An introduction to the APA Referencing Guide

Students at university level are usually faced with a lot of difficult tasks that they’re supposed to tackle and resolve in order to prove that they are worthy of the degree they’re pursuing. One of these tasks is writing various kinds of assignments. These assignments are extremely detailed and complex documents which often trouble students. They include a number of portions, some of which are beyond the understanding of a student. One of these is the referencing and citation which is mandatory in an assignment such as a thesis or dissertation.


The citation and referencing which is supposed to be included in a university level assignment is one of the most common areas that students struggle with. Master Essay Writers is here to help all the students who are finding it difficult to apply the APA referencing style to their assignments.

What is an APA reference generator? How does it work?

An APA referencing generator is a tool that provides complete references with just the click on a button. The generator does this with the use of preset codes along with the website URL which needs to be provided.

A basic understanding of APA referencing style.

As is the case with most referencing styles, there certain particular subjects and fields where the APA referencing should be used. These mostly include fields related to social sciences such as psychology, anthropology and sociology amongst other fields. In this guide you will get a basic understanding of when and how to use APA referencing along with the proper format that should be used.

When and how should referencing be implemented?

It is mandatory to provide a reference each and every time a student quotes or paraphrases someone else’s work.  If the copyrights are infringed, it would count as plagiarism which is strictly prohibited. Citing the original work prevents this and allows a direct link for the reader if they wish to study the original content.

There are two main sections where the citation needs to be implemented. These are:

  • In-text citation.
  • Reference list.

The format and procedure for in-text citation remains unchanged regardless of the source but referencing can vary.

What is the correct procedure to use in-text citation following the APA format?

According to the APA format, it is necessary to use the name of the author along with the date when using in-text citation. This further varies depending upon the number of authors affiliated with the document. Only the surname of the author is used, followed by a comma and the date of publication. The page number, chapter or section numbers can be provided if the student is quoting something in particular and wishes to be specific. An example of this would be as follows:

Mathers & Gasly

These vary with the number of writers that are associated with the source that is being cited.

 

For one author:

Number of authors

First time Paraphrased

Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased

One

(Mathers, 2019)

(Mathers, 2019)

Number of authors

First time Quoting

Second and Subsequent Times Quoting

One

(Mathers, 2019)

(Mathers, 2019, p. 211)

 

For two authors:

Number of authors

First time Paraphrased

Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased

Two

(Mathers & Gasly, 2019)

(Mathers & Gasly, 2019 p. 211)

Number of authors

First time Quoting

Second and Subsequent Times Quoting

Two

(Mathers & Gasly, 2019)

(Mathers & Gasly, 2019 p. 211)

 

For three to five authors:

Number of authors

First time Paraphrased

Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased

Three to Five

(Mathers, Gasly, Smith, Hamilton, & Johnson, 2019)

(Mathers et all, 2019)

Number of authors

First time Quoting

Second and Subsequent Times Quoting

Three to Five

(Mathers, Gasly, Smith, Hamilton, & Johnson, 2019)

(Mathers et all, 2019, p. 211)

 

For six or more authors:

Number of authors

First time Paraphrased

Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased

Six or More

(Mathers et all, 2019)

(Mathers et all, 2019)

Number of authors

First time Quoting

Second and Subsequent Times Quoting

Six or More

(Mathers et all, 2019)

(Mathers et all, 2019, p. 211)

What is the correct procedure for reference list following the APA format?

The end text differs depending of what kind of source is used. It is different for books, research papers, journals and websites.

APA referencing format for books: 

APA referencing format for books

The contents inlcude:

  1. Author(s)’s name(s).
  2. Year of publication (in brackets)
  3. Book title (in italics)
  4. Place of publication
  5. Name of publisher.

Format:

Name of author, Year of publication, Title of book, Place of publication, Name of Publisher

Example:

Williams, S.T., (2019). A guide to citation rules. New York, NY: Arizona Publishers

APA referencing format for magazines:

APA referencing format for magazines

The contents include:

  1. Name of author.
  2. Year of publication.
  3. Title of article
  4. Name of magazine (in italics)
  5. Numbers of pages referenced.

Format:

Author, F.M. (Year, month of publication). Article title. Magazine title, volume(issue). Number of pages referenced.

Example:

Luckerson, V. (2014, January). Tech’s Biggest Promises for 2014. TIME, 183, 23-25.

Referencing and citation in the APA format is a complicated and difficult task. It requires time, patience and attention to detail in order to avoid mistakes as there are a lot of names and dates involved. However, using our guide, you can get a basic understanding of what it requires and get an idea of how you can attempt your hand at APA referencing. If you need in-depth help and understanding then our experts and services are readily available at times for you. Head over to the order page right now to enlist our help and get your work done in the appropriate APA format now.

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