APA System

One may ask what APA is. APA refers to the American Psychological Association (APA), a scientific and professional organization that represents psychologists in the United States.

 APA referencing involves two main components: in-text citations and a reference list. Let's break it down with plenty of examples:

1. In-text Citations:

   In your writing, whenever you refer to a source, you need to include certain details within the text itself:

   - Author(s) Name: Include the name of the author or authors.

   - Year of Publication: Mention the year the source was published.

   - Page Number: Provide the page number when quoting directly from a source.

Example:  (Brown, 1999, p. 23)

   In-text citations can be presented in two ways: parenthetical or narrative.

   Parenthetical Citation:

   This format involves placing the author's name and publication year within parentheses.

   - Example: (Broudy, 1998)

   - Example with page number: (Broudy, 1998, p. 8)

   Narrative Citation:

   Here, the author's name and publication year are incorporated into the sentence itself.

   - Example: Broudy (1998) explains...

   - Example with page number: Broudy (1998, p. 9) argues...

   Remember, when citing at the end of a sentence, place the citation before the punctuation.

2. References:

   At the end of your document, compile a list of all the sources you cited. This is called the References page. Here’s what you need to include for each entry:

   - Author/Editor Name

   - Year of Publication

   - Title

   - Edition (if applicable)

   - Publisher

Remember, each entry in the References list should start on a new page and be titled "References." The title should be centered, and each entry should have a hanging indent.

 Entries should be listed alphabetically by the surname of the author. Titles of books and journals should be italicized.

   Examples:

   - Wolpe, A. (1988). Within School Walls. Routledge.

   - Woods, C. & Griffiths, A. (1995). The Real McCoy. Design World, 12(3), 2-13.

   All references listed must also be cited within the text.

   When to Include Page Numbers:

   - Page numbers are necessary when directly quoting from a source.

   - For paraphrased information, it's recommended to include page numbers to assist readers in locating the original text. However, this isn't always mandatory.

Source: Adapted from  https://www.student.unsw.edu.au/apa