APA Referencing / referencingAPA
.doc
REFERENCE LIST
Start a new page at the end of the paper with the title, References centred at the top. It should not be underlined, in quotation marks or be called anything else.
Use double spacing for the list.
The first line should start from the left (not indented) and the second and subsequent lines of a listing should be indented by the same amount each time.
All sources are in the same list, no subheadings.
Do not use numbers for each source.
Organise sources alphabetically using the authors’ surnames, or if there is no author, use the editor or title.
Organise multiple sources from the same author from earliest to most recent publication date.
For multiple books by the same author in the same year add a,b,c... after the year so that in text references can be easily distinguished.
Remember that all citations in the text need to have a correlating book/article etc in the reference list and all sources listed in the reference section must be cited from in the body of the essay.
Here are some examples of common sources and how to reference them. For types of sources not included here please look at or borrow a copy of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th Edition). Even this does not list all eventualities, but remember that it’s better to include too much information than too little, as the primary reason for a reference list is so that a reader can find the information.
Note the punctuation
Note the abbreviations - &, et al., Ed., ed, pp., …
BOOKS |
|
The general form is: |
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year). Title of the book. Place of Publication: Publisher. |
Single Author |
Ellis, R. (1994). The study of second language learning. Oxford: OUP. |
Two authors |
Larsen-Freeman, D. & Long, M. (1991). An introduction to second language acquisition research. London: Longman. |
2 – 6 authors |
Richards, J., Platt, S., & Weber, H. (1985). Longman dictionary of applied linguistics. Harlow: Longman. |
More than 6 authors |
List the first six authors as normal separated by commas, place a comma after the sixth name then write: et al. |
Not a first edition |
Oshima, A., & Hogue, A. (1999). Writing academic English. (3rd ed.). New York: Longman. |
No author (put the title in the author position) |
Longman dictionary of contemporary English. (1978). London: Longman. |
One editor (put the editor in the author position) |
Green, C. (Ed.). (1991). Karl Barth: Theologian of freedom. Minneapolis MN: Fortress Press. |
More than one editor |
Hamilton, E. & Cairns, H. (Eds.). (1961). The collected dialogues of Plato. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. |
Non-English |
Jönsson, R. (1983). Mitt liv som hund [My life as a dog]. Stockholm: Månpocket. |
English translation |
Kaltenmark, M. (1969). Lao Tzu and Taoism (R. Greaves, Trans.). California: Stanford University Press. (Original work published 1965). |
Article or chapter in a book |
|
The general form is: |
Author of article’s surname, Initials. (Year). Title of Article. In author’s initials, surname, Title of book (pp page numbers). Place of publication: publisher. |
Chapter in an edited book |
Bialystok, E. (1988). Psycholinguistic dimensions of secondary language proficiency. In W. Rutherford & M. Sharwood Smith (Eds.), Grammar and second language teaching (pp. 31-50). New York: Newbury House. |
JOURNALS |
|
The general form is: |
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year). Title of the article. Journal Name, Volume (Issue), pages. |
One author |
Searls, Doc. (2002). Linux for suits; is symmetry inevitable? Linux Journal, 2002 (102), 11. |
2 – 6 authors |
Fraser, G.E., Bennett, H.W., Jaceldo, K.B., Sabate, J. (2002). Effect on body weight of a free 76 kilojoule (320 calorie) daily supplement of almonds for six months. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 21(3), 275–283. |
No author |
Grow up. (2004). Economist, 373(8397), 16. |
NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES |
|
The general form is: |
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year, Issue date). Title of article. Name of publication, p. number. |
Newspaper article |
Ward, L. (2004, February – March 3) School exam reform to focus on key skills. The Guardian Weekly, p.8. |
Magazine article |
Dobbie, M. (2004, December). Time to take stock. Shares, pp.22-29. |
Newspaper article (no author) |
Suspected bird flu in Germany. (2004, February 3). The Australian, p.6. |
Government publication |
