How to Reference using the APA System

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How to Reference using
the APA System
The APA (American Psychological Association) System is the preferred referencing method for the
Psychology department at LSBU. However, check with your lecturers before using this system.
This help sheet covers the referencing of many different types of material, both printed and electronic.
Contents
1. Why do we need to reference? .................................................................................................. 3
2. The two stages of the APA system............................................................................................. 3
2.1 In-text citation ..................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Reference list ...................................................................................................................... 3
3. Citing references within the text ................................................................................................. 3
3.1 Work by a corporate author ................................................................................................. 3
3.2 Work with two authors......................................................................................................... 4
3.3 Work with three, four or five authors ................................................................................... 4
3.4 Work with six or more authors ............................................................................................. 4
3.5 Work with no author ............................................................................................................ 4
3.6 Multiple references with the same author and publication year ........................................... 4
3.7 Citing a direct quote ............................................................................................................ 4
3.8 Secondary referencing ........................................................................................................ 5
4. Format of the reference list ........................................................................................................ 5
5. Format of references .................................................................................................................. 6
5.1 General style guidelines ...................................................................................................... 6
5.2 Books.................................................................................................................................. 6
5.2.1 Print book .................................................................................................................... 6
5.2.2 Edited book .................................................................................................................. 6
5.2.3 Chapter in an edited book ............................................................................................ 7
5.2.4 Ebook .......................................................................................................................... 7
5.3 Journals .............................................................................................................................. 7
5.3.1 Print journal article ....................................................................................................... 7
5.3.2 Online journal article .................................................................................................... 8
5.4 Newspapers ........................................................................................................................ 8
5.4.1 Print newspaper article ................................................................................................ 8
5.4.2 Online newspaper article ............................................................................................. 9
5.5 Reports ............................................................................................................................... 9
5.5.1 Print report ................................................................................................................... 9
5.5.2 Online report from the Internet ..................................................................................... 9
5.6 Conference proceedings ..................................................................................................... 9
5.6.1 Conference paper in print proceedings ........................................................................ 9
5.6.2 Conference paper found online .................................................................................. 10
5.7 Dissertations and theses ................................................................................................... 10
5.7.1 Unpublished thesis/dissertation ................................................................................. 10
5.7.2 Online thesis/dissertation ........................................................................................... 10
5.8 Films and TV..................................................................................................................... 11
5.8.1 Films/DVDs ................................................................................................................ 11
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6.
7.
8.
5.8.2 TV or radio broadcasts............................................................................................... 11
5.8.3 Online video ............................................................................................................... 11
5.9 Interviews ......................................................................................................................... 11
5.10 Web pages ....................................................................................................................... 11
5.11.1 Web page with author .............................................................................................. 12
5.11.2 Web page with no author ......................................................................................... 12
5.11.3 Web page with no date ............................................................................................ 12
