APA Referencing
Referencing is the method used to ensure that other research influences are
recognised within your assignment. Referencing includes two main parts:


a citation within the text of your assignment
a list of references at the end of your assignment
Why do I need to reference?
You must have an exact balance between the authors cited in the text (the
body of your essay or practical report, for example) and the sources
presented in the reference section. The idea is that you acknowledge the
source and intellectual property of the authors, whilst providing the reader of
your assignment with pointers towards the original sources of information,
should they wish to investigate further.
Correct referencing helps ensure that you avoid being accused of plagiarism.
Most assignments during your time at University of Wolverhampton will be
assessed on the quality of your referencing which will count towards your
grade. Referencing also ensures that you can demonstrate how your ideas
build upon the research of others. If someone is reading your assignment,
they should be able to use your referencing to find the articles you have used
to help with your assignment. This is also useful in published articles - if you
read an interesting article you may find the items on the reference list
interesting too.
The Psychology Department supports the APA (6th) referencing system. It is
important to be clear, consistent and correct when citing and listing the
original sources you have drawn upon; making sure you include all the
relevant details.
1.
Contents
Referencing in your text
Author rules
Books
Journal Articles
Newspaper Articles
Theses
Conferences
Official Reports
Market Research Reports
Maps
Images
Web Pages
Web Blog
WOLF
YouTube videos
Podcasts
Television
Example A-Z Reference List
2.
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Citation within the text
When you summarise, refer to, or quote from an author's work in your
document, you need to acknowledge your source in the text. APA (6th) uses
an ‘author-date’ system of citation.
This means that you would usually present the author(s) surname(s) only
(without the initials) and then the specific date of publication in brackets.
For example:
Ayra (2003) critically re-evaluated the structure of their research and opted to
include a greater level of detail about citations and referencing of sources.
Alternatively, in APA (6th) you can do this by putting the author’s name and
publication year in round brackets at the end of the sentence to which the
citation refers; prior to the full-stop.
For example:
It was further argued that a number of structural elements were missing from
the design of the original study (Ayra, 2003)
Or you can provide the date and then the author(s) surnames.
For example:
In 2003, Ayra’s study surrounding the design of structural elements
demonstrated that…
In the reference list, you then put the full details of the reference to enable a
reader to trace the source of information that you used:
Example:
Ayra, C. (2003). Design of structural elements. London: Spon Press.
Direct quotation
When you use the exact words from the text, you should use double quotation
marks and the page number.
Example:
“At the crux of any discussion concerning the sixties, one inevitably comes up
against the word revolution” (Green, 1999; p17).
Long quotations
For long quotations of more than 4 lines, you should indent the quotation and
there is no requirement for quotation marks. Please note that direct quotations
(short or long) should be avoided wherever possible in any essay or report;
you should instead construct your own arguments.
3.
Do I cite the author of the text book in which I found the information or
the author of the original article or theory they are talking about?
This is a good question. Say, for example, you wanted to paraphrase some
information about Broadbent’s (2000) theory and research that you found in
Eysenck and Keane’s (2003) cognitive psychology text book. Would you cite
one or all of the authors – and what would you put in the references section?
This refers to the ‘cited by’ convention, which is discouraged at degree level in
psychology and therefore best avoided wherever possible. This is where you
would perhaps write: “Broadbent’s theory of attention (Broadbent, 2000, cited
by Eysenck and Keane, 2003) states that…” etc. As you can see, this gets in
the way of the flow of ideas and eats up your word-count.
If you wished to just cite Broadbent (2000) for example, you would look in
Eysenck and Keane's references list for the reference to which this relates.
Then put the relevant Broadbent reference in your references section. If you
wanted specifically to pick up on Eysenck and Keane’s argument about
Broadbent’s theory, you could perhaps use the following: “Eysenck & Keane
(2003) raise a particularly pertinent point about Broadbent’s (2000) theory of
attention…” etc. – and then include the references for both the text book and
the original Broadbent source in your references section.
You do not need to include the Eysenck and Keane book in your references
section UNLESS you have cited them specifically in the main body of the
assignment. The idea is that as you progress through your course you will rely
less and less on text books, going to the original journal articles instead and
forming your own conclusions.
What is the difference between a reference list and a bibliography?
A reference list is a list of all the information sources that you have cited in
your text. A bibliography is a list of items that you have read, and has
informed your thinking, but not specifically cited in your assignment. You
should never provide a bibliography for any Psychology assignment – a full
references section is required for any report or essay. Your list should be
completed in alphabetical order by author's surname regardless of the format
of the information source.
