Study skills
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At Deakin, the APA system is used primarily in the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences. If you are enrolled in units based in the Schools of Nursing or Psychology you will need to use this system to cite literature in your assignments. The APA system is also used in some units offered by the School of Health and Social Development and the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences. In addition, the Faculty of Education uses the APA system in the area of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
This resource explains some of the more common applications of the APA system. It is based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition, 2001. Where possible, page numbers are provided so that you can check the information yourself in the Manual or read further.
A word of warning - you should always check your Unit Guide and/or with your academic staff (Unit Chair, lecturer or tutor) to make sure that this is the correct system for your unit. You should also be aware that people may interpret the APA Manual differently, so again check this with your lecturer.
You must reference all material you use from all sources.
It is necessary to reference your sources whenever you paraphrase (use your own words to explain or discuss what someone has said) or when you quote (use an author’s exact words).
The APA system of referencing uses the author-date method of citation. It consists of two elements:
(1) in-text citations (also known as in-text references) giving author, year
and sometimes page number in the body of the paper
(2) a reference list at the end of the paper providing the complete details
for each in-text citation.
Part 1 of this resource deals with in-text citations. It gives examples of a range of common types of sources that you are likely to use in your assignments. Examples are provided of both paraphrasing (rephrasing in your own words) and quoting (using the exact words) from a source.
Part 2 deals with how to present the related reference list entries for the in-text citations provided in Part 1.
When you refer to a single author, include the author’s family name and
year of publication, using one of the forms shown here.
Clay (2003) argues that having a planned approach to writing essays can be of
great benefit.
or
Essay writing can be made much more manageable if a planned approach is taken (Clay, 2003).
In any one paragraph, if you cite a particular reference more than once, include the year only the first time. In subsequent citations in the same paragraph you need only the family name, provided studies cannot be confused. (This also applies to a citation with any number of authors.)
Again, include the family name of both authors and year each time - except where there is a repeated citation in the same paragraph, as noted earlier.
In these cases, cite all authors the first time, then in subsequent citations of this work use the family name of the first author plus ‘et al.’ and the year, as shown below.
Use only the family name of the first author plus ‘et al.’ in all citations including the first. Use date as appropriate according to the rules above.
Mahon et al. (1997) reviewed how nursing diagnosis content is presented in nursing textbooks.
In the reference list, however, provide the family name and initials of the first six authors, and shorten any remaining authors to ‘et al.’
That is, you read one author (secondary) who cites another (primary).
In the example that follows, you have read Savage who referred to a 1998 publication
by Lupton, but you did not read Lupton yourself.
That is, a book that consists of chapters or articles written by different authors.
You need to acknowledge the author of the chapter or article you used. This author is cited in text (that is, in the body of the paper) in the same way as for one, two, three or more authors, as shown earlier.
In the example below, Naidoo has written a chapter in a book edited by Thorogood and Coombes. In the body of your assignment cite only Naidoo.
Naidoo (2000) claims that risk factor simulation models…
The entry in the reference list, however, gives full details of the publication. Under the name of the author (Naidoo) you need to give the details of the chapter you read plus the details of the book. So, in the ‘References’ Naidoo is listed ‘in’ Thorogood and Coombes. (See the reference list entry for this source in Part 2.)
Where the author is a government agency, association, etc. that has a familiar or easily understandable acronym, it as cited as follows:
The entry in the reference list is under National Health and Medical Research Council.
(1) If the author is designated as ‘Anonymous’, use the word ‘Anonymous’ in the in-text citation and in the related reference list entry.
Health-care systems are in need of….. ………. ……. (Anonymous, 2001).
(2) If no author is designated, cite in text the first few words of the reference list entry (which is usually the title) and the year. Full title details are provided in the reference list entry.
Short quote (fewer than 40 words) should run on as part of your sentence with double quotation marks to signal where the quote starts and finishes. The page where the quote comes from must be included.
Long quotes, known as 'block quotes' (more than 40 words) should:
• start on a new line
• be indented about 5 spaces from the left hand margin
• be double spaced (same as assignment, unless your Unit Guide requires
single spacing for quotes)
• omit quotation marks.
An important stage in assignment writing is planning. Clay (2003) comments that:Some students are tempted to plunge into writing their assignment, beginning with the introduction, but soon find that they experience “writer’s block” and cannot decide what to write next. The problem occurs because they have not given sufficient thought to reviewing course content and developing their ideas about relating the theory to their practice. (p. 47)
There are a variety of ways that students can plan…
• Most online articles are pdf files, i.e. copies of print documents, so they usually indicate page numbers. Use these page numbers when you cite your quotation.
• Some articles are not pdf and do not have page numbers. In these cases use paragraph numbers if these are provided.
• If paragraph numbers are not provided, either count the paragraphs and use this or if there are subheadings use these and the paragraph number.
The examples that follow are of the kinds of sources you are most likely to have to use. Check the APA manual for other forms. Note, the examples are separated and placed under subheadings here to show each form. In a reference list, however, they would be all together in alphabetical order with no subheadings and no numbers. See the sample reference list at the end of this resource.
Crawford, P., Brown, B., & Nolan, P. (1998). Communicating care: The language of nursing. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes.