5.11.4 Web blogs ............................................................................................................... 12
5.11.5 Social media sites e.g. Facebook, Twitter ................................................................ 12
5.11.6 Discussion list messages ......................................................................................... 13
Format of bibliography ............................................................................................................. 13
Referencing tools ..................................................................................................................... 13
Further help ............................................................................................................................. 13
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1.
Why do we need to reference?
Referencing is an essential academic skill. You need to reference in order to:
 show evidence of your research
 support your arguments and analysis
 allow readers to identify and locate the sources you’ve used
 acknowledge the work and ideas of others.
If you do not reference properly, you will lose marks and risk plagiarising the
work of others. Plagiarism is the act of passing off someone else’s work as
your own and is a form of cheating. For further information, please read Help
Sheet 4 on plagiarism available on the My LSBU library pages.
NOTE: You need to acknowledge others’ work, even if you’re paraphrasing
or putting their work or ideas into your own words.
2.
The two stages of the APA system
2.1
In-text citation
When you refer to someone’s work in your essay, you need to include an intext citation. This is normally the surname(s) of the author(s) and the year
their work was published.
The citation normally comes at the end of a sentence in brackets:
Example: …although other authors have denied this (Hartley, 2005).
Or, if you include the author’s name as part of the sentence, put the year of
publication immediately after in brackets:
Example: … Hartley (2005) declared that …
If you use a direct quote, include the page number. See 3.6 for examples of
referencing direct quotes.
2.2
Reference list
Include a list of full references at the end of your essay under the title
‘Reference list’. These references should be arranged alphabetically,
normally by author. See section 4 for instructions.
When you have completed your referencing you should find that the in-text
citations match the reference list at the end of your work.
3.
Citing references within the text
3.1
Work by a corporate author
If the work is written by a corporate author, include the name of the
corporation:
Example: (British Psychological Society, 2008)
If the name is long and may be easily understood if abbreviated, use an
abbreviation in second and subsequent citations:
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Example of first citation: (Nursing and Midwifery Council [NMC], 2008)
Example of subsequent citation: (NMC, 2008)
3.2
Work with two authors
If there are two authors, always cite both surnames.
Example: (Chojna & Smith, 2012)
Note: If the names cited are placed in brackets, as in the example above,
use the ampersand ‘&’ to link them. If the names are in the body of the text –
‘….Chojna and Smith (2012) have are argued that…’ then use ‘and’.
3.3
Work with three, four or five authors
For three, four or five authors use all authors the first time the reference
occurs. For all subsequent citations use only the surname of the first author
followed by et al. (an abbreviation of the Latin et alia meaning “and others”).
Example: … Anderson et al. (2003) concluded that …
3.4
Work with six or more authors
For six or more authors use only the surname of the first author followed
by et al. for both first and subsequent citations.
Example: (Nguyen et al., 2007)
3.5
Work with no author
If there is no author, use a brief form of the title.
If the title is of an article or chapter use double quotation marks:
Example: (“HIV and depression”, 2011)
The title of a journal, book, brochure or report should be italicized:
Example: …the book Psychology, mental health and distress (2013)
3.6
Multiple references with the same author and publication year
Documents with the same author and publication year can be distinguished
from each other by putting a letter after the year as shown below.
Example: … (Williamson, 2001a), (Williamson, 2001b) etc. …
3.7
Citing a direct quote
If you quote the exact words directly from a text you must use quotation
marks to indicate this. The author(s) and year must be stated, and if
possible the page number (or at least the chapter heading e.g. Chapter 6)
from which the quote is taken.
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Example: … Jackson (2004, p. 575) declared that “This is the finest example
of postmodernism …”
If there are no page numbers, use the paragraph number instead
Example: (Smith, 2012, para 4).
If it’s a very long document such as an ebook on an ebook reader, include
chapter number as well as para number.
Example: (Smith 2008, ch.7 para 8).
For a long quote (over 40 words) it is clearer to indent the text and leave a
line space before and after the quote rather than using quotation marks.
Example:
Pears and Shields provide the following definition:
Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating and is generally defined as
presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own. These may
be in printed or electronic format and, in all cases, giving credit to
the original authors by citing and referencing your sources is the
only way to use other peoples work without plagiarising (Pears and
Shields, 2010, p. 1).
You can leave out any section of a quote as long as you make this clear by
inserting an ellipsis (…).
Example: Flinders (2001, p. 71) comments that, “When MPs had an
operational grievance they were encouraged to direct their question …
directly to the agency”.
3.8
Secondary referencing
If you want to cite a work which is referenced in another work, you should
try and track down the original. However, if this isn’t possible, make it clear
in your text where you found the information and only include a reference
to the document you’ve read.
Example: Dunn (1988; cited in Campbell and Muncer, 1998), believed that …
Your reference list will include the full details of the Campbell and Muncer
work, but no mention of Dunn’s.
4.
Format of the reference list

