- Copies of the full "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition" (American Psychological Association, 2020) are available at all USC Campus Libraries
- Visit the official APA Style website for more information about the APA7 style.
- APA Quick Guide (PDF 222KB)
- APA Referencing online tutorial
An in-text citation entry will generally have these elements:
- Author: Who is responsible for this work?
- Date: When was the work published?
- Page numbers: Essential when using a direct quote
The information is prominent and the citation is at the end of the sentence in brackets.
Format
Paraphrase | ... (Author, Year). |
Direct Quotation | "..." (Author, Year, p. x). |
Example
Paraphrase | … materials and methods used within health psychology research (Haggar, 2019). |
Direct Quotation | The aim is to accelerate “complex communication processes in medicine needs standards” (Mildenberger et al., 2002, p. 921). |
APA Style - In-Text Citations |
Chapter 8 of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition" (American Psychological Association, 2020) |
A reference list entry will generally have these four elements:
- Author: Who is responsible for this work?
- Date: When was the work published?
- Title: What is it called?
- Source: Where can I retrieve this work?
- End of text on a new page labelled “References”
- Lines double-spaced
- Hanging indent for 2nd and subsequent lines
- Arranged alphabetically by first word of reference
- Retain the order of authors given by the source
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2019, March 14). 3236.0 – Household and family projections, Australia, 2016 to 2041. https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/ |
Haggar, M. S. (2019). Embracing open science and transparency in health psychology. Health Psychology Review, 13(2), 131-136. |
Haybron, D. M. (2008). Philosophy and the science of subjective well-being. In M. Eid, & R. J. Larsen (Eds.), The science of subjective well-being (pp. 17- 43). Guilford Press. |
Nickel, M. (2004). Professional boundaries: The dilemma of dual & multiple relationships in rural clinical practice. Counselling and Clinical Psychology Journal, 1(1), 17-22. http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/ |
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2018). Code of conduct for nurses. http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines- |
Page, A. C., & Stritzke, W. G. K. (2015). Clinical psychology or trainees: Foundations of science-informed practice (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. |
Qinlock. (2021). MIMS Online. Retrieved February 12, 2021, |
Wexler, D. J., Nathan, D. M., & Mulder, J. E. (2020). Initial management of hyperglycemia in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. UpToDate. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/initial- management-of-hyperglycemia-in-adults-with-type-2-diabetes-mellitus |
- APA Style - References
- Chapter 9 and 10 of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition" (American Psychological Association, 2020)
Format
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title in Italics and Maximal Capitalisation, Volume number in italics(Issue number if applicable in brackets), page numbers. https://doi.org/10.xxxxxxx |
- Periodicals include journals, magazines and newspapers which are published on a continuous basis.
- Include the digital object identifier (doi) in URL form (https://doi.org/10.xxxxxx)
- If there is no doi, include the hyperlinked URL (http://xxxxx)
More information
APA Style - Reference Examples |
APA Style - Journal Article Reference Checklist |
Section 10.1 of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition" (American Psychological Association, 2020, pp. 316-321) |
Format |
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title in Italics and Maximal Capitalisation, Volume number in italics(Issue number if applicable in brackets), Article number. https://doi.org/10.xxxxxxx |
Reference list |
Burin, D., Kilteni, K., Rabuffetti, M., Slater, M., & Pia, L. (2019). Body ownership increases the interference between observed and executed movements. PLOS ONE, 14(1), Article e0209899. |
In-text reference
Paraphrase |
Direct Quote |
---|---|
… (Burin et al., 2019). | “…” (Burin et al., 2019, p. 3). |
Burin et al. (2019) … | Burin et al. (2019) report “…” (p. 3). |
Notes |
Write the word 'Article' in the Reference list and provide the article number instead of the page numbers. |
If an article with an article number also has numbered pages (in a PDF), those page numbers may be used for in-text citations but do not appear in the reference list entry. |
Print Newspapers
Format
Author, A. A. (Year, Month date). Title of article. Newspaper title (in italics and maximal capitalisation), Page range.
Example
Murray, E. (2001, May 9). Refugee crisis! [Letter to the editor]. Weekend Australian, A13.
Format
Paraphrase | ... (Author, Year). |
Direct Quotation | "..." (Author, Year). |
Example
Paraphrase | … (Murray, 2001). |
Direct Quotation | Murray (2001) stated ...). |
Online Newspapers
Format
Author, A. A. (Year, Month date). Title of article. Newspaper title (in italics and maximal capitalisation). URL
Example
Dymock, D. (2021, December 2). You actually can teach an old dog new tricks, which is why many of us keep learning after retirement. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/you-actually-can-teach-an-old-dog-new-tricks-which-is-why-many-of-us-keep-learning-after-retirement-170379
Format
Paraphrase | ... (Author, Year). |
Direct Quotation | "..." (Author, Year). |
Example
Paraphrase | A higher percentage of ... (Dymock, 2021) |
Direct Quotation | Dymock (2021) classed this as "..."). |
Format |
Author, A. A. or Name of Group. (Year). Title of report (Report No. xxx). Publisher. https://xxxxxx |
Include issue/report/statement/publication number if given. Omit publisher if publisher is the same as author or group.
