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APA 7 Referencing

This guide will help you understand how to correctly reference your sources for your World War I essay using the APA 7th Edition style. Referencing is a very important academic skill!

Why Do We Reference?

Referencing is essential in academic writing for several reasons:

Acknowledge Your Sources: It gives credit to the authors and creators whose ideas, words, and work you have used. This is a matter of honesty and respect.

Avoid Plagiarism: Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, which is a serious academic offence. Proper referencing shows that you are not plagiarising.

Support Your Arguments: Referencing shows that your arguments are based on evidence from credible sources, making your essay stronger and more convincing.

Allow Readers to Find Your Sources: It enables your teacher (and other readers) to find the original sources you used if they want to learn more or check your information.

Build Your Credibility: Correctly referencing demonstrates your attention to detail and your understanding of academic conventions.

What Do You Need to Reference?

You must provide a reference whenever you use:

Direct Quotations: Exact words taken from a source (these must be in quotation marks " ").

Paraphrased Information: Someone else's ideas or information rewritten in your own words.

Specific Data or Statistics: Numbers, dates, or specific facts that are not common knowledge.

Images, Tables, or Diagrams: Any visual material you have taken from another source.

Unique Ideas or Theories: Concepts or arguments that belong to a specific author or source.

When in doubt, reference it!

Two Parts to Referencing: In-Text Citations & Reference List

APA 7 referencing has two connected parts:

In-Text Citations

These are brief citations within the body of your essay, directly after you use information from a source. They point your reader to the full reference in the reference list.

Reference List

This is a list at the end of your essay containing the full details of all the sources you cited in your text.

In-Text Citations: The Basics

APA 7 uses the author-date system for in-text citations.

Narrative Citation (Author's Name as Part of Your Sentence)

Paraphrase:

Author's Last Name (Year of Publication) states that...

Example: Bean (1941) explains that the Gallipoli campaign was a significant and costly failure for the Allies.

Direct Quote:

According to Author's Last Name (Year of Publication, p. Page Number for direct quote), "..."

Example: According to Bean (1941, p. 56), "the troops were exhausted but their spirits were high."

Parenthetical Citation (Author and Date at the End of the Information)

(Author's Last Name, Year of Publication) (Author's Last Name, Year of Publication, p. Page Number for direct quote)

Paraphrase:

Example: The Gallipoli campaign was a significant and costly failure for the Allies (Bean, 1941).

Direct Quote:

Example: It was clear that "the troops were exhausted but their spirits were high" (Bean, 1941, p. 56).

Special Cases for In-Text Citations:

No Author: If a source has no author, use the first few words of its title (in italics for a webpage/book title, or in quotation marks for an article title) and the year. Example (Webpage with no author): Life in the trenches was incredibly difficult due to mud and disease (Life on the Western Front, 2020).

Organisation as Author: If an organisation (like a museum or government department) is the author, use its name. Example: Many Australian nurses served with distinction during the war (Australian War Memorial, 2023).

No Date: If there is no publication date, use "n.d." (for "no date"). Example: (Smith, n.d.)

Two Authors: List both authors' last names. Example: (Jones & Smith, 2019)

Three or More Authors: List the first author's last name followed by "et al." (which means "and others"). Example: (Taylor et al., 2021)

The Reference List: Full Details at the End

The reference list appears at the end of your essay on a new page, titled "References."

Key Formatting Rules for the Reference List:

Alphabetical Order: List all your sources alphabetically by the first author's last name.

Hanging Indent: The first line of each reference is flush with the left margin. Subsequent lines are indented (usually by 1.27 cm or 0.5 inches – this can often be set in your word processor's paragraph settings).

Double Spacing: The entire reference list should typically be double-spaced (check with your teacher for specific formatting preferences on line spacing).

Italicise Titles: Italicise the titles of longer works, such as books and journals (and webpages if they are standalone documents).

Sentence Case for Article/Chapter Titles: For titles of articles or book chapters, capitalise only the first word of the title and subtitle, and any proper nouns.

