Qualitative Research Methods

Unit 5.6
APA 7th Style
 Introduction
The American Psychological Association (APA)
citation style is the most commonly used format for
academic
writing in the social sciences.
It provides guidelines for:
• Writing Style
• Formatting
• In-text and End-text References
source: https://pediaa.com/difference-between-citation-and-reference/
 In-Text Citation: Formats
In-text citations follow either a parenthetical format or a
narrative format.

A parenthetical citation includes the author’s last name and year

of publication, separated by a comma, in parentheses at the
end of the sentence.

Research suggests that the Purdue OWL is a good resource

for students (Atkins, 2018).
`
In-Text Citation: Formats
A narrative citation includes the author’s name in the sentence, with
the year of publication directly following the author’s last name.

Atkins (2018) suggests that the Purdue OWL is a good resource

for students.

Note: We typically use parenthetical citations more frequently than the

narrative style.
In-Text Citation: Quotations
When you quote from a source, your paper will flow better if you
integrate the quote into a sentence. Every direct quotation citation
should be incorporated into the paragraph with quotation marks.
This means every direct quotation should have the following:

Author, Year of publication, Page (p.) or paragraph (para.) number

and Quotation marks
These are called integrated quotations.
In-Text Citation: Signal Words/Phrases
A signal phrase lets your reader know that you are paraphrasing,
summarizing or quoting an idea from someone else's work. It helps
to marks the boundaries between source materials and your words.

Introduce quotations with signal phrases, e.g.:

According to Reynolds (2019), “….” (p. 3).

Reynolds (2019) argued that “……” (p. 3).
In-Text Citation: Signal Words/Phrases
Use signal verbs such as:

acknowledged, contended, maintained,

responded, reported, argued, concluded, etc.

Use the past tense or the present perfect tense of verbs in

signal phrases when they discuss past events.
In-Text Citation: Quotations
When using the parenthetical citation, include the author, date of
publication, and page number at the end of the quotation.

As scientific knowledge advances, “the application of CRISPR

technology to improve human health is being explored across public
and private sectors”(Hong, 2018, p. 503).
In-Text Citation: Quotations
You may wish to omit some of the author’s original words that are
not relevant to your writing. In this case, use three dots (...) to
indicate where you have omitted words. If you omit any of the
author’s original words, make sure you do not change the meaning.

He stated, “The ‘placebo effect,’ ... Disappeared when behaviors

were studied in this manner” (Smith, 1982, p. 276), but he did not
clarify which behaviors were studied.
In-Text Citation: Block Quotations
Block quotes are used for direct quotations that are longer than
40 words. The entire block quotation is indented 0.5 inches, the
same as the indentation for a new paragraph and do not include
quotation marks.
Include the page number at the end of your block quote outside
of the ending period. Also include the author's last name, date of
publication, and page number(s)/paragraph number.
Note that block quotations should be used sparingly.
 In-Text Citation: Block Quotation (example)
Cyber threats are not the only challenge to cloud computing:
While security has been a major topic of interest, reliability is a
much bigger concern. Cloud computing is based on Internet access,
so a fast and constant Internet connection is critical to cloud
Computing solutions. Therefore, it is imperative to ensure that the
enterprise’s connectivity to the Internet is well-established. (Lyoob
et al., 2013, pp. 35-36). 
In-Text Citation: Summary or Paraphrase
Follow the same guidelines for parenthetical citation when
summarizing or paraphrasing a longer chunk of text.

Parenthetical citation:
In one study that consisted of 467 young adults, it was found
that social media use may not directly affect mental health; rather,
it depends on how young adults use social media (Berryman,
Ferguson, & Negy, 2018).
In-Text Citation: Two or More Works
When the parenthetical citation includes two or more works:

•Order them in the same way they appear in the reference list—the
author’s name, the year of publication—separated by a semi-colon.

Several studies on Earthquakes have been conducted in the recent

decades (Adams, 2018; Collins, 2017).
 In-Text Citation: With Two or More Authors
When citing a work with two authors:

In the parenthetical citation, use “&” between names

When examining potential climate threats, “Understanding the
occurrence and impacts of historical climatic hazards is critical to
better interpret current hazard trends” (Depietri & McPhearson,
2018, p. 96).
In-Text Citation: Works with 3+ Authors
When citing a work with three or more authors:
list the name of the first author plus “et al.” in every citation.

Lin et. al (2019) examined how weather conditions affect the

popularity of the bike sharing program in Beijing.

One study looked at how weather conditions affected the

popularity of bike sharing programs, specifically the Beijing Public
Bike sharing Program (Lin et. al, 2019).
In-Text Citation: With Unknown Author
When citing a work with an unknown author:

Cite the first word of the title followed by the year of publication in
the parenthetical citation.

(“Here’s,” 2018)
In-Text Citation: Group Authors
When citing a group author:
Mention the organization the first time you cite the source in the
parenthetical citation.