References - examples |
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2020). Diabetes (Cat. No: CVD 82). https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/diabetes/diabetes/contents |
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. (2020). Closing the gap report 2019. https://ctgreport.niaa.gov.au/sites/default/files/pdf/closing-the |
In-text | First citation: |
Parenthetical Citation: | ... (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2020). |
Narrative Citation: | Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW, 2020) ... |
In-text | Subsequent citation: |
Parenthetical Citation: | ... (AIHW, 2020). |
Narrative Citation: | AIHW (2020)... |
More information |
APA Style: Report by a Government Agency |
Section 10.4 of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition" (American Psychological Association, 2020, pp. 329-332). |
Format |
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of policy. https://xxxxxx |
References - example |
Hasluck, P. (1961). The policy of assimilation: Decisions of Commonwealth and state ministers at the Native Welfare Conference, Canberra, January 26th and 27th, 1961. https://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/catalogue_resources/18801.pdf |
In-text - example | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Hasluck, 1961). |
Narrative citations: | Hasluck (1961) ... |
Format |
Name of Court. (Year). Title of report (File No. xxx). https://xxxxxx |
References - example |
Queensland Courts. (2012). Inquest into the death of Judith McNaught (File No. 2010/1894). https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010 |
In-text - example | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Queensland Courts, 2020). |
Narrative citations: | Queensland Courts (2020) ... |
Format |
Name of Group. (Year, Month Day). Title of work. Site Name. http://xxxxx |
If citing multiple pages from a website, create reference for each page cited. Omit site name if site name is the same as author or group.
References - example |
Beyond Blue. (2020). Sleeping well. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support /staying-well/sleeping-well |
In-text - example | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Beyond Blue, 2020). |
Narrative citations: | Beyond Blue (2020) ... |
Format |
Name of Group. (Year, Month Day). Title of work. Site Name. http://xxxxx |
References - example |
Department of Health. (2021, June 14). COVID-19 vaccines. Australian Government. https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/ |
In-text - example | First citation: |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Department of Health, 2021). |
Narrative citations: | Department of Health (2021) ... |
Notes |
If citing multiple pages from a website, create reference for each page cited. |
Omit the site name in the reference list if site name is the same as author or group. |
Format |
Name of Group. (n.d.). Title of work. Site Name. http://xxxxx |
References - example |
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Senior secondary curriculum: Mathematical methods. https://www.australian curriculum.edu.au/senior-secondary-curriculum/mathematics/mathematical |
In-text - example | First citation: |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], n.d.). |
Narrative citations: | Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA, n.d.) ... |
In-text - example | Subsequent citations: |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (ACARA, n.d.). |
Narrative citations: | ACARA (n.d.) ... |
Images and graphs are referred to as figures in APA style. Figures and tables have the same overall setup.
See the USC referencing images page for examples. To reference images from other types of sources, see UQ’s APA guide.
APA Style - Webpage on a Website References |
Section 10.16 of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition" (American Psychological Association, 2020, pp. 350-352) |
Format |
Organisation. (Year, Month Day). Title of award. http://xxxxx |
References - example |
Fair Work Ombudsman. (2021, March 26). Aged care award 2010. http://award |
In-text - examples |
Section 7 of the award gives some flexibility to employees (Fair Work Ombudsman, 2021). |
The current award gives some flexibility to employees (Fair Work Ombudsman, 2021, sec. 7). |
Cases - reported, organised by volume
Format |
Case name italicised (Year) Volume Law Report Abbreviation Starting Page Number. http://xxxxx |
References - examples |
New South Wales v Lepore (2003) 212 CLR 511. http://www7.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA/2003/4.html |
In-text - examples | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (New South Wales v Lepore, 2003). |
Narrative citations: | As found in New South Wales v Lepore (2003) ... |
Cases - reported, organised by year
Format |
Case name italicised [Year] Volume Law Report Abbreviation Starting Page Number. http://xxxxx |
References - examples |
Victorian Lawyers RPA Ltd v X [2001] 3 VR 601. https://jade.io/article/74246 |
In-text - examples | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Victorian Lawyers RPA Ltd v X, 2001). |
Narrative citations: | As found in Victorian Lawyers RPA Ltd v X (2001) ... |
Format |
Title of the Act Year (Jurisdiction abbreviation) s Subdivision if applicable. https://xxxxx |
References - examples |
Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld). https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/ |
Aged Care Act 1997 (Cth) s 15. |
