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SWK 201: Intro to Social Work: APA Citation Helps

A note of the new edition of the APA style guide

NOTE:  A NEW 7th edition of the APA manual was recently released. Ask your professor if they are using 6th ed. or 7th ed. for your projects and papers. There are differences. Thank you.

APA Style 7th edition links

Bibliography versus References

Bibliography Versus Reference List

In APA Style, include a reference list rather than a bibliography with your paper.

What’s the difference? A reference list consists of all sources cited in the text of a paper, listed alphabetically by author’s surname. A bibliography, however, may include resources that were consulted but not cited in the text as well as an annotated description of each one. Bibliographies may be organized chronologically, or by subject, rather than alphabetically.

If you have been given an assignment that asks for a bibliography, consult your instructor for more specifics about the required format.

https://youtu.be/nBO1jfQy-a8?t=667 For how to format a References page in your paper - video instructions

Links of all sorts

Books in the SAU Library

APA Reference Formatting 7th edition step-by-step

A Common Question

One of the most common APA Style questions is “How do I cite a work I found online?”

This blog post explains that there is actually a better question to ask that will help you easily create correct APA Style references.

Retrieval method versus reference type

The question of “How do I cite a work I found online?” focuses on the method of retrieval. It is akin to asking, “How do I cite a work I found at the library?” or “How do I cite a work I borrowed from my friend?”

However, to know how to cite a work in APA Style, you must first know what kind of work it is. What did you find online? What did you find at the library? What did you borrow from your friend?

Reference formats in APA Style depend on the reference type, not the method of retrieval. Thus, the better question is “What kind of work is this?” By identifying the type of work, you will know what reference format to follow in the Publication Manual or Concise Guide to APA Style.

For example, if the work is a report, follow the report format. If the work is an ebook, follow the book format. If the work is a journal article, follow the journal article format.

For the source element, there are minor differences between print and online works. Both print and online works will include source information, such as the publisher name for a book or report. Then, in general, online works additionally include electronic retrieval information that may not be present for print works, such as DOIs and URLs and database information.

~APA Style Blog at https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/citing-online-works ~

print handout of reference examples (7th ed)

The old 6th edition for APA