Referencing other material in APA

This page outlines the correct format for miscellaneous material in an APA reference list:

• Image, figure, or table
• Video and audio material
• Podcast
• Magazine article
• Online magazine article
• Newspaper article
• Online newspaper article
• Conference and symposium proceedings
• Thesis or dissertation
• Encyclopaedia or dictionary entry
• Lecture notes, study guide, PowerPoint or book of readings
• Intranet sources
• Act of Parliament
• Treaties and international conventions
• Reports, government materials, brochures, and other grey literature
• Interview
• Data set references
• Computer software and apps
• All other source types
• APA Style Guides

If you're not sure what type of source you are referencing, see what type of source is this?

New to referencing? See the introduction to referencing.

APA has strict rules about crediting images, figures, or tables that have been reproduced or copied: a footnote stating that permission has been sought to use the image is included, with a full reference.
However, unless your assignment is going to be professionally published, this level of detail is unnecessary. Instead, treat the image as a direct quotation. Provide a citation in the caption, with author, year, and page number. The source should also have an entry in the reference list, according to its type (book, journal article, etc.).
For more about referencing of visual material see:

• Referencing visual material

Note that you do not need to include a reference listing or in-text citation for a photograph if it is your own work and has not been published. However, for APA style you should format photographs as figures.

Television broadcasts, films, and audio recordings are identified by their producer and/or director. Like grey literature, the specific type of material is added in square brackets after the title: [Film], [TV broadcast], [TV series], [Audio podcast episode], [Song], [TV episode], [CD], [DVD], [Video file].

Order: Author and description of author (put description in brackets; e.g., Director, Producer, Uploader, Artist). Date. Title of work (in italics) (optional episode or season number in brackets; e.g., Season 1, Episode 21) and description of work (in square brackets; e.g., Film, TV series, Song, Audio podcast episode). Publisher (e.g. production company, music label). URL

Parenthetical citation:

Television broadcasts that are shown daily or weekly, such as news or current events, include the date of broadcast:

Parenthetical citation:

Entire television shows (rather than an individual episode) are cited according to the producer. The year is given as a range (if the series has ended) or "present" is used if the series is still in production:

Parenthetical citation:

Individual episodes also contain the scriptwriter(s) and director in the author position, and name both the episode title and the series title. Executive producers are given before the series title:

Parenthetical citation:

Similarly, audio recordings can include both a track title and the album title, depending on whether you are referencing a song or entire album:

Parenthetical citation:

Videos found online could be clips from a film or television episode, in which case they should be referenced as above with the addition of the URL address.

If a video only appears online, the type of material given in square brackets should be [Video]. The person or group who uploaded the video is given as the author, even if they did not create the work. If both the real name and username of the creator or uploader is known, give the real name in the author position followed by the username in square brackets. You can note the contribution of others who appear in the video, in the text of your assignment if desired.

Parenthetical citation:

The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.

List the host of the podcast (or the executive producer if the host is unknown) in the author position. The producer may also be given if this would help improve locating the source. In either case, roles should be denoted in brackets following the name.

Order: Host of podcast (put description in brackets; e.g., Host). Date (include the year/s it was aired – the year it began and present if it is still airing, the year it started and the year it ended, or just the year if it only aired during one year). Title of podcast (in italics) (the type of podcast in square brackets; e.g., Audio podcast, Video podcast). Publisher (e.g. broadcasting company). URL

Parenthetical citation:

Podcast episodes are similar to podcasts, but also include the day of broadcast.

Order: Host of podcast (put description in brackets; e.g., Host). Date (specific date that postcast was broadcast). Title of episode (not in italics; include the episode number in brackets after the title if the episodes are numbered) (the type of podcast in square brackets; e.g., Audio podcast, Video podcast). Title of podcast (in italics, precede by the word “In”). Publisher (e.g. broadcasting company). URL.

Parenthetical citation:

The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.

Order: Author(s). Date of publication. Article title (not in italics). Magazine name (in italics), volume number (in italics), issue number (in brackets, following the volume number without a space), page number range of the article.

• The volume number is usually found on the title page of the magazine, inside the front cover.
• In the year position, put the month as well (if the magazine is a monthly), and the month and day (if the magazine is a weekly). The month and day are not included in the in-text citation.
• Missing an author? See no author.

An online magazine article which has an associated print article is referenced like a print magazine article (see above); the volume and issue number are included where available, but the page range at the end is replaced with the article URL.

Order: Author(s). Date of publication. Article title (not in italics). Magazine name (in italics), volume number (in italics), issue number (in brackets, following the volume number without a space), URL.

