Referencing: Using APA

As Harvard (author-date) referencing style is being phased out, APA 7^th is the author-date referencing style to use for assessment and research. However, research students who started their research prior to 2023 will be supported in their use of Harvard until they complete their studies.

Before writing your reference list or bibliography, check with teaching staff which style to use and refer to the instructions included with your assessment. If you are required to use an author-date referencing style, APA 7^th is the style to apply.

The APA 7^th referencing style is based on the APA's official style guide Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7^th edition) published by the American Psychological Association in 2020.

Library guide APA 7^th

Refer to Library Guide APA 7th Referencing for guidance and examples.

Guidance

The Library Guide explains how to:

• present referencing information within the flow of your writing/assessment for:

1. in-text referencing
2. direct quotes
3. paraphrasing
4. citing multiple works

• compile a reference list
• cite tables and figures
• include DOIs and live hyperlinks
• use secondary sources.

Examples

The Library Guide shows how to reference various formats:

• journal articles
• books
• newspapers
• reports & grey literature
• conference materials
• datasets, software & tests
• audiovisual works
• course notes or course presentations
• social media
• webpages
• legislation & cases
• personal communications
• patents & standards
• theses.

The Library Guide also includes a section on generative AI and a sample reference list.