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Education: APA 7th Style

Referencing and Formatting in APA 7th Style for Education Studies

APA 7th Style: Referencing & Formatting

APA Style is a set of standardised rules designed to make academic works clearer and easier to read and understand, and to consistently acknowledge credible sources you used within your work. They have guidelines for your paper formatting (how your paper looks) and how you reference credible sources (in-text and end-text citations).

The standards may seem arbitrary, but they help to:

  • Acknowledge your sources and avoid plagiarism, 

  • Present all the information a stranger would need to find sources you used,

  • Demonstrate depth of research,

  • Give your work credibility and professionalism,

  • Prepare you for potential manuscript publication in professional journals.

Referencing in APA 7th Style

APA 7th is an author-date style and typically requires the four components of who, when, what and where when constructing citations.

You can use citation generators and reference management tools (e.g., EndNote, MyBib) but be aware these can produce errors, so it is essential to have an understanding of referencing rules and cross-check it with the APA 7th Referencing Guide. You may need to correct missing information (such as DOIs), italicise titles or, ensure correct capitalisation.

Where can I go for more help?

For a comprehensive list of available support services, please refer to the library support section. 

Reference Tools

Reference management systems and generators are tools designed to support your research by storing and managing resources and their citations. They can help you: 

  • Centralise relevant resources to a 'library'
  • Import bibliographic references from databases and journals
  • Assist with citation generation*

*Reference management tools and generators can be very helpful in saving time, but they aren't perfect. They can still make mistakes, so it is crucial to know your referencing style well and manually verify any generated references. 

Do not use generative AI for finding or creating references, as it can produce inaccurate or fabricated references. Doing so may breach academic integrity. For more information read Matthew Hillier's article on TECHE blog; Why does ChatGPT generate fake references? 

APA 7th Referencing in Education

This guide provides examples of citations specific to Education. You can download the above document for quick reference and refer to the drop-down menu below for further examples. However, you should continue to use the general Referencing Guide for citing books, journal articles, webpages, and other resource types.

For any variations in referencing required by your classes, contact your lecturer for clarification. This is especially important in the Early Childhood stream.

Early Childhood Referencing Guidelines:

  • In Early Childhood, you do not need to reference every individual content descriptor both in-text and in the reference list, as this can result in excessive referencing within your assignment.

  • Instead, provide a single reference to the relevant SCSA curriculum learning area in your end-text reference list.

  • If you are referencing the aims or rationale of a curriculum area (for example, as part of a justification or rationale in your assignment), you must include both an in-text citation and an end-text reference for the curriculum area.

APA 7th Education Reference Examples

School Curriculum and Assessment Authority from SCSA
In-text citation End-text reference

First time cited:

(Corporate author, Year)

(School Curriculum and Standards Authority [SCSA], 2017)

(School Curriculum and Standards Authority [SCSA], 2023)

 

Corporate author. (Year). Title. URL

School Curriculum and Standards Authority. (2017). Curriculum and assessment outline. Humanities and social science. http://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/home/p-10-curriculum/curriculum-browser/humanities-and-social-sciences

School Curriculum and Standards Authority. (2023). Kindergarten curriculum guidelines. https://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/home/teaching/kindergarten-curriculum-guidelines

Subsequent citation:

(SCSA, 2017)

(SCSA, 2023)
Standards for Teachers
In-text citation End-text reference

First time cited:                                (Corporate author, Year, Standard Number)

(Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL], n.d., Standard 4.3)

(Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA], 2018)


Corporate author. (Year). Title. (Standard Number). URL

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2014). Australian professional standards for teachers. (Standard 4.3). https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority. (2018). National quality standard: Quality area 5 - Relationships with children. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard/quality-area-5-relationships-with-children

Subsequent citation:

(AITSL, n.d., Standard 4.3)

(ACECQA], 2018)
Learning Frameworks
Note: There are two national approved learning frameworks in operation under the National Quality Frameworks. Both learning frameworks provide guidance for educators in early childhood and school age settings to plan, deliver, and evaluate quality programs, outlining principles, practices, and learning outcomes to guide curriculum decision-making.

In-text citation

 End-text reference

First time cited: 
(Corporate author, Year)      

(Australian Government Department of Education, [AGDE], 2022)

(Community Child Care Co-operative
(NSW), [CCCC], n.d.)


Corporate author. (Year). Title. (Version). URL

Australian Government Department of Education. (2022a). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia (Version 2.0). https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Australian Government Department of Education. (2022b). My time, our place: Framework for school age care in Australia (Version 2.0). https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-02/MTOP-2022-V2.0.pdf

Community Child Care Co-operative (NSW). (n.d.). Early years learning framework practice based resources: Developmental milestones. https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/05_2015/developmental-milestones.pdf

What if works have the same author and the same publication year?

