2

Referencing
Felicity Coffey 16 March 2018
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2.1 Introduction

All data, information, ideas and material from other sources must be fully referenced (acknowledged) using an
accepted referencing (citation) style. For example, computer code, text, music, art, ideas, and so on, from another
source must be appropriately acknowledged in all forms of communication.

Referencing, not only acknowledges the original author/s of the data, information, object or idea, but enables a
person to find the original source that contained the work or idea. Referencing must be sufficiently comprehensive
to enable a reader or listener to find the particular material. For example, inclusion of page and paragraph
numbers in in-text references is recommended.

All material from other sources must be fully referenced in order to:
• fully acknowledge and give credit to the sources
• avoid plagiarism, whereby a person pretends that another person or person’s work or idea is their own
• allow a person to go and find the original source and the particular information.

There are four main types of referencing styles:

• author - date
• number
• footnotes
• endnotes.

The main features of the author-date referencing style include;

• an in-text reference or citation adjacent to the idea or work from another source within a paragraph or
document which contains the authors’ surnames, the date of publication and, as recommended, the page or
paragraph number, for example:

… (Hamon and Gurran 2009, p. 242).

• a reference list at the end of the document which contains the full reference details of all sources referred to
in the document, listed by authors’ surnames in alphabetical order, a to z.

The number referencing style, typically:

• places a number in a paragraph, adjacent to the material from another source, but often omits the authors’
names, for example:

… [1]

• a reference list at the back of the document which contains the full reference details of all sources referred to
in the document, listed by number in ascending order.

The footnotes referencing style, often used in legal documents:

• places a number adjacent to material from another source within a paragraph or document, again without
always providing the authors’ names, for example:

…1

• places the full or abbreviated details of the reference at the base of each page.

The endnote referencing style, similar to the footnotes style:

• places a number adjacent to material from another source within a paragraph or document without necessarily
including the authors’ names,

…1

• the numbers are grouped together in order at the end of the document and include the full or abbreviated
details of the source.

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Writing and Referencing Guide - Felicity C Coffey - 16 March 2018
Author-date referencing styles include: APA, Harvard and Chicago. These referencing styles all follow the author-
date format, where a brief citation or reference is given within a paragraph, adjacent to the material from another
source, that includes the authors’ names, date of publication and often the page or page numbers.
Full details of all references mentioned in the document are listed by authors’ surnames in alphabetical order at
the end of the document.

2.2 What are bibliographies, reference lists and in-text citations?

Bibliographies

Bibliographies are lists of sources that a writer perused during their research on the topic. The writer may not
have referred to all the sources in their final document.

Reference lists

When using an author-date referencing style, the reference list is a list of sources that a writer referred to within
the written document. A reference list does not include work that the writer may have looked at but which was
not referred to in the document.

In-text citation or reference

An in-text citation or reference is a short reference within a paragraph or text that acknowledges the source of
the material with specific details such as authors’ surnames, date and page number/s. The names and dates
assist the reader find the specific reference in the reference list at the end of the document.

2.3 General rules for referencing

Recall a key rule for formal writing: all assertions and claims must be substantiated. A person must provide
evidence for all their assertions and claims by providing supporting evidence from the literature (for example,
data, expert opinion, policy and legislation).

Similarly, there are three fundamental rules for referencing:

• all material from other sources must be acknowledged by referencing appropriately and completely
• referencing must follow an accepted referencing style
• referencing must be consistent throughout a document.

2.4 The APA citation style

As noted above, the Sustainable Energy MicroMasters® Program uses a simplified APA 6th edition referencing
style. The acronym, APA, stands for the American Psychological Association. The American Psychological
Association published the influential APA 6 referencing style guide:

American Psychological Association (APA) (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association,
6th ed. Washington, DC, U.S.A: American Psychological Association.

Many universities and organisations provide guides on APA 6 referencing, as well as other referencing styles. It
can be useful to refer to one or more guides on APA 6 referencing when completing written tasks. The University
of Queensland Library APA 6 online guide can be accessed from: https://web.library.uq.edu.au/research-tools-
techniques/referencing-style-guides#apa.

