## 5.3 : APA guidlines

There are several source citations systems that can be used. Green higher professional education generally uses the guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA): http://www.apastyle.org/. APA source citation style requires in-text source references that state the author and date. At the end of the text is a list of sources with detailed descriptions (references) of all the sources cited in the text. Note: Source lists are always arranged alphabetically, regardless of the source or the material.

#### 5.3.1: APA guidelines explainer

1. When is it mandatory to cite sources?

Source citation is always mandatory when the author of the document uses existing documents, such as books, journal and newspaper articles, websites, audio-visual material and other information carriers. If the source citation is missing, plagiarism has been committed.

2. When is it considered text versus paraphrasing?

Existing documents can become reused in two ways. For a citation, the document's author replicates a literal portion of the original document, and when the document’s author is paraphrasing, the content of the original document is described in the individual's own words. Source citation is required for both cases.

3. How can a quote or a paraphrase be referenced in a text ?

A quote is always enclosed in quotation marks, either single or double depending on the regional style, the author(s), year or date and, if applicable, the page number is listed in between brackets.

A paraphrase is never enclosed in quotation marks, author(s) and the year or date are cited between brackets. Citing a page number is not mandatory but is allowed.

Except when between brackets, the reference to the source may also be included in the sentence.

4. How is a list of sources drawn up?

The list of sources is inserted at the end of the text as a new chapter, for the attachments. The list is alphabetical, regardless of the origin of the document. Therefore it does not consist of separate sections of books, articles, websites, etc.

The purpose of this list is to help the reader find the document that has been consulted.

5. How does a list of sources reference a book or a chapter of one, or a journal article (print and online), newspaper article, web source or image?

Book

- Author, A. (publication year). Title of the book. Place: Publisher.

Book chapter (only when the author has not written the entire book)

- Author, A. (publication year). Title of chapter in A. Editor (Ed.), Title of the book. (pp. xx-xx). Place: Publisher.

Journal article

- Author, A. (publication year). Title of the article. Name of journal, volume(number), xx-xx.

Newspaper article

- Author, A. (date). Title of the article. Name of newspaper, p. xx.

Internet sources (websites, weblogs, social media, databases and electronic learning environments)

- Author, A. (publication year). Title of the document. Consulted on day, month, year of http://url

Images

- An image is considered a reference according to origin (book, web source, etc.).

6. What does not get included in a list of sources?

A list of sources only includes references that can be consulted by the reader. Therefore, items such as interviews, e-mails, personal interviews, classes, workshops, etc. are not stated. These can however be referred to in the text. According to APA style guidelines, the title, ISBN or ISSN is never cited.