APA Referencing
Referencing is the method used to ensure that other research influences are
recognised within your assignment. Referencing includes two main parts
(University of Wolverhampton, 2013):


a citation within the text of your assignment
a list of references at the end of your assignment
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).
1
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.
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)
2
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…
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.
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.
3
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/
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
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.
4
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.
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.
5
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/
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
6
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
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/
7
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
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, 44).
In your reference list:
Himka, J. (1988). Historic paintings of anatomy. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 44.
8
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.
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.
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.
9
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
REFERENCE
University of Wolverhampton (2013) APA Referencing. Retrieved from
http://www.wlv.ac.uk/lib/Docs/apa.doc
10