Referencing basics
Each reference entry in your reference list includes the author, date of publication, title, and source.
Your reference list
- Includes all the sources you cite
- Includes only the sources you cite
- Is arranged alphabetically
Reference elements according to APAstyle.apa.org
Reference management software
Keeping track of all your sources can be quite tedious. Thankfully, there is software, such as Zotero, Mendeley or Citavi, that can help you. You can download Zotero from the FHNW Software Center. Zotero can also be added to Word as a plugin to make the process of citing research in your paper more manageable. More information can be found here.
By the way, the FHNW library offers Zotero lunchtime courses for all campuses.
The following information is adapted from Linxen, S. (2020). Spickzettel: Mindesteinträge in Zotero für die häufigsten Literatureinträge [Cheat sheet: minimum entries in Zotero for the most frequent literature entries]. FHNW.
Entering your sources’ information into Zotero
Once you have downloaded Zotero to your computer, you can drag and drop journal articles into the desktop app or enter the necessary referencing information manually. When you drag and drop articles into the desktop app, you still need to verify that Zotero has recognized all the necessary information. You can check this on the right-hand side.
In order to know where or not Zotero has included all of the necessary information, you have to know what information APA requires. The following tables will outline what information you need for various source types.
- Monograph (i.e. books with single author or joint authorship)
- Chapter in an edited book
- Scientific/academic journal article
- Report
- Newspaper article
- Website
- Image
Scientific/academic Journal Article
| Item type | Journal article |
| Title | Title of article |
| Author(s) | Last name, first name (of each author) |
| Publication | Name of journal |
| Volume | Journal volume number |
| Issue | When provided |
| Pages | Pages of journal article |
| Date | Year of publication |
| Doi | When provided |
| Url | When provided |
| Further Information |
| Journal articles usually have a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). This unique and persistent digital identifier should be included if available. If a DOI is present, a registered URL will be ignored. |
| Reference entry with DOI |
| Shen, L., He, Y., Li, L., & Chau, K. (2020). Impacts of online shopping convenience and physical retail proximity on housing prices in Shenzhen, 2016-2018. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 35(1), 1157-1176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901·020-09732-w |
| Reference entry with URL |
| Shen, L., He, Y., Li, L., & Chau, K. (2020). Impacts of online shopping convenience and physical retail proximity on housing prices in Shenzhen, 2016-2018. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 35, 1157-1176. https://link.springer.com/artiole/10.1007/s10901·020-09732-w |
| Reference entry without DOI or URL |
| Shen, L., He, Y., Li, L., & Chau, K. (2020). Impacts of online shopping convenience and physical retail proximity on housing prices in Shenzhen, 2016-2018. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 35, 1157-1176. |
Monograph (i.e., books with single author or joint authorship)
| Item type | Book |
| Title | Title of book |
| Author(s) | Last name, first name (of each author) |
| Edition | From the 2nd on |
| Publisher | Name of publisher |
| Date | Year of publication |
| Url | When given |
| Further Information |
| The place of publication is unnecessary. If the book has a DOI (or a stable URL), include it. If none is available, complete the reference entry after the publisher. |
| Reference entry with URL |
| van den Berg, G., & Pietersma, P. (201S). Key Management Models: The 75+ models every manager needs to know (3rd ed.). Pearson Education Limited. https://www.pearson.com/uk/educators/higher-educationeducators/program/Van-den-Berg-Key-Management. ModeIs-3rd-Edition- The–75-Models-Every-Manager-Needs-to-Know-3rd-Edition/PGM1071605.html |
| Reference entry without DOI or URL |
| van den Berg, G., & Pietersma, P. (201S). Key Management Models: The 75+ models every manager needs to know (3rd ed.). Pearson Education Limited. |
Chapter in an edited book
| Item type | Book section |
| Title | Title of the chapter |
| Author(s) | Last name, first name (of each author) |
| Editors | Last name, first name (of each editor) |
| Book title | Title of the entire book |
| Edition | From the 2nd on |
