This is a basic introduction to the APA citation style. It is based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition). For complete information on APA referencing, consult the Publication Manual.

APA style includes:

• an in-text citation in your document to briefly identify the source you have quoted or paraphrased.
• a Reference List for all in-text citations at the end of the document.

Citing sources correctly is important to:

• give credit to the person who came up with the original idea.
• direct readers to the original source for more information.
• prove that you're basing your work on solid research.
• avoid plagiarism and losing marks.

For a general overview of APA referencing and practice examples see the tutorial on APA referencing.

• APA 6th examples-printable version (PDF)
• Books & Book Chapters
• Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
• Figures & Tables
• Government Publications
• Journal Articles
• Lecture Notes & Powerpoint Slides
• Legal Resources
• Newspaper Articles
• Personal Communication
• Theses
• Web Sites, Blogs and Youtube

• In-text Citations
• Reference List
• Author Variations
• Citing a Source within a Source