This document provides an introduction to referencing using APA style. It defines referencing and plagiarism, and explains why referencing is important. It outlines the key components of in-text citations and reference lists in APA style. Examples are provided for different types of citations, including journal articles, books, quotations, and paraphrasing. Guidelines are given for constructing a reference list alphabetically by author. An exercise provides practice writing full references according to APA style.

1. 1
@kaimrc_edu

2. INTRODUCTION TO
REFERENCING
APA Style
Dr. Taghreed Justinia, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Health Informatics
Email: JustiniaT@ngha.med.sa
Tel: +966 (2) 6240000 ext. 26217 / 26210

3. Introduction to Referencing 3
What is referencing?
Referencing is a standardized way of acknowledging the
sources of information and ideas that you have used in your
assignments and which allows the sources to be identified.
It is important to be consistent when you are referencing.
(DO NOT MIX DIFFERENT STYLES OF REFERENCING IN
THE SAME PAPER).
Referencing is important to avoid plagiarism, to verify
quotations and to enable readers to follow up what you have
written and more fully understand the cited author's work.

4. Introduction to Referencing 4
What is Plagiarism?
Referencing is an academic requirement. It is unethical (and
can be illegal) to pass off the intellectual property of others as
your own. This is called plagiarism. Plagiarism is regarded as
a very serious offence.
Whenever you read, take notes, or photocopy any material
that you might use in an assignment, immediately copy the
full reference information onto your copy.
IF YOU CAN’T REFERENCE IT YOU CAN’T USE IT!

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Styles of Referencing
Some widely used referencing styles are:
• The APA style (American Psychological Association)
• The MLA style (Modern Language Association)
• The Chicago style
• The Vancouver style
• The Harvard style
Check with your college/lecturer for their preferred
bibliographic style

6. Introduction to Referencing 6
APA Style
• APA (American Psychological Association) is most
commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences.
• For more information, please consult the Publication Manual
of the American Psychological Association, 6th
edition, second printing. Available at:
www.apastyle.org/manual
• The following slides are based on information obtained from
the Purdue OWL website (Angeli et. al, 2011) and Curtin
University Library (APA Referencing, 2009).

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In-Text Citations & Reference List
• The APA style requires referencing in two different places:
• 1. Within the body of your assignment or in-text referencing.
The author and the year (and page numbers for direct quotes) are
written into the text itself, next to where the information / idea is
used. This is not a full reference itself, but rather a pointer to the
full details, that are in the reference list.
• 2. The reference list. At the back of your assignment will be your
reference list. This is a complete list of all of the sources that you
used in the construction of your assignment. The reference list
contains the full details of your sources, sufficient that anyone can
find them from the details given.

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APA Citation Basics
• When using APA format, follow the author-date method of
in-text citation.
• This means that the author's last name and the year of
publication for the source should appear in the text in this
format; for example:
(Jones, 1998)
• All sources that are cited in the text must appear in the
reference list at the end of the paper.

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Paraphrasing
• If you are referring to an idea (paraphrasing) from another
work, but NOT directly quoting the material, you only have to
make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-
text reference.
• APA guidelines encourage you to also provide the page number
when paraphrasing, although it is not required.
• Examples:
• According to Jones (1998), APA style is a difficult citation format
for first-time learners.
• APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners
(Jones, 1998, p. 199).

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Steps in Referencing
1. Note down the full bibliographic details of the source from which the information
is taken. Include the relevant page number(s).
In the case of a book , ‘bibliographical details’ refers to: author/editor, year of
publication, title, edition, volume number, place of publication and publisher as found
on the front and back of the title page. (Not all of these details will necessarily be
applicable/available).
In the case of a journal article the details required include: author of the article, year
of publication, title of the article, title of the journal, volume and issue number of the
journal, and page numbers.
For all electronic information from websites, you should note the date that you
accessed the information, and the database name or web address (URL).
2. Insert the citation at the appropriate place within the text of the document
3. Provide a reference list at the end of the document.

