Referencing supports the intellectual property rights of others’ work. Therefore, when we use other people’s idea and work, it is important to acknowledge and cite the original source. In an academic context, failure to adhere to this practice will be considered as plagiarism or academic dishonesty and can result in penalties.
Copying or paraphrasing another person’s work without proper referencing is the common type of plagiarism and academic dishonesty among college and university students. Students must give credit to any type of information, ideas, word, study findings, statistics, diagrams, graphs, photos, for their assignments. Proper referencing also enables readers to locate the original source of the material.
Although there are various referencing systems for publications, the college has selected the American Psychological Association (APA) style as it is widely recommended for college and university students. We adhere to the APA’s latest version of the publication manual, which is the APA 7th edition, and we will update as soon as new versions are available. APA has two main components: in-text citation and a reference list at the end of the document.
To reference information correctly, use in-text citation within the body of your text. In-text citations acknowledge the original authors and provide readers with details about the original sources of your information. Properly formatted in-text citations enhance the credibility and reliability of your arguments. The APA styleis governed by several guidelines for using in-text citations.
General Rules:
Direct Quotations
When quoting directly, include the author’s last name, the year of publication, and the page number where the quote can be found.
Format:
Author (Year) “text of direct quote” (Page).
“text of direct quote” (Author & Author, Year, Page).
Example:
According to Keller and Aiken (2020), “Effective leadership is crucial in guiding organizational change and ensuring that the strategies implemented align with the overall vision” (p. 50).
“Effective leadership is crucial in guiding organizational change and ensuring that the strategies implemented align with the overall vision” (Keller & Aiken 2020, p. 50).
Paraphrasing
When paraphrasing or summarizing information, include the author’s last name and the year of publication. Page numbers are not required but may be included if it helps the reader locate the original material.
Format:
Author (Year) expresses the idea….
….paraphrased idea sentence (Author, Year)
….paraphrased idea sentence (Author & Author, Year).
Example:
Keller and Aiken (2020) discuss the significant impact of leadership on managing organizational change and innovation (p. 50).
Note:
Example:
Verma, Getenet, Dann, and Shaik (2023) argue that…
Example:
…(Verma, Getenet, Dann, & Shaik, 2023).
All references cited in the text must be included in the reference list, and the list must be placed at the end of the document. The APA style reference contains detailed information including author, date and title, and other relevant details specific to the type of source, such as journal articles or books. There are several rules for a reference list.
– who created the work (Author)
– when the work was created (Year)
– what the work is called (Title)
– where to find the work (Source).
For online sources, this includes a URL or DOI.
Example: book
Al-Worafi, Y. (2022). A guide to online pharmacy education: Teaching strategies and assessment methods (1st ed.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003230458
Note: In APA style 7th edition, the name(s) of the author(s) is/are listed with the last name first, followed by their initials. The title of the book is italicized and in sentence case. The edition is placed in parentheses after the title. The publisher is listed after the title and edition. The DOI is provided as a URL.
Verma, N., Getenet, S. T., Dann, C., & Shaik, T. B. (2023). Designing an artificial intelligence tool to understand student engagement based on teacher’s behaviours and movements in video conferencing. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 5(3), 100187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100187
Note: In APA style 7th edition, the name(s) of author(s) are listed with the last name first, followed by their initials. The journal title is italicized and title case is used for the article title. The DOI is provided in the URL format.
The general rules of an in-text citation are also applied for printed books. See Introduction to referencing section for the rules.
Example: Direct quotation
Note: When direct quotation, word-for-word materials, is used directly from someone else’s work, the author’s last name, the publication year and the page number must appear in the in-text citation. The double-quotation marks should be used to set off a direct quote.
Example: Paraphrasing or summarising
Note: When you paraphrase or summarise someone else’s ideas or piece of work in your words, the author’s last name and the publication year must appear in the in-text citation.
Format
Author, A. B. (Year Published). Book name. City, State: Publisher.
Examples
Thomson, A. J., & Martinet, A. V. (2021). A practical English grammar (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Hewings, M. (2022). Advanced grammar in use: A self-study reference and practice book for advanced learners of English (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
The general rules of an in-text citation are also applied for ebooks. See Introduction to referencing section for the rules.
In-text citation
Example: Direct quotation
Examples: Paraphrasing or summarising
When you paraphrase or summarise someone else’s ideas or piece of work in your words, the author’s last name and the publication year must appear in the in-text citation.
Reference List
Format (with DOI)
Author, A. B. (Year Published). Book name (Edition). https://doi.org/xxxxx
Note: Provide the DOI when it is available.
Examples (with DOI)
Cabana, D., Rölfer, L., Evadzi, P., & Celliers, L. (2023). Enabling climate change adaptation in coastal systems: A systematic literature review. Earth’s Future, 11, e2023EF003713. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003713
Format with URL
Author, A. B. (Year Published). Book name (Edition). URL
Note: Provide the home page URL of the book publisher, when DOI is not available.
