The American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style is most commonly used in the social sciences. It is currently used for courses such as Psychology, Education, and Learning and Teaching at National College of Ireland. If you are required to use APA style referencing please ensure you follow the 7th edition guidelines. For more information regarding the 7th edition, you can borrow a copy of the APA Publication Manual from the library (check availability) or see the APA Style website. The APA style is based on an author-date system which includes in-text referencing throughout the written work and then full referencing details are provided at the end of the work in a list titled Reference List. |
NB: Other referencing styles such as Harvard or IEEE may be used by your course – check with your lecturer to confirm which style you are required to use.
When using the APA referencing style, a citation needs to be included in a sentence where you use or refer to information from another source. This consists of a short, basic reference (Author, Year) inserted every time you use or refer to someone else’s work in-text.
Parenthetical vs. Narrative Citations
In APA style, there are two different ways to use in-text citations, parenthetical and narrative:
Examples
Parenthetical citation |
Young adults are likely to understand the need to be realistic and pragmatic (Santrock, 2019). |
Narrative citation |
Boyd and Bee (2015) outline that human development is the study of a whole range of changes that occur as they get older. |
See here for more information and examples of parenthetical and narrative citations.
When to use et al.
In APA style, if a source has three or more authors, you can use et al. after the first author's surname to save space in text, see example below:
Example: |
According to Shaughnessy et al. (2015), all researchers and scientists have their part to play in maintaining the integrity of research. |
N.B. All author names must be included in the corresponding reference list entry.
Using Direct Quotations
When a direct quote is used, include the page number(s) the quote was taken from and add it to the in-text citation as shown below. The use of direct quotations should be kept to a minimum in your work, it is better to put information into your own words as much as possible (paraphrase). If you are paraphrasing, you are not required to include the page number(s) in your in-text citation however, you can include them if it would help the reader to locate the quotation within a long or complex work (e.g. a book).
See here for more guidance on using direct quotations.
Example: |
“A critical part of the writing process is helping readers place your contribution in context by citing the researchers who influenced you” (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 169). |
For additional information on in-text citations, see here.
When using the APA referencing style, a corresponding reference for each source cited in text needs to be included in the reference list at the end of your work. A reference list provides comprehensive details of the sources used throughout your assignment. If a reader wants to know the full details of a source you have used, they can refer to your reference list.
The reference list should be in alphabetical order by author surname, this makes it easier for your reader to locate a source cited in the text of your assignment in your list of references. Do not number or bullet point the reference list in APA style.
Example:
Reference List
Howitt, D. (2018). Introduction to forensic and criminal psychology (6th ed.). Pearson.
Kalat, J. W. (2021). Introduction to psychology (12th ed.). Cengage.
Santoro, H. (2023, January 1). The push for more equitable research is changing the field. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-inclusivity-psychological-research
Wood, W. (2017). Habit in personality and social psychology. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 21(4), 389-403. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868317720362
Hanging Indentation:
In your reference list, if an reference entry spans across more than one line, all of the lines after the first line of the entry should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. See here for guidance on how to create a hanging indent in Microsoft Word.
See here for more guidance on APA style reference lists. For an example of a correctly formatted APA style reference list see here.
According to the APA 7th edition guidelines, a specific format should be used throughout your document. It is recommended that the format includes the following:
See the APA style website for additional guidance on paper format.
You can find an examples of papers formatted using the 7th edition of APA here. Also check out the Student Paper Setup Guide
For further guidance on APA style, see these resources below:
Use the same format for both print books and eBooks. If an eBook is from an academic research database (APA PsycBooks, Proquest Ebook Central, EBSCOhost etc.) and has no DOI, end the book reference after the publisher name - the reference in this case is the same as a print book. See here for more information on including database information in references.