One good way to check is by going through your work line-by-line before you
submit it. Make sure that for every different cited author (or authors) you come
across, that there is the original source listed in your references section.
Remember – referencing is important. In psychology there must be an exact
match between the sources cited and the references listed.
4.
Author rules
The following provides guidance for dealing with common referencing queries
about authors:
Single and multiple authors – referencing in the text
If there are up to six authors, all surnames should be given before the date.
Example: Silvertown and Charlesworth (2001) suggest….
If you place the authors in brackets note that ‘and’ is replaced with the
ampersand sign (‘&’)
Example: The same point is made by others (Smith & Singh, 2009).
If you are citing a source with between three and five authors, the first time
you cite the source within the text you should list all authors before the date;
the ‘et al’ convention can then be used for any subsequent citations of the
same source.
Example: Rhodes, Jones and Ormerod (2011) suggest that the citation of
authors and correct referencing of sources is an essential skill in psychology.
Furthermore, mistakes in citation and referencing will always affect your grade
(Rhodes et al, 2011).
If there are more than six authors, give the first surname followed by et al. (in
italics).
Example: ... this view of the importance of attention in cognition was
supported by Nestler et al. (2001).
In the reference list, all authors should be listed:
Nestler, E.J., Hyman, E.S., Singh, J., Malenka, R.C., Gordon, K.G., Bedell, J.,
& Reed, V. (2001). Molecular neuropharmacology: a foundation for clinical
neuroscience. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Author as organisation
If an organisation’s name is given instead of a personal name, then list this as
the author
Example: British Psychological Society (2007)
Author has published 2 or more items in the same year
If two or more documents are by the same author(s) in the same year, add
lower-case letters after the year (a, b, c, etc.) to distinguish between them in
your text and in your reference list.
Example:
Morris (1999a) concludes that…
5.
Authors name not given
For documents with no named author, you may use Anon. in place of the
author. However, you may need to question whether or not the resource is
suitable for academic work.
6.
Below are examples of how to cite your references in your work and how to
complete your reference list.
Books
Example: Book with one author
In text citation:
According to Singh (2003) the most important…….
In your reference list:
Singh, H. (2003). Introduction to psychology (2nd ed.). London: Spon Press.
Tip: Only include mention of the edition if it is a second edition or later.
Example: Book with between three and five authors
In text citation:
This was supported by Alston, Hyman, Singh, Malenka, Strang and Adams
(2001).
In your reference list:
Alston, A., Hyman, E.S., Singh, J., Malenka, R.C., Strang, A., & Adams, J.
(2001). Medical practice management. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Example: Book with six or more authors
In text citation:
In his analysis Ball et al. (2002)…….
In your reference list:
Ball, B., Blum, R., Chastain, T. D., Duff, H., Horvath, D. B., Kennedy, J.,
Rudge, J., & Simpson, C. (2002). Psychology and the mind. Indianapolis:
Sage.
Example: E-Book
In text citation:
In her analysis Burr (1998)…….
In your reference list:
Burr, V. (1998). Gender and social psychology. London: Routledge. Retrieved
from http: www.ebrary.com/
7.
Example: Edited Book
In text citation:
In her analysis Leites (1990)…….
In your reference list:
Leites, V. (1990). Gender and social psychology. In F. Frosch (Ed.),
Transference (pp. 250-269). London: Routledge. Retrieved from http:
www.ebrary.com/
Or
Leites, V. (1990). Gender and social psychology. In F. Frosch (Ed.),
Transference (pp. 250-269). London: Routledge.
Or
Leites, V. (1990). Gender and social psychology. In F. Frosch (Ed.),
Transference (pp. 250-269). London: Routledge. doi: 10.1521/1244314644
8.
Journal Articles
Example: Journal articles with one to six author
In text citation:
Lambert (2003) argued that…….
In your reference list:
Lambert, P. (2003). Armed conflict: a pacifist experience and the implications
for counselling. Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and
Psychotherapy, 3(2), 75-83.
Example: Journal articles with more than six authors
In text citation:
A review by Bowlin et al. (2003)….
In your reference list:
Bowlin, W.F., Simpson, H., Renner, C.J., Rives, J.M., Midda, M., Field, J. &
Curry, S. (2003). A DEA study of gender equity in executive compensation.
Journal of the Operation Research Society, 54(7), 751-7.
Example: Electronic-journal articles
In text citation:
Whilst Deering (2004) reported…….
