In-text Citation
The brief information appears in the text of the paper. The format is in following order:
- The surname(s) of the author(s), e.g. for Paul Smith, Smith is the surname. Or use corporate full name if the author is a company or organisation.
- The year the author(s)' work was published. Use “n.d.” if the date is unknown.
- The page number(s) of the cited work (necessary if direct quotation or figures/data are used)
Note: The format for one page is ‘p. 5’ and for multiple pages, the format is ‘pp. 23-35’.
If the author's name appears in the sentence itself, write the publication year of your source in round brackets.
If the author's name does not appear in the sentence itself, state the author's surname and year of publication in round brackets with no punctuation between the two items.
Direct quote
Direct quotes are to be enclosed in '...' and include the page number after the publication year.
Note: The format for one page is ‘p. 5’ and for multiple pages, the format is ‘pp. 23-35’.
Sampling is defined as a 'process of selecting the right individuals as representatives for the entire population' (Sekaran & Bougie 2009, p. 240).
Long quote
Where direct quotes exceed 30 words they should be indented from the left margin and single line spaced without quotation marks. The quote should be introduced by a colon (:) and one line space should separate the quote from the introductory statement and from the text that follows. The quote should be set one point smaller than the font used for the main text.
Tanenbaum (2008, p. 1) has the following to say about technological evolution:
Each of the past three centuries has been dominated by a single technology. The 18th Century was the time of great mechanical systems accompanying the Industrial Revolution. The 19th Century was the age of the steam engine. During the 20th Century, the key technology has been information gathering, processing and distribution.
If the author's name appears in the sentence itself, write the publication year of your source in round brackets.
If the author's name does not appear in the sentence itself, state the author's surname and year of publication in round brackets with no punctuation between the two items.
- For a source with 2 or 3 authors, state the authors' surname in the text or in the parenthetical citation.
- Use an ampersand (&) between the names of two authors inside the parentheses and use “and” outside the parentheses.
Woods, Mahdavi and Ryan (2013) found that counseling a person with AS or autism presented a challenge for the mental health provider.
OR
Counseling a person with AS or autism presents a unique challenge for the mental health care provider (Woods, Mahdavi & Ryan 2013).
If a source has more than three authors, provide the first author's surname followed by "et al.". However, in the reference list, all authors' names must be listed.
Marketing is the key functional area of any business (Smith et al. 2009).
OR
Smith et al. (2009) proved that marketing is the key functional area of any business.
Provide the corporate name in full.
Write the corporate author in full if it is not repeated citing:
(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2022)
If citing for several times, the first time you cite it in-text, write the corporate author in full with its abbreviation and year:
(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2022)
OR
According to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD 2022), …
In subsequent citations use the abbreviation and year:
(OECD 2022)
OR
According to OECD (2022), …
Multiple sources with the same author and year
- Use a lower-case letter after the publication date, e.g. 2013a, 2013b, to differentiate between works written in the same year by the same author, and list them alphabetically by title.
- Each citation should have a matching reference in the reference list.
Tied up with the long-term prospects of the economy (Sachs 2013b) is the role of universities in sustainable development (Sachs 2013a) ...
OR
... (Sachs 2013a, 2013b).
References
Sachs, JD 2013a, 'The age of sustainable development', Project Syndicate, 23 December, viewed 31 May 2022, <https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/jeffrey-d--sachs-proposes-a-new-curriculum-for-a-new-era>.
Sachs, JD 2013b, 'On the economy, think long-term', The New York Times, 31 March, viewed 31 May 2022, <https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/opinion/on-the-economy-think-long-term.html>.
Multiple sources with the same author in one citation
If two or more works from the same author/s cite at one point in the text, arrange the sources in chronological order, starting with the earliest date and delimited by a comma.
Multiple sources with different authors in one citation
When two or more works from different authors are included in one citation, they should be arranged in alphabetical order and delimited by a semicolon.
Multiple sources by different authors with same surname in the same year
If multiple authors with the same surname in the same year, include the authors’ initials in in-text citations.
It was emphasised that … (Sachs, JD 2020). However, … (Sachs, G 2020).
OR
As noted by JD Sachs (2020) and G Sachs (2020), …
Multiple sources by different authors with same surname and same initial in the same year
If multiple authors with the same surname and same initial in the same year, provide the full name in in-text citations, and indicate given name after initial in the reference list.
It is important that … (Laura Green 2013), otherwise … (Leonard Green 2013).
References
Green, L [Laura] 2013, …
Green, L [Leonard] 2013, …
Different authors with same surname from the same source
If multiple authors within a single source share the same surname, the initials are not needed in the in-text citation.