If you first mention the group in a parenthetical citation, list the

abbreviation in square brackets, followed by a comma and the
year of publication.
(Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 2019).
In-Text Citation: Same Last Name/ Authors
When citing authors with the same last names:
Use first initials with the last names.
(B. Davis, 2018; Y. Davis, 2020)

When citing two or more works by the same author and

published in the same year:
Use lower-case letters (a, b, c) after the year of publication to order
the references.
Chen’s (2018a) study of bird migration…
 Reference List: Books
A  basic reference list entry for a book in APA must include:
• Author or authors. The surname is followed by first initials.
• Year of publication of the book (in round brackets).
• Book title (in sentence case & italics).
• Edition (in round brackets), if other than first edition.
• Publisher.
• DOI (where a book has a DOI this must be included, even if you are
referring to a print book).
 Reference List: Books
• Single Author
Andreasen, N. C. (2001). Brave new brain: Conquering mental illness
in the era of the genome. Oxford University Press.

• Two Authors
Copstead, L., & Banasik, J. (2005). Pathophysiology (3rd ed.). Saunders.
 Reference List: Books
• Three to twenty Authors
Schneider, Z., Whitehead, D., & Elliott, D. (2007). Nursing and
midwifery research:Methods and appraisal for evidence-based
practice (3rd ed.). Elsevier Australia.

Note: Within each entry, author names should be listed in the order in
which they appear on the source or as displayed on the title page.
 Reference List: Books
Twenty one or More Authors
• All authors’ names should be given when there are up to 20 authors.
• If a source has 21 or more authors, place three ellipsis points between
the 19th and final author name to indicate that some names have
been omitted e.g. Jones, P., . . . Adams, N. (2009).
Quliyev, T., Gjoni, H., Gruber, I., Hofer, S., Fischer, I., Maes, S., López,
N., Díaz, O., Cruz, T., Mora, A., Wáng, R., Li, E., Yáng, A., Zhào,
L., Zhōu, B., Mirza, O., Bonik, O., Aliyev, K., Biton, H., . . . Ishii, F.
(2020). Referencing styles that changed the world. Libtty Press.
 Reference List: Books
Group Authors

Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association. (2006). Nharrangga warra:

Narungga dictionary.

Note: When the author is also the publishing body, omit the publisher
element after the title.
 Reference List: Books
No Author:
When a work has no identifiable author, move the title of the work
to the author position and follow with the date of publication.
HIV/AIDs resources: A nationwide directory (10th ed.). (2004). Guides
for Living.
Only use “Anonymous” in the author position if “Anonymous” is
specifically stated as the author on the publication itself.
Anonymous. (2002). Maximum security: A hacker’s guide to protecting
your computer systems and network (4th ed.). Sams Publishing.
 Reference List: Journal Article
• Author or authors. The surname is followed by first initials.
• Year of publication of the article (in round brackets).
• Article title (in sentence case).
• Journal title (in title case & italics).
• Volume number (in italics).
• Issue number (in parenthesis, but not italicized).
• Page range of article.
• DOI (presented as a hyperlink, for example https://doi.org/xxxxx).
• The first line of each reference list entry is flushed left. Every subsequent line is
indented 5-7 spaces, using hanging indent.
 Reference List: Journal Article (Print)

Woolley, T., & Raasch, B. (2005). Predictors of sunburn in north

Queensland recreational boat users. Health Promotion Journal of

Australia, 16(1), 26-31.

Note: If a DOI is available for a printed article include it at the end of

the reference as a URL, e.g. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732312468251.
 Reference List: Journal Article (Library Database)

Van Heugten, K. (2013). Resilience as an underexplored outcome

of workplace bullying. Qualitative Health Research, 23(3),

291-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732312468251

Note: If there is No DOI, cite the work as a journal article in a printed

format.
 Reference List: Edited Books
Craven, I. (Ed.). (2001). Australian cinema in the 1990s. Frank Cass.

Note: When there is more than one editor, add (Eds.) in brackets after
the last editor’s name and follow the same formatting shown in the
examples for book.
 Reference List: Edited Books
Chapter, Article or Section in a Book:
Provide a reference entry for the whole book and the chapter, article
or section along with the page numbers.

Ferres, K. (2001). Idiot box: Television, urban myths and ethical

scenarios. In I. Craven (Ed.), Australian cinema in the 1990s
(pp. 175-188). Frank Cass.
 References
American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual
of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American
Psychological Association.

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). APA Style & Formatting Guide.

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa
_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_books.html
 References
American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). APA Formatting and Style Guide. Retrieved March 21,
2020, from
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html
McAdoo, T. (2017, September 20). References versus citations [Blog post]. Retrieved April
17, 2020, from http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2017/09/References-versus-citations
Walden University. (n.d.). Using Evidence: Quotation. Retrieved April 10, 2020, from
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/evidence/quotation
Western Oregon University. (n.d.). APA Style Guide: Block Quote. Retrieved April 18, 2020,
from http://research.wou.edu/apa/apa-block-quote