Example: with home page URL
Russel, S., & Norvig, P. (2021). Artificial intelligence: A modern approach (4th ed.). Retrieved from https://www.pearson.com/en-us/subject-catalog/p/artificial-intelligence-a-modern-approach/P200000003500
The general rules of an in-text citation are also applied for this section (See Introduction to referencing).
Format
Author, A. B. (Year Published). Title of chapter. In A. A. (Ed.), Title of book (pp. #-#). City, State: Publisher.
Note: After the author’s name, year, and the title, begin with the editors’ initials of the first and middle name followed by the surnames, surname, title of the book, the page, city, state: publisher.
Examples
Westerman, G., & Bonnet, D. (2021). Leading Digital Transformation: The Role of Leadership in Digital Change. In H. El-Gohary & S. M. R. K. (Eds.), Digital Transformation: Strategies, Technologies, and Business Models (pp. 45-66). London: Routledge.
Colding, J., & Barthel, S. (2023). Resilient Urban Planning for Climate Change. In P. T. J. M. et A. L. (Eds.), Sustainable Urban Development: Challenges and Solutions (Vol. 2, pp. 77-94). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
The general rules of an in-text citation are also applied for this section (See Introduction to referencing).
Format (with DOI)
Author, A. B. (Year Published). Title of chapter. In A. B. (Ed.), Title of book (pp. #-#). https://doi.org/xxxxx
Note: After the author’s name, year, and the title, begin with the editors’ initials of the first and middle name followed by the surnames, surname, title of the book, the page, and DOI.
Examples (with DOI)
Nam, C. S., Jung, J. Y., & Lee, S. (2022). Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence: Research and Applications. Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2020-0-02460-6
Format: with home page URL
Author, A. A. (Year Published). Title of chapter. In A. B. (Ed.), Title of book (pp. #-#). URL
Note: After the author’s name, year, and the title, begin with the editors’ initials of the first and middle name followed by the surnames, surname, title of the book, the page, and URL
Example: with home page URL
Sachs, J. D., & Schmidt-Traub, G. (2022). Pathways to Sustainable Development Goals. In R. M. White & S. P. Davis (Eds.), Global Challenges and Sustainable Development (pp. 89-110). Routledge. https://s3.amazonaws.com/sustainabledevelopment.report/2022/2022-sustainable-development-report.pdf
Format (a whole ebook through an e-reader)
Author, A.B. (Year Published). Title of book [e.g., EBL; Kindle]. URL
Note: If the ebook is from e-reader (e.g. EBL) or platform (e.g. Kindle), place the type within square brackets after the title (or page) and before URL
Example (a whole ebook through an e-reader)
Nielsen, M. A., & Chuang, I. L. (2021). Quantum Computation and Quantum Information (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/quantum-computation-and-quantum-information/7d8e9f6c9e1b8a1f6dae9d4a5b3d
Format (Edited e-book chapter through an e-reader)
Author, A.B. (Year Published). Title of chapter. In A. B. Editor (Ed.), Title of book [e.g., EBL; Kindle] (pp. #-#). https://doi.org/xxxxx
Example (Edited e-book chapter through an e-reader)
Smith, J. A. (2020). The evolution of social media marketing. In R. B. Thompson (Ed.), Digital marketing strategies (Kindle ed., pp. 45-67). https://doi.org/10.1234/5678
General Rules:
There are unique rules for referencing dictionary and encyclopaedia.
Format (Print)
Author, A. B. (Year Published). Article title. In A. A. Editor (Ed.), Name of dictionary/encyclopedia(Vol.#, pp. #-#). City, State: Publisher. URL
Example (Print)
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2023). In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2023). Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/
Format (Online with URL)
Author, A. B. (Year Published). Article title. In A. B. Editor (Ed.), Name of dictionary/encyclopedia(Vol. #, pp. #-#). URL
Example (Online with URL)
Encyclopedia of Environmental Health (2022). In J. S. & G. S. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Environmental Health (2nd ed.). Elsevier. https://www.elsevier.com/en-xm/books-and-journals/book/9780128190863
Format (Online with DOI)
Author, A. B. (Year Published). Article title. In A. B. Editor (Ed.), Name of dictionary/encyclopedia(Vol. #, pp. #-#). https://doi.org/xxxxx
Example: Online with DOI
Encyclopedia of Global Health (2021). In H. S. & M. L. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Global Health (2nd ed.). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55150-0
The Internet provides information from different types of sources: webpage on a website, document, blog, social media, downloadable media, and streaming media. While the college recommends students to utilise the information from various sources, the students should carefully select the information which is suitable for their study purposes (e.g., the specific assignment). Students can use the following criteria to evaluate the information when using internet sources.
The information from internet sources should be referenced accurately. Using the information from the internet is very useful; however, it is often difficult to determine the essential information (e.g., authorship) to reference. Since inaccurate referencing is still be considered as plagiarism, it is important to learn how to reference internet materials correctly. Section 4.2 to 4.6 provide the formats and examples to reference the different types of internet sources using the APA referencing system.
In-text citation
The general rules of an in-text citation in Section 4.2 “Webpage on a website” are the same as those in Section 1.3 “In-text citations”.
Example: Direct quotation
Note: When a page number is not available use para. and the paragraph number.
