APA (American Psychological Association) 6th is an author-date referencing style where you have an in-text citation and a related entry in a reference list at the end of your document.

APA 6th - thesis or dissertation

Add a reference list at the end of your essay, citing all sources used in the body of your writing. The reference list should be in alphabetical order by the first author's surname.

An example reference list

See also: multiple works by the same author, one source cited in another, similar information from multiple works, abbreviations.

When you use another person’s ideas or words in your text include the author’s name and publication date.

If you use the author’s name as part of a sentence, include the date of publication in brackets.

• ... in a recent study (Smith, 1988). Another finding, according to Smith (1988), was that ...
• In a recent study, Smith (1988) showed that ... Another finding, according to Smith, was that ...

See also: Multiple works by the same author, Similar information from multiple works, One source quoted in another

An example paragraph

See also: more on paraphrasing ...

Direct quotes of less than 40 words require quotation marks and the page number/s.

• Research suggests that "students perform better when rested" (Smith, 1988, p. 5).
• Smith (1988) observed that "students perform better when rested" (p. 5).

See also: more on quoting, including long quotes ...

This material is based on the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (2010), the APA style guide to electronic references (2012) and the APA style blog. For further information, please consult the manuals directly.