Figures (graphs, flow charts, charts, illustrations, drawings, music scores)
You may need to consult more than one section to accurately represent the source used (eg. number of authors and source descriptions)
Entry in reference list
Include a reference for the original source of the figure or image (see book, book chapter, journal article, report , website, etc.).
In text citation
An in text citation is not used. A caption above the figure or image, and note below is used instead.
Multiple sources
If you create your own figure by compiling data from multiple sources, cite each source in the caption.
Figures and Images you have reproduced
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Figure/Image reproduced from a book
Format for in text citation
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
Figure X
Descriptive phrase that serves as title and description.
>
Note. From/Adapted from Title of Book by Author first initial, Author family name. Copyright Year. Name of Copyright Holder.In text entry example
Figure 1
Pre-Roman Italy
Note. From A History of Rome Down to the Reign of Constantine (p. 2), by M. Cary and H. H. Scullard, 3rd ed. 1975, Macmillan Press. Copyright 1975 by representatives of the estate of the late M. Cary and H. H. Scullard.Reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
Author. (Year of publication). Title of book (Edition). Publisher.
Reference list example
Cary, M., & Scullard, H.H. (1975). A history of Rome down to the reign of Constantine. Macmillan Press.
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Figure/Image reproduced from a website
Format for in text citation
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
Figure X.
Descriptive phrase that serves as title and description.
Note. From/Adapted from Title of Website. URL. Copyright Year Name of Copyright Holder.In text entry example
Figure 2
St Paul's Cathedral, South Facade
Note. From St Pauls Cathedral Precinct by Victorian Heritage Register, 2008, Victorian Heritage Database ( https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/815 ). Copyright Heritage Council Victoria.Reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
Author, A. (Date). Title of page. Website name. URL
Reference list example
Victorian Heritage Register. (2008). St Pauls Cathedral Precinct. Victorian Heritage Database. https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/815
Explore resources to enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks, visit Academic Skills.
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Figure/Image reproduced from a database
Format for in text citation
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
Figure X
Descriptive phrase that serves as title and description.
Note. From/Adapted from Title of image [description of medium]by Creator First Name, Family Name. Name of database, Year URL . Copyright Year, Copyright holder.In text entry example
Figure 5
Ai Wei Wei in his studio
Note. From/Adapted from Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei in his studio [photo]by Mads Nissen. ArtStor, 2008. https://go.openathens.net/redirector/unimelb.edu.au?url=https%3A%2F%2Flibrary.artstor.org%2F%23%2Fasset%2FAPANOSIG_10313578440%3BprevRouteTS%3D1605657509984 Copyright 2008, Mads Nissen.Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
Author, A. (Year, Month Day). Title of work [image]. Title of database. http://URL.
Reference list example
Nissen, M. (2008, August 21). Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei in his studio [image]. ARTstor. https://go.openathens.net/redirector/unimelb.edu.au?url=https%3A%2F%2Flibrary.artstor.org%2F%23%2Fasset%2FAPANOSIG_10313578440%3BprevRouteTS%3D1605657509984
Make sure to look at the style notes
Style notes for this reference type
- If no author is provided, cite the first three words of the title and the year of publication.
- Images you use may be subjected to copyright compliance. Please seek information from the copyright owner of the image if applicable.
- If the date of creation is not present, provide the date of retrieval eg. Retrieved on …
- If the image is of factual content, refer to the figures referencing.
- If the image is an original artwork, please refer to artworks for referencing.
Explore resources to enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks, visit Academic Skills.
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Figure/Image reproduced from a musical score
Format
Musical examples may be included to support a point in your essay. They must be incorporated into the text and include
1. An example number,
2. A brief descriptive title, one double-space below the example number, and
3. A note that contains: explanations and definitions of any terms and symbols appearing in the image, copyright permission(s) (if you reproduced or adapted a copyright figure in your thesis or publication), and reference citation(s).
Format for in text citation
Elements, punctuation and capitalisation
Descriptive phrase that serves as title and description.
