APA Referencing Guide

Referencing using APA 6th

When you have included information from published sources in your work, you must acknowledge this information fully and accurately by:

1. identifying your sources, in a brief format, in the body of your written work (referred to as an in-text citation)
2. providing a detailed list of your sources in an alphabetical list at the end of your work (known as a reference list)

There are a number of officially accepted formats that can be used to reference your work. The University preferred referencing style is APA 6th. However, some departments may prefer another style, and it is wise to check with your academic tutors whether your subject area uses an alternative system.

Referencing using OSCOLA: Law students are required to use OSCOLA, a specialist legal referencing system, rather than APA 6th. For guidance on using OSCOLA, please see the "Referencing" tab on the Law subject guide.

APA 6th referencing guides and builders

Please select the type of resource that you are referencing for a guide and examples:

Reference management software

If you would like to use EndNote or other reference management software to organise your references, you can find out more information about it here.

• EndNote
• RefWorks

Further help

Use the links below to download the University's official guides:

• APA Referencing Full Guide September 2015 (PDF)
• APA Quick Guide to Referencing 2018-19 (PDF)

More help on using APA 6th is available on these external websites:

• Learn the basics of APA 6th: free tutorials for learning the basics of APA 6th.
• APA 6th FAQs: Frequently asked questions about the APA 6th referencing style
• APA 6th Style Blog: updated daily with more examples using the APA 6th referencing style.
• Portsmouth University's referencing website and FAQs: This is a comprehensive website with lots of examples.