Example: Paraphrasing or summarising
Note: When someone else’s idea or piece of work is paraphrased or summarised in your words, the author’s last name and the publication year must be acknowledged in the in-text citation. The author of the webpage can be person or corporation, and “&” is used for the multiple authors.
Format with corporate author 1
Corporate author. (Year, Month DD). Title of webpage. Publisher. URL
Examples with corporate author 1
APA Style. (2019). Plagiarism. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/plagiarism
Study in Australia. (2019). Scholarships to study in Australia. Australian Trade and Investment Commission. Retrieved December 6, 2019, from
https://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/English/Australian-Education/Scholarships
Note: Use the organisation name as the author, when the personal author is not available. In the above examples, “APA Style” and “Study in Australia” are the corporate authors of the webpages and “American Psychological Association” and “Australian Trade and Investment Commission” are the publishers of the websites. Insert full dates when it is available. The title of the webpage should not be italicized, when referencing a normal webpage on a website. Include a date of access when the content of the page is like to be edited.
Format with corporate author 2
Corporate author. (Year, Month DD). Title of webpage. URL
Example with corporate author 2
Australian Research Council. (2019, December 4). Grants. https://www.arc.gov.au/grants
Mater Foundation. (2019). Team Smiddy raise more than $440 000 for cancer research at Mater. https://www.materfoundation.org.au/what-we-do/news/november-2019/team-smiddy-raise-more-than-440-000-for-cancer-re
Note: In the above examples, “Australian Research Council” and “Mater Foundation” are the corporate authors of the webpages and the publishers of the websites. Therefore, the publisher names were omitted to avoid repetition.
Format with the personal author
Author, A. B. (Year, Month DD). Title of webpage. Publisher. Retrieved Month DD, Year, from URL
Example with the personal author
Chan, J. (2019, February 15). No plan = no customers: How to build a profitable marketing strategy. Foundr Magazine. Retrieved November 4, 2019, from https://foundr.com/marketing-strategy
Note: In the above example, Chan is the author of the webpage and Foundr Magazine is the publisher of the website. When the content of the webpage is like to be edited, not updated for a while or not archived, include a retrieval date. When the website directs to another webpage, create a reference page with a new webpage where the material is retrieved.
Format: Website news
Author, A. B. (Year, Month DD). Title of webpage. Publisher. URL
Example: Website news
McGhee, R. (2019, November 1). Abandoned Great Barrier Reef island resurrected into eco-friendly luxury holiday destination. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-01/wilson-island-reopened-as-eco-friendly-great-barrier-reef-resort/11661510
Note: When website news is not updated daily or weekly, use the “webpage on a website” format instead of a newspaper format.
In-text citation
The general rules of an in-text citation in Section 4.3 “Blog Post” are the same as those in Section 1.3 “In-text citations”.
Example: Direct quotation
Note: when a page number is not available use para. and the paragraph number.
Example: Paraphrasing or summarising
Reference list
Format: Blog post
Author, A. B. (Year, Month DD). Title [Web blog post]. URL
Example: Blog post
Morphett, J. (2019, October 22). SEO analytics for free – combining Google search with the Moz API [Web blog post]. https://moz.com/blog/combining-google-search-with-moz-api
Format: Comment on the blog post
Author, A. B. (Year, Month DD). Re: Title [Blog comment]. URL
Example: Comment on the blog post
Polgar, G. (2017, November 11). Re: Why do many of us still think that species are real [Blog comment]. https://www.researchgate.net/post/Why_do_many_of_us_still_think_that_species_are_real
In-text citation
The general rules of an in-text citation in Section 4.4 “Social media” (e. g., Facebook; Twitter; Instagram) are the same as those in Section 1.3 “In-text citations”.
Example: Direct quotation
Note: when a page number is not available use para. and the paragraph number.
Example: Paraphrasing or summarising
Reference list
Format: Facebook
Author, A. B. (Year, Month DD). Title. Facebook. URL.
Example: Facebook
Example: Facebook
[Institution Name]. (2025, February 21). Introducing our institution – your gateway to practical, high-quality education and training! [Facebook post]. https://www.facebook.com/xxxxx/xxxxxx/xxx
Note: Use the name of the individual or group as the author. Use the first 20 words of the social media post as the title. Include URL or another link, a hashtag, or an emoji in the reference list, if they fall within the first 20 words. When the images, videos, thumbnail links outside or other social media, indicate that in square brackets. Omit “retrieved from” before URL.
Format: Twitter and Instagram
Author, A. B. [Twitter handle with @]. (Year, Month DD). Twitter/Instagram. URL
Example: Twitter and Instagram
APA Databases [@APA_Databases]. (2019, September 5). Help students avoid plagiarism and researchers navigate the publication process. More details available in the 7th edition @APA_Style table [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/APA_Databases/status/1169644365452578823
The above example is adapted from reference examples, by APA Style, 2019, retrieved from https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples#tweet. Copyright 2019 by the American Psychological Association.