The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.

Order: Author(s). Date of publication. Article title (not in italics). Newspaper name (in italics), page number range of the article.

• The reference list gives a full date in the year position. However, only the year is used in the in-text citation. See reference lists for details.

If there is no author, the title moves to the author position:

See no author for details.

An online newspaper article is referenced like a print newspaper article (see above), but the page number at the end is replaced with the article URL. Note: an online news story from a website that does not have an associated newspaper is referenced differently.

Order: Author(s). Date of publication. Article title (not in italics). Newspaper name (in italics), URL.

The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.

If a conference paper has been formally published, it is referenced like a chapter in an edited book.

Order: Author(s). Date of publication (in brackets). Paper title (not in italics). Book editor(s). Collection title (in italics), page number range of the chapter (in brackets). Publisher name.

If it has not been published in book form, give the name of the organisation convening the conference (if any) or the name of the conference itself, as well as the location of the conference. The date should match the date of the entire conference even if the paper or poster was presented on a single day to help readers locate the source.

Order: Author(s). Date of conference (in brackets). Paper title (in italics) the type of material in square brackets(e.g. Paper presentation). Name of conference (not in italics), location of conference.

"Paper presentation" can be replaced with "Conference session" or "Symposium" or "Poster presentation."

Conference papers retrieved online, whether they have been formally published or not, should end with the URL address.

The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.

A thesis or dissertation that is only available in print form from the author's university is considered unpublished.

Order: Author. Date of publication. Thesis title (in italics) and description (in square brackets; e.g., Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Unpublished master’s thesis). Name of awarding university.

The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.

A thesis or dissertation that is available in an online database follows a different format.

Order: Author. Date of publication. Thesis title (in italics) and description of document and university (in square brackets; e.g., Doctoral dissertation/Master’s thesis, Massey University). Database. URL

The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.

Encyclopaedias or dictionaries without identified authors are referenced with the encyclopaedia or dictionary title in the author position. A retrieval date is generally given as often online reference materials are continually updated, and no publication date is available.

Order: Encyclopaedia or dictionary title. Date. Title of entry (not in italics). Encyclopaedia or dictionary title (in italics, precede by the word “In”). Retrieval date. URL.

If there is an identified author, their name should be used. Multi-volume encyclopaedias also include the volume number in brackets.

Order: Author/s. Date. Title of entry (not in italics). Encyclopaedia or dictionary title (in italics, precede by the word “In”). Retrieval date. Publisher or URL.

Order: Author/s. Date. Title of entry (not in italics). Book editor(s). Encyclopaedia or dictionary title (in italics). Publisher name. URL.

Encyclopaedias and dictionaries can be a useful starting point for research, but academic sources are preferable.

The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.

Whether or not a source is recoverable by the reader, affects how it is formatted in APA. Course material may only be accessible by students who are able to log in to Stream and for assignments not intended for publication, and where the reader will be a marker or tutor who can access the source, you should cite the learning management system (e.g. Stream, Moodle). Where a login is required, the URL should link to the login or home page rather than the full URL of the source.

Generally, however, it is a good idea to check with your lecturer about how they would like course material referenced.

If a single author is listed, use their name. Otherwise, use the name of the school or institute in the author position (see group authors).

Order: Author(s). Year. Title of course. School or institute, University name.

Order: Author(s). Year. Title of course. School or institute. URL.

Order: Group author (School or institute, university name). Year. Title of course.

Sometimes, however, study guides are written by many different authors with editors, in which case they should be treated like a chapter in an edited book.

The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.

Caution: Many lecturers prefer you to go outside academic sources rather than just relying on their own wording and ideas. Doing research demonstrates that you can explore the topic outside the boundaries of the course materials. However, if you have been directly requested in assignment instructions to reference lecture notes and study guide materials, then they should be should be referenced as indicated above in the reference list. The in-text citations should match the reference listing. If you cite an individual author in the reference list, then use that author’s name in the in-text citations. If you cite a group author in the reference list, then cite that group author in the in-text citations.

Many courses at Massey University use a book of readings, which is a collection of photocopied journal articles, book chapters, and other relevant material. Because the sections are direct photocopies, the original source is referenced rather than the book of readings.

In the reference list, format the entries according to their original type:

• journal article
• book
• chapter in an edited book
• magazine article
• newspaper article
• online material
• other material

If you're not sure what the original source was, see what type of source is this?

In the in-text citation, cite the original source's author and date of publication. If you are giving a page number, use the page number of the original source, not the page number of the book of readings.

