APA Referencing

The APA Referencing Style uses an author-date format to identify the in-text citations and full bibliographic details are provided at the end of the text in an alphabetical Reference List.

Always check with your Subject Librarian or Lecturer to ensure you are using the university “house” style.

Before creating your reference list check your assignment brief for instructions on what style to use, if there is not a style listed ask your Lecturer which to use.

For quick tips and guidance on how to reference the most commonly used sources in American Psychological Society (APA) Referencing Style follow the links below.

Tips for Referencing:

Check you’ve used Italics in the correct place. Different parts of the reference need to be italicized depending on the source.
Check you’ve used the right brackets type - [ ] or ( ).
Double check you’ve included all the required punctuation. Including colons, single or double quotation marks, commas, and especially the final full stop at the end of the reference.

Reference a Blog in APA

There are two essential components of the APA Referencing Style, in-text citations and the reference list. Every in-text citation should have a corresponding entry in the reference list and vice versa.

In-text citation example:

Summary: Kotamarthi (2021) separates behavioural science career paths into two groups: academic and applied.

Paraphrase: The career options for people within the field of behavioural science can be considered in two distinct spheres: academic and applied (Kotamarthi, 2021).

Reference list example:
Author Surname, Initial. (Year, date of post). Title of blog post, Title of blog/website, URL

Kotamarthi, P. (2021, July 23). A Guide to Career Paths in Behavioural Science, The Decision Lab. http://thedecisionlab.com/insights/hr/a-guide-to-career-paths-in-behavioural-science

Reference a Book in APA

There are two essential components of the APA Referencing Style, in-text citations and the reference list. Every in-text citation should have a corresponding entry in the reference list and vice versa.

In-text citation example:
Summary: Clear (2018) advocates for making small changes each day that are enjoyable and achievable, over time the impact of these changes will compound to deliver accumulated results.

Paraphrase: Introducing a small change that you enjoy, can achieve and that can be repeated daily will accumulate to deliver compound results (Clear, 2018).

Reference list example:

Author (Year). Title of book. Edition (if not the 1st edition). Publisher.

Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones. Random House Business.

Reference a Conference Paper in APA

There are two essential components of the APA Referencing Style, in-text citations and the reference list. Every in-text citation should have a corresponding entry in the reference list and vice versa.

In-text citation example:
Author Surname (Year) states that ...
or paraphrase the message (Author, Year)

Reference list example:
Author (Year, month). Title of paper. [type of contribution]. in Editor of conference proceedings (ed.) (if available) Title of conference proceedings, Location of conference. URL

if accessed online:
Author (Year, month). Title of paper, [type of contribution], Title of conference proceedings, Location of conference. URL

Loughlin, C. (2017, December). Digitally Mediated Note-taking Practices of Students in Higher Education. [Paper]. SHRE 2017, Newport, Wales. https://srhe.ac.uk/arc/conference2017/abstracts/0231.pdf

Reference an eBook in APA

There are two essential components of the APA Referencing Style, in-text citations and the reference list. Every in-text citation should have a corresponding entry in the reference list and vice versa.

In-text citation example:
Summary: Duhigg (2014) explains how habits form, why they can be beneficial and how they can be changed to facilitate success.
Paraphrase: Habits are the foundation of our daily lives and can support or create obstacles to our success (Duhigg, 2014).

Reference list example:

Author (Year). Title of ebook. Publisher. URL

Duhigg, C. (2014). The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change. Cornerstone Digital. http://charlesduhigg.com/books/the-power-of-habit/

Reference a Journal Article in APA

There are two essential components of the APA Referencing Style, in-text citations and the reference list. Every in-text citation should have a corresponding entry in the reference list and vice versa.

In-text citation example:
Author Surname (Year) states that ...
or paraphrase the message (Author Surname, Year) or for multiple authors (Lead Author Surname et al., Year)

Reference list example:
Journal articles - accessed online:
Author (Year). Title of article, Title of journal, volume(issue), page numbers. URL

Reference a Lecture in APA

There are two essential components of the APA Referencing Style, in-text citations and the reference list. Every in-text citation should have a corresponding entry in the reference list and vice versa.

In-text citation example:
Tutor (Year) states that ...
or paraphrase the message (Tutor, Year)

Reference list example:
Lecturer (Year) Title of lecture [Medium], Institution. URL

Reference a Podcast in APA

There are two essential components of the APA Referencing Style, in-text citations and the reference list. Every in-text citation should have a corresponding entry in the reference list and vice versa.

In-text citation:
Summary: Burroughs (2022) discusses 13 factors that impact the ability to realise aspirational results at university.

Paraphrase: 13 factors that may impact a student’s ability to realise aspirational results include …. (Burroughs, 2022)

Reference list:

Author (Host). (Date of podcast) Title of podcast [Audio or Video Podcast]. Production Company. URL

Burroughs, C. (Host.) (2022, February 5) Chloe Made Me Study: Episode 129: 13 Factors That Will Decide Whether You Achieve Your Dream University Grades [Audio Podcast]. https://chloeburroughs.com/13-factors-whether-you-achieve-your-dream-university-grades/

Reference a Thesis in APA

There are two essential components of the APA Referencing Style, in-text citations and the reference list. Every in-text citation should have a corresponding entry in the reference list and vice versa.

In-text citation example:
Author Surname (Year) states that ...
or paraphrase the message (Author Surname, Year)

Reference list example:
Author (Year) Title of thesis. Type of degree thesis. [Degree statement]. Institution.

Reference a Web Page in APA

There are two essential components of the APA Referencing Style, in-text citations and the reference list. Every in-text citation should have a corresponding entry in the reference list and vice versa.

In-text citation example:
Author Surname (Year) states that ...
or paraphrase the message (Author Surname, Year)

Reference list example:
Author (Year) Title of web page. Website name. URL

Rath, T. (no date). Eat Move Sleep. http://eatmovesleep.org

Notes:

This guide provides advice based on the style in the book: Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2022) Cite them right: the essential referencing guide, 12th edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

If you need to reference a type of source not listed here check out Cite them right (Pears, 2022) from your university library or it is available to buy on Amazon.