| Publisher | Name of publisher |
| Date | Year of publication |
| Pages | Pages of the selected chapter |
| Url | When given |
| Further Information |
| The place of publication is unnecessary. If the book has a DOI (or a stable URL), include it. If none is available, complete the reference entry after the publisher. |
| Reference entry with URL |
| Svennevig, J. (2011). Leadership style in managers’ feedback in meetings. In J. Angouri & M. Mara (Eds.), Constructing identities at work (pp. 17-39). Palgrave Macmillan. https//link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057%2F9780230360051_2 |
| Reference entry without DOI or URL |
| Svennevig, J. (2011). Leadership style in managers’ feedback in meetings. In J. Angouri & M. Mara (Eds.), Constructing identities at work (pp. 17-39). Palgrave Macmillan. |
Report
| Item type | Report |
| Title | Title of the report |
| Author(s) | Last name, first name (of each author) or name of the organization |
| Report number | When provided |
| Place | Place of publication |
| Publisher | Name of publisher, if not online |
| Date | Year of publication |
| Url | When given |
| Further information |
| The URL should be provided following the publisher of the report. If a report has a number, it should be indicated following the title before, in parentheses, before the full stop. |
| Reference entry with URL |
| World Health Organization. (2021). COP26 Special Report on Climate Change and Health: The Health Argument for Climate Action. World Health Organization. file:///Users/larssynstaley/Downloads/9789240036727-eng.pdf |
Internal (non-public) sources
| Item type | Report |
| Title | Title of the document [Intranet/or relevant location] |
| Author(s) | Last name, first name (of each author) or name of the organization |
| Publisher | Name of publisher, if not online |
| Date | Year of publication |
| Url | When given |
| Further information |
| Following the title of the source, indicate the location where the document was obtained, i.e., your company’s intranet or SharePoint. Please note that this differs from APA’s method of handling internal documents as personal communication. |
| Reference entry |
| FHNW School of Business. (2021). Module Description 375: Foundations of Business Law [Internal Sharepoint Document]. https://groups.inside.fhnw.ch/workspace_sites/ModulbeschreibungenHSW/Module%20Descriptions/375.pdf |
Newspaper article
| Item type | Newspaper article |
| Title | Title of the article |
| Author(s) | Last name, first name (of each author) |
| Publisher | Name of the publisher (i.e., newspaper) |
| Date | Year, day, month |
| Pages | When given |
| Url | When given |
| Reference entry with URL |
| Diaz, J. (2021, June 23). An energy company behind a major bribery scandal in Ohio will pay a $230 million fine. National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/2021/07/23/1019567905/an-energy-company-behind-a- major-bribery-scandal-in-ohio-will-pay-a-230-million- |
| Reference entry without URL |
| Diaz, J. (2021, June 23). An energy company behind a major bribery scandal in Ohio will pay a $230 million fine. National Public Radio. |
Website
| Item type | Website |
| Title | Title of the webpage |
| Author(s) | Last name, first name (of each author) or name of the organization |
| Website type | Indicate when not a normal website. I.e., indicate blog entry |
| Date | Year of publication |
| Url | Url of website |
| Further Information |
| The “Downloaded on” field only needs to be filled in for content that can change quickly (e.g. blog posts). When the name of the organization (i.e., authors) and the name of the website (i.e., publisher) are the same, the publisher is left out and the URL directly follows the title of the webpage. |
| Reference entry with Url |
| The University of Edinburgh. (2018). Assessing Reflection. Reflection Toolkit. https://www.ed.ac. uk/reflection/faciIitators-tool kit/assessment |
Image
| Item type | Artwork |
| Title | Title of the image |
| Author(s) | Last name, first name (of each author) or name of the organization |
| Medium | Type of image (e.g., photo, oil painting, etc.) |
| Date | Year of publication |
| Url | Url of website |
| Further Information |
| If an image is the subject of scientific research, its use is protected by the right of citation. If not, the rights must be clarified and the image must be used according to the specifications of the rights holders. |
| Reference entry with Url |
| Krupa, J. (n.d.). Rosengarten [Photo]. https://www.locationsoout.net/switzerland/3208-rosengarten/20036 |