Note: To make sure each work has its own in-text citation, add a lower-case letter to the year in your reference list. The same letter will be added to the year in your in-text citation each time you want to cite that source. 

Subsequent citation:

(AGDE, 2022)

(CCCC, n.d.)
Mparntwe Education Declaration
In-text citation End-text reference

First time cited: 
(Corporate author, Year) 

(Council of Australian Governments, [COAG], 2019)                                                 


Corporate author. (Year). Title. Publisher. URL

Council of Australian Governments. (2019). Alice Springs (Mparntwe) educational declaration. Education Council. https://www.education.gov.au/alice-springs-mparntwe-education-declaration/resources/alice-springs-mparntwe-education-declaration

Subsequent citation:

(COAG, 2019)   

 

Note: The Copyright belongs to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Agency, which is why this corporation is listed as the author.

In-text citation End-text reference

First in-text citation:                                      (Corporate author, Year)

(Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Agency [ACARA], n.d.)

(Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Agency [ACARA], 2022

Corporate author. (Year). Title. Publisher. URL

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Agency. (n.d.). National assessment program sample test. National Assessment Program. https://demo.assessform.edu.au/testattempt/sample/x00135461

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Agency. (2022). National assessment program literacy and numeracy: Achievement in reading, writing and numeracy (National report for 2022). National Assessment Program. https://www.nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2022-naplan-national-report.pdf

 

Subsequent in-text citation:

(ACARA, n.d.)

(ACARA, 2022)

 

You can use hybrid referencing of APA Style and AGLC legal citation format to reference legislation.
For more detailed guidance, refer to the Library Referencing Guide, specifically the section on Australian Legal Materials.

In-text citation End-text reference

(Title of Act Year (Jurisdiction abbreviation)                   

(School Education Act 1999 (WA), s. 83(2)(b))

Title of Act Year (Jurisdiction abbreviation). URL

 

School Education Act 1999 (WA). https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au/legislation/statutes.nsf/main_mrtitle_878_homepage.html

 

Both the author and the illustrator are crucial in the creation of the children's book or any illustrated book.

The illustrator not only brings the story to the life through art but also plays an essential role in creating the entire work. While other types of books may have illustrations, they usually serve a different purpose. In children's books, however, the illustrations are an integral part of the storytelling process.

In-text citation End-text reference
Illustrator different than author
Note: When the illustrator is evidently credited (i.e., on the cover), use "Illus." in parentheses to abbreviate illustrator.

(Author's surname, Year)

(French, 2018)

(Davies, 2017)

Author. (Year). Title of the book (Illustrator's name, Illus.). Publisher.

French, J. (2018). Cyclone (B. Whatley, Illus.). Scholastic Australia.

Davies, N. (2014). Tiny the invisible world of microbes (E.Sutton, Illus.). Walker Books.
Illustrator same as author

Note: As per the guidelines of APA 7th Style, there may be situations where you need to use your own judgment as the purpose and significance of illustrations can vary. When an author is also the illustrator and the illustrations are essential, credit them twice: once as the author and again as the illustrator. 

It is important to follow the provided examples but use discretion on the significance of the illustrations.

Example 1: The Wimpy Kid book series illustrations some people may consider to be an essential part of the book, while others view them as an addition.

Example 2: It may be important to acknowledge the significance of illustrations of Stewart when teaching about the natural world or emotions, as they are an integral part of the story.

Author: Standard APA 7th format: Surname, initial/s. 

Illustrator: Write the illustrator's initials followed by a full stop and the illustrator's surname followed by a comma. Then, write the abbreviation "Illus." after the illustrator's name.

(Author's surname, Year)

E1: (Kinney, 2007)

E2: (Stewart, 2014)

Author. (Year). Title of the book (Illustrator's name, Illus.). Publisher.

Kinney, J. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid: Greg Heffley's journal. Amulet Books.

Stewart, B. (2014). Here in the garden (B.Stewart, Illus.). University of Queensland Press.
Children's book, part of series

Note: The series number should only be included if it is a part of the book title. Do not include the series titles.

Example: The book is part of the Fancy Nancy series.

(Athor's surname, Year)

(O’Connor, 2017)

Author. (Year). Title of the book (Illustrator's name, Illus.). Publisher.

O’Connor, J. (2017). Nancy Clancy, late-breaking news! (R. Preiss Glasser, Illus.).          HarperCollins Publishers.
Illustrator and translator

Note: It can be challenging to identify who the author, illustrator, or translator is, which may cause some confusion. Please refer to the copyright page for clarification, or the books database details. 

Credit translators by adding Trans. after the name. Use semicolon between the illustrator and translator.

(Author's surname, Year)

(Jenkins, 2021)

Author. (Year). Title of the book (Illustrator's name, Illus.;Translator's name, Trans.). Publisher.

Jenkins, S. (2021). Iceberg (J. Di Mase, Illus.; A. Florescu-Mitchell, Trans.). A&U Children's.

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