Note. Contextual or descriptive information. From Composer surname, Initial. (Year). Song or work title [Score type]. In Volume or anthology title (p. x), Editor (Ed.), Publisher. Copyright year Name of copyright holder.In text entry example
Figure 1
Ostinato pattern from Debussy's Prelude III.
Note. Aussi légèrement que possible = as lightly as possible. From Debussy, C. (1969). Prelude III in Preludes for Piano: Book 1 (p.7), R. Shepherd (Ed.)[Piano score], Allans Music Australia. Copyright 1969 Allans Music (Australia).Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation and capitalisation
Composer, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of publication (Editor initial and surname, Ed.) [Type of score]. Publisher name. (Original work published year).
Reference list example
Debussy, C. (1969). Preludes for piano: Book 1 (R. Shepherd, Ed.) [Piano score]. Allans Music Australia. (Original work published 1909).
Style notes for this reference type
- Embed the example in the text after it is first mentioned. If text and example appear on same page, then place the example at either the top or bottom of the page rather than in the middle. Add one blank double-spaced line between the example and any text to improve the visual presentation.
- Advice on music scores is based on the Musical Score References page on the APA Style blog.
- Specify the type of score in square brackets (e.g. [Piano score], [Vocal score]).
- If the score has been edited, provide the editors' names in parentheses after the title.
- If the score has been republished, provide the year of original publication in parentheses.
Explore resources to enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks, visit Academic Skills.
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Figure/Image reproduced to be included in a work you are publishing
Format for in text citation
Figure X
Descriptive phrase that serves as title and description
Note. From/Adapted from Image title/source title by Author first name Author Family Name. Publication details, Year. URL (if applicable) Copyright Year, Copyright holder. Reprinted/Reproduced/Adapted with permission.In text entry example
Figure 5
Newman College, University of Melbourne
Note. From/Adapted from Architecture, Building and Planning, by Infrastructure Services. n.d. (https://digitised-collections.unimelb.edu.au/handle/11343/109367). Copyright University of Melbourne. Reproduced with permission.Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
Author, A. (Year, Month Day). Title of work [image]. Title of database. http://URL.
Reference list example
Infrastructure Services. (n.d.) Architecture, Building and Planning. Digitised Collections, University of Melbourne. https://digitised-collections.unimelb.edu.au/handle/11343/109367
Make sure to look at the style notes
Style notes for this reference type
- If no author is provided, cite the first three words of the title and the year of publication.
- Images you use may be subjected to copyright compliance. Please seek information from the copyright owner of the image if applicable.
- If the date of creation is not present, provide the date of retrieval eg. Retrieved on …
- If the image is of factual content, refer to the figures referencing.
- If the image is an original artwork, please refer to artworks for referencing.
Explore resources to enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks, visit Academic Skills.
Figures or images you have referred to
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General notes
Format for in text citation
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
(Author, A., Year)
In text citation example
(Melbourne Institute, 2019)
Entry in reference list
Include a reference for the original source of the figure (see book, book chapter, journal article, report , website, etc.).Reference list example
Melbourne Institute.(2019). Monthly bulletin of economic trends: Economic activity in the major states 2019.
https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/3125470/
STATE_MBET_July2019.pdf
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Figure/Image from a database
In text citation example
As captured by Nissen (2008), the use of shadowing contrasts the...
OR
Nissen's photograph of Wei Wei depicts a ... (Nissen, 2008)
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
Author, A. (Year, Month Day). Title of work [image]. Title of database. http://URL.
Reference list example
Nissen, M. (2008, August 21). Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei in his studio [image]. ARTstor. https://go.openathens.net/redirector/unimelb.edu.au?url=https%3A%2F%2Flibrary.artstor.org%2F%23%2Fasset%2FAPANOSIG_10313578440%3BprevRouteTS%3D1605657509984
Make sure to look at the style notes
Style notes for this reference type
- If no author is provided, cite the first three words of the title and the year of publication.
- Images you use may be subjected to copyright compliance. Please seek information from the copyright owner of the image if applicable.