Common Source Types & Examples:

1. Book:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (Edition if not the first, e.g., 2nd ed.). Publisher.

Example: Gammage, B. (2010). The broken years: Australian soldiers in the Great War. Melbourne University Press.

In-text example: (Gammage, 2010) or Gammage (2010) found that...

2. Chapter in an Edited Book:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of Publication). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (pp. xxx–xxx). Publisher.

Example: Smith, J. (2019). Experiences on the home front. In P. Brown & K. Davis (Eds.), Australia and the Great War: A collection of essays (pp. 75–92). University History Press.

In-text example: (Smith, 2019) or Smith (2019) discussed...

3. Webpage on a Website (with an individual author):

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day if available). Title of webpage or document. Website Name. URL

Example: Jones, M. (2021, June 15). Life in the Gallipoli trenches. Australian War Stories.

https://www.australianwarstories.com/gallipoli-trenches⁠

⁠

In-text example: (Jones, 2021) or Jones (2021) described...

4. Webpage on a Website (with an organisation as author):

Name of Organisation. (Year, Month Day if available). Title of webpage or document. URL

Example (based on your CAT booklet): Imperial War Museum. (2022, October 5). 15 photos of the Anzacs at Gallipoli.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/15-photos-of-the-anzacs-at-gallipoli⁠

(Note: I've added a hypothetical publication date for this example as APA 7 prefers a date. If no date is present, use (n.d.).)

Another Example: Australian War Memorial. (n.d.). The Gallipoli campaign.

https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/gallipoli⁠

⁠

In-text example: (Imperial War Museum, 2022) or (Australian War Memorial, n.d.)

5. Webpage on a Website (no author, no date):

Title of webpage or document. (n.d.). Website Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL (Note: Including a retrieval date is often recommended for pages that might change over time when no publication date is available).

Example: Conditions on the Western Front. (n.d.). World War I History Net. Retrieved June 5, 2025, from

https://www.worldwarihistory.net/westernfrontconditions⁠

⁠

In-text example: (Conditions on the Western Front, n.d.)

6. Image from a Website:

Referencing an image usually follows the format for the webpage it is on. If you are discussing the image itself, you describe it in your text and cite the source of the webpage. If you reproduce the image in your essay, you'd also need a caption below it, typically: "Figure X. Description of image. From Title of Webpage, by A. Author, Year, Website Name (URL). Copyright Year by Copyright Holder." (However, for Year 9, simply referencing the webpage source correctly in-text and in the reference list is usually the main requirement unless you are specifically asked to caption figures).

Your CAT booklet example references the webpage where the photos are located: Imperial War Museum. (2022). 15 Photos of the ANZACS at Gallipoli.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/15-photos-of-the-anzacs-at-gallipoli⁠

This is treating the collection of photos as a webpage published by the Imperial War Museum.

7. Your Textbook (Good Humanities 9):

Since your textbook is likely written by multiple authors and published by Matilda Education, you'd reference it as a book. The specific author for a chapter might not always be clear in student textbooks. If chapters have clear individual authors, use the "Chapter in an Edited Book" format. If the textbook is treated as having corporate authorship by the publisher or a general group of textbook writers for the publisher, or if no specific chapter authors are listed, you can reference the whole book:

Lawless, B., O'Brien, P., O'Leary, D., Green, D., Shephard, N., & van Weringh, I. (2022). Good Humanities 9: Victorian Curriculum. Matilda Education. (Note: Year of publication for "Good Humanities 9" is usually on the first few pages. I've used 2022 as a placeholder).

In-text example (if referencing a general idea from the book): The Gallipoli campaign involved significant naval and land operations (Lawless et al., 2022). If referring to a specific page for a quote or specific fact: (Lawless et al., 2022, p. 220).

Tips for Good Referencing:

Start Early: Keep track of your sources as you research. Don't wait until the end to try and find them all again.

Be Consistent: Use the same APA 7 style throughout your essay.

Check Details: Make sure author names, dates, and titles are accurate.

Use Online Guides (If Permitted): Websites like the official APA Style website or university library guides can be helpful, but always check if the information aligns with APA 7th Edition.

Ask Your Teacher: If you are unsure how to reference a particular source, ask your teacher for help!

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