Components of a Book/eBook Reference
Examples
Book/eBook - One author | |
Kalat, J. W. (2021). Introduction to psychology (12th ed.). Cengage. |
Book/eBook - Two authors | |
Howitt, D., & Cramer, D. (2020). Research methods in psychology (6th ed.). Pearson. |
Book/eBook - Three or more authors | |
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., & Sommers, S. R. (2020). Social psychology (10th global ed.). Pearson. |
Book/eBook - Corporate author | |
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). |
N.B. When the author and the publisher are the same (e.g. American Psychological Association), the name is listed as the author only to avoid repetition in the reference.
Further Guidance on Referencing eBooks
If an eBook has a DOI, include the DOI in the reference after the publisher name as shown in the example below:
eBook - With DOI | |
Jackson, L. M. (2019). The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000168-000 |
When referencing an eBook that is not from an academic research database (e.g. Google Books, DOAB etc.), include a stable URL (Permalink) in the reference after the publisher name as shown in the example below:
eBook - With URL (Permalink) | |
Huron, D. (2024). The science of sadness. MIT Press. https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/146745 |
Components of an Edited Book/eBook Reference
Examples
Chapter of an edited book/eBook - One author | |
Sturgis, P. (2020). Surveys and sampling. In G. M. Breakwell, D. B. Wright, & J. Barnett (Eds.), Research methods in psychology (5th ed., pp. 373-393). Sage. |
Chapter of an edited book/eBook - Two authors | |
Freeman, L., & Sullivan, C. (2019) Thematic analysis. In C. Sullivan, & M. A. Forrester (Eds.), Doing qualitative research in psychology: A practical guide (2nd ed., pp. 161-184). Sage. |
Whole edited book/eBook | |
Gale, C., Hooper, C. M., Laver-Bradbury, C., & Thompson, M. (Eds.). (2021). Child and adolescent mental health: Theory and practice (3rd ed.). Routledge. |
Components of a Journal Article Reference
Examples
Journal article – One author | |
Wood, W. (2017). Habit in personality and social psychology. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 21(4), 389-403. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868317720362 |
Journal article – Two authors | |
Huppatz, K., & Ross-Smith, A. (2017). A discipline at the crossroads? Using a gender-inspired paradigm to reposition the sociology of work and employment. Journal of Sociology, 53(4), 756-770. https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783317743810 |
Journal article – Three or more authors | |
Hakanen, J. J., Peeters, M. C. W., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2018). Different types of employee well-being across time and their relationship with job crafting. Journal of Occupation Health Psychology, 23(2), 289-301. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000081 |
N.B. If an online/electronic journal article does not have a DOI and is from an academic database accessed via the library (e.g. APA PsycArticles), end the reference after the page range do not include a URL.
Components of a Conference Paper Reference (Published in a journal/proceedings)
N.B. Conference proceedings published in a journal follow the same format as journal articles.
Other Examples
Conference presentation - Paper/poster etc.
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of conference, Month Day(s)). Title of paper/poster (in italics) [Type of contribution]. Title of Conference, Location. |
Example |
Feeney, J. (2023, August 29-30). Using population cohort data to investigate the relationship between stress and healthy brain ageing [Conference presentation]. Neuroscience Ireland Conference 2023, Dublin, Ireland. |
N.B. Describe the presentation in square brackets after the title (e.g. [Conference presentation], [Paper presentation], [Poster presentation] etc.).