In your reference list:
Deering, T. (2004). How the mind works. Psychological Digest. 79(23), 12-13.
Retrieved from http://ebscohost.com
Or
Deering, T. (2004). How the mind works. Psychological Digest. 79(23), 12-13.
doi: 10.1037/00215-2254.42.2.125
Or
Deering, T. (2004). How the mind works. Psychological Digest. 79(23), 12-13.
Newspaper Articles
Example: Printed newspaper articles
In text citation:
House prices fell by 2.1% last month (Smith, 2008)…….
In your reference list:
Smith, D. (2008). House price markets. The Times. 26 June, 25.
9.
Example: Online newspaper articles
In text citation:
Graduates were offered financial guidance (Taylor and Black, 2009)
In your reference list:
Taylor, M. (2009). Financial incentives to tempt graduates. The Times. 19-20.
Retrieved from http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/article6558.ece
Theses
Example: Thesis
In text citation:
Research by Saxton (1994)…….
In your reference list:
Saxton, J. M. (1994). Exercise-induced damage to human skeletal muscle.
Ph.D. Thesis, University of Wolverhampton.
Example: Online thesis
In text citation:
Research by Saxton (1994)…….
In your reference list:
Saxton, J. M. (1994). Exercise-induced damage to human skeletal muscle.
Ph.D. Thesis, University of Wolverhampton. Retrieved from
http://wlv.openrepository.com/wlv/
10.
Conferences
Example: Full conference proceedings
In text citation:
The conference (Institute for Small Business Affairs, 2002)…….
In your reference list:
Institute for Small Business Affairs (2002). Small firms: adding a spark: the
25th ISBA national small firms policy conference. Robert Gordon University,
Aberdeen 15-17 November. Leeds: Institute for Small Business Affairs.
Example: Individual conference paper
In text citation:
Lloyd (2002) highlighted…….
In your reference list:
Lloyd, S. (2002). Capturing the consumer. Small firms: adding a spark: the
25th ISBA national small firms policy conference. Robert Gordon University,
Aberdeen 15-17 November. Leeds: Institute for Small Business Affairs,132138.
Example: Online full conference proceedings
In text citation:
The conference(IEEE Computer Society, 2009)…….
In your reference list:
IEEE Computer Society. (2009). Cover Art:14th IEEE International
Conference on Engineering of Complex Computer Systems in psychological
institutes. University of Potsdam, Potsdam 2-4 June. Los Alamitos: IEEE
Computer Society. Retrieved from
http://www.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10.1109/ICECCS.2009.57
Example: Online conference paper
In text citation:
A recent paper (Pellizzoni, Franks & Sha, 2009)…….
In your reference list:
Pellizzoni, R., Franks, S., Sha, L. and Bradford. R.M. (2009). ASIIST:
Application Specific I/O Integration Support Tool for Real-Time Bus
Architecture Designs. Cover Art:14th IEEE International Conference on
Engineering of Complex Computer Systems in psychological institutes.
University of Potsdam, Potsdam 2-4 June. Los Alamitos: IEEE Computer
Society. Retrieved from
http://www.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10.1109/ICECCS.2009.57
11.
Official Reports
Example: Command Paper
In text citation:
The latest advice (Department for Education and Skills, 2005)….
In your reference list:
Department for Education and Skills (2005). Higher standards, better schools
for all, more choice for parents and pupil. Cm. 6677. London: The Stationery
Office.
Example: Government Report
In text citation:
The NHS states (National Health Service, 2003)….
In your reference list:
National Health Service (2003). Can walking make you slimmer and
healthier? London: National Health Service.
Example: Online Report
In text citation:
The latest advice (Department of Health, 2007)….
In your reference list:
Department of Health (2007). Health inequalities: progress and next steps.
London: National Health Service. Retrieved from http://www.dh.gov.uk/
Market Research Reports
Example: Mintel Papers
In text citation:
Mintel (2008)….
In your reference list:
Mintel (2008). Coffee: Mintel marketing report, January 2008. London: Mintel.
Example: Online Mintel Papers
In text citation:
Mintel (2008)….
In your reference list:
Mintel (2008). Coffee: Mintel marketing report. London: Mintel. Retrieved from
http://academic.mintel.com
12.
Maps
Example: Map
In text citation:
Archaeological sites are italicised (Ordnance Survey, 2000)
In your reference list:
Ordnance Survey. (2000). Telford, Ironbridge and The Wrekin, sheet 242,
1:25,000 Explorer Series. Southampton: Ordnance Survey.