The reference list should only contain the details of sources you’ve cited in
your work.

Put all your references in one list under the heading ‘Reference list’. Do NOT
list resources by type.

List references in alphabetical order by the authors’ surnames/names of
corporate authors or by the first letter of the reference.
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
Works by the same author, published in the same year are arranged in
alphabetical order by title. Place lowercase letters – a, b, c etc – immediately
after the year, within the brackets:
Example:
Smith, A. (2012a) A guide to avoiding plagiarism. London: LSBU
Smith, A. (2012b) A guide to referencing. London: LSBU
5.
Format of references
5.1
General style guidelines

Place a colon (:) after the short title, before a sub-title.
Example:
Rees, A. L. (2011) A history of experimental film and video: From the
canonical avante-garde to contemporary British practice. London: BFI.

Begin titles and sub-titles with a capital letter. The rest of the title should
be in lower case, unless it contains a proper noun (the name of a place,
person or thing). The exceptions are journal and newspaper titles which
should have all major words capitalised.

If you cannot find a date at all, insert (n.d) in the reference.
Example:
National Down Syndrome Society (n.d) Associated medical conditions.
[Online]. Available from: http://www.ndss.org [Accessed 4 May 2010].

The title should be italicised or underlined (if handwritten). NOTE the title of
a chapter in an edited book and the title of an article in a journal are not
italicised or underlined.

