Learning Skills
FAQs - Referencing
The purpose of this FAQ document is to provide a current source of referencing queries regularly asked by students. However, the APA Referencing Summary - a CSU guide is the first place students need to look to find the appropriate pattern for citing a source document.
- Where do I find the APA Referencing Summary?
- How do I put together a References list?
- How do I reference something from an electronic source?
- How do I accurately referenced an author who makes an interesting argument based on another researcher's claims?
- How do I reference one source cited in another?
- I have a single page, an information source, that has no author, date or publisher. How do I reference it?
- How to reference an Act of Parliament?
- How to reference the Bible?
- How do I reference a brochure?
- How to reference a CD-ROM or DVD?
- How to reference a class handout?
- How to reference a dictionary?
- How to reference an image or photo?
- How to reference lecture notes?
- How to reference a PowerPoint presentation?
- How do I reference a reading from the Book of Readings provide by the university?
- What do I do if I use the same author with the same publication date?
- What is the difference between a Bibliography and a Reference list ?
- How do I find the publication date for website?
- How do I know if I breach copyright laws by using material from the Internet?
Where do I find the CSU guide: APA Referencing Summary?
You can download the guide from our Learning Skills homepage:
http://www.csu.edu.au/division/studserv/learning
Use the left side menu and select 'How Do I’ Guides, then locate the Reference link... you will find the guide on this webpage. There are a number of other referencing resources here too, by the way.
How do I put together a References list?
Download this pdf file for an example of a references list, accompanied by some brief explanations.
How do I reference something from an electronic source?
Download the recently released guide for electronic sources: APA Style Guide to Electronic References
How do I accurately referenced an author who makes an interesting argument based on another researcher's claims?
Think: Why do we need to reference in the first place? There's a few reasons, but two of them are:
- to acknowledge that an idea comes from this author/source; and
- to use this author/source to support what I am trying to establish/provide evidence for.
Think: What are you reading in the first place? You are reading the source text, and this author is doing the above two things! So, for us as writers/researchers, the trick is to stick to the source text and reference it only. We do that by taking notes from the source text and summarising the main point this author is making. Then I reference this text only.
As a summary where the in-text pattern is: (Authorlastname, year).
A summary is a succinct and clear explanation of an author’s perspective, idea, theory or research. An effective summary will include all the main points made by the author, and the point of view being expressed. A summary will not introduce any new ideas or any personal views that you, as the summariser, may have. The summary will leave out examples and details (like their supporting sources) but will, most importantly, be written in you own words, not those of the original writer. No page number required when you summarise.
How do I reference one source cited in another?
If you want to use the exact words of an author (source) who has been quoted in the text you are reading, then this is the pattern:
In-text:
It has been acknowledged that “it is really important to use references frequently in your paper and to know how to do this using a standard referencing system” (Collins, as cited in Jeffries, 2001, p. 102).
End-of-text (only include an entry for the book/journal article that you were reading). For example:
Jeffries, A. (2001). What every student should know about academic writing (2nd ed.). Melbourne: John Wiley & Sons.
I have a single page, an information source, that has no author, date or publisher. How do I reference it?
Why do we need to reference in the first place? There's a few reasons, but two of them are:
- to acknowledge that an idea comes from this author/source; and
- to use this author/source to support what I am trying to establish/provide evidence for.
If a source of information is lacking author, date or publisher then how do you know, and how will the reader know, that it is a reliable text? In these cases you would not use the information because it does not qualify as a reliable source. Find something that IS in publication and can be acknowledged as reliable and use it instead.
How to reference an Act of Parliament?
The essential elements are: Short Title of Act Year (Jurisdiction). For example:
Mental Health Act 1990 (NSW).
Copyright Act 1968 (Cwlth).
If have used a section within the Act, then include a pinpoint reference, eg:
Criminal Code (WA), s. 348.
If legislation is obtained from an electronic database, you will need to include a retrieved statement for electronic sources.
How to reference the Bible?
To cite the Bible, provide the book, chapter, and verse. The first time the Bible is cited in the text, identify the version used. No entry in the References list is needed for the Bible.
"You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you" (Psalm 86:5, New International Version).
How do I reference a brochure?
A brochure or pamphlet is cited basically the same way as a book, but note that a descriptive title is included within brackets. Some examples are:
Roads and Traffic Authority. (2004). Zero blood alcohol [Pamphlet]. N.p.: Author
There is no author identified in this pamphlet but the organisation is well-recognised so is used as the corporate author. N.p. is used when ‘no place of publication’ is provided. The publisher is the same as the corporate author, so this is indicated in the publisher position.
If the pamphlet showed an author, the reference would be:
Smithton, A. (2004). Zero blood alcohol [Pamphlet]. N.p.: Roads and Traffic Authority.
If the pamphlet was not published by a recognised corporation with no author provided, then the citation could be:
Zero blood alcohol [Pamphlet]. (2004). Bethany, ACT: Road Safety Foundation.
In-text citation, where the title shows beginning capitals for major words:
(Zero Blood Alcohol, 2004).
How to reference a CD-ROM or DVD?
Like print sources, bibliographic references to CD-ROMs are similar. The inclusion of the publication medium in square brackets [CD-ROM] or [DVD] is the only difference. For example:
Catalani, M., & Tabernik, J. J. (1999). The new writing process. In How to Be a Writer [CD-ROM]. Cleveland: East Side Media, Inc.
Just use this as the pattern, and put in what you have for the correct details.
How to reference a class handout?