The main differences between the formal APA 6 referencing style and the simplified APA 6, are, that in the
simplified APA 6 referencing style:
• page number/s or paragraph number/s are included with all in-text citations, irrespective if the material has
not been quoted or not
• legislation and legal decisions are listed in separate lists under the reference list
• lists of legislation and legal decisions include the Uniform Resource Identifier (url) or web address to their
location on the web
• in reference lists, open access journal articles, as well as documents (eg reports) obtained from the web
without a subscription, also include the url to their location on the web.

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Writing and Referencing Guide - Felicity C Coffey - 16 March 2018
Page number/s or paragraph number/s are included in the in-text reference to help the reader find the original
information. When the information is sourced from a web page, include the heading of the webpage or section
heading to help the reader locate the material.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that ………. (ABS, 2018, December key figures).

2.5 In-text references using the simplified APA 6

Box 2.1 shows an example of an author-date in-text reference from a journal article. Note that three authors’
surnames are listed in the order the names were written on the document, the date of publication is given and
finally the page number for the specific page in the original document where the quotation can be found. In the
APA 6 referencing style, page numbers must be given for all quotations. In the APA 6 referencing style, the
abbreviation ‘p.’ stands for one page. The abbreviation ‘pp.’ refers to two or more pages.

Box 2.1: Example of the author-date in-text reference following a quotation (APA 6 referencing style)

Source: van Heugten, K. (2012). Resilience as an underexplored outcome of workplace bullying.

Qualitative Health Research, 23(3), 291-301, p. 292.

Box 2.2 shows an example of an in-text citation that has the authors’ surnames, date of publication and page
number for paraphrased material. Note that the page number is given even though the source material is not in
quotation marks.

Box 2.2: Example of an author-date in-text citation preceding paraphrased material

Source: Denemark, D., Ward, I., & Bean, C. (2012). Gender and leader effects in the 2010 Australian election.
Australian Journal of Political Science, 47(4), 563-578, p. 565.

There are a few important rules for in-text referencing:

• all in-text references must be correct
• all page numbers in the in-text references must be accurate
• all in-text references must be placed adjacent to the item from another source – do not add an in-text reference
to the end of the paragraph with intervening sentences that do not relate to the source
• it must be clear which data, information and ideas are the writers and which came from other sources.

Quoted material

Quoting refers to copying the exact words from another source. The word (the) quotation is the noun and to quote
is the verb.

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When quoting a passage, a writer should comply with the following:
• all quoted material must be enclosed with quotation marks (double quotation marks in APA 6)
• the surnames of the authors with date of publication and page number/s must be adjacent to the quoted
material
• avoid using too many quotations
• avoid using overly-long quotations
• avoid commencing a sentence with a quotation (use either the authors’ names or a lead-in phrase).

Longer quotations are placed under the sentence and include lead-in words to introduce the quotation. The
quotation is indented and the font is often reduced. The in-text citation follows the quotation, either next to the
last quoted words or immediately below the quotation and justified to the right, see Box 2.3.

Box 2.3: Example of formatting a longer quotation using APA 6

Plagiarism is defined by The University of Queensland (UQ) as

the act of misrepresenting as one's own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of
another person either intentionally or unintentionally. These include published and unpublished documents,
designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, computer codes and ideas gained through working in a group.
These ideas, interpretations, words or works may be found in print and/or electronic media.
(UQ (2017). 3.60.04 Student Integrity and Misconduct policy, Section 2)

Source: The University of Queensland (UQ) (2017). 3.60.04 Student integrity and misconduct, UQ Policy and Procedures
Library. St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia: The University of Queensland. Retrieved from
https://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct

Remember that page/paragraph/secion numbers are preferred in all in-text references, even when the material
is not quoted directly. In addition, remember that in-text citations (author, date, p.X) are not added to the end of
paragraphs, but inserted adjacent to the material from another source.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is a summary of a section of work from another source or where material from another source has
been rewritten. All paraphrased material must include an in-text reference, preferably with page number/s.

Six or more authors

When a document has six or more authors and the APA 6 referencing style is being used, the in-text citation can
include et al. meaning and others.