Note: Use the name of the individual or group as the author. Provide the Twitter handle (beginning with the @ sign) in square brackets after the author. Use the first 20 words of the tweet post as the title. Include URL or another link, a hashtag, or an emoji in the reference list, if they fall within the first 20 words. If an image, a video, a poll, or a thumbnail image is included, indicate in square brackets after the title: [Image attached], [Video attached], [Thumbnail with a link attached]. Omit “retrieved from” before URL.
In-text citation
The general rules of an in-text citation in Section 4.5 “Downloadable media” (e.g., podcasts; iTunes) are the same as those in Section 1.3 “In-text citations”.
Example: Direct quotation
Note: when a page number is not available use para. and the paragraph number.
Example: Paraphrasing or summarising
Reference list
Format: Audio
Name, A. B. (The role). (Year, Month DD). Title [Format]. Name of broadcasting organisation. Podcast retrieved from URL
Example: Audio
Funnell, A. (Reporter). (2019, November 3). Controlled environmental agriculture on future tense [Radio file]. ABC radio. Podcast retrieved from https://radio.abc.net.au/programitem/pewQ1rRJbL
Format: Video
Name, A. B. (The role). (Year, Month DD). Title [Format]. Name of broadcasting organisation. Podcast retrieved from URL
Example: Video
Whiting, N. (Reporter). (2019, October 13). Street artists of Port Moresby on Sunday Extra RN [Video file]. ABC radio. Podcast retrieved from https://radio.abc.net.au/programitem/pgrVaz52y7
Note: The role can be a reporter, speaker, writer, or producer of the article.
In-text citation
The general rules of an in-text citation in Section 4.6 “Streaming media” (e. g., YouTube; Netflix; Spotify; video game live streaming site) are the same as those in Section 1.3 “In-text citations”.
Example: Direct quotation
Note: when a page number is not available use para. and the paragraph number.
Example: Paraphrasing or summarising
Reference list
Format
Author, A. A. (Year, Month DD). Title[Format]. Retrieved from URL
Example
WIRED (2019, December 18). Meet one of the best drone pilots [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/eerfE-ov98E
Taylor, D. (2017, May 31). APA Formatting for PowerPoint: How to Apply APA Style to PowerPoint Presentations [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUDafR7TGZY
Treat the account which uploaded the video as the author. However, the same video is often used by a different account. Ensure the author is the creator of the video by checking the author’s YouTube channel or official website.
In-text citation
The general rules of an in-text citation in Section 5.1: “Journal articles” are the same as those in Section 1.3: In-text citations.
Direct quotation (example)
Note: The double-quotation marks should be used to set off a direct quote.
Paraphrasing or summarising (example)
Note: When someone else’s idea or piece of work is paraphrased or summarised in our words, the author’s last name and the publication year must be acknowledged in the in-text citation. The author of the webpage can be a person or corporation.
Format (print)
Author 1, A. B., & Author 2, C. D. (Year Published). Title of the article. Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), Pages.
Example (print)
Moser, D. V., & Martin, P. R. (2012). A broader perspective on corporate social responsibility research in accounting. The Accounting Review, 87(3), 797-806.
Format with DOI (online)
Author 1, A. B., Author 2, C. D., & Author 3, E. (Year Published). Title of the article. Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), Pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Example with DOI (online)
Moser, D. V., & Martin, P. R. (2012). A broader perspective on corporate social responsibility research in accounting. The Accounting Review, 87(3), 797–806. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-10257
Format without DOI (online)
Author 1, A. B., Author 2, C. D., & Author 3, E. (Year Published). Title of the article. Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), Pages. URL
Example without DOI (online)
Ismail, A., Rose, R., Uli, J., & Abdullah, H. (2012). The relationship between organisational resources, capabilities, systems and competitive advantage. Asian Academy of Management Journal, 17(1), 151–173. http://web.usm.my/aamj/default.html
Note: Use DOI when it is available and use URL of the journal’s homepage when DOI is not available. Italicise title of Journal and volume number. “&” is used for the multiple authors.
In-text citation
The general rules of an in-text citation in Section 5.2: “Magazine articles” are the same as those in Section 1.3: In-text citations.
Example: Direct quotation
Note: The double-quotation marks should be used to set off a direct quote. When a page number is not available from the online magazine, use para. and the paragraph number.
Example: Paraphrasing or summarising
Note: the author of the article can be a person or corporation.
Reference list
Format (print)
Author 1, A. B & Author 2, C. D. (Year, Month DD). Title of the article. Title of the Magazine, Volume(Issue), Pages.
Example (print)
Schaefer, N. K., & Shapiro, B. (2019, September 6). New middle chapter in the story of human evolution. Science, 365(6457), 981–982.
Note: When the magazine article without DOI is from an academic research database, end with the page number. Database information should not be included in the reference list.
Format with periodicals with DOI (online)
Author 1, A. B & Author 2, C. D. (Year, Month DD). Title of the article. Title of the Magazine, Volume(Issue), Pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Example (online)
Schaefer, N. K., & Shapiro, B. (2019, September 6). New middle chapter in the story of human evolution. Science, 365(6457), 981–982. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aay3550
Note: Include DOI in reference list when DOI is available.