Office of the Status of Women. (2001). Annual review of gender employment figures. Canberra, Australia: Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. |
Brochure |
Office of the Chief Scientist. (nd). Science for the future. [Brochure]. Canberra, Australia: Author. |
ELECTRONIC SOURCES |
Hint: Break a URL after a slash or before a period |
|
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year). Title of web page. Retrieved Month date, year, from URL. |
Web page |
Power, R. (2001). The Financial Costs of Computer Crime. Retrieved November 29, 2004, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ shows/hackers/interviews/power.html |
Web page no author |
Ed’s Guide to Alternative Therapies. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2004, from http://www.pathguy.com/altermed.htm |
Newspaper article |
Newman, G. (2004, January 1). Under the influence. Illawarra Mercury (Australia). Retrieved April 13, 2004, from LexisNexis Database. |
Journal article (from a database) |
Nugent, J. (1987). Positively negative. Campaigns & Elections, 7, 47-49. Retrieved October 10, 2003, from the Academic Search Premier database. |
Journal article (from an electronic journal) |
Nugent, J. (1987). Positively negative. Campaigns & Elections, 7, 47-49. Retrieved October 10, 2003, from http://www.campaignsandelections.org/journals/articles.html |
OTHER MEDIA |
This includes CDs, Videotapes, computer software, Data files. All relevant information should be included. |
Motion Picture |
Simpson, D. & Bruckheimer, J. (Producers), & Scott, T. (Director). (1986). Top Gun [Motion Picture]. USA: Paramount Pictures. |
IN TEXT CITATION
When using a reference in your writing, you need to say where it comes from. The author and the date of publication are the items necessary so that it can be linked to a source on the references page.
According to Ellis (1994), the study of the errors that language learners make is useful in increasing the understanding of second language acquisition.
The study of the errors that language learners make is useful in increasing the understanding of second language acquisition (Ellis, 1994).
For 2 or more authors, use ‘and’ in the text and ‘&’ in the parentheses:
Although Smith and Jones (2004) continually reiterate the importance of investing in bonds for a happier retirement, there are a number of other investments available to bring long term wealth.
Investing in managed funds, especially ethical funds, is a way to diversify investments and minimise costs and potential risk (Smith & Jones, 2004).
For 3, 4 or 5 authors, use all their names the first time and then in subsequent citations use only the first person’s name and ‘et al’. For a source with 6 authors always use the first author followed by ‘et al’.
Jones, Brown, Smith and Black (2000) found that…
Later in the essay:
Jones et al (2000) also discovered that …..
If there is no author, then use the title in double quotation marks.
“Suspected Bird Flu in Germany” (2004) reported that Germany may have its first case of bird flu.
If it’s a long title, you can just use the first few words, e.g. “Suspected Bird Flu” (2004) reported….
When quoting directly the page number (or paragraph number for an electronic document) needs to be added so it can be found easily.
While “household debt is up 16.8% over the year to September,” (Dobbie, 2004, p.23) families need to be concentrating on saving instead of spending.
Computer hackers and their viruses cost more than annoyance, although sometimes “there's a tendency to disbelieve that four lines of code literally cost $80 million, or $10 billion in damages.” (Power, 2001, para 2)
If you refer to the same source in the same paragraph you do not need to write the date the second and subsequent times.
Johnson (2004) found that this was due to a high level of bacteria present. It was also later proposed that “this could possibly be due to an increase in air conditioner usage” (Johnson, p.4).
As shown above, quotations of fewer than 40 words should be enclosed in double quotation marks, “..”. Longer quotations should not have quotation marks, but should be in a block starting on a new line and the whole quotation indented 5 spaces from the left margin.
Some suggestions for verbs to use when quoting:
States, says, shows, reports, highlights, suggests, puts forth, declares, explains, asserts, interprets, insists, divulges, reveals, proclaims, promises, professes, maintains, reveals, alleges, acknowledges, argues, claims, announces, advises.