UNSW Biomedical Library APA Reference Guide

This is a brief guide to referencing a variety of information sources, both print and electronic, according to the APA style. Referencing needs to be accurate and consistent. For a comprehensive guide, please refer to:

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington DC: APA

[Located in the UNSW Social Sciences and Humanities Library SREF 808.06615/1 R]

or obtain a copy of:

Perrin, R. (2004). Pocket guide to the APA style. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Why reference?
  • To avoid plagiarism by acknowledging the source of your information;
  • To enable the reader to verify your information, including quotations;
  • To inform the reader of the source of your ideas or information which he/she may choose to locate and read more fully.

References are often cited within the text of an assignment and are listed in the References list on a separate page/pages at the end of the assignment.

Following are examples of in text citations as well as referencing formats for print and electronic sources of information to create a list of references.

In-Text Citations

In text citations are also known as parenthetical notes. Generally the format requires citing the author's surname and the publication year of the work cited.

In general, there are two forms of in-text citation accepted in the APA style of referencing.

The first format of in-text citation, includes author's surname and year, separated by a comma enclosed in brackets. (e.g., (Marieb, 1989) ).

The second format is done by mentioning the author's surname in the text, immediately followed by the year of the published work (e.g., Researches such as those presented by Marieb (1989) has...)

For more examples showing different in-text citations and reference entries, explore the links on the right hand side at the top of this page.

Latin Abbreviations Used in Referencing
And others - et al. (et alii)
Used where there are more than 6 authors to list.

In the same work - ibid. (ibidem)
Signifies the same work as the one cited immediately before, but a different page.

The same - id. (idem)
The work cited is by the author of the work cited immediately before.

In the work cited - op. cit. (opere citato)
Refers the reader back to the author’s previously cited work, but to a different page.

Without place - s.l. (sine loco)
Used where a place of publication is not given.

 

Books

SINGLE AUTHOR  

Reference
Marieb, E. N. (1989). Human anatomy and physiology. Redwood City, Calif.: Benjamin Cummings Pub. Co.

 

In Text Citation
According to Marieb (1989) the supply of energy from oxidation...
TWO TO FIVE AUTHORS 

Reference (Two authors)

In Text Citation

Schneider, E. G. & Bealer, S. L. (1998). Review of medical physiology: Questions with answers. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven.

Schneider and Bealer (1998) asserted that...

Reference(Up to five authors)
Schneider, E. G. & Bealer, S. L. (1998). Review of medical physiology: Questions with answers. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven.

 

First occurence:
Smith, Brown, Holt and Roberts (1998)...

Subsequent occurences:
Smith et al....

 
SIX AUTHORS

Reference
Alberts, B., Johnson, A., Lewis, J., Raff, M., Roberts, K., Walter, P. (2002) Molecular biology of the cell. (4th ed.). New York: Garland Publishing.


In Text Citation
 Alberts et al. (2002)

More than 6 authors
Purves, D., Augustine, G.J., Fitzpatrick, D., Katz, L.C., LaMantia, A.S., McNamara, J.O., et al. (2001) Neuroscience. (2nd ed.). Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates, Inc.


Purves et al. (2001)...
BOOK OTHER THAN FIRST EDITION

Reference
Moran, L.A., Scrimgeour, K. G., Horton, H.R., Ochs, R.S. & Rawn, J.D. (1994). Biochemistry (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs: Neil Patterson Publishers.

 

In Text Citation
Moran, Scrimgeour, Horton, Ochs & Rawn (1994)...

Book Chapters
CHAPTER IN A BOOK

Reference
Capra, F. (1983). The systems view of life. In The turning point: Science, society and the rising culture (pp. 376-399). London, Fontana Press.

In Text Citation
Capra (1983)...

Chapter in a Book (Edited)
Mitchell, R.N. & Kumar V. (2003). Diseases of immunity. In F. Kumar, R.S. Cotran, & S.L. Robbins (Eds.) Basic Pathology (7th ed., pp. 103-164). Philadelphia: Saunders.