- If the date of creation is not present, provide the date of retrieval eg. Retrieved on …
- If the image is of factual content, refer to the figures referencing.
- If the image is an original artwork, please refer to artworks for referencing.
Explore resources to enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks, visit Academic Skills.
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Image (artwork) viewed in a gallery
In text citation example
Kader Attia's (2013) use of visual propaganda questions...
OR
Flavin's sculpture divides the space using ...(Flavin, 1970)
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
Artist, A. (Year). Title of work [Description]. Institution name, City, Country.
Reference list example
Attia, K. (2013). The Culture of Fear: An Invention of Evil [Installation].Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Australia.
Flavin, D. (1970). Untitled [Red and blue fluorescent light sculpture]. Dia: Beacon, New York, United States of America.
Style notes for this reference type
- Images you use may be subjected to copyright compliance. Please seek information from the copyright owner of the image if applicable.
- This format can be used for all types of artwork.
- For untitled work, include a description of the work in square brackets.
Explore resources to enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks, visit Academic Skills.
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Image (artwork) viewed on a gallery website
In text citation example
Kader Attia's (2013) use of visual propaganda questions...
OR
Flavin's sculpture divides the space using ...(Flavin, 1970)
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
Artist, A. (Year). Title of work [Description]. Institution name, City, Country.
Reference list example
Attia, K. (2013). The Culture of Fear: An Invention of Evil [Installation].Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Australia.
OR
Flavin, D. (1970). Untitled [Red and blue fluorescent light sculpture]. Dia: Beacon, New York, United States of America.
Style notes for this reference type
- Images you use may be subjected to copyright compliance. Please seek information from the copyright owner of the image if applicable.
- This format can be used for all types of artwork.
- For untitled work, include a description of the work in square brackets.
Explore resources to enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks, visit Academic Skills.
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Style notes
- APA 7 Publication Manual, p.225-250.
- Definition
Figures refer to any type of illustration other than a table (graphs, flow charts, charts, illustrations, drawings, etc.). - Figure numbers
Figures should be numbered in the order in which they appear in the text e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2. In the text, refer to figures by their number (“as shown in figure 3”) as opposed to general references (“as shown in the figure below”). - In text citation
There is no in text citation. Instead, a note should be included the bottom of the figure to acknowledge that it is from another source. - Adapted vs reprinted
If you make any changes to the figures (additions, reformatting) include the words 'Adapted from' in the note. If you copy the figure without changes use 'From'.
Source: APA Style blog. - Copyright
If the figure is in a work that will be published, you must seek permission from the copyright holder. This permission must also be included in the figure caption using the words, ‘Reprinted [or Adapted] with permission.’ Examples of published works:- Thesis in University of Melbourne repository
- Journal article
- News item on website
In university coursework, you generally do not need to ask the author for permission, contact the Copyright Office if you are unsure.
Source: APA Style blog.
Explore resources to enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks, visit Academic Skills.
Before selecting a referencing style check with your tutor, lecturer or supervisor for the style preferred by the School or Department.
Introduction to the style
The APA style is widely used in the social sciences and other fields, such as education, commerce and nursing.
Summary of the changes between APA6 and APA7
APA is an author-date style with two key components:
- Citations in the text, including the name of the author and year of publication.
- Reference list at end of paper, alphabetically listing of all references used in the text.
The purpose of referencing is to acknowledge the source and to enable the reader to trace the sources. Reference data must be accurate, including specific page numbers or specific URLs (web addresses), when otherwise it might be difficult to retrieve the original text.
Access to the full style manual
This guide is based on the 7th edition of the APA's style rules which are set out in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition.
The full style manual is not available as a library eBook. Print copies are available from the University of Melbourne library. Consult the official manual for more information.
For more information see:
- Information about In Text Citations and References are also available on the APA Style website.
- APA Style Blog https://apastyle.apa.org/blog
In-text citations
- If more than one reference is used in a set of parentheses, the references are ordered alphabetically by author name. Separate multiple citations using a semi-colon, e.g., (Coats, 2005; McMinn, 2003; Ng, Leung, Kwok, & Chan, 2007).
