], 2017).
indigenous-women-girls.pdf
If you want to cite from the report more than
Titles of reports are in italics. Capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle
once; in the first citation provide the full name of
and any proper nouns.
the organisation, as above. In subsequent citations
use the abbreviated organisational title e.g.:
According to the PM&C (2017) report…
Web Document: (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017) Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2017). Childhood education and care (No.
ABS 4402.0). Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au
Add the ABS report's Catalogue Number after the title.
Material Type In-Text Example Reference List Example
Web Document: Exercise may be the last thing you feel like doing, Black Dog Institute. (2017). Managing depression with exercise. Retrieved from
Organisation as but it can help (Black Dog Institute, 2017). https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/default-
author source/factsheets/managingdepressionwithexercise.pdf?sfvrsn=16
Website Kidspsych is a wonderful interactive website for When referring to a website in general, but not specific information on a web
young children (http://www.kidspsych.org). page or web document, it is sufficient to give the address of the site in your
text. No Reference List entry is required.
Blog Post Stafford, T. (2018, January 3). The backfire effect is elusive [Web log post].
Retrieved from https://mindhacks.com/2018/01/03/the-backfire-effect-is-
…attempts to dissuade inadvertently entrench a
elusive/
mistaken belief (Stafford, 2018).
Video Blog Post …competing stresses of being a nursing student Rojek, H. (2018, February 19). Stress and anxiety in nursing school: How to be in
(YouTube) doing placements (Rojek, 2018). control [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/GqmX2JqjYMw
Material Type In-Text Example Reference List Example
Podcast: Web …..plants sense without a brain (Krulwich, 2018). Krulwich, R. (Presenter), & McEwan, A. (Producer). (2018). Smarty plants [Audio
podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.wnycstudios.org/
Podcast: Radio …(Rheinberger & Hogan, 2018). Rheinberger, J. (Script Writer), & Hogan, A. (Director). (2018, April 19). Episode
show 109 [Podcast radio programme]. In C. Thompson (Producer), Nerdzilla.
Hobart, TAS: ABC Local Radio. Retrieved from
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/nerdzilla/episode-109/9671578
For an episode from a radio series, use the same format as for a chapter
in a book, but list the script writer and director in the author position and
the producer in the editor position.
Generally the homepage URL would be given. However, if this makes the
specific resource difficult to locate, use the more direct URL.
TV Show: Online (Mosley, Overton, Pringle, & Hatherley, 2018) Mosley, M. (Presenter), Overton, P. (Executive Producer), Pringle, K. (Producer),
Streaming & Hatherley, E. (Producer). (2018, July 17). The truth about getting
fit [Television programme]. Retrieved from https://iview.abc.net.au/
For an episode from a television series, use the same format as for a
chapter in a book, but list the script writer and director in the author
position and the producer in the editor position.
Computer (Schoonjans, 2008) Schoonjans, F. (2008). MedCalc Statistical Software (Version 9.5.2.0) [Computer
Software software]. Palo Alto, CA: 3d2f.Com. Retrieved from
http://3d2f.com/programs/13-638-medcalc-statistical-software-
download.shtml
Material Type In-Text Example Reference List Example
Reference list entries are not necessary for standard off-the-shelf
software. Provide entries for specialised software. Add the version
number after the name of the software.