… (Mcinnes et al., 2016, p. 79)

In the reference list, documents with more than seven authors, list the first six author surnames then three dots
(ellipsis) followed by the last author’s surname (University of Southern Queensland, 2017, p. 6).

Citing secondary sources

When a writer (you) uses material from another author who obtained their material from a previous author, the
writer (you) must cite both authors. The in-text citation that refers to a secondary source has the form: Author 1
as cited in Author 2..

A study in Australia found that ….. (Wong, 2010, p. 52, as cited in Nielsen 2014, p. 22).

where Nielsen (Author 2) was the author of the book or paper that described Wong’s study (Author 1). In this
example, the writer (you) read the work by Nielsen.

Abbreviations and acronyms

Organisations with long names are often referred to in the in-text citation by their abbreviations. However, before
a writer can use an abbreviation in an in-text citation, the full name of the organisation must be given with the
abbreviation placed in brackets following the full name.

On 23 February 2018, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS ) released statistics describing Australia’s delivery
and consumption of energy (ABS, 2018, Summary).

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Note, that as the description of the statistics was given on a webpage, a page number could not be given.
However, the writer included the web page heading, so that a reader could find the information within the source.

No date

When a date is not given, the APA 6 referencing style uses ‘n.d.’ for no date.

(Australian Government, n.d., p. 2)

Tables, boxes and figures

In the simplified APA 6 referencing style, all tables, boxes and figures should include the full reference, including
the original table, box or figure number and page number next to the table, box or figure, see Box 2.4. It is
important to include the full reference with the table, box or figure, as well as in the reference list, since the
author/s could have used considerable resources to obtain the data or information. Tables, boxes and figures,
reproduced by others, can have small citations omitted. Although it is common to find tables, boxes and figures
without a full reference, this does not diminish the fact that a full reference should be included with all tables,
boxes and figures.

Box 2.4: Example showing a table with the source referenced in full

Source: Yencken, D. & Wilkinson, D. (2000). Resetting the compass: Australia’ journey towards sustainability.
Collingwood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing, Table 4.1, p. 59. (Note that the reference given under Table
4.1 is not APA 6.)

2.6 Reference lists

A reference list for many author-date referencing styles should:

• be placed after the work
• be consistent and comply with the specified referencing style
• include all references cited (referenced in the document)
• not include references that were not cited in the document.
• list references alphabetically by surname of the first author, a - z
• be indented on the second and later lines (hanging) so that the authors’ names are clearly visible to the reader.

In addition, when preparing the simplified APA 6 author-date reference list:

• do not use dot points nor dashes
• do not number the entries
• do not list url addresses for websites by themselves, include the name of the organisation or other information
(write the reference like a book using the organisation’s name as the author or refer to an APA 6 guide)

Box 2.5 shows an entry in a reference list for a journal article written by three authors using the APA 6 referencing
style. Box 2.6 illustrates an entry in a reference list for a book with a single author using the APA 6 referencing
style.

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Writing and Referencing Guide - Felicity C Coffey - 16 March 2018
Box 2.5: Example of a journal article entry in a reference list using APA 6

Box 2.6: Example of a book entry in a reference list using APA 6

Box 2.7 shows a full reference list using the simplified APA 6 referencing style with legislation and legal decisions
listed in their own sections. Elements in the reference list include:
• surnames of all authors (in the order given in the source document), a - z
• initials of given names
• date of publication
• title of book or journal
• title of a book chapter or journal article
• if a book, the publisher’s name and business location
• if a journal, the volume and issue number/s
• if a journal or a book chapter, the first and last pages of the article/chapter.
• If known, the DOI (digital object identifier).