Multiple sources for a summary of the research findings
If you are presenting a summary of the research findings from different sources, you are recommended to list them inside a table and include in-text citation for each source as below.
| Author(s) | Title | Major Findings |
| Norazah (2018) | Determinants of consumers’ purchase intentions of organic vegetables: some insights from Malaysia | This study shows that product image was confirmed as the leading factor that partially mediated the influence of consumer green marketing awareness on consumers’ purchase intentions of organic vegetables, and this was followed by CSR, but that corporate reputation was not established as a mediator. |
| Tai et al. (2020) | To buy or not to buy? Consumers' attitudes and purchase behavior for organic food in Malaysia | This study shows that health consciousness and animal welfare affect purchasing behavior directly and positively. Health consciousness, taste and food safety indirectly affect purchasing behavior while animal welfare does not have the indirect effect. |
| Yeo et al. (2022) | Factors influencing organic food purchase decision: fuzzy DEMATEL approach | This study reveals that the most important criteria in the selected firm are environment protection, chemical instrument, buying attitude and animal testing. In comparison, the cause group includes criteria such as environment protection, natural food and support for training programmes, whilst the effect group includes production practices, monitoring protections and ethically produced food. |
References
Norazah, MS 2018, 'Determinants of consumers’ purchase intentions of organic vegetables: some insights from Malaysia', Journal of Food Products Marketing, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 392-412.
Tai, LC, Yeong, WM, Malathi Nair, NN & Sia, BC 2020, 'To buy or not to buy? Consumers' attitudes and purchase behavior for organic food in Malaysia', Jurnal Pengurusan, vol. 60, pp. 3–12.
Yeo, SF, Tan, CL, Tseng, ML, Tam, S & San, WK 2022, 'Factors influencing organic food purchase decision: fuzzy DEMATEL approach', British Food Journal, preprint, viewed 27 June 2022, <https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-05-2021-0509>.
- Citing a source within a source.
- For sources that you have not actually seen (the original source) but that are referred to in another work (the secondary source).
- Use the original source wherever possible. Use the secondary source only when it is impossible to obtain the original source.
- In the text, identify the original source and write “cited in” the secondary source that you have used. If the year of the original source is unknown, omit it from the in-text citation.
- In the reference list, provide an entry for the secondary source that you used.
- For example, if you read a work by Brunskill and Hanneke (2021) in which McCarthy (1994) was cited, and you were unable to read McCarthy’s work yourself, cite McCarthy’s work as the original source, followed by Brunskill and Hanneke’s work as the secondary source. Only Brunskill and Hanneke’s work appears in the reference list.
| Example | In-text Citation | List of Reference |
| Secondary source from a journal article |
As defined by McCarthy (1994, cited in Brunskill & Hanneke 2021), … OR Research indicates ... (McCarthy 1994, cited in Brunskill & Hanneke 2021). |
Brunskill, A & Hanneke, R 2021, ‘Students who are non-users of their academic library: a scoping review’, The Journal of Academic Librarianship, vol. 47, no. 5, article no. 102423, viewed 20 June 2022, <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102423>. |
| Secondary source from a newspaper article (the year of the original source is unknown) | As pointed out by a Minnesota state representative, Zack Stephenson (cited in Asher-Schapiro 2022), … | Asher-Schapiro, A 2022, ‘US states take centre stage in battles for control over social media’, The Star Online, 17 June, viewed 20 June 2022, <https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2022/06/17/us-states-take-centre-stage-in-battles-for-control-over-social-media>. |
| Famous quotes from a webpage | As Walt Disney said, ‘When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do' (cited in BrainyMedia 2022). | BrainyMedia 2022, Walt Disney quotes, BrainyQuote, viewed 21 June 2022, <https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/walt_disney_132633>. |
| According to Carol Burnett, ‘When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go’ (cited in Sager 2022). | Sager, J 2022, 100 inspirational quotes to keep you inspired in 2022 - you can do hard things!, Parade, viewed 14 June 2022, <https://parade.com/973277/jessicasager/inspirational-quotes/>. |
Citing a source multiple times within the same paragraph
- This is only applicable if there are no other sources being cited in between.
- When you cite the source for the first time, use this format to introduce the author(s):
-
Grammer (2013) said that writing is a learned form of communication.
- When you cite the source for the second time/ subsequently, do not include the year. Use either the author’s name or their pronouns.
-
Grammer (2013) said that writing is a learned form of communication. He then explained how practicing APA helped improve students’ writing skills. He also stated that using APA allows students to have consistency with other writings in the field of study.
- Then at the end of paragraph, provide full in-text citation as below.
-
Grammer (2013) said that writing is a learned form of communication. He then explained how practicing APA helped improve students’ writing skills. He also stated that using APA allows students to have consistency with other writings in the field of study. In addition to this, scholarly writing fostered critical thinking skills (Grammer 2013).
Citing information from a figure or table
- A figure is a photo, image, map, graph, chart, diagram, or other drawings.
