Referencing is a method of acknowledging sources of information used in assignments. It is an important part of academic writing.
You must acknowledge any source used in your assignment with an in-text reference and by including it in your reference list at the end of your assignment.
South Metropolitan TAFE uses APA7 (American Psychological Association - 7th edition), an 'author-date' citation style. It uses in-text citations with a reference list containing complete reference information at the end of your assignment.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed)
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition is the official source for APA Style. With millions of copies sold worldwide in multiple languages, it is the style manual of choice for writers, researchers, editors, students, and educators in the social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, nursing, communications, education, business, engineering, and other fields. Known for its authoritative, easy-to-use reference and citation system, the Publication Manual also offers guidance on choosing the headings, tables, figures, language, and tone that will result in powerful, concise, and elegant scholarly communication. It guides users through the scholarly writing process--from the ethics of authorship to reporting research through publication. The seventh edition is an indispensable resource for students and professionals to achieve excellence in writing and make an impact with their work. The seventh edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect best practices in scholarly writing and publishing. All formats are in full color, with a new tabbed spiral version Improved ease of navigation, with many additional numbered sections to help users quickly locate answers to their questions Resources for students on writing and formatting annotated bibliographies, response papers, and other paper types as well as guidelines on citing course materials Dedicated chapter for new users of APA Style covering paper elements and format, including sample papers for both professional authors and student writers New chapter on journal article reporting standards that includes updates to reporting standards for quantitative research and the first-ever qualitative and mixed methods reporting standards in APA Style New chapter on bias-free language guidelines for writing about people with respect and inclusivity in areas including age, disability, gender, participation in research, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality More than 100 new reference examples covering periodicals, books, audiovisual media, social media, webpages and websites, and legal resources More than 40 new sample tables and figures Expanded guidance on ethical writing and publishing practices, including how to ensure the appropriate level of citation, avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism, and navigate the publication process Guidelines that support accessibility for all users, including simplified reference, in-text citation, and heading formats as well as additional font options
You reference to:
You should ALWAYS reference if you:
Quote - use someone else's exact words
Paraphrase - convert someone else's ideas to your own words
Summarise - create a brief account of someone else's ideas
Copy - statistics, figures, tables or images
When Do You NOT Need to Reference?
When you are describing your own experiences or observations.
When you are using general or common knowledge.
The terms cite/citation are often used interchangeably with reference.
Most online resources (ebooks, databases, library catalogues, video platforms) have an embedded cite/citation tool which will generate a reference (citation) for you.
Remember it is your responsibility to ensure that the reference generated is correct. Check it against the examples in this guide.
With thanks to North Metropolitan TAFE Libraries for allowing their guide content to be copied/adapted for use in this guide.
1. Record
When collecting information for an assignment topic, record all the information required to reference your sources. Make sure you include page numbers for direct quotations, journal articles and book chapters.
2. Organise
When recording the referencing information develop a system that works for you. For example, add the information immediately to your draft, or use a referencing program such as the Microsoft Word referencing tool.
3. In-text
Within the text of your assignment, include a brief reference when you summarise, paraphrase or quote from another source.
4. Reference List
At the end of your assignment attach a list of the references you have cited in-text. It must include full references for the different sources used. Arrange the list alphabetically by the first author's surname or by title if there is no author.
Each time you use information from another source you must include an in-text reference.
General Rules
Example:
In-text: (Diabetes WA, 2019a)
Diabetes WA. (2019a). What's your risk? https://diabeteswa.com.au/whats-your-risk /
In-text: (Diabetes WA, 2019b)
Diabetes WA (2019b). What is blood glucose? https://diabeteswa.com.au/manage-your-diabetes/monitoring-blood-glucose/what-is-blood-glucose
Corporate authors names can be abbreviated.
If a reference has a corporate author, the name can sometimes be abbreviated—for example, American Psychological Association can be abbreviated to APA. You do not have to abbreviate the name of a corporate author, but you can if the abbreviation would help avoid repetition and will appear more than three times in the assignment.
Example:
First in-text reference: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2022)
Second and subsequent in-text references: (APA, 2022)
"Teach your children how to handle money responsibly, perhaps by setting up their own "savings account" for their pocket money and letting them pay for small items they want when shopping" (American Psychological Association [APA], 2022).
Note: This only applies to the in-text reference, do not use the abbreviation in the Reference List.
American Psychological Association. (2022). Talking to your children about the economy and financial fears. https://www.apa.org/topics/money/talking-children-economy
General Rules:
Example:
Diabetes WA. (2019a). What's your risk? https://diabeteswa.com.au/whats-your-risk/
In-text: (Diabetes WA, 2019a)
Diabetes WA (2019b). What is blood glucose? https://diabeteswa.com.au/manage-your-diabetes/monitoring-blood-glucose/what-is-blood-glucose
In-text: (Diabetes WA, 2019b)
Points to Note:
Page numbers are required when using a direct quote but optional when paraphrasing
Formatting quotations
A quotation is an exact reproduction from another source. They are word for word copies of another person's work.
Quotations of less than 40 words are set out in the body of the text and enclosed with double quotation marks " ".
Example:
... children are very adaptable. However, "it is no surprise that we are much better at recognising negative signals than positives ones" (Smith, 2011, p. 36).
Quotations of more than 40 words should be set out in a block, commencing on a new line and indented from the left hand margin 5 spaces. Quotation marks are not used. Double space the entire quotation.
Example:
Governments have occasionally produced reports on:
The merits of privatization, incorporating 'expert' assessments of
likely sale and retention values. This is progress, of a kind. It does,
after all, provide the community with opportunities to scrutinise major
proposals for asset sales - opportunities long available in the
private sector. (Walker, 2010, p. 140)
Point to note:
Avoid overuse of quotations. It is better to paraphrase or summarise information from other sources, as this shows your understanding of the information.
Direct quotations can be used for:
There are various ways to reference quotes. Read the APA Style Blog for suggestions.
The use of capital letters in titles varies:
Books, websites and web documents
Churchill's desert war: The road to El Alamein
Periodicals (journals, newspapers and magazines)
Australian Journal of Early Childhood
Australian Financial Review
Articles and chapters
Working with refugee young people: An Australian nurse's perspective
[Format] - Only use if the format is important for identification and retrieval. This is included in square brackets, for example:
Lang, k.d. (2008). Shadow and the frame. On Watershed [CD]. Nonesuch Records.
Below are some of the more common format types.
[Abstract]
[Audio podcast]
[Blog post] or [Blog comment]
[Brochure]
[CD]
[Chart]
[Computer software]
[Demographic map]
[DVD]
[Facebook]
[Graph]
[Image]
[Lecture notes]
[mp3/4 etc.]
[Painting]
[Photograph]
[PowerPoint presentation]
[Press release]
[Special issue]
[Supplemental material]
[Table]
[Television series]
[Tweet]
[Video]
These abbreviations are commonly used in referencing:
| ed. | edition |
| 2nd ed. | second edition |
| Ed. | Editor |
| Eds. | Editors |
| et al. | and others |
| n.d. | no date |
| p. | page |
| pp. | pages |
| para. | paragraph |
| Vol | volume |
| Cth. | Commonwealth |
Still want more guidance for referencing? APA experts publish weekly posts to talk about APA referencing.
These APA books can be borrowed from the library:
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style