Naidoo, B. (2000). Evaluating the use of public health risk factor simulation models. In M. Thorogood, & Y. Coombes (Eds.), Evaluating health promotion: Practice and methods (pp. 99-109). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Antonakos, C. L., & Kazanis, A. S. (2003). Research process in the health sciences: A focus on methods. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice, 17, 257-264.
Clay, G. (2003). Assignment writing skills. Nursing Standard, 17(20), 47-52.
Savage, J. (2004). Researching emotion: The need for coherence between focus, theory and methodology. Nursing Inquiry, 11, 25-34.
Wroe, D. (2004, June 24). Canberra enlists GPs in war on smoking. The Age, p. 3.
Embryo study nod, OK say IVF couples. (2004, May 31). Herald Sun, p.10.
Anonymous. (2001). Meeting health-care needs. London: Longman.
National Health and Medical Research Council. (1997). Acting on Australia’s weight: A strategic plan for the prevention of overweight and obesity. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
Author, A., Author, B., Author, C., Author, D., Author, E., Author, F., et al. (Year). Details of the work as appropriate to its form.
Mahon, S. M., Spies, M. A., Aukamp, V., Barrett, J. T., Figgins, M. J., Meyer, G. A., et al. (1997). Presentation of nursing diagnosis content in fundamentals of nursing textbooks. Nurse Educator, 22 (1), 17-22.
Title of document. (n.d.). Retrieved month day, year, from web address
Obesity. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2004, from http://www.geocities.com/nutriflip/Diseases/Obesity.html
Author, A. (Year, month day). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page numbers. Retrieved month day, year, from web address
Rego, P. (2003, August). Confronting embodiment. Nuritinga, 5, 1-6. Retrieved June 20, 2004, from http://www.healthsci.utas.edu.au/tson/nuritinga/issue5/confronting_embodiment.pdf
Author, A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page numbers. Retrieved month day, year, from database name.
Elder, R., Neal, C., Davis, B. A., Almes, E., Whitledge, L., & Littlepage, N. (2004). Patient satisfaction with triage nursing in a rural hospital emergency department. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 19, 263-268. Retrieved June 30, 2004, from Academic Search Premier database.
The purpose of the reference list is to enable readers to locate sources. Therefore details must be correct and complete. Each in-text citation and the related reference list entry should be identical in spelling and year. A work is listed only once in the reference list, regardless of how many times it is cited in text. Works not cited in the text should not appear in the reference list.
In compiling your APA reference list, you should:
• list references on a new page with a centred heading titled ‘References’
• include books, journal articles, online sources etc. in one alphabetical
listing
• order entries alphabetically by family name of author
• list works with no author under the first significant word of the title
• indent 2nd and subsequent lines of each entry (5-7 spaces)
• use double spacing
References |
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Anonymous. (2001). Meeting health-care needs. London: Longman. Antonakos, C. L., & Kazanis, A. S. (2003). Research process in the health sciences: A focus on methods. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice, 17, 257-264. Clay, G. (2003). Assignment writing skills. Nursing Standard, 17(20), 47-52. Crawford, P., Brown, B., & Nolan, P. (1998). Communicating care: The language of nursing. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes. Elder, R., Neal, C., Davis, B. A., Almes, E., Whitledge, L., & Littlepage, N. (2004). Patient satisfaction with triage nursing in a rural hospital emergency department. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 19, 263-268. Retrieved June 30, 2004, from Academic Search Premier database. Embryo study nod, OK say IVF couples. (2004, May 31). Herald Sun, p.10. Gagliardi, B. A., Frederickson, K., & Shanley, D. A. (2002). Living with multiple sclerosis: A Roy Adaptation Model-based study.Nursing Science Quarterly, 15(3), 230-236. Mahon, S. M., Spies, M. A., Aukamp, V., Barrett, J. T., Figgins, M. J., Meyer, G. A., et al. (1997). Presentation of nursing diagnosis content in fundamentals of nursing textbooks. Nurse Educator, 22(1), 17-22. Naidoo, B. (2000). Evaluating the use of public health risk factor simulation models. In M. Thorogood & Y. Coombes (Eds.), Evaluating health promotion: Practice and methods (pp. 99-109). Oxford: Oxford University Press. National Health and Medical Research Council. (1997). Acting on Australia’s weight: A strategic plan for the prevention of overweight and obesity. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. Obesity. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2004, from http://www.geocities.com/nutriflip/Diseases/Obesity.html Rego, P. (2003, August). Confronting embodiment. Nuritinga, 5, 1-6. Retrieved June 20, 2004, from http://www.healthsci.utas.edu.au/ tson/nuritinga/issue5/confronting_embodiment.pdf Savage, J. (2004). Researching emotion: The need for coherence between focus, theory and methodology. Nursing Inquiry, 11, 25-34 Wroe, D. (2004, June 24). Canberra enlists GPs in war on smoking. The Age, p. 3. |
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Amato, C.J. (2002). The world’s easiest guide to using the APA: A user-friendly manual for formatting research papers according to the American Psychological Association Style Guide (3rd ed.). Corona, CA: Stargazer Publishing. |
| Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed). (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. |