- A table is text/numerical data displayed in rows and columns.
- If you refer to information from the figure or table but do not reproduce it in your paper, create an in-text citation (including page number and figure/table number where possible) and a reference entry in the format appropriate for the source you found the figure/table in. For example, if information came from a table in a journal article, you would cite it as journal article format.
| In-text Citation | List of Reference |
| Relatively few citations to Wikipedia are for specific mathematical formulas or chemical properties (Brazzeal 2011, Table 1). | Brazzeal, B 2011, ‘Citations to Wikipedia in chemistry journals: a preliminary study’, Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, Fall, viewed 27 June 2022, <http://www.istl.org/11fall/refereed2.html>. |
Reproducing figures or tables
- If you reproduce a figure/table or extract information as a figure/table in your paper, you will need to number it and include the source information below the figure/table, and also include a reference entry in the format appropriate for the source you found the information.
- If an entire table or diagram were taken, the citation should be as follows:
-
(Source: Author(s)' surname Year, page number with the use of p. or pp., figure/table number if available)
- If the table or diagram has been modified or extracted from a source:
-
(Adapted from: Author(s)' surname Year, page number with the use of p. or pp., figure/table number if available)
Examples
Figure 1: Philly cheesesteak (Source: Evans 2022)
Reference
Evans, N 2022, Philly cheesesteak, Simply Recipes, viewed 24 June 2022, <https://www.simplyrecipes.com/philly-cheesesteak-recipe-5188498>.
Figure 2: Top 3 online content sharing platform in 2020 (Source: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission 2020, p. 4)
Reference
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission 2020, Internet users survey 2020, Statistics and Data Intelligence Department, MCMC, viewed 24 June 2022, <https://www.mcmc.gov.my/skmmgovmy/media/General/pdf/IUS-2020-Infographic.pdf>.
Figure 3: Pizza (Source: Hanower 2011)
Reference
Hanower, F 2011, Pizza, image, Flickr, viewed 27 June 2022, <https://flic.kr/p/a1xZxD>.
Figure 4: Budae Jjigae (Source: Lin, cited in Kim 2022)
Reference
Kim, E 2022, ‘Eric Kim’s essential Korean recipes’, The New York Times, 14 June, viewed 27 June 2022, <https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/13/dining/eric-kim-korean-food-recipes.html>.
Note: Refer to Citing a secondary source for more information
Table 1: Classification of citations to Wikipedia from 2005 to 2009
| Category | Number of Articles with Citations in Category | Percentage of Total Articles |
| General Scientific Information | 233 | 63 |
| General Non-Scientific Information | 67 | 18 |
| Further Scientific Information | 40 | 11 |
| Further Non-Scientific Information | 7 | 2 |
| Image Credits | 15 | 4 |
| Undetermined | 16 | 4 |
| Totals | 378 | 102 |
(Adapted from: Brazzeal 2011, Table 1)
Reference
Brazzeal, B 2011, ‘Citations to Wikipedia in chemistry journals: a preliminary study’, Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, Fall, viewed 27 June 2022, <http://www.istl.org/11fall/refereed2.html>.
Use the first few words of a title if it is too long.
(Networks and distributed system study book 2000).
OR
Networks and distributed system study book (2000) ...
If there is no date, use ‘n.d.’ in place of the date.
... (Hong Leong Bank Berhad n.d.).
OR
As noted by Hong Leong Bank Berhad (n.d.), ...
If there is more than one reference by the same author and they each have no date, use a hyphen and then a suffix after n.d.
... (Hong Leong Bank Berhad n.d.-a).
... (Hong Leong Bank Berhad n.d.-b).
... (Hong Leong Bank Berhad n.d.-c).
Personal communication
- You must be sure to obtain permission from the person being referred to.
- Students should not quote statements made by lecturers unless the information quoted has been officially published.
- List of reference for personal communication is not required.
- Only in-text citation is required for this material type. Details can be provided in running text or in parentheses.
- The format must include author (communicator), year, format description, day and month. The initial of the person precede the family name.
| Sender/Speaker/Author’s INITIALS Surname Year, personal communication, day and month. |
The Vice Chancellor's statement was confirmed during an interview (P Dawkins 2011, personal communication, 11 October).
OR
During an interview conducted on 11 October 2011, Prof Peter Dawkins stated that …
Smith (2014) observes/ point out/ remarks/ says/ states/ affirms/ argues/ believes/ claims/ concludes/explains/ finds/ implies/ suggests...
As Smith (2014) has observed...
As noted by Smith (2014)...
According to Smith (2014)...
It has been argued by Smith (2014) that...
In Smith's (2014) view...
Recent evidence suggests... (Smith 2014).
Strong evidence was found by Smith (2014) that...
An alternative view is that... (Smith 2014).