APA Referencing Style Made Easy!

Summary

In this video, Chelsi from Ref-n-write explains the APA referencing style, commonly used in psychology, health, and social sciences. The video covers how to cite sources using the author-date system, with examples of citing one, two, or multiple authors. It also addresses how to cite direct quotes, including the use of page numbers. Additionally, Chelsi highlights the importance of creating a well-organized reference list, formatted correctly according to APA guidelines. The video encourages viewers to use referencing software and mentions Ref-n-write’s helpful tools for academic writing.

Takeaways

• 😀 APA stands for the American Psychological Association, primarily used in psychology, health, and social sciences.
• 😀 The APA referencing style uses an author-date system to cite sources in research papers.
• 😀 When citing a source at the end of a sentence, include the author's surname and the year of publication in brackets.
• 😀 If the citation is integrated into the sentence, the author's surname appears outside the brackets, with the year inside.
• 😀 For two authors, include both surnames and the publication year (e.g., Smith and Jones, 2003).
• 😀 For three or more authors, use the first author's surname followed by 'et al.' (e.g., Smith et al., 2003).
• 😀 When citing multiple sources in one sentence, separate them with a semicolon.
• 😀 If citing multiple papers by the same author in the same year, differentiate them with letters after the year (e.g., Jones, 2014a, 2014b).
• 😀 Direct quotes must be enclosed in quotation marks, and the page number should be included in the citation.
• 😀 A bibliography or reference list must be included at the end of the paper, with sources arranged alphabetically by the author's last name.

Q & A

What does APA stand for?

APA stands for the American Psychological Association.

Which fields predominantly use the APA referencing style?

The APA referencing style is predominantly used in the fields of psychology, health, and social sciences.

What system does the APA referencing style use?

The APA referencing style uses an author-date citation system.

How should a citation be formatted at the end of a sentence in APA style?

When citing at the end of a sentence, you should include the author's surname and the year of publication in brackets.

How can you integrate a citation naturally into a sentence in APA style?

To integrate a citation naturally, you can include the author's surname followed by the year of publication in parentheses, like this: Smith (2003) proposed a simple approach to treat obesity.

How do you format a citation for a source with two authors in APA style?

For a source with two authors, include both authors' surnames followed by the year of publication in parentheses, like this: Smith and Jones (2003).

What is the proper way to cite a source with three or more authors in APA style?

For a source with three or more authors, include the surname of the first author followed by 'et al.' and the year of publication, like this: Smith et al. (2003).

How do you cite multiple sources in APA style at the same point in the text?

When citing multiple sources at the same point, separate each source with a semicolon. For example: (Smith, 2003; Jones, 2014; Taylor, 2015).

How do you differentiate between multiple publications by the same author in the same year in APA style?

To differentiate multiple publications by the same author in the same year, add letters after the year (e.g., Jones, 2014a, 2014b, 2014c).

How do you handle direct quotes in APA style?

When quoting directly from a source, enclose the text in quotation marks and include the page number in the citation, like this: (Smith, 2003, p. 45).

What is the required format for a reference list in APA style?

The reference list in APA style should be arranged alphabetically by the author's last name, with the first line of each entry aligned with the left margin and subsequent lines indented by half an inch.

Why is using bibliography software recommended for APA referencing?

Using bibliography software helps format references quickly and consistently, saving time and ensuring accuracy.

What types of resources can be found in an APA-style reference list?

An APA-style reference list can include a variety of sources such as journals, books, websites, and conference proceedings.