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APA 7th

APA (American Psychological Association) 7th edition is an author-date referencing style requiring an in-text citation within the text of your document and a related entry in a reference list at the end of your document.

Quoting

This section covers short quotes, long quotes and quoting research participants.

In-text citations

Direct quotes of less than 40 words are included as part of your sentence/paragraph. Quotation marks are placed around the information you have copied, and the author/s, year and page number/s are required.

Parenthetical citation

Research suggests that "avoidance is essentially a static approach to conflict" (Northouse, 2015, p. 246).

It is noted that the "resistance to pyrethroids seems to be the most widespread" (World Health Organization, 2012, p. 13).

Narrative citation

Northouse (2015) stated that "personality traits such as intelligence, confidence, charisma, determination, sociability and integrity are essential to being an effective leader" (pp. 137-138).

The World Health Organization (2012) states that "insecticide resistance is widespread: it is now reported in nearly two thirds of countries with ongoing malaria transmission" (p. 13).

... the term "Vein" (2002) is defined as "narrow tubes that carry used blood from all parts of your body back to the heart" (p. 350).

For direct quotations, where page numbers are not available, use a paragraph number, or if a large document, use a section heading followed by the paragraph number.

 

Paragraph numbers

If there are no page numbers, count the paragraphs. Add the word para. in front of the number.

Parenthetical citation

... “I had to learn that, because of the crash, both life and limb would never be the same” (Morrow, 2017, para. 3).

Narrative citation

Maltin (2015) reported that young viewers thought “that the men who made it must have been stoned” (para. 2). 

 

Section headings

Add the word section after the heading. If it is a long heading, shorten it and put quotation marks around the heading.

Parenthetical citation

… “product and services exports are a valuable addition to New Zealand's food and fibre exports” (New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, n.d., Agribusiness section, para. 2).

Narrative citation

Carers UK (n.d.) stated that obtaining additional support for yourself or the person you’re “looking after would help you to juggle work and care” (“Getting support for you" section, para. 1).

 

Audiovisual works - Time stamp

For audiobooks, YouTube videos, TED talks, TV episodes, etc., provide a time stamp for the beginning of the quotation in the place of the page number.

Parenthetical citation

... the often-quoted scene "you're not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata" (Burton, 1992, 9:03).

Narrative citation

Burton's (1992) often-quoted scene "you're not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata" (9:03) is ...

In-text citations

Quotations of 40 words or more should be placed in a double-spaced block of typewritten lines indented 1.27cm from the left margin. Omit the quotation marks.

Parenthetical citation

  On the topic of necessary and sufficient conditions,

... detecting the exact conclusion is of the first importance. But that is often a complex task. If you are serving on the jury during a breaking or entering case, it is easy enough to state the conclusion that the prosecution is attempting to prove: The defendant is guilty of breaking or entering. That's right as far as it goes, but it doesn't go very far. (Waller, 1998, p. 82)

Narrative citation

  Sumpter (2013) points out the following:

The fact that it is now what the public thinks, rather than trade opinion, is a change from the previous law and puts New Zealand out of step with Australia and the United Kingdom. It moves our law much closer to that of the United States, whose case law may become relevant in this jurisdiction. (p. 330)

 

Two paragraphs

If there is more than one paragraph, indent the first line of each paragraph by 1.27cm.

  Research on post-war defence showed that the system would not adequately defend our shores:

After WWII ended, defending New Zealand changed so much and so quickly that within 10 or so years, it was clear that the system of gun defence the country's ports had relied on was completely useless.

Most coast defence equipment had been stepped down by 1944, and the permanent guns were mothballed until the Cold War. (Cooke, 2000, p. 817)

In-text citations

When quoting participants that you interviewed as part of your original research, these are not included in your reference list or added as personal communication. State in the text that the quotes are from participants. Still use the same format for less than 40 words, or a free-standing block for 40 or more, as a published quote.

Note: You may need to use a pseudonym to keep interviewees' names confidential/anonymous for ethical reasons when citing in the text. Use a nonidentifiable descriptor, e.g. Participant A or Participant "Julia" (pseudonym). You may need to include relevant details when describing the participant/s, but not enough to identify them in the context of the study. For example, a 13-year-old girl from an Auckland high school rather than a 13-year-old girl from Westlake Girls' High School.

Examples

In the 1960s, television viewers were reminded that many black Americans still "carry the surnames enforced upon their ancestors during times of slavery" (Participant A). According to Participant A, the reason for this is complex.

Participant “Hine,” a 19-year-old Maori woman from Hawkes Bay, described her experience as a new mother as “simultaneously the best and hardest time of my life.” Several other participants agreed, describing the beginning of parenthood as “joyful,” “lonely,” and “intense.” Hine and the other participants completed interviews in their homes.