Format with non-periodicals (online)
Author, A. B. (Year, Month DD). Title of the article, Title of the Magazine. Retrieved from URL
Example (online)
Sanneh, K. (2019, December 16). The Safdie brothers’ full-immersion filmmaking. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/16/the-safdie-brothers-full-immersion-filmmaking
Note: Include URL at the end of the reference, if DOI is not available. When the online magazine does not have a volume, issue, and/or page numbers, omit the missing items.
In-text citation
The general rules of an in-text citation in Section 5.3: “Newspaper articles” are the same as those in Section 1.3: In-text citations.
Example: Direct quotation
Note: when a page number is not available (e.g., online news), use para. and the paragraph number. The double-quotation marks should be used to set off a direct quote.
Example: Paraphrasing or summarising
Note: the author of the articles can be a person or corporation.
Reference list
Format (print)
Author, A. B. (Year, Month DD). Title of the article. Title of Newspaper, page number.
Example (print)
Macleod, A. P. (2020, February 13). Gardening neighbours: Artists explore initiative. Pine Rivers Press, 4.
Format (online)
Author, A. B. (Year, Month DD). Title of the article. Title of Newspaper. URL
Example (online)
Baum, M. (2019, October 24). School catchment needs to drain swamp. Pine Rivers Press. http://quest.smedia.com.au/pine-rivers-press/
Note: Add URL at the end of the reference, when URL is available. When online newspaper does not have a volume, issue, and/or page numbers, omit the missing items. When the article is from an online news website (e.g., news.com.au) which does not issue daily or weekly as an ordinary newspaper, use “Webpage on a website” format. Use the homepage address for the online newspaper (not the full URL of the article). Use p. for a single page and use pp. for multiple pages (e.g., pp. 30-35).
In-text citation
The general rules of an in-text citation in Section 5.3: “Conference paper” are the same as those in Section 1.3: In-text citations.
Example: Direct quotation
Note: The double-quotation marks should be used to set off a direct quote.
Example: Paraphrasing or summarising
Note: when someone else’s idea or piece of work is paraphrased or summarised in our words, the author’s last name and the publication year must be acknowledged in the in-text citation. The author of the webpage can be a person or corporation.
Reference list
Format (published conference proceedings available in print)
Author/Contributor, A. A. & Author/Contributor, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. In Editor (Ed.), Title of Conference. (pp. Page numbers). Location: Publisher.
Example (published conference proceedings available in print)
Hayes, R. & Murray, I. (2004). Consumers and Product Prices. In P. D. Garcia, 7thAnnual Conference on Business Management: Industry Trends (pp. 7-10). Detroit, MI: Craig.
Format (published conference proceedings available online)
Author/Contributor, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of paper. Paper presented at the title of the conference, location of the conference. https://doi.org/xxxxx or URL
Example (published conference proceedings available online)
Blakey, N., Guinea, S., & Saghafi, F. (2017, June). Transforming undergraduate nursing curriculum by aligning models of clinical reasoning through simulation. Paper presented at the Research and Development Society of Australasia. http://www.herdsa.org.au/research-and-development-higher-education-vol-40-25
Format (Print unpublished)
Presenter, A. B. (Year, Month). Title of paper or poster. Paper presented at the Title of Conference/Organisation, Location.
Example (Print unpublished)
Pentland, B. T., Recker, J., & Wyner, G. (2016, 11-14 December). Conceptualizing and measuring interdependence between organizational routines. Paper presented at the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2016), Dublin, Ireland.
Note: When proceedings of conferences are published in a book, use book or book chapter format. When proceedings are published regularly, use a journal article format.
In-text citation
The general rules of an in-text citation in Section 6.1: “Government organisations” are the same as those in Section 1.3: In-text citations.
Example: Direct quotation
Note: The double-quotation marks should be used to set off a direct quote.
Example: Paraphrasing or summarising
Note: When someone else’s idea or piece of work is paraphrased or summarised in your words, the author’s last name and the publication year must be acknowledged in the in-text citation. The author of the document/report can be a person or corporation.
Reference list
Format
Author, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of publication (Report number, if available). Publisher (the copyright owner). URL
Example: with personal author
Hockings, M., Leverington, A., Trinder, C. & Polglaze, J. (2014). Independent assessment of management effectiveness for the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2014. Great Barrier Reef Marine Part Authority.
http://hdl.handle.net/11017/2857
Note: When an identifier to cite or link the document is suggested in the website, use the identifier instead of the full URL.
Example: with a series identifier
National Institute of Nursing Research. (2015). A family’s perspective: Pediatric palliative care stories (NIH Publication No. 15-NR-8018). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health.
PDF Link
Example: without series identifier
Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. (2018). Internet competition inquiry: Inquiry into impacts on local businesses in Australia from global internet-based competition. Commonwealth of Australia.
PDF Link
In-text citation
The general rules of an in-text citation in Section 6.2: “Non-government organisations” are the same as those in Section 1.3: In-text citations.
Example: Direct quotation
Note: The double-quotation marks should be used to set off a direct quote.