In-text - examples |
Section 15 of the Aged Care Act (1997) describes ... |
... (Aged Care Act, 1997). |
Format |
Title of entry. (Year). Title of source. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://xxxxx |
References - example |
Metformin. (2021). Australian Medicines Handbook. Retrieved May 18, |
In-text - examples | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... ("Metformin", 2021). |
Narrative citations: | "Metformin" (2021) ... |
Notes |
Use the full title or shortened version enclosed with double quotation marks in-text when the work has no author |
Format |
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, vol(issue), x-x. https://doi.org/10.xxxxxxxx |
References - example |
Dowman, L., Hill, C. J., May, A., & Holland, A. E. (2021). Pulmonary rehabilitation for interstitial lung disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. |
In-text - examples |
|
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Dowman et al., 2021). |
Narrative citations: | Dowman et al. (2021) ... |
Notes |
Articles that appear in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews are only available in that database. |
Different versions of Cochrane reviews include different information, which means the reference might vary too. |
Follow the principle of citing what you see. |
More information |
Section 10.1.13 of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition" (American Psychological Association, 2020, p. 319). |
Format |
Author, A. A. or Group author name. (Year). Title of code italicised. https://xxxxx |
References - example |
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2018). Code of conduct for nurses. http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines- |
In-text- example | First citation: |
Parenthetical Citation: | ... (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia [NMBA], 2018). |
Narrative Citation: |
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA, 2018) ... |
In-text- example | Subsequent citation: |
Parenthetical Citation: | ... (NMBA, 2018). |
Narrative Citation: |
NMBA (2018)... |
Notes |
For corporate or government authors with long titles, introduce and then use the initialism/acronym |
Note the use of square brackets inside the in-text citation |
More information |
APA Style - Clinical Practice References |
Format |
Author. (Date). Title of entry. In Title of work. Retrieved date, from http://www.xxxx |
References - example |
Therapeutic Guidelines. (2019, June). Hypothyroidism. In Electronic therapeutic guidelines complete. Retrieved December 23, 2019, |
In-text- example | |
Parenthetical Citation: | ... (Therapeutic Guidelines, 2019). |
Narrative Citation: |
Therapeutic Guidelines (2019) ... |
More information |
APA Style - Clinical Practice References |
Format |
Title of entry. (Year). Title of source. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://xxxxx |
References - example |
Qinlock. (2021). MIMS Online. Retrieved February 12, 2021, |
In-text - example | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... ("Qinlock", 2020). |
Narrative citations: | "Qinlock" (2020) ... |
Notes |
Use the full title or shortened version enclosed with double quotation marks in-text when the work has no author |
Format |
Title of source (ed.). (Year). Publisher. |
References - example |
Nursing 2020 drug handbook (40th ed.). (2020). Wolters Kluwer. |
In-text - example | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Nursing 2020 Drug Handbook, 2020). |
Format |
Chapter Author, A. A., & Chapter Author, B. B. (Year). Title of chapter. In C. C. Author & D. D. Author, Title of book (x ed., Vol. X, pp. x-x). Publisher. |
References - example |
Levett-Jones, T. (2021). Communicating. In A. Berman, G. Frandsen, S.J. Snyder, T. Levett-Jones, A. Burston, T. Dwyer, M. Hales, N. Harvey, T. Langtree, L. Moxham, K. Reid-Searle, F. Rolf, & D. Stanley, Kozier and Erb’s fundamentals of nursing: Concepts, process and practice (5th Australian ed., Vol. 2., pp. 483-504). Pearson. |
In-text - example | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Levett-Jones, 2021). |
Narrative citations: | Levett-Jones (2021) ... |
Notes |
At no place are any “editors” of the book mentioned (they are called authors) so this is omitted from the reference |
Each chapter has clearly named authors |
Format |
Chapter Author, A. A., & Chapter Author, B. B. (Year). Title of chapter. In C. C. Editor & D. D. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (x ed., pp. x-x). Publisher. |
References - example |
Lewis, S. L., & Twyford, K. L. (2017). Nursing assessment: Visual and auditory problems. In D. Brown, H. Edwards, T. Buckley, & R. L. Aitken (Eds.), Lewis’s medical-surgical nursing: Assessment and management of clinical problems (5th ANZ ed., pp. 434-463). Elsevier. |
In-text - example | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Lewis & Twyford, 2017). |
Narrative citations: | Lewis and Twyford (2017) ... |
More information |
APA Style – Chapter in an Edited Book/Ebook References |
Section 10.3 of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition" (American Psychological Association, 2020, pp. 326-329). |
Format |
Chapter Author, A. A., & Chapter Author, B. B. (Year). Title of chapter. In C. C. Editor & D. D. Editor, Title of book (x ed., pp. x-x). Publisher. |
References - example |
Harvey, N. (2021). Respiratory nursing skills. In A. Berman, S. Snyder, C. Jackson, T. Levett-Jones, T. Burton, & N. Harvey, Skills in clinical nursing (2nd Australian ed., pp. 555-628). Pearson Australia. |
