Library Catalogue
Online resources
Newspapers
Reference Tools
APA Referencing
EBSCOHost
Index New Zealand
The Internet
Plagiarism
Research Process
Writing Essays
Writing Reports
Ask a Librarian
Interlibrary Loan
Distance Services
Requesting Resources
Contact Us
Feedback/Suggestions
General Info
Library Staff
Library Collections
Membership
Policies

Handy Hints

• Refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association held in the Reference Collection for all examples and explanations.
• Ask a librarian for help.

What is a Citation?

A citation is when you formally acknowledge information sources in the body of your essay or report. When you use someone else's ideas or include a quote from another persons work, you must acknowledge (cite) where you got that information from.

Citing is important. It:

• Makes sure that the correct person is given credit where credit is due
• Shows your tutor that you have read widely and incorporated other people's ideas into your work
• Allows people reading your work, to know where they can go for more information about the ideas you have discussed
• Allows people who wish to, to repeat the research project.

When citing, you must include:

• The surname of the author
• The year of publication
• The page number(s) the quote came from

Remember:
APA does not use footnotes. You must cite quoted works within the text of your work, and then reference the source you took your quotes from, in the reference list at the end of your essay.

Direct Quotation of Less than 40 Words

"If you want to be an effective learner you need to be flexible" (Gawith, 1991, p. 1).

OR

Gawith (1991) believes that power learning is "based on the single and simple belief that anyone and everyone can learn to learn more by learning to control the learning process" (p. vii).

• Examples 1 and 2 show you two different ways to cite - both are correct, but whichever way you choose, you must be consistent throughout your work and always cite in the same way.
• Direct quotations must be accurate and exact. If the text you wish to use has a spelling mistake in it, then you must copy this as well. If you feel that the mistake might confuse the reader, then insert the word sic, italicised and in square brackets immediately following the error.

EG Sampson (2001) felt that "education was a given write [sic] of any individual" (p. 123).

• The abbreviation p. or pp. is used when noting which page numbers the quote has come from within the text.
• Include quotation marks. (" ")

Direct Quotation of 40 Words or More
A passive learner is different from an active learner in that:

A passive learner sits and lets the information come to them without doing anything to it. ... An active learner does things to the material they are learning. They ask questions, they put things into their own words, they use all their sense, they experiment and they take control of their learning (James & Brek, 1996, pp. 7-8).

• With direct quotations of 40 or more words, start the quote on a new line, as a free standing block of text.
• Indent the entire quotation five spaces in from the margin or use the tab key.
• Use ... to indicate where you have left text out.
• Do not include quotation marks.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is when you use someone else's ideas, but not their actual words i.e. you re-write their ideas in your own words. When paraphrasing you need only list :

• The author's surname.
• The year the work was published, enclosed in parentheses.
• Do not include quotation marks.

Example
Postman (1981) explores the idea that the education system is ill equipped to assist with future technological developments.

Paraphrasing is when you use someone else's ideas, but not their actual words i.e. you re-write their ideas in your own words.

Citing a Secondary Reference

When you refer to research where you have not actually read the original work, but you have seen it referred to in someone else's work, you:

• List the secondary source (the resource you found the research in) in the reference list
• Name the original research
• Give a citation for the secondary source.

Example
If Schultz's work is referred to in Brown and Jones and you did not read Schultz's work, list:

• Brown and Jones in the reference list
• In the text, use the following citation:

Schultz's study (as cited in Brown & Jones, 2001) …

Citing Personal Communcations

ie Letters, Memos, E-mail, Personal Interviews, Phone Conversations

Personal communications may be items such as letters, e-mails, interviews and phone conversations. Since they do not provide recoverable information, you only need to cite them in your work, but do not include them in your reference list at the end.

When citing a personal communication, include:

• The name of the author, initials as well
• The date the personal communication took place

Example
.. and "jobs were lost as a direct result of the financial error" (L.A. Kenny, personal communication, March 14, 2001).

Citing a Website

Cite a website the same way you cite a book or journal article. If the website does not provide a page number, use the paragraph number if available, preceeded by the abbreviation para.

Example

This website provides information about the New Zealand Ministry of Education (Myers, 2008, para. 5).

General Notes about Citing

Accuracy

• Direct quotations must be accurate. If the quote you wish to use has a spelling, punctuation or grammar mistake in it, then copy this as well.
• If you think the mistake might confuse the reader, insert the word sic, italicised and bracketed immediately following the error.

Example
Sampson (2001) felt that "education was a given write [sic] of any individual" (p. 123).