When citing a report or document that can only be accessed via an organisation’s intranet which requires users to log in, provide the home page URL of the intranet rather than the full URL of the document.

Because APA is an American citation style, it does not have details on referencing New Zealand legislation. The format described here is sufficient in most papers:

Order: Tile of legislation. Year. URL.

The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.

In-text, the act number is not included:

The full text of all New Zealand legislation is available through http://www.legislation.govt.nz/.

If you are studying a law paper, more detailed formats are described at the page on legal citations.

In APA style, references for treaties and international conventions are formatted differently from other references. Commas, not full stops, are used between referencing elements.

Order: Name of the treaty, convention, or other agreement, the signing or approval date, URL (if available).

In text, provide the name of the treaty or convention and the year:

Grey literature is a type of material produced by government departments, corporations, and other organisations that has not been published in book or journal form. It includes technical and research reports, annual reports, brochures and fact sheets, press releases, and white papers.

Sometimes, particularly with government materials (such as government reports), it can be difficult to determine who the author is, as often the author is an organisation, or government ministry rather than an individual. Often with government publications, the author is cited in the first few pages of the publication rather than on the website. If no specific author is given, then cite the ministry or department responsible for posting the report or publication.

Grey literature should be cited like a book, with author (or organisational author), year of publication, title (in italics), and either publisher information (for printed documents) or URL (for online material). Grey literature often has identical organisational author and publisher. If this is the case, do not repeat the author again in the publisher position.

Order: Author/Group author(s). Year of publication (in brackets). Book title (in italics): Subtitle (optional). Publisher name or URL.

Technical and research reports often come with a number; if this is the case, put it in brackets after the title:

For types of grey literature aside from reports, the specific type of material is added in square brackets after the title: [Brochure], [Fact sheet], [Press release], [White paper].

Published interviews are referenced according to their form: books, journal articles, etc.

Interviews that you have conducted yourself are considered personal communications.

You need to provide citations for data sets when you access data sets produced by someone else. Cite the author of the publication (e.g. journal article or report) or webpage where they were located rather than the data set itself. In the reference, cite the year of publication for the version of the data used. Italicise the title of the data and if applicable, provide any numerical identifier and version number for the data in parentheses without italics, separated by a semicolon. Provide a description in square brackets after the title referencing element (e.g., Data set, Unpublished raw data). Note: unpublished data may or may not have a title. If different from the author, also provide the publisher of the data. . Include a retrieval date if the data set is expected to change over time. If the dataset is proprietorial (i.e. paid subscription only access) then provide a link to the publisher’s homepage:

If you mention common software (e.g. for word processing, statistical programs, Adobe products, survey software, coding programs) or apps (e.g., Twitter, Signal) in your text, you do not need to cite the software or app in your reference list. Simply give the proper name of the software or app along with the version number in brackets if relevant. Do not italicise the name.

However, if you paraphrase or quote from the software or app, then you must provide an in-text citation and include them in your reference list. You also need to provide an int-text citation and reference list entry for software, apps, and apparatuses or equipment of limited distribution which means your reader is unlikely to be familiar with them. See here for how to cite social media posts within an app.

The author or name of the group that developed the software or app is in the author position. The date refers to the year the version you used was launched. The titles of software and apps should be italicised in the reference list but not italicised in-text. If relevant, put version details after the title in round brackets. Put a description in square brackets after any version detail (e.g., Computer software, Mobile app, Apparatus, Equipment). The publisher might be a group or place where you downloaded the app or software (e.g. App Store, Google Play Store). Conclude with the URL.

An entry in a mobile app reference work is similar to a chapter in an edited book:

If a source does not match any of these types, it may be necessary to choose a format that most closely matches one of the other types. The APA blog calls this a Frankenreference.

If in doubt, the following pattern is usually the best to begin with:

Order: author(s), date of publication, title (in italics), publishing information.

Also see the 7th edition referencing examples at APA Style reference examples, which includes examples for sources such as brochures, fact sheets, musical scores, online courses, transcripts, LinkedIn, and whole websites.

The APA Style Guide website also has a number of pages and downloadable guides related to what is discussed on this page:

• Classroom or intranet sources
• Archival documents and collections
• Quotations from research participants

References and further reading

Disclaimer

These pages are provided as a guide to proper referencing. Your course, department, school, or institute may prescribe specific conventions, and their recommendations supersede these instructions. If you have questions not covered here, check in the style guide listed above, ask your course coordinator, or ask at Academic Q+A.

Page authorised by Director - Centre for Learner Success
Last updated on 28 August, 2024