Mitchell (2003)

Internet Document, Chapter or Section
Benton Foundation. (1988, July 7). Barriers to closing the gap. In Losing ground bit by bit: Low-income communities in the information age (chap. 2). Retrieved from http://www.benton.org/Library/Low-Income/two.html


Benton Foundation (1988)...

Doctoral Dissertations and Thesis
DISSERTATION/THESIS

Reference
Dissertation
Ross, D.F. (1990). Unconscious transferenceand mistaken identity: When a witness misidentifies a familiar but innocent person form a lineup (Doctoral dissertation, Cornell University, 1990).

 

In Text Citation
Ross (1990) assumed that...

Thesis
Almeida, D.M. (1990). Father's participation in family work: Consequences for fathers' stress and father-child relations. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.


Almeida (1990) noted significant ...

 

Journal Articles
PRINT  

Reference

In Text Citation

Philips, E. (1985). The Australian scene. Australian Journal of Ecology, 3(2), 25-29.

According to Philips (1985) ...
ELECTRONIC VERSION  

Reference

In Text Citation

VandenBos, G., Knapp, S. & Doe, J. (2001).
Role of reference elements in the selection of resources by psychology undergraduates [Electronic version]. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123.

VandenBos, Knapp and Doe (2001) asserted that...
INTERNET ONLY VERSION  

Reference

In Text Citation
Fredrickson, B.L. (2000, March 7). Cultivating positive emotions to optimise health and wellbeing. Prevention & Treatment, 3, Article 0001a. Retrieved November 20, 2000, from http://journals.apa.org/prevention/ volume3/pre0030001a.html

Fredrickson (2000) indicated...


In an internet journal, volume and issue numbers are often neither relevant nor necessary. If the article is retrieved from a database, indicate: Retrieved Month, date, year, from "database name".

 
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES  

Reference (Print)

In Text Citation

Sweet, M. (1994, October 3). Too many babies are still going without vaccination. Sydney Morning Herald, p. 5.

 

According to Sweet (1994), the ...
Reference (Electronic) In Text Citation

Hilts, P.J., (1999, February 16). In forecasting their emotions, most people flunk out. New York Times. Retrieved November 21, 2000, from http://www.nytimes.com

 

 Hilts (1999) has shown...

Conference Proceedings
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS WITH TITLE

Reference

In Text Citation
National Scientific Conference. (1989) The athlete: Maximising participation and minimising risk. Conference proceedings of the 25th bicentennial conference held in Sydney. Conducted by the Australian Sports Medicine Federation Ltd. Sydney: Sports Federation.

The National Scientific Conference, (1989)...
PAPER PUBLISHED IN CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 

Reference

In Text Citation
Deci, E.L., & Ryan, R.M. (1991). A motivational approach to self: Integration in personality. In R. Dientsbier (Ed.), Nebraska Symposium on Motivation: Vol. 38. Perspectives on Motivation (pp. 237-288). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. Deci & Ryan, (1991)...
 
PAPER PRESENTED AT A VIRTUAL (ONLINE) CONFERENCE 
Reference In Text Citation
Tan, G. & Lewandowsky, S. (1996). A comparison of operator trust in humans versus machines. Paper presented at the CybErg 96 virtual conference. Retrieved May 16, 2000, from http://www.curtin.edu.au/conferences/cyberg/centre/outline.cgi/frame?dir=tan

Tan & Lewandowsky, (1996)....

Audiovisual Materials

CD-ROM  

Reference

In Text Citation

Meyer, A.S. (1994). Genetics. In Encarta encyclopedia [CD-ROM]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation.

 

Meyer (1994) ...
VIDEORECORDINGS  

Reference

In Text Citation

Williams, S. (Producer) & Bell, A. J. W. (Director). (1998). Lost for words [Video]. U.K.: Yorkshire Television.

Williams and Bell (1998)...
RADIO BROADCAST  

Reference

In Text Citation
Murrow, E. R. (1940, September 13). [Radio broadcast]. New York: WCBS.

Murrow (1940)...


TELEVISION BROADCAST  

Reference

In Text Citation

Jacoby, A. (Producer) (2004, September 30). Enough Rope with Andrew Denton [Television broadcast]. Sydney, N.S.W. : ABC.

