How to properly write APA citations?

If you're in higher education, you've probably heard of the famous APA citation style. But what exactly is it?

What is APA style?

APA (American Psychological Association) style is a citation and referencing format. It is widely used in academic papers at universities and colleges. It consists of specific rules that must be followed to correctly cite sources, both within the text and in the bibliography.

Why does it matter?

Properly formatting citations in APA style is crucial; otherwise, the information you use in your work might be considered plagiarism—basically, passing off someone else's work as your own. Using an author's work is allowed only if you cite them correctly. By referencing sources according to APA rules, you’ll avoid any issues.

Many universities and colleges use plagiarism detection software to check the quality of your work. These programs compare your work against a vast database of documents to ensure you haven’t copied and pasted content without citing the original source.

Inevitably, a small portion of your work will be flagged as plagiarism by these tools. Universities and colleges are aware of this and usually allow between 5% and 25% plagiarism.

Before submitting your work, you can use online plagiarism detection tools to ensure that everything is properly referenced. Some of the most popular ones include Compilatio, Plagiarismdetector.net, Copyscape, Plagium, and more.

What are the risks?

The consequences of plagiarism vary depending on the institution and the severity of the case. But be aware—plagiarism is taken very seriously, and the penalties can be harsh.

You might receive a failing grade for your assignment, fail the entire course, face disciplinary actions, or even be expelled from your institution. In extreme cases, legal action can be taken against you.

How do I format citations in APA style?

There are many online guides to help you format your citations correctly. Since APA rules are universal, you can follow any reliable source, such as documents from UCLouvain or ULB.

APA rules cover everything from citing an author in the body of your text to formatting the bibliography and setting up the page layout. They are very precise—down to the last comma! It might take some time to get used to them, but once you do, it will become second nature.

Some examples of APA citations

All sources used in your work must be cited both in the text and in the bibliography. However, the format differs in each case.

In-text citations are brief. You only need to include the author’s name and the publication year.

Examples:

• A recent study (Dupont, 2005) found that…
• Several observations (Albert, 2001; Dupont & Durant, 1999; Mahieu, 1989) have shown that…

Of course, the rules vary depending on the situation—whether there are multiple authors, one author citing another, an organization as the author, no publication date, etc.

In the bibliography, the reference must be more detailed. The format depends on the type of source (a book, a webpage, a journal article, a collective work, etc.). You also need to consider formatting elements like alphabetical order and double-spacing between references.

Examples:

• Chaliès, S., Amathieu, J., & Bertone, S. (2013). Former les enseignants pour accroître leur satisfaction au travail : propositions théoriques et illustrations empiriques. Travail Humain, 76(4), 309-334. doi:10.3917/th.764.0309
• Frisque, J. (2012). Effet des facteurs culturel et éducationnel sur une tâche mnésique non verbale (Master’s thesis). Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve.
• American Psychological Association. (2009). Controlling anger before it controls you. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control.aspx

Think of it like following a recipe—stick to the rules, and you’ll be fine! Keep a guide handy so you don’t miss anything.

Are there other citation styles?

APA isn’t the only citation style out there. Other commonly used styles include ISO-690, MLA, and more. However, APA is one of the most widely used formats in academic writing.

Pro tip!

Referencing all your sources manually can be time-consuming and tedious. But here’s a little trick for you!

If you use Google Scholar, simply search for your keywords, and you’ll see a list of academic articles.

Under each article, you’ll find a quotation mark symbol. Click on it, and voilà—you get the APA citation formatted for you! Pretty cool, right?