American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition - Referencing Tool
Torrens University Australia Referencing Guidelines
This guide is based on the American Psychological Association Publication Manual (7th ed.) for referencing and is adapted to meet the learning and teaching requirements of Torrens University Australia.
- - Page numbers must be included for all in-text citations
- - Links to online resources or DOIs must be included in the reference list
- - Simplified style for in-text citations for images, tables and figures
The purpose of referencing is to:
- - Acknowledge (cite) other people's ideas and information used within your assignments.
- - Indicate the sources you have used to support your work in a References list at the end of your paper.
More specific details on a variety of sources can be found in the APA 7th Edition Referencing Guide
Note: If you are preparing a thesis, or a paper for publication, or your work is going to be made publicly available in any way, you will need to ensure you have the correct permissions to re-use any images, data, tables and figures that you may reproduce in your work. For further information, refer to our Copyright pages.
Watch this video on how to use the APA 7th Referencing Guide.
References List
The purpose of a reference list is to enable readers to locate sources. Therefore, details must be correct and complete. Every in-text citation requires a corresponding full reference list entry. Equally, every reference list entry requires at least one related in-text citation.
A work appears only once in the reference list, regardless of how many times it is cited in the text. Works not cited in the text should not appear in the reference list.
References List Guidelines
- - Create a new page with a heading titled References (heading must be bold and centred at the top of the page)
- - include all sources in alphabetical listing
- - order entries alphabetically by family name of author or name of organisation
- - list works with no author under the first significant word of the title
- - include all punctuation marks and italics according to the guidelines
- - use a hanging indent format, the first line of each reference entry is set flush left and subsequent lines are indented (1.27 cm)
- - use double spacing (without an extra space between each entry)
- - for online resources, a URL or DOI must be included
In-text Citation
In the text of your paper, source material is cited briefly. Readers can use this citation to look up the material in your reference list, and then use the reference list to locate the resource for verification of what has been written or to read more fully an author’s argument.
In-text Citation Structure
Parenthetical in-text citation: (Author surname, year, page number)
Narrative in-text citation: Author surname (year, page number)
Note: where page numbers are not available, include the paragraph number OR short title of the section and paragraph number instead.
eg. (Author surname, year, para. x) or (Author surname, year, section title, para. x)
In-text Citation Types
Parenthetical in-text citation: In-text citation is in brackets, usually within or at the end of a sentence.
Example: There are five key principles in project management (Smith, 2016, pp. 1-5).
Narrative in-text citation: Author(s)' name appears as part of the sentence where it makes sense, date and page numbers appear in brackets.
Example: Smith (2016, pp. 1-5) identified five key principles in project management.
Quotations & Paraphrasing
- - Direct quotation is the exact use of an author’s own words. Short quotations must be placed in quotation marks, and long quotations shown as specified in the ‘Long quotations’ section.
- - Paraphrasing is the rephrasing of an author’s ideas using your own words and sentence structures without changing the original meaning, with a citation identifying the original source.
Direct quotations and paraphrasing are provided when referring to information from both published and unpublished works. It is recommended to limit your use of direct quotation as the process of converting other’s concepts and ideas into your own words creates and demonstrates deeper learning. As a general rule, no more than 10% of any paper should consist of direct quotations.
Citing multiple works by different authors in the same in-text citation
Order the citations alphabetically by the author(s)' surname. Separate each work with semi-colons. eg. (Merriam-Webster, 2020, p. 426; Zickmund, 2000, p. 81).
Direct Quotations
A direct quotation is the exact use of an author’s words from a written publication or a spoken speech (e.g lecture).
Short quotations
A short quotation should be incorporated into a sentence where it makes sense and must include quotation marks. The in-text citation will include the author(s) surname, year of publication and page numbers if possible.
Narrative In-text Citaiton with direct quotation
As Godfrey (2018, p. 52) advised, "the appropriate number of quotations to use will vary according to the subject and type of assignment".
Parenthetical In-text Citaiton with direct quotation
"The appropriate number of quotations to use will vary according to the subject and type of assignment." (Godfrey, 2018, p. 52).
Long quotations
A long quotation (40 words or more) is set out as a block quotation, using a separate indented paragraph without quotation marks. Single spacing is used for the block even if (as is usually the practice) the rest of the text uses wider spacing. Make sure all quotations are grammatically linked with the words that precede them.
The reference precedes the quotation (source as part of the sentence) or follows the quotation with the author, year of publication and page number/s in brackets (source at the end of the sentence after the final punctuation mark).
Note: If you use a direct quote, but leave out a section within a sentence or between sentences, use a series of three dots to indicate a section is missed ("..." - called an ellipsis).
Block Quotation with Narrative In-text Citaiton
Block Quotation with Parenthetical In-text Citation
Existential therapy offers four givens:
I have found that four givens are particularly relevant to psychotherapy: the inevitability of death for each of us and for those we love; the freedom to make our lives as we will; our ultimate aloneness; and, finally, the absence of any obvious meaning or sense to life. However, grim these givens may seem, they contain the seeds of wisdom and redemption (Yalom, 1989, pp. 4-5).
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing refers to using an author’s ideas but expressing those ideas in your own words.
Narrative in-text citation with paraphrasing
Well-known strategic therapist Madanes (1990, p. 9) treats all symptoms as voluntary and under the control of the client.
Parenthetical in-text citation with paraphrasing
A strategic therapist would treat all symptoms as voluntary and under control of the client (Madanes, 1990, p.9).
Paraphrasing Recommendations
- Make sure your words make it clear that you are paraphrasing, condensing, or otherwise giving a modified version of someone else’s work.
- If possible indicate where their work ends and where your own material begins, as the example below demonstrates. The first sentence paraphrases another person's work, the second sentence identifies the writer's own opinion.
Example: Corey (2005, pp. 3-7) stated that an effective project manager must first create a draft project plan before consulting stakeholders. However, Corey did not consider that communication with stakeholders is a key part of the initial planning process.
Below are links to sample papers created by the American Psychological Association, which includes examples for in-text citations and references lists according to APA 7 guidelines.