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APA referencing

This guide introduces the APA referencing style and includes examples of citations. Mae'r canllaw hon hefyd ar gael yn Gymreag.

Notes on how to reference government and official publications

  • Government publications include parliamentary papers, UK and devolved government papers and government department reports.  

  • Official publications are those published by official international or national organisations such as the World Health Organisation, UNESCO, the National Health Service etc. 

How to reference government and official publications

Reference order

  1. Author (Name of government, government department or official organisation).
  2. Year of publication (in round brackets)
  3. Title (in italics)
  4. Series or reference number (In round brackets if applicable). 
  5. Publisher if not the same as the author. 
  6. DOI if available https://doi.org/ or Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL https:// 

In-text example

A recent white paper outlined new measures for regulating gambling (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2023). 
OR 
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport recently outlined new measures for regulating gambling (2023). 

 

Reference list

Department for Culture, Media and Sport. (2023). High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age. (CP 385). Retrieved July 19, 2023, from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-stakes-gambling-reform-for-the-digital-age 

 

Please note, that the software used for this guide does not enable reference list examples to be shown with a 0.5 inch indent, which is how APA references should appear in a reference list.

Notes on how to reference legal documents

  • Legal documents include UK Statutes (Acts of Parliament), Statutory Instruments, government Bills and legal cases 

  • Legal documents are cited in full in the text of your document but are not listed in your reference list. 

  • Titles are capitalised according to how they appear on the document’s front cover and are not italicised. 

  • Well known abbreviations used in legal cases such as King’s Bench Division (KBD) can be used from first mention.

 

How to reference legal documents

 

Reference order

The full citation is included in your text, so you do not include it in your reference list. 

In-text example

On first mention – you must give full citation - e.g. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 outlines capacity... 

or, when more specific detail is required, The Mental Health Act 1983, s. 145 (4) stipulates that... 

After the first mention you may abbreviate the title. 

When you abbreviate a title by using initials – you must use the acronym directly after the first full citation, e.g. The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 provides that... 


 

Please note, that the software used for this guide does not enable reference list examples to be shown with a 0.5 inch indent, which is how APA references should appear in a reference list.

 

Reference order

The full case details are included in your text, so you do not include it in your reference list. 

In-text example

On first mention give the full case details. Then use the names of the Claimant v Defendant subsequently. 

It was claimed that the local authority and clinical commissioning group (CCG) failed to assess and plan for her needs under section 117 of the Mental Health Act (MHA) in R(AK) v London Borough of Islington [2021] EWHC 301. As a result of R(AK) v London Borough of Islington … 

 

Please note, that the software used for this guide does not enable reference list examples to be shown with a 0.5 inch indent, which is how APA references should appear in a reference list.