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Box 2.7: Example of a reference list at the end of a book, report or journal article. Note that the referencing style used
is the simplified APA 6. Separate lists have been created for international agreements, legislation and legal
decisions

References

Contestabile, M., Alajaji, M. & Almubarak, B. (2017). Will current electric vehicle policy lead to cost-effective
electrification of passenger car transport? Energy Policy, 110, pp. 20-30.
Energy Information Administration (EIA, U.S.A.) (2018). Annual Energy Outlook 2018 with projections to
2050. Washington, DC, USA: US Energy Information Administration. Retrieved from
https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/aeo/pdf/AEO2018_FINAL_PDF.pdf
Jansson, J., Nordlund, A., & Westin, K. (2017). Examining drivers of sustainable consumption: The
influence of norms and opinion leadership on electric vehicle adoption in Sweden. Journal of
Cleaner Production, 154, 176-187.
Kellner, Q., Hosseinzadeh, E., Chouchelamane, G., Widanage, W. D., & Marco, J. (2018). Battery cycle life
test development for high-performance electric vehicle applications. Journal of Energy Storage, 5,
228-244.
Li, Y., Davis, C., Lukszo, Z., & Weijnen, M. (2016). Electric vehicle charging in China’s power system:
Energy, economic and environmental trade-offs and policy implications. Applied Energy, 173, 535-
554.
World Health Organization (WHO) (2017). World health statistics 2017: Monitoring health for the SDGs,
Sustainable Development Goals. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. . Licence: CC
BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/en/
Wind Europe (2018). Offshore wind in Europe: Key trends and statistics 2017. Brussels, Begium: Wind
Europe. Retrieved from https://windeurope.org/wp-content/uploads/files/about-
wind/statistics/WindEurope-Annual-Offshore-Statistics-2017.pdf
Yuan, X., Zhang, C., Hong, G., Huang, X., & Li, L. (2017). Method for evaluating the real-world driving
energy consumptions of electric vehicles. Energy, 141, 1955-1968.

International agreements

Convention on long-range transboundary air pollution 1979. Retrieved from

https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%201302/
volume-1302-I-21623-English.pdf
See also https://treaties.un.org/Pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=0800000280020aa6&clang=_en

Kyoto Protocol 1997 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Retrieved from
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.pdf

Paris Agreement 2015. Retrieved from

http://unfccc.int/files/essential_background/convention/application/pdf/english_paris_agreement.pdf
See also https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/l09r01.pdf

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992. Retrieved from

https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/conveng.pdf. See also
https://treaties.un.org/Pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=08000002800431ce&clang=_en

Legislation - Australia

Australian Renewable Energy Agency Act 2011 (Cth). Retrieved from

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2017C00266

Climate Change Authority Act 2011 (Cth). Retrieved from

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2015C00317

Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 (Cth). Retrieved from

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016C00624

Legal decisions - Australia

Taralga Landscape Guardians Inc v Minister for Planning (2007) 161 LGERA 1

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Note that web addresses are not listed in reference lists by themselves. To reference work from the internet, the
name of the organisation or author is often listed first, with the date of the webpage or online document, followed
by the title of the webpage or online document, and so on. Then the url is given. Refer to a guide of the referencing
style being used.

Multiple publications by the same author in the same year

When an author published multiple publications in a single year, the letters a, b, c and so on, are included
adjacent to the date in both the in-text citation and in the reference list to indicate specific documents. Boxes
2.8(a & b) provide examples.

Box 2.8(a): In-text citation - Example showing the use of an alphabet number to indicate the specific document when
an author has published multiple documents in a single year

Source: Hamin, E. M., & Gurran, N. (2009). Urban form and climate change: Balancing adaptation and mitigation in the U.S.
and Australia. Habitat International, 33, 238-245.doi: 10.1016/j.habitatint.2008.10.005, p. 239

Box 2.8(b): Reference list - Example showing the use of an alphabet number to indicate the specific document when
an author has published multiple documents in a single year

Source: Hamin, E. M., & Gurran, N. (2009). Urban form and climate change: Balancing adaptation and mitigation in the U.S.
and Australia. Habitat International, 33, 238-245.doi: 10.1016/j.habitatint.2008.10.005, p. 245.

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2.7 Further information

Some publications and organisations will provide a guide to referencing their material. However, the references
may not follow the particular citation style that you require. Even if the citation style is different to the one you will
use, most of the information that you require to reference appropriately will generally be given. A suggested
citation for a book or report may be given on the back of the title page. Websites may give suggested citations
within the ‘Copyright’ webpage, or linked from the copyright page. The copyright webpage is often linked from
within the footer of a website. For example, the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ webpage called ‘Help: How to cite
ABS sources’ can be accessed from
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/web%20pages/Citing%20ABS%20Sources .