Leaving Words Out of a Quotation
If you wish to edit or leave words out of a quotation, you can do so by inserting three dots . . . in place of the omitted words.

Example
Sampson (2001) saw his work as "helping each member of society to fulfil their . . . full potential" (p. 124).

Inserting Your Own Words in a Quote
Sometimes it is necessary to insert your own words in a quote to make it "make sense" to the reader. To do this, enclose any text you insert in square brackets.

Example
Sampson (2001) felt that his research was extremely useful "not only to primary, but also to the secondary education sectors of a community, but with limited applications in other [early childhood and tertiary] educational groups" (p. 323).

The Reference List

A reference is the detailed description of the resource(s) where you obtained your information from.

When writing the reference list, include all items you cited in writing your text, not everything that you consulted when undertaking your research.

The reference list:

• is located at the end of your document.
• should begin on a new page with the word "References" centred at the top.
• should be arranged in alphabetical order with the first line hard against the margin and the following lines of each reference
  indented five spaces or press tab once.

How to Reference a Book

General Format
Author's last name, Initial(s). (Year of publication). Title of book. Place of publication (city and state or, if outside the United States, city and country): Publisher.

Example
Gawith, G. (2002). Research success. Auckland: New Zealand: ESA Publications.

Eight or more authors
Include the first six author's names, then insert three dots ["..."] and add the last author's name.

Example
Asinine, T.I., Brute, Y. A. A., Chimp, L., Donkey, S., Elephant, M., Flamingo, P., ... Zebra, B. (2010). Animal rights and contemporary zoology. New York, NY: Routledge.

Edited Book
List the editor(s) as an author, place the abbreviation Ed. or Eds. in parentheses after the editor's name.

Example
Stewart, J. (Ed.). (2006). Bridges not walls: a book about interpersonal communication. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Book with No Author or Editor Listed
If you can not find an author or editor listed in the book, leave it out and move the title of the book to the front of the reference.

Example
Systems analysis design. (2003). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Editions
When an edition is listed, place the number of the edition and the abbreviation ed. directly after the title in parentheses.

Example
Comer, R. J. (2008). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

      

Article or Chapter from an Edited Book
For an article or a chapter from an edited book, list the:

• Author(s) of the article or chapter
• The date of the book
• The title of the article or chapter
• Then the rest of the referencing details of the book from which it was taken. Include page numbers.

Example
Egan, G. (2007). The advantages of goal setting. In The skilled helper (8th ed., pp. 242-259). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole. 

      

An Encyclopaedia or Dictionary
Enter the volume numbers in parentheses directly after the title, or after the edition if there is one listed.

Example
Sadie, S., & Tyrrell, J.  (Eds.). (2004). The new Grove dictionary of music and musicians (2nd rev ed., Vols. 1 - 20). USA: Oxford University Press.

      

Entry in an Encyclopaedia
Llist the author, date and title of the entry, before the details of the encyclopaedia.

Example
West, D. (2007). Kiwi. In World Book Encyclopedia 2007 (Vol. 15, p. 501). UK: Heinemann Educational Books. 

    

Referencing a Journal or Newspaper Article

Format
Author's last name, Initial(s). (Year of publication, month day if included). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume number(Issue number), Page number(s).

Example
Keller, R. (2001). Another look at globalisation. Pacific World,12(7), 21 - 22.

More than One Author
With more than one author (but less than eight), list each of the authors by their last name, then initial(s). Place a full stop and comma after each author's name, and an amphersand (&) before the surname of the last person listed.

Example
Payton, B., & Lilley, J. (1987, May 15). Anatomy differences in humanoids. Human  Anatomy, (121), 12 - 14.

Journal Article with No Author
As with a book, the title of the article moves to the front of the reference.

Example
How to reference a journal article. (2002). APA Weekly, 3, 2 - 4.

Newspaper Article
With a newspaper article, the main difference is the use of p. or pp. to represent page number(s).

Example
English, P.(2000, May 8). Copycat viruses. The New Zealand Herald, p. 1.

Referencing online material

E-books

Cite the same way as a print book, but add a retrieval statement with the name of the database and/or URL from where you obtained it. (e.g. Google Books, Safari Books Online).

Example
Hargrove, R. (2008). Masterful coaching. San Francisco, CA: Wiley. Retrieved from Safari Books Online: http://proquestcombo.safaribooksonline.com/9780470290354

Journal article from an online database

If you find a journal article when using an online database (eg EBSCOHost) reference it as a journal article from an online database.