In-text - example | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Harvey, 2021). |
Narrative citations: | Harvey (2021) ... |
More information |
APA Style – Chapter in an Edited Book/Ebook References |
Section 10.3 of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition" (American Psychological Association, 2020, pp. 326-329). |
Format |
Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year). Title of book (x ed., Vol. x). Publisher Name. |
References - example |
Farrell, M. (Ed.). (2017). Smeltzer & Bare’s textbook of medical-surgical nursing (4th ANZ ed., Vol. 1). Wolters Kluwer. |
In-text | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Farrell, 2017). |
Narrative citations: | Farrell (2017) ... |
Notes |
The Chapters are attributed to “Contributors and reviewers” on p. vii of vol. 1, but they do not appear on the actual chapters in the text. |
It is not clear what each of these contributors actually did, so we cannot assume they are the “author” of the chapter. |
On balance the only reasonable course seems to be to cite it as a whole book. |
More information |
APA Style - Book/Ebook References |
Section 10.2 of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition" (American Psychological Association, 2020, pp. 321-322). |
Format |
Organisation. (Year). Title of charter. http://xxxxx |
References - example |
World Health Organization. (1986). Ottawa charter for health promotion: First international conference on health promotion Ottawa, 21 November 1986. https://www.healthpromotion.org.au/images/ottawa_charter_hp.pdf |
In-text - examples | First citation |
Parenthetical Citation: | ... (World Health Organization [WHO], 1986). |
Narrative Citation: | World Health Organization (WHO, 1986) ... |
In-text - example | Subsequent citations |
Parenthetical Citation: | ... (WHO, 1986). |
Narrative Citation: | WHO (1986) ... |
Format |
Name of standards organisation. (Year of publication). Standard name italicised. https//:xxxxx |
References - example |
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2016). Registered nurse standards for practice. http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes- Guidelines-Statements/Professional-standards/registered-nurse- |
In-text - example | First citation: |
Parenthetical Citation: | ... (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia [NMBA], 2016). |
Narrative Citation: |
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA, 2016) ... |
In-text - example | Subsequent citation: |
Parenthetical Citation: | Standard 4.2 was developed to ... (NMBA, 2016). |
Narrative Citation: |
NMBA (2016)... |
Notes |
For corporate or government authors with long titles, introduce and then use the initialism/acronym. |
Note the use of square brackets inside the in-text citation. |
Format |
Name of standards organisation. (Year of publication). Standard name italicised (x ed.). https//:xxxxx |
References |
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2017). National safety and quality health service standards (2nd ed.). https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/National -Safety-and-Quality-Health-Service-Standards-second-edition.pdf |
In-text | |
First citation (example): |
In accordance to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s (ACSQHC, 2017) National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHS Standards) practitioners should ... |
Subsequent citation (example): | The NSQHS Standards (ACSQHC, 2017) state ... |
Specific standards citation (example): | As per standard 4.2 (ACSQHC, 2017) ... |
Format |
Chapter Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of chapter. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. http://xxxxx |
References - example |
Singh, S., & McKintosh, R. (2020, July 10). Adenosine. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519049/ |
In-text - example | |
Parenthetical citations: | … (Singh & McKintosh, 2020). |
Narrative citations: | Singh and McKintosh (2020) … |
Format |
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. UpToDate. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://xxxxx |
References - example |
Wexler, D. J., Nathan, D. M., & Mulder, J. E. (2020). Initial management of hyperglycemia in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. UpToDate. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/initial- management-of-hyperglycemia-in-adults-with-type-2-diabetes-mellitus |
In-text - example | |
Parenthetical citations: | ... (Wexler et al., 2020). |
Narrative citations: | Wexler et al. (2020) ... |
Notes |
Articles in the UpToDate database are available only in that database. |
Include a retrieval date because the content is designed to change over time and versions of the page are not archived. |
APA Style - Clinical Practice References |
Section 10.1.14 of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition" (American Psychological Association, 2020, p. 319). |
Reference list: Format |
Author of the model. (Date). Name of the model italicised (version) [Large language model]. url |
Reference list: Example |
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat |
In-text: Examples | |
Parenthetical citations: | … (OpenAI, 2023). |
Narrative citations: | OpenAI (2023) … . |
Notes
• ChatGPT and other generative AI tools are not considered academic sources.
• Please check your assessment guidelines to ensure ChatGPT is permitted before using it in your assessment.
• Refer to How to cite ChatGPT from APA Style Blog for full details.