Citing Literature and Referencing in APA Style
Citation identifies the source of an idea, fact, method or quotation within the text. Referencing provides the full publication details that allow readers to locate that source. Accurate citation gives credit, supports claims, demonstrates scholarship and protects against plagiarism.
Learning objectives
- Explain why and when sources must be cited.
- Construct APA-style narrative and parenthetical citations.
- Prepare references for common health-research sources.
- Paraphrase, summarise and quote ethically.
- Use reference managers while checking output critically.
When a citation is required
- Facts or statistics that are not common knowledge.
- Theories, definitions, models and ideas developed by others.
- Paraphrased or summarised findings.
- Direct quotations, tables, figures or adapted materials.
- Methods, questionnaires or classifications derived from a source.
A citation is generally unnecessary for genuinely common knowledge, but when uncertain—especially for clinical recommendations or numerical claims—cite a reliable source.
APA author–date system
| Situation | Parenthetical form | Narrative form |
|---|---|---|
| One author | (Okello, 2024) | Okello (2024) |
| Two authors | (Okello & Namusoke, 2024) | Okello and Namusoke (2024) |
| Three or more authors | (Okello et al., 2024) | Okello et al. (2024) |
| Organisation | (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024) | World Health Organization (WHO, 2024) |
| No date | (Ministry of Health, n.d.) | Ministry of Health (n.d.) |
Paraphrase, summary and quotation
Paraphrase
Restates a specific idea fully in the writer’s own sentence structure and words; still requires citation.
Summary
Condenses the main point of a larger source or body of evidence; still requires citation.
Direct quotation
Reproduces exact words and requires quotation formatting plus a page or paragraph locator where available.
Worked paraphrasing example
Source idea: Delays in diagnosis and treatment contribute substantially to preventable tuberculosis transmission.
Poor paraphrase: Delays in treatment and diagnosis contribute greatly to avoidable TB transmission. This only substitutes words and remains too close to the source.
Better synthesis: Evidence indicates that reducing the time between symptom onset, diagnosis and effective therapy is central to interrupting tuberculosis spread (Author, Year).
Reference-list principles
- Include every cited source and do not include uncited sources.
- Arrange entries alphabetically by the first author or organisation.
- Use a hanging indent.
- Use initials for given names and preserve author order.
- Present the year in parentheses.
- Use sentence case for article and book titles.
- Italicise journal title and volume, and include DOI as a URL when available.
Common APA reference patterns
| Source | General pattern |
|---|---|
| Journal article | Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/... |
| Book | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (Edition). Publisher. |
| Chapter | Author, A. A. (Year). Chapter title. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. |
| Organisation report | Organisation. (Year). Title of report. URL |
| Webpage | Author/Organisation. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL |
| Thesis | Author, A. A. (Year). Title [Type of thesis, Institution]. Repository. URL |
Example entries
Journal: Kato, A. B., & Auma, C. (2024). Treatment adherence among adults with hypertension in rural clinics. African Health Sciences, 24(2), 100–110. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxxxx
Organisation: World Health Organization. (2023). Global tuberculosis report 2023. https://www.who.int/
These examples demonstrate structure; students must use the exact verified details of the sources they actually consulted.
Citing multiple sources
Several sources supporting one statement are placed in one set of parentheses and ordered alphabetically, separated by semicolons: (Auma, 2022; Kato et al., 2024; World Health Organization, 2023). Do not attach a long group of citations to claims the sources do not directly support.
Secondary citations
Whenever possible, read and cite the original source. If the original cannot be obtained, name it in the text and cite the secondary source actually read, following institutional APA guidance. Only the source read appears in the reference list.
Plagiarism and research integrity
- Copying without quotation and citation.
- Patchwriting by changing only a few words.
- Presenting another person’s idea, data or figure as original.
- Reusing substantial previous work without disclosure where required.
- Inventing references or citing sources not read.
- Citing a source that does not support the claim.
Reference managers
Zotero, Mendeley and similar tools can store PDFs, insert citations and generate bibliographies. They reduce repetitive work but do not guarantee accuracy. Check author names, dates, title capitalisation, journal, volume, issue, pages, DOI, duplicates and the selected citation style.
Scenario: correcting a weak paragraph
A proposal states: “Most adolescents have poor mental health because of social media,” cites one blog and gives no date. Improve it by defining the outcome, finding peer-reviewed and authoritative evidence, distinguishing association from causation, synthesising several relevant studies, acknowledging conflicting evidence and citing every empirical claim accurately.
Final accuracy checklist
- Does every non-original claim have appropriate support?
- Does every in-text citation match one reference-list entry?
- Are author spellings and years identical in both locations?
- Were direct quotations copied exactly with locators?
- Are URLs and DOIs functional and free of tracking clutter?
- Were primary and current authoritative sources prioritised?
- Was the institution’s required APA edition followed consistently?
Practice questions
- Write narrative and parenthetical citations for two authors.
- Format a journal article and WHO report in APA style.
- Explain why paraphrasing still requires citation.
- Identify four forms of plagiarism.
- Audit a reference list for five common errors.
Return to the Clinical Medicine Year 2 curriculum
References
- American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
- UAHEB. Guidelines on Research Proposal and Report Writing.
- World Health Organization. Health Research Methodology.
Educational content only. Always follow the citation edition and formatting rules required by your institution.