- To avoid ambiguity, when the in-text citations of multiple works with three or more authors shorten to the same form, write out as many names as needed to distinguish the references, and abbreviate the rest of the names to “et al.” in every citation.
- With three or more authors, cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the year.
- Always give specific page numbers for quotations in the text and include a complete reference in the reference list, e.g.,
…(Miller, 1994, p. 276)…
OR
Miller (1994) found that, "the 'placebo effect,'… in all participants" (p. 245).
- No distinction is made between print and electronic sources when citing in text.
- If quoting the full title of a reference in the text, the first word of titles and subtitles and all other major words are capitalised and italicised e.g., When The Handicap Principle: A Missing Piece of Darwin's Puzzle was published…
- For classical, major religious and very old works not included in the reference list, give the year of the translation or version that you used, with the word trans. or version, and give section numbers rather than page numbers, e.g., (Aristotle, trans. 1931); 1 Cor. 13:1 (Revised Standard Version). When the date of the original publication is available, include that date, e.g., James (1890/1983).
- To cite a web site or a Facebook or Twitter feed as a whole or to discuss it in general, you need only to provide the site URL in parentheses in the text; there is no need for a reference list entry.
Exceptions to the Basic In-Text Citation Styles
- When two works in a paper would both abbreviate to the same “et al.” form (spell out as many surnames as needed to disambiguate)
- When multiple works in a paper have an identical author (or authors) and publication year (append letters to the years)
Direct quotation of sources
These notes apply to the word-for-word reproduction from another author's work.
The quote is fewer than 40 words
- If the quote is fewer than 40 words, incorporate it into the text and use double quotation marks.
- Always provide author, year, and page number or paragraph number for non-paginated material, e.g.
According to Palladino and Wade (2010), "a flexible mind is a healthy mind" (p. 147). In 2010, Palladino and Wade noted that "a flexible mind is a healthy mind" (p. 147). "A flexible mind is a healthy mind," according to Palladino and Wade's (2010, p. 147) longitudinal study.
- List the complete reference in the bibliography
- If the quote is at the end of a sentence, close the quote with quotation marks, cite the source in brackets after the quotation marks, and place a full stop after the bracket, e.g.
In fact, "a flexible mind is a healthy mind" (Palladino & Wade, 2010, p. 147).
The quote is more than 40 words
- If the quote is more than 40 words, display in a freestanding block of text and omit the quotation marks.
- Start the quote on a new line, and indent about half an inch (equal to a tab space or 1.27cm) from the left margin (in the same position as a new paragraph).
- If there are additional paragraphs in the same quote, indent the first line of each by half an inch (one tab space).
- Double-space the entire quotation. Cite the quoted source, page or paragraph number in brackets after the final punctuation mark.
- Use p. for a single page number (Example: p. 15) and pp. for multiple page numbers (Examples: pp. 125-126).
- If citing an online source without page numbers, cite the paragraph number (Example: para. 4).
- When citing multiple authors after a quotation use the ampersand symbol '&' instead of the word 'and'.
- If the quoted source is cited and included in the introductory sentence only the page or paragraph number is required at the end of the quotation.
Example
Jones's (1998) study found the following:
Students often had difficulty using APA style especially when it was their first time citing source. This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many students failed to purchase a style manual or ask their teacher for help. (p. 199)
Block quote with author at beginning
Lyoob, Rossetti and Chen (2013) noted:
Many software providers take advantage of these developing technologies to provide new cloud computing services or transform their existing products to the cloud. Since the term cloud could refer to any infrastructure, platform or software that serves for cloud computing, every component in the cloud may be provided as a service. (p. 34)
Block quote with author at the end
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 the enterprise's connectivity to the Internet is well-established and that there are backup connections in case of connectivity failure. (Lyoob, Rosetti, & Chen, 2013 pp. 35-36)
Explore resources to enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks, visit Academic Skills.
Direct quotations of online material without pagination
- List author year and page number in brackets
- If paragraph numbers are available, use these when page numbers are absent
- Use the abbreviation para, e.g.