Example: Paraphrasing or summarising
Note: When someone else’s idea or piece of work is paraphrased or summarised in our words, the author’s last name and the publication year must be acknowledged in the in-text citation.
Reference list
Example: with personal author
Chui, M., Manyika, J., & Miremadi, M. (2020, February). Notes from the AI frontier: Applications and value of deep learning. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/notes-from-the-ai-frontier-applications-and-value-of-deep-learning
Example: no personal author
World Health Organization. (2020). COVID-19 dashboard. https://covid19.who.int/
International Energy Agency. (2020). Global energy review 2020. https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2020
Note: Italicize the title of the document when the document is standalone, not a part of the webpage.
Figures include many varieties, the common figures for academic documents
are graphs and charts. How to reference figures differ, whether we reprint someone else’s original figures or create new figures using someone else’ data.
In-text citation
Citation underneath the figure is used instead of in-text citation. However,
academic works commonly mention the figure in the text; the college recommends
its students to mention a figure in the text. The best place to mention figures is
just before the figures appear. The followings are two examples of mentioning a
figure.
Example 1: Within a text
When you are reprinting a figure from someone else’s work, you must include the
source in the figure caption and use the term “Reprinted” instead of “Adapted
from”. Figure 1 is an example when you reprint a figure directly from someone’s
source. The source must be referenced with a full bibliographic entry in a
reference list.
Format: Citation for a reprint
Example 2: Citation for a reprint
Figure 1. Graph of the Service virtuality and impacts on service separation. Reprinted from Exploring service innovation capability in virtual servicescapes: An Australian higher education case, by Emiko Nozu, 2018, https://eprints.qut.edu.au/120278/1/Emiko_Nozu_Thesis.pdf. Copyright 2018 by Emiko Nozu. |
Note: If your work is likely to be published, you must seek permission from the copyright holder.
Reference list (Example for Figure 1)
Nozu, E. (2018). Exploring service innovation capability in virtual services capes: An Australian higher education case.
When you are creating a figure by compiling multiple data sources, use the term “Data for … from …” and include all sources in the figure caption. If you are not creating a figure but modifying someone else’s figure using their data, use the term “Adapted”. All the sources must be referenced with a full bibliographic entry in a reference list. Figure 2 is an example when you create a figure using multiple data sources.
Format: Citation when creating a figure by compiling multiple data sources
Example 3: Citation when creating a figure by compiling multiple data sources
Figure 2. Employment per major sector. Data for the UK from UK Department for Business Innovation & Skills (2012), for United States from U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics (2013), for Australia from Australian Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations (2013), and for Canada from Statistics Canada (2015). |
Reference list (Example for Figure 2)
UK Department for Business Innovation & Skills. (2012). Industrial strategy: UK sector analysis. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/34607/12-1140-industrial-strategy-uk-sector-analysis.pdf
Australian Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations. (2013). Australian jobs 2013. Canberra.
Statistics Canada. (2015). Employment by industry. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/econ40-eng.htm
This section provides instructions on how to reference tables. If you are reprinting a table from someone else’s work, altering someone else’s table, or creating a table using the information from someone else’s work, you must reference them. There are two sections you need to reference tables: above and underneath the table, and a full bibliographic entry in a reference list.
In-text citation
While a citation above and underneath the table is used instead of in-text citation for tables, academic works commonly mention the table in the text. Therefore, the college recommends its students to mention a table in a text. A table should be numbered in the order in which appear in the document and referred by the number (e.g., Table 1 shows the four types of …). The best place to mention a table is just before the table appears. The followings are two examples of mentioning a table.
Example 1: Wthin text
Place the table number, and provide the title (a descriptive phrase) in the next line. A table note (also called “caption”) should be placed underneath the table to acknowledge that the information is from another source. You use the term “Reprinted from” when using someone else’s original table, “Adapted from” when altering the table, and “data for…for…from…” when creating a table from multiple data sources.
Format: Data from a single source (e.g., journal article)
Example 2: Data from a single source (e.g., journal article).
Table 1. Four types of service features
Note: Adapted from “Problems and strategies in services marketing,” by V. A., Zeithaml, A. Parasuraman, & L. L. Berry, 1985, Journal of Marketing (pre-1986), 49, p. 35.
Reference list (Example for Table 1)
Zeithaml, V. A., Parasuraman, A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). Problems and strategies in services marketing. Journal of Marketing (pre-1986), 49(2), 33-46.
Example 3: Data from multiple data sources (e.g., online sources).
Table 2. Employment per major sector in Anglosaxon countries
Country · Sector | UK (2011) | US (2012) | Australia (2012) | Canada (2012) |
| · Primary | 1.3% | 1.5% | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| · Production | 16.5% | 12.0% | 11.0% | 20.0% |
| · Services | 83.0% | 81.0% | 86.0% | 78.0% |
Note: Data for the number of employment per sector for the UK from UK Department for Business Innovation & Skills (2012), for United States from U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics (2013), for Australia from Australian Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations (2013), and for Canada from Statistics Canada (2015).