Please note that EBSCOhost can automatically format the reference for you in APA.

For any reference from an online database, you must Include:

• A retrieval statement, which is the name of the database where you found the article
• The URL link or;
• the DOI (Digital Object Identifier)

Format

Example (PURL - Persistent link)

Howe, J. (2010, August 1). Jewels of the Finger Lakes. NewYork State
Conservationist, 65(1), 24-27. Retrieved from Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=anh&AN=52768543

Example (DOI - Digital Object Identifier)

Harasymchuk, C., & Fehr, B. (2010). A script analysis of relational boredom: Causes, feelings, and coping strategies. Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, 29(9), 988-1019. doi: 10.1521/jscp.2010.29.9.988

How to Reference a Webpage

Sometimes no author is listed, or you can't find who the publisher is.

Hint
Try looking at the home page and look for the contact details for the site. This is often where you will find information listing who the author and publisher is. If you still can't find these details, simply leave them out.

Like an article from an online database, you must include:

• a retrieval statement where you found the website (ie the electronic address or URL of the webpage). Do not include the retrieval date unless the source material will change over time (i.e. wikis)
• an author - does not have to be a person, it can be an organisation.
• The URL - must be copied exactly as listed, with no full stop at the end.

Format

Example
Batt, M. (2000, August 1). International Collection of Tounge Twisters. Retrieved from: http://www.ueber.htm.index.com

Website with No Author Listed
As with a book, the title of the website moves to the front of the reference.

Example
Computers in the 21st Century. (2000). Retrieved from: http://www.computer.com/search.index/

Website with No Date Listed
When you cannot find a date listed on the page, type the letters n.d. in parentheses, after the author.

Example
Telecom. (n.d.). Cell Phone Services. Retrieved from: http://www.telecom.co.nz/cellphone.html

Referencing Audiovisual Material

Single Episode from a TV Series
Bicks, J. (Writer),  & Van Patten, T. (Director). (2003). A woman's right to shoes [Television series episode]. In J. Raab (Producer), 
          
Sex  and the city. New York, NY: HBO.           

TV Series
Raab, J. (Producer). (2003). Sex and the city [Television series]. New York, NY: HBO.

Motion Picture, Film or Video Recording 
McCallum, R. (Producer), Lucas, G. (Writer/Director). (1999). Star Wars I: The phantom menace [Motion Picture]. United States: Twentieth Century Fox. 

      

Music Recording (Listening to a Song)
Joel, B. (1973). Captain Jack. On Piano man [CD]. New York, NY: Polygram Music.

Podcast
Van Nuys, D. (Producer). (2007, December 19). Shrink rap video [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.shrinkrapradio.com/

General Notes about Referencing

Abbreviation: Do not use the abbreviation vol, iss or pg when referencing journals, only use the abbreviation p. or pp. for pages with newspapers.
Example
Journal: Kim, D. (2001, June 23). Appetizers galore. Cuisine Magazine, 32(3), 6-7.
Newspaper: Holst, A. (2003, July 6). Angry man beats child. Evening Post, p.6.

Author: An author does not have to be a person, it can also be an organisation.
Example
Telecom, Woolworths, The Mental Health Foundation

If the author of a resource is also listed as the publisher, don't type in the author's name again, simply type the word Author.

Example
Paulo, J. (2001). Hairdressing. Sydney, NSW, Australia: Author.

Capitals: When referencing a book, the first word in the title and subtitle are capitalised, unless it is a noun. Put a capital after the colon.

Example
Visit New Zealand on the smell of an oily rag: How to get by on less than $50 a day.

For a Journal, Newspaper Article or Website, the first letter of each significant word is capitalised in the title.

Example
Keller, R. (2001).Another look at globalisation. Pacific World, 12(59), 21-22.

Date: When writing the date, the year comes first followed by the month, then the day.
Example
Kim, D. (2001, June 23). Appertizers galore. Cuisine.

If no date is listed, use the abbreviation n.d. enclosed in parentheses.
Example
Yang, C. (n.d.). Multicomplex business analysis. Sydney, NSW, Australia: Harcourt.

Editor: The abbreviation Ed. or Eds. enclosed in parentheses is used to represent an editor.
Example
Stewart. J. (Ed.). (2006). Bridges not walls: A book about interpersonal communication. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Edition: The abbreviation ed. enclosed in parentheses is used to represent an edition.
Example
Dale, M. (2000). Aging (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Random House.

Always use the correct punctuation as listed.