Place of publication should always be a town or city, not a country.
Only include the first place acknowledged.
5.2
Books
5.2.1
Print book
Format:
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title of book. Place of
publication: Publisher.
Example:
Higgs, P. & Jones, I. R. (2009). Medical sociology and old age: towards
sociology of health in later life. London: Routledge.
Finding the year of publication in a book:
If the year of publication is not clear look for the latest copyright date. This
is next to the copyright sign © usually on the reverse of the title page. Do
not use a reprint date.
5.2.2
Edited book
Example:
Ezra, E. (Ed.). (2004). European cinema. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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NOTE: if you are referencing a chapter or essay in an edited book see the
following guidelines in 5.2.3 below
5.2.3
Chapter in an edited book
Format:
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title of the chapter. In
Editor’s initials. surname. (Ed.) or (Eds.), Title of the book (page range of
chapter). Place of publication: Publisher.
Example:
Gaskell, G. (2003) Attitudes, social representations and beyond. In K. Deaux
and G. Philogene (Eds.), Representations of the social (pp. 228-241).
Oxford: Blackwell.
5.2.4
Ebook
Some electronic resources have a DOI (Digital Object Identifier). If you find
one for an ebook then add it to your reference as follows:
Format:
Author’s surname, initials. (Year of publication). Title of book [E-reader
version if applicable]. doi: xxxxx
Example:
Brill, P. (2004). The winner’s way [Adobe Digital Editions version].
doi:10.1036/007142363X
If no DOI is available then use the following format:
Author’s surname, initials. (Year of publication). Title of book. Retrieved from
URL
Example:
Ryan, F. (2012). Cognitive Therapy for Addiction : Motivation and Change.
Retrieved from: http://myilibrary.com
5.3
Journals
5.3.1
Print journal article
Details for referencing a journal article can normally be found on the first
page of the article.
Format:
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title of the article, Title of
the Journal, volume number (issue number), page range of the article.
Example:
Smith, A. & Jack, K. (2005). Reflective practice: A meaningful task for
students, Nursing Standard, 19 (26), 33-37.
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5.3.2
Online journal article
Some electronic resources have a DOI (Digital Object Identifier). If you find
one for an online article then add it to your reference as follows:
Format:
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year of publication) Title of the article, Title of the
Journal, volume number (issue number), page range of the article. doi:xxxxx
Example:
Westaby, J. D. , Versenyi, A. & Hausmann, R. C. (2005) Intentions to work
during terminal illness: an exploratory study of antecedent conditions.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(6), 1297-1305. doi:10.1037/00219010.90.6.1297
If no DOI is available then use the following format:
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year of publication) Title of the article, Title of the
Journal, volume number (issue number), page range of the article. Retrieved
from URL
Example:
Mustafa, F.A., Bayatti, Z. & Faruqui, R. A.(2013) Gender differences in
referral pathways and admissions to a psychiatric intensive care unit in a
county psychiatric hospital in the UK, International Journal of Social
Psychiatry, 59 (2), 188-189. Retrieved from http://online.sagepub.com
5.4
Newspapers
5.4.1
Print newspaper article
The format is similar to that of a journal article except that details of volume
and issue numbers are not required, as you give the specific date the article
was published. You also need to indicate if your reference is from a
particular section of the paper.
Format:
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year, Month Day of publication). Title of article
[details of section or supplement if relevant], Title of Newspaper, page
number(s).
Example:
Tobin, L. (2010, June 8). The crush starts here [Education Supplement]. The
Guardian, p. 1.
Format for newspaper article with no author:
Title of article. (Year, Month Day of publication). Title of Newspaper, page
number(s).
Example:
Higher education in the EU. (2012, July 14) The Guardian, p. 8.
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5.4.2
Online newspaper article
Format
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year, Day Month of publication). Title of article,
Title of Newspaper, Retrieved from URL
Example:
Hipwell, D. (2012, 20 Jan). Finalists line up for Olympic media site, The
Times. Retrieved from
http://0-search.proquest.com.lispac.lsbu.ac.uk/uknews
5.5
Reports
5.5.1
Print report
Print Format:
Author’s surname, initials or name of organisation (Year of publication).Title
of report. Edition or report number if available. Place of Publication:
Publisher.
Example:
Arts Council England (2010) Arts Council England grant-in-aid and lottery
annual report and accounts 2009/10. London: The Stationery Office.
5.5.2
Online report from the Internet
Online Format:
Author’s surname, initials or name of organisation (Year of publication). Title
of report. Edition or report number if available. Retrieved from name of
organisation website: URL
Example:
Key Note (2009). The aerospace industry. 30th ed. Retrieved from Key Note
website http://0-www.keynote.co.uk.lispac.lsbu.ac.uk/
5.6
Conference proceedings
5.6.1
Conference paper in print proceedings
Format:
Author’s surname, initials (Year, Month). Title of paper. In Editor’s initials,
surname (Ed.) Title of Published Proceedings. Paper presented at Title of
Conference, Location (inclusive page numbers). Place of publication:
Publisher.
Example:
Rowling, L. (1993, September). Schools and grief: How does Australia
compare to the United States. In Wandarna coowar: Hidden grief. Paper
presented at the Proceedings of the 8th National Conference of the National
Association for Loss and Grief (Australia), Yeppoon, Queensland (pp. 196201). Turramurra, NSW: National Association for Loss and Grief.
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5.6.2
Conference paper found online
Some electronic resources have a DOI (Digital Object Identifier). If you find
one for an online article then add it to your reference instead of a URL.
Format:
Author’s surname, initials (Year, Month) Title of paper. Paper presented
at Title of Conference, Location. Place of publication: Publisher. doi:xxxxx
or
Author’s surname, initials (Year, Month) Title of paper. Paper presented