Basu and Jones (2007) went so far as to suggest the need for a new "intellectual framework in which to consider the nature and form of regulation in cyberspace " (para. 4).
- If a subheading is available but no paragraph or page numbers, cite the heading and the numbers of the paragraph following it, e.g.
In their study, Verbunt, Pernot, and Smeets (2008) found that "the level of perceived disability in patients with fibromyalgia seemed best explained by their mental health condition and less by their physical condition " (Discussion section, para. 1).
- If the subheading is too long and unwieldy to use (and there is no paragraph or page numbers) a short title enclosed in quotation marks will suffice, e.g.
"Empirical studies have found mixed results on the efficacy of labels in education consumers and changing consumption behaviour " (Golan, Kuchler, & Kirssof, 2007, "Mandatory Labelling Has Targeted, " para. 4).
Citations within quotations
- Do no omit citations already present in the material you are quoting. The work cited should not be listed in the bibliography either unless cited as a primary source in another part of the assignment.
Reference list
- References cited in the text must be listed in the reference list, and all references listed in the reference list must be cited in the text.
Exceptions: do not include in the reference list sources such as:
- Personal communications, such as letters, informal email, or private social media posts
- Classical works or major religious texts
- Web sites or Facebook orTwitter feeds when discussed as a whole.
Cite all these sources only in the text.
- Order the reference list alphabetically by author surnames:
- Where an item has no author it is cited by its title, and ordered in the reference list alphabetically by the first significant word of the title (not A or The) .
- References by the same single or multiple authors are arranged by year of publication, the earliest first, e.g.,
- Hong, B.H. & Yeung, K.L. (2001)
- Hong, B.H. & Yeung, K.L. (2009)
- References with the same first author and different second or third author are arranged alphabetically by the surname of the second author, or if the same, third, and so on, e.g.,
- Brown, J., Gold, F., & Black, L. (2007)
- Brown, J., Gold, F., & Greene, H. (2006)
- References by the same author (or by the same two or more authors in the same order) with the same publication date are arranged alphabetically by the title (excluding A or The) that follows the date. Lower case letters – a, b, c – are placed immediately after the year in parentheses.
- Smith, J.R. (2008a)
- Smith, J.R. (2008b)
References with multiple authors
- For a work with up to 20 authors, include all of the names in the reference. When the work has 21 or more authors, include only the first 19 names, an ellipsis, and the final name. (see section 9.8, p.286 of the APA Manual).
Formatting the reference list
- APA requires that the reference list be double-spaced
- Entries in the reference list should have a hanging indent (the second and subsequent lines of the reference must be indented five spaces.) e.g.
American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington D.C: Author.
- Book titles are italicised, e.g., Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. Chapter or section titles within a larger work are not italicised.
- Translated works: if you used the non-English version of a work, cite using the original title and immediately following that title, give the English translation in brackets. If you used the English translation, just cite the English translation.
- Give the publication date (the year the work was copyrighted) in parentheses, e.g., (2009). Note: APA uses parentheses (…) for standard parts of a reference, e.g., the year of publication, and brackets […] for information that you have inserted, e.g., format information such as [Audio podcast].
- Journal titles in the reference list must be italicised and be given in title case; do not abbreviate titles (e.g., Journal of Immunology, not J Immunol). Article titles are not italicised.
- Inclusive page numbers for all articles and chapters in books should be included in the reference list.
- List page numbers in full (e.g., 132-135, not 132-5).
- Electronic sources: in general, include the same elements, in the same order, as you would for a reference to a fixed-media source and add as much electronic retrieval information as needed for others to locate the source.
Acceptable abbreviations in the reference list for parts of books and other publications include:
ed. edition Rev.ed. revised edition 2nd ed. second edition Ed. ( Eds.) Editor (Editors) Trans. Translator(s) n.d. no date p. (pp) page (pages) Vol. Volume (as in Vol. 4) Vols. Volume (as in Vols. 1-4) No. Number Pt. Part Suppl. Supplement Tech. Rep. Technical report