Reference list (Example for Table 2)
UK Department for Business Innovation & Skills. (2012). Industrial strategy: UK sector analysis. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/34607/12-1140-industrial-strategy-uk-sector-analysis.pdf
Australian Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations. (2013). Australian jobs 2013. Canberra.
Statistics Canada. (2015). Employment by industry. from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/econ40-eng.htm
This section provides instructions on how to reference images found online. There are formal and informal formats for referencing images (e.g., photograph and artwork). The formal format is used for the work which is likely to be published. Students can use informal format for their assignments. All images in the document must have a full bibliographic entry in the reference list. If you did not get permission for reprint due to the academic work (e.g., assignments) omit the copyright information.
In-text citation
Citation underneath the image is used instead of in-text citation for images. However, academic works commonly mention the images in the text; the college recommends its students to mention images in the text. The best place to mention an image is just before the image appears. The source must be referenced with a full bibliographic entry in a reference list. The followings are two examples of mentioning an image.
Example 1: Wthin text
Format of citation: Informal format for students’ assignments · Figure #. The title of an image (Discovery Library, Year). Example 2: Image Citation
Figure 1. Discovery Library logo (Discovery Library, 2025). Reference list (Example for Figure 1) Discovery Library. (2025). Discovery Library logo [Image]. https:/discoverylibrary.edu.au/ |
Image from Discovery Library resources (informal format for students’ assignments)
Note: Provide a citation under the image (if no title, a title should be created; use a descriptive phrase). The image should be numbered as Figure # in which they appear in the document. Images from Google
Format of citation: Informal format for students’ assignments · Figure #. Title of the image (or description, if no title), by the full name of the image’s creator, date of retrieval, URL Example of citation: Informal (under the image)
Figure 2. Photograph of Kallangur State School, by Emiko Nozu, March 1, 2020, https://cdn.australia247.info/assets/uploads/be871abfcd69d993f089c826392e93ff_-queensland-moreton-bay-regional-kallangur-kallangur-state-schoolhtml.jpg Reference list (Example for Figure 2) Nozu, E. (2018). Photograph of Kallangur State School [Image]. https://cdn.australia247.info/assets/uploads/be871abfcd69d993f089c826392e93ff_-queensland-moreton-bay-regional-kallangur-kallangur-state-schoolhtml.jpg |
Note: If the creator and a copyright holder are different, include copyright holder before “retrieved”.
Format of citation: Formal format (e.g., thesis and publication) · Figure #. Title of the image. Reprinted from the title of work, by Author, date, … Date of Copyright by Copyright Holder. Example of citation: Formal Figure 3. Cover of the APA Style manual. Reprinted from Concise guide to APA style, seventh edition, by American Psychological Association, February 24 2020, https://apastyle.apa.org/products/concise-guide Copyright 2009 by the American Psychological Association. Reference list (Example for Figure 3) American Psychological Association. (2019). Cover of the APA Style manual [Image]. https://apastyle.apa.org/products/concise-guide |
Many organisations such as universities, educational institutions, corporations, and so on have their own guidelines for citing ABS resources; the college sets its own guidelines which are as close as what ABS suggests on their website.
In-text citation
The general rules of an in-text citation in Section 7.4 “Australian Bureau of Statistics” are the same as those in Section 1.3 “In-text citations”.
Example 1: Direct quotation
Example 2: Paraphrasing or summarizing
Reference list
Format:
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (Year). Title, followed by the date of viewing the information in the form: viewed dd month yyyy, URL
Example:
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2019). About the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Viewed 28 February 2020, https://www.abs.gov.au/about?OpenDocument&ref=topBar
Format:
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (Year). Title, ‘Table/Figure #. Title of the Table/Figure’, Format/description of the information (e.g., time series spreadsheet, data cute, etc), catalogue #, viewed dd month yyyy, URL
Example:
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). Labour force, Australia, ‘Table 01. Labour force status by sex – seasonally adjusted’, time series spreadsheet, cat. no. 6202.0.55.001, viewed 28 February 2020, https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/6202.0.55.001Jan%202009?OpenDocument
Note: Include a catalogue number when it is available after the title. Insert the date from the latest issue. Provide the whole URL from the address window in our browser.
