Apa Style of Reference
Academic Writing Help Centre (AWHC)
APA Style
Introduction: Referencing
Academic writing relies heavily on the understanding and the use of other authors’ ideas. Students must often draw arguments, evidence, concepts and theories from other sources to support their own argumentation. Like all academic writers, they are required to give credit for the information they have used by providing proper references.
Anything that is borrowed from another author must be referenced, including, but not limited to: o a direct quotation, summary or paraphrase o another author’s idea, concept, theory, chart, image, etc. o information that is not “common knowledge”
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References must provide readers with the information they need to find the sources used.
Referencing styles vary according to discipline.
Referencing must be done according to the professor’s requirements.
Quoting, Summarizing and Paraphrasing
A paraphrase is a rewording of an author’s ideas into one’s own words. It demonstrates an understanding of the material and is often used to support one’s own arguments. How to do it:
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Be selective. Use only what is needed for your own purposes.
Use your own style of writing without changingSelect only the sections of the original text that are relevant to your own arguments.
Any of the author’s key terms must be put in “quotation marks” or italics.
A summary is a brief account, in one’s own words, of what an author says. How to do it:
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•
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Follow the same order of ideas as the original text.
Remain true to the original author’s intent.
Any of the author’s key terms must be put in “quotation marks” or italics.
A direct quote is when an author’s exact words are borrowed. It is used when another author expresses an idea in a way that you feel should not be changed. How to do it:
• Reproduce the original text exactly and put it in “quotation marks”. Any changes to the quote must be placed in
[square brackets].
•
APA Style
Introduction: Referencing
Academic writing relies heavily on the understanding and the use of other authors’ ideas. Students must often draw arguments, evidence, concepts and theories from other sources to support their own argumentation. Like all academic writers, they are required to give credit for the information they have used by providing proper references.
Anything that is borrowed from another author must be referenced, including, but not limited to: o a direct quotation, summary or paraphrase o another author’s idea, concept, theory, chart, image, etc. o information that is not “common knowledge”
•
•
•
References must provide readers with the information they need to find the sources used.
Referencing styles vary according to discipline.
Referencing must be done according to the professor’s requirements.
Quoting, Summarizing and Paraphrasing
A paraphrase is a rewording of an author’s ideas into one’s own words. It demonstrates an understanding of the material and is often used to support one’s own arguments. How to do it:
•
•
•
Be selective. Use only what is needed for your own purposes.
Use your own style of writing without changingSelect only the sections of the original text that are relevant to your own arguments.
Any of the author’s key terms must be put in “quotation marks” or italics.
A summary is a brief account, in one’s own words, of what an author says. How to do it:
•
•
•
Follow the same order of ideas as the original text.
Remain true to the original author’s intent.
Any of the author’s key terms must be put in “quotation marks” or italics.
A direct quote is when an author’s exact words are borrowed. It is used when another author expresses an idea in a way that you feel should not be changed. How to do it:
• Reproduce the original text exactly and put it in “quotation marks”. Any changes to the quote must be placed in
[square brackets].
•
Citations: Parenthetical references in the text include the author’s surname and the year of publication: (Grove, 2008). to help locate the material: (Grove, 2008, para. 4). o In publications in which the pagination restarts in every chapter, the chapter number must be included as well: (Grove, 2008, (Brown & Ruter, 2007). If the name of the author appears in the body of the paper, the word “and” must be used instead of the ampersand: Brown and Ruter (2007) discuss this improper use of the case study. If the author’s name is part of the body of the text, it does not need to be included in the parenthetical reference: Bell (2005) noted that it was part of the project • Two authors: every citation must include both authors’ surnames: (Brown & Green, 2004). Dawson, Rutheridge & Stanton, 1999) but in subsequent reference citations, only the first author’s surname is used, and is followed by “et al.” : (La Fayette et al., 1975). Six or more authors: the surname of the first author, followed by “et al.” is used in every citation: (Jin et al., 2001). italics: (Violence in schools: Issues, consequences and expressions, 2004). quotation marks: (“Aggression in Children: Multicultural and Longitudinal Study,” 2006). by Bryce: Smith argues that “only fools would believe such a thing” (as cited in Bryce, 2006, p.43). The Reference list should include only the source you read (in this case, Bryce). Fayette, 2003). Quotation marks that close a quote come before the parenthetical reference. Commas and periods come after parenthetical references: “Quote” (Bayer, 2008, p mark. In these cases, a comma or a period is required after the parenthetical reference: “Quote?” (Bayer, 2008, p. 2). The necessary citation information is given outside the punctuation that ends the borrowed material. For example: As Felmlee and Muraco (2009) explain,