Example: Online Map
In text citation:
Port Vale Football Club can be seen using Google Maps (Tele Atlas, 2009)
In your reference list:
Tele Atlas (2009). Burslem. Google Maps. Retrieved from
http://maps.google.co.uk
Tip:
When you are referencing online maps make sure you note the author and
not just the search engine, for example Tele Atlas produce Google maps not
Google themselves.
Images
Example: Images in a book
In text citation:
Lambert’s painting of the brain (Himka,1988).
In your reference list:
Himka, J. (1988). Historic paintings of anatomy. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 44.
Example: Online Image from a database
In text citation:
Dali’s Madonna (1958) is a………..
In your reference list:
Dali, S. (1958). Madonna. Oil on canvas. Retrieved from
http://www.oxfordartonline.com
Tip:
If you are referencing an image from a website make sure you reference the
actual site and not the search engine used such as Google images.
13.
Web pages
Example: Web pages with organisations as authors
In text citation:
There are several career paths (British Psychological Association, 2008)…..
In your reference list:
British Psychological Association (2008) Areas of psychology. Retrieved from
http://www.bps.org.uk/careers/areas_home.cfm
Example: Web pages with an individual authors
In text citation:
Yau (2001) provided information…..
In your reference list:
Yau, T. (2001). Dragon Project. Retrieved from
http://www.geocities.com/dragonproject2000/prt0
Tip:
If the website has no author you should use the site’s URL. However, if a web
page has no author you might question whether or not it is suitable for
academic work.
Web blogs
Example: Web blogs
In text citation:
Field (2009) noted…..
In your reference list:
Field, J. (2009). Psychology in the UK. Retrieved from
http://sasblog.wordpress.com/
Wolf
Example: Lecture Notes/Slides in Wolf
In text citation:
Bernardes (1997) states………
In your reference list:
Bernardes, J. (1997). Theorising family life. Lecture 4: Problem of studying
family living. Retrieved from http://wolf.wlv.ac.uk/
14.
YouTube videos
Example: YouTube Videos
In text citation:
This video (Eiriko, 2008) illustrates………
In your reference list:
Eiriko (2008). One life in 40 seconds. Retrieved from http://uk.youtube.com
Podcast
Example: Podcast
In text citation:
Johnson (2009) argues………
In your reference list:
Johnson, B. (2009). Critical rethink in schools. BBC schools podcast.
Retrieved .from http://bbc/edu/podcasts
Television
Example: TV Programme
In text citation:
Little Britain (2005) is………
In your reference list:
Little Britain (2005). BBC 2 Television, viewed 23 June 2005.
Example: Episode of a TV Programme
In text citation:
The history of Britain is portrayed in Blackadder (1987) as ………
In your reference list:
Ink & Incapability (1987). Blackadder. BBC 2 Television, Series 3 episode 2,
viewed 23 June 2005.
15.
Example of an a-z reference list
This is what an a-z reference list (a-z by author) would look like, placed at
the end of your assignment.
Ball, B., Blum, R., Chastain, T. D., Duff, H., Horvath, D. B., Kennedy, J.,
Rudge, J. & Simpson, C. (2002). Psychology and the mind. Indianapolis:
Sage.
British Psychological Association (2008). Areas of psychology. Retrieved from
http://www.bps.org.uk/careers/areas_home.cfm.
Field, J. (2009). Psychology in the UK. Retrieved from
http://sasblog.wordpress.com/.
Institute for Small Business Affairs (2002). Small firms: adding a spark: the
25th ISBA national small firms policy conference. Robert Gordon University,
Aberdeen 15-17 November. Leeds: Institute for Small Business Affairs.
Johnson, B. (2009). Critical rethink in schools. BBC schools podcast.
Retrieved from http://bbc/edu/podcasts.
Lambert, P. (2003). Armed conflict: a pacifist experience and the implications
for counselling. Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and
Psychotherapy, 3(2), 75-83.
National Health Service (2003). Can walking make you slimmer and
healthier? London: National Health Service.
Singh, H. (2003). Introduction to psychology (2nd ed.). London: Spon Press.
Taylor, M. (2009). Financial incentives to tempt graduates. The Times. 19-20.
Retrieved from http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/article6558.ece
If you need help with the APA referencing system, please do not hesitate to
ask the Librarians within your local Learning Centre for assistance. You can
also chat live online to a librarian using our Assist service
http://www.wlv.ac.uk/lib/assist
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