at Title of Conference, Location. Place of publication: Publisher. Retrieved
from URL
Example:
Chamberlain, M. (2012, November) Becoming male: female to male
transitioning . Paper presented at the 4th international conference on
transgender culture, London: Institute for Gender Research. Retrieved from
http://www.igr.org.uk/conference
5.7
Dissertations and theses
5.7.1
Unpublished thesis/dissertation
Format:
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year submitted) Title of dissertation/thesis.
(Unpublished Master’s thesis/Doctoral dissertation), Name of awarding
institution, Location of awarding institution.
Example:
Smith, M. (2003) The quantity surveyors' contribution to sustainable
construction. (Unpublished Master’s thesis), London South Bank University.
London.
5.7.2
Online thesis/dissertation
Format:
Author’s surname, Initials. (Year submitted) Title of dissertation/thesis.
(Master’s thesis/Doctoral dissertation, Name of awarding institution).
Retrieved from URL
Example:
Rardo Roques, R. (2011) ICT in teaching and learning: to what extent is a
managed learning environment useful? (Master’s thesis, London South Bank
University.) Retrieved from http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/library/
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5.8
Films and TV
5.8.1
Films/DVDs
Format:
Producer’s Surname,Initials or name of organisation. (Producer) &
Director’s surname, Initials. (Director). (Year) Title of film/DVD [Motion
picture/DVD]. Country of origin: Studio.
Example:
Demme, J., Armian, N & Platt, M. E. (Producers) , & Demme, J. (Director).
(2008). Rachel getting married [Motion picture]. United States of America:
Sony Pictures Classics
5.8.2
TV or radio broadcasts
Format:
Writer’s surname, Initials (Writer) & Director’s surname, Initials. (Director).
(Year). Title of broadcast [Type of broadcast]. Place of production: Channel.
Example:
Robbins, A. (Director). (2012) Psychedelic visions: a history of LSD
[Television programme]. BBC4.
5.8.3
Online video
Format:
Producer’s surname, Initials (Producer). (Year). Title of video [DVD].
Available from URL
Example:
Stanford Humanities (Producer) (2011) The art of living – R Lanier Anderson
[DVD]. Available from http://youtu.be/-YnLyBRvAwA
5.9
Interviews
An interview may be cited in text as a personal communication but should
not be referred to in the reference list.
Example:
R. Patterson, personal communication, 12 February, 2013)
or
R.Patterson (personal communication, 12 February, 2013)
5.10
Web pages
It’s best to start your research by using LSBU databases before moving onto
search the free web. Remember that anyone can publish anything on the
web, so you will need to evaluate the quality and reliability of a web page or
web document before you refer to it in your assignments.
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Rather than using Google, try searching academic search engines such as
Google Scholar http://scholar.google.co.uk or Scirus (for scientific materials)
http://www.scirus.com
Include a retrieval date if the web page is likely to change over time (eg for
wikis).
5.11.1 Web page with author
Format:
Author’s surname, initials or name of organisation. (Year published or last
update). Title of web page/document. Retrieved from URL
Example:
Burke, L. (1997). Carbohydrates? They aren’t that simple. Retrieved from
http://www.sportsci.org
5.11.2 Web page with no author
If there is no author, start the reference with the title of the web page or
document.
Format:
Title of web page or web document. (Year published or last update).
Retrieved from URL
Example:
Occupational performance measurement issues and methodologies (2002)
Retrieved from http://www.otdirect.co.uk/measure.html
5.11.3 Web page with no date
If there is no publication date or last update information, put [n.d.].
Example:
National Down Syndrome Society [n.d.]. Associated medical conditions.
Retrieved from http://www.ndss.org
5.11.4 Web blogs
NOTE: blogs are often anonymous and many authors just use their first
names or pseudonyms.
Format:
Author’s surname, initials or pseudonym. (Year, day, month of posting or last
update).Title of blog entry. Retrieved date from full URL
Example:
Julia (2005). Take back the craft. Retrieved 2 December, 2011, from
http://knittinghistory.typepad.com/knitting_history/
5.11.5 Social media sites e.g. Facebook, Twitter
Format:
Author’s surname, initials or pseudonym. (Year, date month published). Title
of message, [Facebook update/Twitter post]. Retrieved from URL of page
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Example
Smith, T. (2012, 14 June) Referencing, [Twitter post]. Retrieved from
http://twitter.com/tomsmith/informationliteracy
5.11.6 Discussion list messages
Author’s surname, initials. (Year, date month posted). Title of message
[Online forum comment/Electronic mailing list message] Retrieved from
URL
Example:
Thomas, P. H. (2007, 21 June). Antibiotic assays on Olympus Analysers
[Electronic mailing list message] Retrieved from:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ACB-CLIN-CHEM-GEN.html
6.
Format of bibliography
You may be asked to compile a bibliography as well as a reference list. A
bibliography lists all the sources you’ve used in your research even if you did not
cite to them in your work. If necessary, clarify what you’re being asked to provide
with your lecturers, before you submit your work.
Typically, the bibliography comes after and follows the same format as the
reference list.
7.
Referencing tools
There are a number of referencing tools, such as RefWorks and Mendeley, which
will generate references for you. However, you will need to spend time learning how
to use them and you will have to check that the references generated are accurate.
Therefore, they may be more suitable for students undertaking a long piece of
research such as a dissertation or thesis.
8.
Further help
For referencing examples of other resources, please consult the following books:
American Psychological Association (2010) Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th ed.).Washington: American Psychological
Association. . [Copies in the LSBU library. Please check the catalogue for
availability.]
Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2010) Cite them right: the essential referencing guide.
(8th ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. [Copies in the LSBU library. Please
check the catalogue for availability]
Alternatively, contact your Information Adviser:
Arts and Human Sciences - LLRahs@lsbu.ac.uk
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