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In-Text Citations
• Use the name of the author, followed by the year of publication when citing
references within the text of an assignment.
• Where authors of different references have the same family name, include
the author’s initials in the in-text citation i.e. (Hamilton, C. L., 1994) or C. L.
Hamilton (1994).
• If two or more authors are cited at the same point in the text then they are
included in the same in-text citation, separated by a semicolon, e.g. (Brown,
1991; Smith, 2003). They are presented alphabetically by author.
((Remember))
• When directly quoting from another source, the relevant page number must be
given and double quotation marks placed around short quotes.
• When paraphrasing or referring to an idea from another source it is preferred
but not necessary to provide the page number.

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Short Quotations
If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the
author, year of publication, and the page number for the
reference (preceded by "p."). Introduce the quotation with a signal
phrase that includes the author's last name followed by the date of
publication in parentheses.
Examples
• According to Jones (1998), "Students often had difficulty using
APA style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199).
• Jones (1998) found "students often had difficulty using APA style"
(p. 199); what implications does this have for teachers?

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Short Quotations
If the author is not named in a signal phrase, place the
author's last name, the year of publication, and the page
number in parentheses after the quotation.
Example
• She stated, "Students often had difficulty using APA style"
(Jones, 1998, p. 199), but she did not offer an explanation as
to why.

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Long Quotations
• Place direct quotations longer than 40 words in a free-standing block of
typewritten lines, and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a
new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin, i.e., in the same place
you would begin a new paragraph. Type the entire quotation on the new
margin, and indent the first line of any subsequent paragraph within the
quotation 1/2 inch from the new margin. Maintain double-spacing
throughout. The parenthetical citation should come after the closing
punctuation mark.
Example
Jones's (1998) study found the following:
Students often had difficulty using APA style,
especially when it was their first time citing sources.
This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many
students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask
their teacher for help. (p. 199)

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How to Create a Reference List
• A reference list only includes books, articles etc that are
cited in the text. In contrast, a bibliography is a list of
relevant sources for background or for further reading.
• The reference list is arranged alphabetically by author.
Where an item has no author it is cited by its title, and
ordered in the reference list or bibliography alphabetically
by the first significant word of the title.
• The APA style requires the second and subsequent lines of
the reference to be indented (see examples in handout)

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Handout: Referencing Examples
• Please refer to your handout
• Notice the different examples of referencing
• You can use the handout to help you work on the following
exercise questions

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Exercise: Journal Reference
With the information given below for this journal reference, write the full reference APA style as it
would appear in the reference list.
Authors:
• Dean Sittig
• Brian L. Hazlehurst
• Ted Palen
• John Hsu
• Holly Jimiso
• Mark C. Hornbrook
Title: A Clinical Information System Research Lanscape
Year: 2002
Journal: The Permanente Journal
Volume: 6
Issue: 2

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Exercise: Book Reference
With the information given below for this book reference, write the full reference APA style
as it would appear in the reference list.
Author: Peter Dicken
Year: 2007
Title: Global Shift: Mapping the Changing Contours of the World Economy
City: London
Publisher: Sage
Edition: 5

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Answers
The references cited in the text should be written in the reference list as
follows:
Sittig, D., Hazlehurst, B. L., Palen, T., Hsu, J., Jimiso, H., & Hornbrook, M. C.
(2002). A Clinical Information System Research Lanscape. The
Permanente Journal, 6 (2).
Dicken, P. (2007). Global Shift: Mapping the Changing Contours of the
World Economy (5 ed.). London: Sage.

20. Introduction to Referencing 20
References
Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M.,
Soderland, L., & Brizee, A. (2011). General format. Retrieved 25
September 2011 from
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
APA Referencing (2009). Retrieved 25 September 2011 from
http://library.curtin.edu.au/local/docs/referencing/apa.pdf