 

 Jacoby (2004)...
Reference (Television Episode) In Text Citation

Crichton, M. (Producer) (1995, February 23). Sleepless in Chicago [Television Episode]. In ER. New York: National Broadcasting Company.

 

 Crichton (1995)...

Patents & Standards
Patent  

Reference

In Text Citation

Smith, I. M. (1988). U.S. Patent No. 123,455. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Smith (1988)...
STANDARDS  

Reference

In Text Citation

Standards Australia (1999). Australian Standard: Drying Cabinets for Medical Equipment. (AS 2514-1999). Strathfield, NSW: Standards Australia International

Standards Australia (1999)...
GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT

Reference

In Text Citation

AIHW NPSU(2003). Australia's mothers and babies 2000 (AIHW Cat. No. PER 21). Canberra: AIHW National Perinatal Statistics Unit (Perinatal Statistics Series no. 12).

 

AIHW NPSU (2003)...
GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT (CLINICAL FORMS)

Reference

In Text Citation

Liverpool Health Service (2004). Clinical Pathway - Normal Term Newborn (CR.122.6). Liverpool: Liverpool Health Service.

Liverpool Health Service (2004)...
PAMPHLETS  

Reference

In Text Citation
Adams, A. B. (1984). Hospice care [Pamphlet]. New York: American Cancer Society.

Adams (2000) indicated...

 
BROCHURES  

Reference (Print)

In Text Citation

Lyme disease and related disorders [Brochure]. (2000). Groton, NY: Pfizer Company.

 

Lyme Disease and Related Disorders (2000)...

Electronic & Web Resources

Creating the reference for electronic and web resources basically require two parts:

  • reference information in the format just like its print version; and then add
  • the retrieval statement, following this pattern:
    Retrieved Month, day, year, from electronic address

Note: Punctuation is NOT required after the URL or electronic address as this may be mistaken to be part of the address.

 
ONLINE BOOK  

Reference

In Text Citation
Murray, R. K., Granner, D.K., Mayes, P.A. & Rodwell, V. W. (2003). Harper's Biochemistry. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved September 15, 2004, from http://accesslange.accessmedicine.com

First occurence:
Murray, Granner, Mayes and Rodwell (1985) ...

Subsequent occurences:
Murray et al.
ARTICLE FROM AN ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA 

Reference

In Text Citation

Resnik, D. B.(February 2001). Bioethics of Gene Therapy in Encyclopedia of the Life Sciences. London: Nature Publishing Group. Retrieved September 10, 2004, from http://www.els.net

Resnik (2001) asserted that...
ONLINE GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT  

Reference

In Text Citation

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2004) Australia's health 2004 (AIHW Cat. No. AUS-44). Canberra: AIHW. Retrieved September 17, 2004, from http://www.aihw.gov.au/ publications/index.cfm/title/10014

 

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2004) ...
ONLINE POSTING 

Reference

In Text Citation

Moldeven, M. (2004, September 22). Geriatic Mental Health Foundation. Message posted to Geriatric Health Care Discussion, archived at http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind

Cruz, T. (2004, March 11). How do I trace peer reviewed articles? Message posted at PSYC101 Discussion, archived at http://webct.unsw.edu.au/public/PSYC101/ index.html

 

Moldeven (2004)...

 

Cruz (2004)...
ONLINE TRANSCRIPT OF A LECTURE OR SPEECH 

Reference

In Text Citation

Shine, J. (21 July 2004). [address] Address presented at the Fourth Academy of Science Address, Canberra, Australia. [Transcript] Retrieved September 30, 2004, from www.science.org.au/ proceedings/npc4.htm

Shine (2004)...
Source from Professional Website or Scholarly Project

Reference

In Text Citation

Zipperer, M. AIDS epidemic poses serious threat to Europe. (16 September 2004). Vilnius, Lithuania: World Health Organization. Retrieved November 4, 2004, from http://www.who.int

 

Zipperer (2004)...

or

... the AIDS epidemic in Europe (Zipperer 2004) prompted govenrment health authorities to...