Conference proceedings - Whole edited book
APA 7th edition components |
Editor Surname, Initial(s). (Ed(s).). (Year of publication). Title of book series: Vol. (in italics). Title of proceedings. Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxx |
Example |
Tang, H. (Ed.). (2023). Lecture notes in computer science: Vol.13976. Research in computational molecular biology. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29119-7 |
Conference proceedings - Chapter of an edited book
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s)., Author Surname, Initial(s)., & Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In Editor Initial(s). Surname (Ed(s).), Title of book series: Vol. (in italics). Subseries (in italics) (pp. page numbers of chapter). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxx |
Example |
Mahmud, T., Barua, K., Barua, A., Das, S., Basnin, N., Hossain, M. S., Andersson, K., Kaiser, M. S., & Sharmen, N. (2023). Exploring deep transfer learning ensemble for improved diagnosis and classification of Alzheimer’s disease. In F. Liu, Y. Zhang, H. Kuai, E. F. Stephen, & H. Wang (Eds.), Lecture notes in computer science: Vol. 13974. Brain informatics (pp. 109–120). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43075-6_10 |
Components of a Webpage Reference
Examples
Webpage | |
Santoro, H. (2023, January 1). The push for more equitable research is changing the field. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-inclusivity-psychological-research |
Document from a webpage (PDF etc.) | |
Sweeney, J. (2013). A strategic review of further education and training and the unemployed. Department of Education and Skills. https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/A-Strategic-Review-of-Further-Education-and-Training-and-the-Unemployed.pdf |
N.B. For corporate/organisational authors, if the author of the webpage and the site name are the same, omit the publisher/website name to avoid repetition in the reference.
Components of a Online News Article/Blog Reference
Examples
Online news article | |
O’Connell, J. (2018, May 19). Jennifer O’Connell: Why do we live in a culture that venerates stress? The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/jennifer-oconnell-why-do-we-live-in-a-culture-that-venerates-stress-1.3491747 |
Blog | |
Shepard, B. (2022, December 15). How does music affect your brain? Livescience. https://www.livescience.com/how-does-music-affect-your-brain |
Psychological Test/Scale (in a Database)
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s)., Author Surname, Initial(s)., Author Surname, Initial(s)., & Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication). Title of Test/Measure (in italics) [Database record]. Name of Database. https://doi.org/xxxx |
Example |
Pekaar, K. A., Bakker, A. B., van der Linden, D., & Born, M. P. (2018). Rotterdam Emotional Intelligence Scale [Database record]. APA PsycTests. https://doi.org/10.1037/t66601-000 |
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Date of publication). Title of post (first 20 words in italics) [Description of content] [Post type]. Site name. URL |
Example |
Psychology Today. (2023, February 1). Developing greater self-discipline, research shows, can deliver benefits including better health and a reduced propensity for risky behavior. [Image attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/15687708844/posts/pfbid02dmRXgCsvjTr9SqXnkJAtH2Qndu |
X/Instagram/TikTok
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s) [Twitter handle]. (Date of publication). Title of post (first 20 words in italics) [Description of content] [Post type]. Site name. URL |
Example |
Psychological Society of Ireland [@PsychSocIreland]. (2023, January 27). The PSI welcomes the publication of the report on #MentalHealth supports in schools and tertiary education & the recommendations to [Image attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/PsychSocIreland/status/1618942492778569729?cxt=HHwWgoDRndTn0fcsAAAA |
N.B. The referencing format used for X (Twitter) is also used for Instagram and TikTok.
Youtube - Video
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Date of publication). Title of video (in italics) [Video]. Site name. URL |
Example |
Little, B. (2016, July 19). Who are you, really? The puzzle of personality [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYvXk_bqlBk |
TV - Series
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Executive Producers). (Date aired). Title of series (in italics) [TV series]. Production company or companies (separated by a semicolon). |
Example |
Lynch, D. & Frost, M. (Executive Producers). (1990–1991). Twin peaks [TV series]. Lynch/Frost Productions; |
Radio - Broadcast
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Date aired). Title of broadcast (in italics) [Radio broadcast]. Name of Radio Station. URL (if online) |
Example |
Wright, E. (2012, June 24). Crowd psychology [Radio broadcast]. BBC Radio 3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01jyzf |
Podcast
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Host(s)). (Date aired). Title of episode (in italics) [Audio podcast]. Name of Podcast. URL |
Example |
Vedantam, S. (Host). (2018, May 15). The surprising benefit of moving and grooving with your kid [Audio podcast]. National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/05/15 /610448906/the-surprising-benefit-of-moving-and-grooving-with-your-kid |
Computer Software
APA 7th edition components |
Corporate Author or Named Author. (Year of release). Title of Computer Software (in italics) (Version number) [Computer software]. URL |
Example |
IBM (2022). IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 29.0) [Computer software]. https://www.ibm.com/ie-en/products/spss-statistics |
N.B. Generally, common or standard software (e.g. SPSS, Word, Excel, Java, Adobe, Photoshop etc.) does not need to be referenced.