Since it is possible that a handout could be requested by a reader from the lecturer of the class, the handout could be considered to fall within the category of an unpublished paper or work. Use the format given for an unpublished contribution to a conference or symposium.
The lecturer should be considered the author, and be sure to include information about the class and university.
Cassidy, A. B. (2007, March 4). Abnormal behaviours in young children. Presented at a PSY 234 lecture at Charles Sturt University.
How to cite a dictionary?
The format pattern for a dictionary without an author is:
Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993). Springfield, MA.: Merriam-Webster.
An in-text example:
The Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary (1999, p. 1425) defines a throw-away society as one which…
The end-of-text reference list for this example is:
The Australian concise Oxford dictionary (3rd ed.). (1999). Melbourne: University Press.
How to reference an image or photo?
Here's an excellent resource for referencing images: Citing Images — APA Examples
You will need to match your source to one of the provided examples.
How to reference lecture notes?
The best approach to citing information from your personal notes from a class lecture is to consider it as personal communication. Personal communication includes what’s known as unrecoverable data and for this reason is only cited within the text and not included in the reference list.
In-text, it would be acceptable to write in either form:
In a lecture on May 16, 2007, to a PSY 234 class, Cassidy said …
… (A. B. Cassidy, PSY 234 lecture, May 16, 2007).
How to reference a PowerPoint presentation?
Whether the PowerPoint slides are from a conference presentation or a class lecture, it would best be considered to fall within the category of an unpublished paper or work. Use the format given for an unpublished contribution to a conference or symposium.
If the slides are from a class, be sure to indicate the date, class, and university. When making reference to a particular slide in the text of your work, refer to the slide's number in place of the page number so readers can quickly find the relevant information.
Cassidy, A. B. (2007, March 4). Abnormal behaviours in young children [PowerPoint slides]. Presented at a PSY 234 lecture at Charles Sturt University.
What do I do if I use the same author with the same publication date?
Your in-text and references list must agree, so best to do your end-of-text citations first. Use 2008a, 2008b, ... according to how you alphabetise the titles:
Smyth, A. (2002a). An educated guess. Education in Australia, 32(2), 34-38.
Smyth, A. (2002b). Educating the educated. Smithton, NSW: Alltime Publishers.
Smyth, A. (2002c). New educational trends. In B. Happens & M. Bodie (Eds.). Education in the 21st century (pp. 160-172). Sydney: Forrester.
Without an author:
Bureau of Meteorology. (2008a). All time weather of NSW. Retrieved March 5,
2008, from...etc
Bureau of Meteorology. (2008b). Recent weather patterns and drought . Retrieved March 5, 2008,
from...etc
Bureau of Meteorology. (2008c). Wither the weather? Retrieved March 5, 2008, from...etc
Then you can confidently use BoM (2008c) when it's appropriate. Etc.
Just be mindful that for your first use of BoM in text, it must be spelt out in full
(Bureau of Meteorology [BoM], 2008a).
What is the difference between a Bibliography and a list of Reference?
A Bibliography is in exactly the same format as a list of Reference. The difference is that a list of Reference has only those sources you have quoted from, paraphrased or summarised an idea, within your essay/report/piece of writing. On the other hand a Bibliography will include everything you have read, even if you have not referred to the source in the text.
For example, if I was studying ergonomics for the first time, I might find and read a book or website that could give me some basic info and background on the whole subject. But I do not use this source within my essay, because I have absorbed the basics and go on to build on this through reading the recommended texts for the assignment.
It is rare for an assignment to require both; usually only a list of references is asked for. Check with the lecturer to be absolutely sure, or post a query on the Subject Forum.
How do I reference a reading from the Book of Readings provided by the university?
The university Book of Readings is basically there for students' convenience. Each reading is a scanned copy of the original source, and it's assumed that you are reading the original source, not the book of readings. Each reading has the full bibliographic details of the source on the first page. You use THESE details in your references and use THESE details to create your reference entries. Note that the bibliographic details included in your book of readings may NOT be APA Style. You will therefore have to use these details to construct a correct APA pattern for the source text. Use the CSU Guide to APA Style to direct you in constructing an accurate entry.
How do I find the publication date for website ?
There is no one-way answer for this question. It can depend on how much we understand the way a website is put together. The first place to look is at the bottom of the webpage or pages we are referring to. Sometimes the date can be a little bit hidden, so a careful search is needed. But if we're sure that there's none given here, then we can go back up to the URL by deleting some of it to see if there's a date provided at this part of the website.
If none, then we can either elect to use the copyright date proved on the website home page, or use n.d. which stands for no date.
How do I know if I breach copyright laws by using material from the Internet?
Copyright for students (Fair dealing)
The Australian Copyright Council website is a very useful website to visit and the most relevant Information sheet provided below. This sheet provides a brief description of what materials students can use and how.
Information sheet G53v07
Research or study
July 2007
http://www.copyright.org.au/publications/infosheets.htm
As you will see on the information sheet there is a list of five factors that need to be considered before being able to use material where you can rely on the Fair Dealing for Research or Study provisions of the Act (p.2 of the document).
Generally students are able to print or save material from the Internet as long as it is for their research and study and the copying is considered ‘fair’. If students have accepted the terms and conditions of a website, then they must abide by those terms and conditions. They may use the material for their research and assignment work, but cannot use it elsewhere. They do not have the right to ‘communicate’ or email it to others (other than their lecturer for assessment). They must also be careful not to rely on infringing material, that which is made available on the Internet without the permission of the copyright owner.
Material sourced from the Internet must be acknowledged by students using the appropriate APA pattern for that source.