Guides on APA 6 referencing include:

University of Newcastle (2017). Quick guide to APA 6th referencing. Newcastle, N.S.W., Australia: University of
Newcastle. Retrieved from http://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/apa-6th.

The University of Queensland (UQ) (2018). APA 6th referencing style. St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland: The
University of Queensland. Retrieved from https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa6.

University of Southern Queensland (2017). APA Referencing Guide. Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia:
University of Southern Queensland. Retrieved from https://www.usq.edu.au/library/referencing/apa-
referencing-guide .

The University of Sydney (n.d.). Your guide to APA 6th style referencing. Sydney, N.S.W., Australia: The
University of Sydney. Retrieved from https://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/ld.php?content_id=22193083.

2.8 Summary

The following is a short overview of the simplified APA referencing style.

In-text referencing

In an in-text citation that follows the simplified APA 6 referencing style, include the following:
 list surnames of authors in order given on the document title page
 omit the given names and initials
 include the date of publication
 included specific page or paragraph number/s, particularly when material is directly quoted
eg (surname/s, date, p. x or pp. x-y). If the material is from a web page, include the web page heading.

For example,

… (Hill & Nguyen, 2018, p. 54)

Research conducted by Wong, Nguyen and Nielsen in Australia during 2016 showed that … (2018, pp. 301-302).

Reference list

In a reference list, include the following:

 write the title of the reference list as References
 only include documents referred to in the writer’s document
 do not use numbers, dots or dashes to list the documents
 list references in alphabetical order by the first author’s surname, a - z
 list surnames of authors in order given on the document title page
 include the initials of the given names
 include the date of publication
 include the title of the document
 if the document is a journal article, include the journal name, volume, number (when given), range of page
numbers and DOI, if given
 if the document is an open access journal article or document available on the web without a subscription,
include the internet url with the full reference.
See Box 2.7.

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Legislation and legal decisions

The simplified APA 6 referencing style places legislation and legal decisions in separate lists under the reference
list. Include the jurisdiction (country or state) after the full name of the legislation. The internet url is also included
for all legislation and legal decisions to help people find the legislation and legal decisions. See Box 2.7

References

American Psychological Association (APA) (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association, 6th ed. Washington, DC, U.S.A: American Psychological Association.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2018). 4604.0 Energy account, Australia, 2015-2016. Canberra, ACT,
Australia: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved from
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ProductsbyReleaseDate/5E025753112D1A80CA257880
0019C952?OpenDocument.

Denemark, D., Ward, I., & Bean, C. (2012). Gender and leader effects in the 2010 Australian election.
Australian Journal of Political Science, 47(4), 563-578.

Hamilton, C. (2001). Running from the storm. The development of climate change policy in Australia. Sydney,
NSW, Australia: UNSW Press

Hamin, E. M., & Gurran, N. (2009). Urban form and climate change: Balancing adaptation and mitigation in the
U.S. and Australia. Habitat International, 33, 238-245.doi: 10.1016/j.habitatint.2008.10.005.

Li, Y., Davis, C., Lukszo, Z., & Weijnen, M. (2016). Electric vehicle charging in China’s power system: Energy,
economic and environmental trade-offs and policy implications. Applied Energy, 173, 535-554.

The University of Queensland (UQ) (2017). APA 6th referencing style. St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland: The
University of Queensland. Retrieved from https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa6.

The University of Queensland (UQ) (2017). 3.60.04 Student integrity and misconduct, UQ Policy and
Procedures Library. St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia: The University of Queensland. Retrieved from
https://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct.

University of Southern Queensland (2017). APA Referencing Guide. Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia:
University of Southern Queensland. Retrieved from https://www.usq.edu.au/library/referencing/apa-
referencing-guide .

van Heugten, K. (2012). Resilience as an underexplored outcome of workplace bullying. Qualitative Health
Research, 23(3), 291-301.

Yencken, D. & Wilkinson, D. (2000). Resetting the compass: Australia’ journey towards sustainability.
Collingwood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.

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