| Surname of author, no initials or suffixes such as Jr. The year of publication is also included. |
| . . . This was seen in an Australian study (Couch, 2017). OR Couch (2017) suggests that . . . OR In 2017, Couch conducted a study which showed that . . . |
Two authors
| Cite both surnames every time the reference occurs in the text. |
| . . . (Zheng & Labeke, 2017) OR Zheng and Labeke (2017) . . . |
Three or more authors
| Cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the year of publication. Note: There is a full-stop (.) after al (see below). |
| . . . (De Keyser et al., 2019). OR |
Different authors, same surname
| Add the initials of the author's first or given name/s to their surname to distinguish them. |
| P. R. Smith (1923) to distinguish from S. Smith (1945) . . . OR |
Multiple authors, ambiguous citations
| If a multiple (3+) author citation abbreviated with et al. looks the same as another in-text citation similarly shortened, add enough surnames to make a distinction, followed by a comma and et al. |
| . . . (Brown, Shimamura, et al., 1998) to distinguish from (Brown, Taylor, et al., 1998). |
Multiple works by same author
| When cited together, give the author's surname once followed by the years of each publication, which are separated by a comma. |
| . . . (Reimer, 2018, 2019). OR |
Multiple works by same author AND same year
| If there is more than one reference by an author in the same year, suffixes (a, b, c, etc.) are added to the year. Allocation of the suffixes is determined by the order of the references in the reference list, not by the order in which they are cited. Suffixes are also included in the reference list, and these references are listed alphabetically by title. If cited together, list by suffix as shown below. |
| Stairs (1992b) . . .later in the text . . . (Stairs, 1992a). OR |
If the author is identified as 'anonymous'
| Use Anonymous in place of the author's surname. |
| . . . (Anonymous, 2019) |
Unknown author
| Give the first few words of the title. If the title is from an article or a chapter, use double quotation marks. If the title is from a periodical, book brochure, or report, then use italics. |
| . . . the worst election loss in the party's history ("This is the end," 1968). |
Corporate or group author(s)
| If organisation is recognised by abbreviation, cite the first time as follows: |
| . . . (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2019) Note: [AIHW] is in square brackets for the initial in-text citation and thereafter as . . . (AIHW, 2019). However, if abbreviation not widely known, give the name in full every time: . . . (Australian Research Council, 2016) Do not use a comma to separate two organisation authors; for example (Monash University & Monash Health, 2020) |
Multiple references
| List the citations in alphabetical order and separate with semicolons. |
| . . . (Burst, 2017; Nguyen, 2013; Turner & Hooch, 2012). |
Citing specific parts of a source
| For a direct quotation the page number(s) must be given. Indicate page, chapter, figure, table, etc. as specifically as possible. Use accepted abbreviations, e.g., p. for page, para. for paragraph. |
| As one writer put it, "the darkest days were still ahead" (Weston, 1988, p. 45). OR
|
Quotation from an electronic source
| Where page numbers are not provided, use paragraph numbers. |
| . . . (Chang, 2015, para. 2) |
Personal communications
| These include private letters, e-mail, and conversations. As personal communications are not accessible to others, they are not included in the reference list. However, an in-text citation is required. |
| . . . (R. Smith, personal communication, January 28, 2020). OR |
Citation of a secondary source (i.e., a source referred to in another publication)
| Note: APA 7th guidelines specify that secondary citations should ONLY be used where the original is unavailable (e.g., out-of-print). Wherever possible, read and cite the original source. If the original source is not available, ONLY include the details of the source that you actually read. In the example below, the original source would be Farrow (1968), which you saw cited in a paper by Ward and Decan (1988). Only the reference for Ward and Decan would be included in the reference list. |
| . . . (Farrow, 1968, as cited in Ward & Decan, 1988). OR OR |
Citing legislation or legal cases
The way you cite legislation or legal cases depends on whether you read the actual legislation or read about it in another source. If it is the latter, the legislation/case should be treated as a secondary source.
| The title of the legislation and the year (jurisdiction). Note: include the jurisdiction the first time the act is cited. The jurisdiction can be dropped with subsequent citations |
| The Medical Treatment Act 1988 (Vic) states . . . by virtue of s. 25.1 of the Aged Care Act 1997 (Cth) . . . . . . "A restrictive intervention may only be used on a person....." (Mental Health Act 2014 (Vic), s. 105) as a secondary source . . . Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) (as cited in Creighton & Rozen, 2007) |
| The title of the case (year). Note: Include the year with the first citation. The year can be dropped in subsequent citations. |
| According to the case of Rogers v Whitaker (1992) . . . as a secondary source . . . Chappel v Hart (1988) (as cited in Forrester & Griffiths, 2014) |
Websites (but not a specific document on that site)
| When citing an entire website with no mention of a specific page or particular information on the website, it is sufficient to give the address of the site in the text. No reference list entry is required. |
| Apple is one of the most visited consumer technology websites in the world (//www.apple.com). |
Web page with author
| Family name and year of publication. |
| In a recent article on the 1918 flu pandemic Tobias (2020) suggested … OR . . . in the 1918 pandemic (Tobias, 2020) |
| Organisation name and year of publication. |
| A webpage regarding educational discounts offered by Samsung (2020) states . . OR Information on education discounts are offered by one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies (Samsung, 2020) |
Web page, unknown author
| Give the first few words of the title. If the title is from an article use double quotation marks. Also include the year of publication. |
| An Australian government agency recommend checking rainwater tanks in Queensland (“Unsealed rainwater tanks”, 2019). |
Web page, no date
| Use the letters n.d. - an abbreviation of the words ‘no date’. |
| In a self-published autobiographical article, audiovisual organisation Bose (n.d) mention . . . OR The company’s history is outlined in a self-published autobiography (Bose, n.d.) |
Market reports/Industry databases, no individual author
| Cite the database or Market Report publisher as author. |
| An industry report on infrastructure construction in China by IBISWorld (2019) asserts . . . OR Infrastructure construction in China was summarised in a recent industry report (IBISWorld, 2019). |
Market reports/Industry databases, author
| Family name and year of publication. |
| In an industry report on Australian crisis accommodation Richardson (2020) states . . . OR Australian crisis accommodation options were recently reviewed (Richardson, 2020). |
| Provide the title of the entry in double quotation marks, followed by the year of publication. |
| (“Perindopril,” 2021). |
Drug interactions
| Provide the title of each entry, separated by a comma, in double quotation marks. Follow this with the year of publication. |
| (“Paracetamol, Warfarin sodium,” 2021). |