Format:
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). ‘Title’, viewed dd month yyyy, URL
Example:
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). ‘Great Brisbane (Statistical Local Area), People – demographics & education’, viewed 28 February 2020, https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/3GBRI?opendocument
The college uses APA 7th referencing style and we follow the APA author-date citation system. APA has strict rules for how to show the author’s names in the text of your assignment and in your reference list. You need to check the number of authors you have for your work, and then format your references accordingly:
Number of authors and date | Description |
1-2 authors | For one or two authors, always mention the names of all authors In Text: Narrative citation: Verma and Shaik (2023) noted that students who read bilingual books performed better in vocabulary tests. Parenthetical citation: Students who read bilingual books may perform better in vocabulary tests (Verma & Shaik, 2023). In Your Reference List: Verma, N., & Shaik, T. (2023). Designing an artificial intelligence tool to understand student engagement based on teacher’s behaviours and movements in video conferencing. 10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100187 |
3-20 authors | When you have 3 or more authors, you only use the first author’s surname in text, and abbreviate the rest of the list with “et al.” (Latin for “and others”). In your reference list, you list all of the authors (up to 20). If you have more than 20 authors, you list the first 19 authors and the last one, using an ellipses (…) to show that some authors have been omitted (do not use an ampersand &). In Text: Narrative citation: Boers et al.’s (2017) research into the use of pictures in glosses found they may decrease the amount of attention given to the words. Parenthetical citation: Using pictures to illustrate glosses may, in fact, decrease the amount of attention given to the words (Boers et al., 2017). In Your Reference List: Three authors Boers, F., Warren, P., He, L., & Deconinck, J. (2017). Does adding pictures to glosses enhance vocabulary uptake from reading? System, 66, 113-129. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.system.2017.03.017 More than three authors Tobler, R., Rohrlach, A., Soubrier, J., Bover, P., Llamas, B., Tuke, J., Bean, N., Abdullah-Highfold, A., Agius, S., O’Donoghue, A., O’Loughlin, I., Sutton, P., Zilio, F., Walshe, K., Williams, A. N., Turney, C. S. M., Williams, M., Richards, S. M., Mitchell, N., … Cooper, A. (2017). Aboriginal mitogenomes reveal 50,000 years of regionalism in Australia. Nature, 544(7649), 180-184. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature21416 |
No author or anonymous | When there is no attributed author, move the title of the article (or encyclopedia entry, etc) to the first position in the reference list. In text, use the title of the document in “quotation marks” where you would use the author’s name. For long titles, it is okay to use only the first few words. In-text citation: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 2023 Narrative citation: According to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (2023), the term originated… Reference list: Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (11th ed.). (2023). Merriam-Webster, Inc. |
Some points to remember about authors:
When we use someone else’s idea and work in lists, they should be cited and referenced.
If you have a series of elements in the body of a paragraph, separate each element with lowercase letters enclosed in parentheses. Although only necessary for more complex elements, here is a simple example: (a) lions, (b) tigers, and (c) bears.
When writing numbered or bulleted lists, writers should use parallel structure for each item.
APA requires parentheses when using letters with a series. Commas or semicolons
should be used between each item in the list. Example:
Athletes who suffer from knee injuries can facilitate the recovery process by (a) attending
physical therapy sessions regularly, (b) refraining from playing sports until they completely
heal, and (c) taking necessary medication.
APA requires complete sentences for numbered lists. Example:
We considered the following questions:
the recovery process?
impact does this have on the recovery process?
APA uses bulleted lists to avoid the perception of importance/priority connotated in
numbered lists. Bulleted lists may be comprised of complete sentences or phrases. If a bulleted list contains phrases, each bullet should begin with a lowercase letter. APA allows the use of bulleted lists with or without punctuation.
Example 1:
Athletes who suffer from knee injuries can facilitate the recovery process by:
Example 2:
Athletes who suffer from knee injuries can facilitate the recovery process by:
This section instructs how to cite sources which are used in the bulleted and numbered lists. There are several ways to cite sources in bulleted and numbered lists, and the specific rule should be applied for each case.
In-text citation
Example 1: Paraphrased List
Verma (2023) suggests four reasons that actors often changed their routines: o the outcome of actions created a new problem; o the outcome of actions created new action opportunities; o intended outcomes are achieved, but actors see improvements; and o the outcomes of actions did not create expected results. |
Note: As shown in Example 1, paraphrased Feldman’s ideas are bulleted and referenced. Since the lists are paraphrased ideas, the page number is omitted.
Example 2: Block Quote List
In his routines study, Verma highlights the three types of routine work. These routines, she suggests: o flexing work means actors adapting existing interdependent actions in a routine that all participants are familiar with; o stretching work means actors adapting actions to stretch the application of an existing routine with other participants [within an organisation] who are unfamiliar with the routine; and o inventing work refers to actors building a new emerging action pattern without drawing on a particular existing routine (Verma, 2023, p. 850). |
Note: We use block quote format for all lists taken directly from a source, and we don’t need to use quotation marks for each bullet point. When we change or add words, insert the words in square brackets. Insert in-text citation after the last list item.
Example 3: Directly Quote – All Items
Verma (2023) suggests four reasons that actors often changed their routines: o the outcome of actions created a new problem; o the outcome of actions created new action opportunities; o intended outcomes are achieved, but actors see improvements; and o actions did not create intended outcomes (p.11). |
Note: When all items are direct quotes and an in-text citation is used (e.g., 2023) before the bullet lists, we include page number at the end of the list.
Example 4: Directly quote – One item
Verma (2023) suggests four reasons that actors often changed their routines: o the outcome of actions created a new problem. o the outcome of actions created new action opportunities. o “intended outcomes are achieved, but actors see improvements” (Verma 2023, 25). o actions did not create desired/intended outcomes. |
Note: When only one item is directly quoted among others, we use double quotation marks to set off the list and in-text-citation should be used for the item.
Reference List
All references cited in the text must be included in the reference list, and the list must be placed at the end of the document. Follow the general rules of a reference list based on the type of materials you used.