Encyclopedia/Dictionary - Print
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication). Title of entry. In Editor Initial(s). Editor Surname, & Editor Initial(s). Editor Surname (Eds.) (if applicable), Name of Encyclopedia or Dictionary (in italics) (edition if given). Publisher. |
Example |
Gorman, L. (2011). Online social networking. In G. Ritzer, & J. M. Ryan (Eds.), The concise encyclopedia of sociology. Wiley-Blackwell. |
Encyclopedia/Dictionary - Online
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication). Title of entry. In Name of Encyclopedia or Dictionary (in italics). Retrieved date, from URL
|
Example |
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Anxiety. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved June 16, 2023, from https://dictionary.apa.org/anxiety |
N.B. When an online reference work (e.g. APA Dictionary of Psychology) is continuously updated, use "n.d." as the year of publication and include a retrieval date.
Legislation - Act
APA 7th edition components |
Title (include section of legislation if specified in-text), Source (if available), (Year of publication). URL (if available) |
Example |
Social Welfare Act, Government of Ireland, (2017). http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2017/act/38/enacted/en/html |
Legislation - EU Directive
APA 7th edition components |
European Union Author(s). (Year of publication). Title of Directive (in italics). [Details of Directive]. URL |
Example |
European Parliament, Council of the European Union. (2014). Directive 2014/95/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 amending Directive 2013/34/EU as regards disclosure of non-financial and diversity information by certain large undertakings and groups. [EU Directive 2014/95/EU]. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32014L0095 |
Thesis/Dissertation - Print
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of submission). Title of thesis/dissertation (in italics). [Unpublished doctoral/master’s/bachelor’s thesis/dissertation]. Name of Institution. |
Example |
Campbell, H. (2015). Educational techniques: The effects of questioning on the recall of information [Unpublished bachelor's dissertation]. National College of Ireland. |
Thesis/Dissertation - Online
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication). Title of thesis/dissertation (in italics) [Doctoral/Master’s/Bachelor’s thesis/dissertation, Awarding institution]. Database/repository. URL |
Example |
Matthews, J. (2022). The impact of access to verbal language on working memory: A study of working memory on profoundly deaf adults [Bachelor's dissertation, National College of Ireland]. NORMA. https://norma.ncirl.ie/5662/ |
N.B. It is generally not recommended to reference undergraduate or postgraduate theses/dissertations – it is better practice to access the sources they have used and reference those sources directly.
Diagram/Chart/Image/Table - Print/Online
APA 7th edition components |
Follow the format for the type of source from which the diagram/chart/image/ table is taken, i.e. a book/eBook, journal article, (document from a) webpage etc. |
Lecture Notes
APA 7th edition components |
Author Surname, Author Initial(s). (Year of notes). Title of lecture (in italics) [Format]. Faculty/School, Institution. |
Example |
Hargreaves, A. (2017). Social psychology [Powerpoint slides]. School of Business, National College of Ireland. |
N.B. It is not recommended to directly reference lecture notes or slides; ideally, you should be using these as a starting point to explore the resources discussed and highlighted in class.
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Whilst every possible effort has been made to accurately and consistently reflect the Harvard, APA and IEEE styles in the examples provided, small errors may occur. This guide is regularly revised and any errors which are identified will be rectified immediately. Please note, there are also variations within these styles regarding certain details – should your reference vary slightly from an example contained within this guide, it is important that you are consistent with the variation when presenting and formatting your references, as long as it does not follow a contrary style to the one you should be using.
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