A Quick Guide on APA Referencing Style | Types & References

09 May 2024 2437 Views Share

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Academic writing is all about providing insightful information. Whatever the subject may be, if it is a long piece of work such as a thesis, an essay, or any other assignment, you need to do a lot of research on other individuals' ideas. Moreover, by any chance you like them, you can use them in your writing. However, it will be mandatory to give proper credit to the author.

For this purpose, there are a lot of referencing or citation styles that can be used to give credit to authors. Today, in this blog, we will gain insightful knowledge about a particular style known as the APA Referencing Guide. So, let"s begin with the overview of this style.

What Is APA Referencing Style?

The American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style is a familiar author-date style. There are two components to APA style referencing:

• In-text referencing: Citations are included in the text.
• Referencing List: Citations are included at the end of the bibliography.

Apart from specifics like author and date, there is many of other information. For instance, publication, title, chapter and more can be a part of APA depending upon the source you are citing.

Insights Into Types of APA Referencing

As discussed earlier, there are two parts to the APA Referencing Guide: in-text citations and referencing list. Moreover, we will analyze both of them thoroughly with APA referencing style examples.

In-text style

APA style referencing revolves around author and date, so the reference in the text mentions the author's surname and the year of publication given in whole brackets or half-round brackets.

Referencing an idea 

1. Anxiety and depression have been identified more commonly in children and adolescents with long-term physical conditions (Dantzer, 2003; Pinquart & Shen, 2011).

2. Dantzer (2003), Pinquart, and Shen (2011) all state that anxiety and depression have been identified as more common in children and adolescents with long-term physical conditions.

Referencing a Quotation  

Example:

Indeed, one researcher commented that "technological innovations have saved or extended the lives of many patients"(Lumby, 2001, p. 44).

Citing a Source Within a Source

 Where you source quotes, for APA style referencing example, Unsworth refers to previous work by Halliday on linguistics, the citation might read thus:

(Halliday, as cited in Unsworth, 2004, p. 15)

Referencing List

There are some rules involved in creating a reference list. It should be ordered alphabetically by the author's name and then by the chronological year of publication. Also, a formatting guideline ensued to create a perfect APA-style referencing list. It involves:

• Double spacing (within and between references).
• Hanging indent of ½ inch.
• Legible font (e.g. Times New Roman 12 or Arial 11).
• Page number in the top-right header.
• These are some examples of how to cite sources on the reference list by using the APA style.

Book

De Vaus, D. A. (2014).Surveys in social research. Sydney, Australia: Allen & Unwin.

Book Chapter

McKenzie, H., Boughton, M., Hayes, L., & Forsyth, S. (2008). Explaining the complexities and value of nursing practice and knowledge. In I. Morley & M. Crouch (Eds.), Knowledge as value: Illumination through critical prisms(pp. 209-224). Amsterdam, Netherlands:Rodopi.

Journal Article

Cheung, J. M. Y., Bartlett, D. J., Armour, C. L., Laba, T. L., & Saini, B. (2018). To drug or not to drug: A qualitative study of patient's decision-making processes for managing insomnia.Behavioral Sleep Medicine,16(1), 1-26. 

doi:10.1080/15402002.2016.1163702

Webpage with an Author

HealthTimes.(2015).The Future of Aged Care Nursing in Australia. Retrieved from: https://healthtimes.com.au/hub/aged-care/2/news/nc1/the-future-of-aged-care-nursing-in-australia/495/

Webpage with no Author

$250m funding boost for a malaria vaccine.(2003). Retrieved from: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-09-22/250m-funding-boost-for-malaria-vaccine/1482220

Newspaper Article

Fellner, C. (2019, April 7). Time bomb: Two new cases as NSW faces worst measles outbreak in years.The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from  https://www.smh.com.au

Government Publication

• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2018).Physical activity across the life stages. Canberra, Australia: Author.
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2018).Physical activity across the life stages. 

Retrieved form: 

 https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/physical-activity/physical-activity-across-the-life-stages/contents/table-of-contents

Company and Industry Reports

Vuong, B. (2018, November). IBISWorld industry report OD5381. Coffee shops in Australia. Retrieved from IBISWorld database.

Difference Between Reference List vs. Bibliography

Many of you might be thinking that MLA, AMA or APA reference lists and bibliography are the same. Do you also think the same? Well, in this part, we will have a look at the difference between both terms. So, let's begin with it.

Now, after reading the table, the picture must have got clear about how reference list and bibliography differs from each other. Are you still confuse and need a better understanding of referencing? Do not worry! In the next part, you will understand how our experts can help you in this situation.

Know More About APA Referencing from Our Experts

Referencing styles add color to your writing, but they do involve some hard understanding as they have rigid rules attached to them, as you have seen in the case of APA reference. Some students may get confused with them, particularly UK students, as professors demand proper citations in essays and assignments.

For this purpose, students can refer to Instant Assignment Help, as they have the best-referencing tool that includes APA referencing. Additionally, they also have essay typer, that provides best in class content to students.

Moreover, their excellent assignment help in UK is widely famous among students as they are the leading brand and have 4000 plus experts on various subjects.

Read More: APA vs Harvard Referencing: Which One to Choose for Your Assignment in 2024