The University of South
Wales Guide to APA
Referencing
This guide is also available as a pdf or Word document.
If you would like a more comprehensive guide to referencing, see the eBook below:
Cite Them Right
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Cite them right is renowned as the most comprehensive yet easy-to-use guide to referencing text available to students and authors. Academics and teachers rely on the advice in Cite them right to guide their students in the skills of identifying and referencing information sources and avoiding plagiarism. Comprehensive and accessible, it provides readers with detailed examples of print and electronic sources, business, government, technical and legal publications, works of art, images and much more. Packed with practical tips and example sources in both citations and reference lists, it makes referencing manageable and easy to follow for everyone. The fully revised and updated 12th edition contains: - Expanded guidance on the key principles of referencing and avoiding plagiarism, including new sections on collecting evidence to use in your work; reading, listening and taking notes; and using other people's work in your writing. - New reference examples for Tik Tok, blog posts, Zoom and Teams, recorded lectures and online seminars.
The USW Referencing Tools Guide
These are apps, desktop software, websites and browser extensions that help you collect, organise and create
reference lists and bibliographies in a range of different styles. Some examples are Mendelay, Endnote and Zotero.
This guide demonstrates how to reference using the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style. Referencing styles include two parts – the in-text reference (in the body of your assignment) and the reference list (the list of sources used, at the end of the assignment). APA in an author-date system and indicates the origin of the material in the text with the author’s surname or family name and the date of publication.
This guide highlights some of the sources that can be referred to when writing an assignment. The various referencing requirements for each source are presented and include an in-text example and reference list example. The guide does not include all possible sources and you should consult the APA Manual for sources not included in this guide. The APA Manual is the definitive source for APA style and referencing guidelines. Please see the list of useful terms for explanations of words or phrases used in this guide.
If you need more help please ask your lecturer, the Student Development and Study Skills Service or your Librarian.
Acknowledgements
This guide is based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: the official guide to the APA style, 7th edition, 2020.
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: the official guide to the APA style. (7th ed.).
Referencing is indicating in assignments when you have used material that has not originated with you. This might include factual information, data, images, opinion, direct quotation, or when you summarise or paraphrase the work of other people.
The majority of academic assignments measure your ability to understand, analyse and evaluate the work of others. Consequently, referencing is a crucial part of this as it informs the reader of the texts you have consulted during research; you will also be assessed on the quality and relevancy of these sources. It is important to remember that referencing carries a percentage of the overall marks if undertaken appropriately.
The avoidance of plagiarism is an important aspect of Academic integrity. Plagiarism is when a person tries to pass off someone else's work as their own. It is essential that other people's work is acknowledged and referenced properly.
The University has a page with information and guidance on Academic misconduct and Academic integrity, including information about plagiarism and good academic practice.
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