Guidelines on Reference Citations and Reference List (updated in Sep 2022)

In academic writing, students are expected to support their arguments with knowledge and ideas
from other scholars and trustworthy sources. Showing proper academic respect to the relevant
sources of information through a standardized referencing style is essential. The School of
Nursing & Health Studies currently adopts the referencing style proposed by the American
Psychological Association (APA 7th ed.) for English works. Advice from the Office for
Advancement of Learning and Teaching (ALTO) of HKMU was sought for academic writings
in Chinese.

General Rules for Reference List

English reference list:

1. Arrange entries in alphabetical order by the surname of the first author.
2. Multiple single-author entries by the same author: arrange by year of publication, the
earliest first.
3. Entries by the same first author but different subsequent authors: arrange the entries
alphabetically by the surname of the subsequent authors.
4. Entries by the same author with the same publication date (e.g. in the same year):
arrange alphabetically by the title (excluding article like “a” or “the”). Differentiate each
entry with a lowercase letters (a, b, c …) immediately after the year of publication.
5. Pay attention to the use of punctuations (e.g. commas, periods, semi-colon) and styles of
characters (e.g. bold/italics).

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 In-text citation

Basic Principles of Citation of in-text citation

The following are guidelines for writing in-text citations:
 Ensure that the spelling of author names and the publication dates in reference list
entries match those in the corresponding in-text citations.
 Cite the works that you have read and the ideas that you have incorporated into your
writing. The works you cite may provide essential background information, support or
dispute your thesis, or offer critical definitions and data.
 Include only those citations needed to support your immediate point.
 Cite primary sources when possible.
 Cite sources to document all facts and figures that you mention that are not common
knowledge.
 To cite a specific part of a source, provide an author-date citation for the work plus
information about the specific part.

 Parenthetical citation
The author and date appear within parentheses:
The issue was described in more detail (Chan, 2022).

 Narrative citation
The author appears in the text with the date in parentheses:
Chan (2022) describes the issue in more detail...

Author type Parenthetical citation Narrative citation

One author (Chan, 2022) Chan (2022) examined ...

Two authors (Chan & Lee, 2022) Chan and Lee (2022)
examined ...

Three or more authors (Chan et al., 2022) Chan et al. (2022) examined ...

Author of a chapter in an (chapter author/s, 2022) Chapter author/s suggested...

edited book
If a chapter is cited, cite the
chapter author/s, not the
editor/s
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Works with the same author (Chan, 2022a, 2020b) In her papers Chan (2022a,
and same date 2020b) described ...
Add a, b, etc. to the year in the
in-text citation and reference
list.

Authors with the same (A. Smith, 2022; B. Smith, Alexandra Smith (2022) and
surname 2020) Brian Smith (2020) provided ...
Include the initials and arrange
names alphabetically

Group author with First citation - full name First citation - full name with
abbreviation with abbreviation: abbreviation:
(Australia Institute of Australia Institute of Health
Reference list: Use the full Health and Welfare and Welfare (AIHW, 2022)
name of the group. Do not [AIHW], 2022) reported ...
abbreviate the group name Subsequent citations: Subsequent citations:
(AIHW, 2022) AIHW (2022) provided ...

Group author without (Ports of Auckland, 2021) Ports of Auckland (2021)

abbreviation reported ...

Citing multiple works (Chan, 2022; Wong & Ho, Chan (2022), Wong and Ho
Parenthetical citation: 2021; Lee et al., 2020) (2021), and Lee et al. (2020)
place citations in alphabetical examined ...
order separated by a semi-
colon.
Narrative citation: citations
can be presented in any order.

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Quotations and paraphrasing
 Direct quotations
When you include a quote in your writing (a sentence or words reproduced from a text, such
as a book or an article), your in-text citation should include the author, date of the source, a
page number, or other indication of the specific part of the work that the quote is originated.

Short quotes, fewer than 40 words, can be included in the paragraph in quotation marks:

Ethnographic studies can be described as “a qualitative study design that is commonly

used in health and anthropology and can help researchers understand and address
health/social problems from a specific cultural perspective” (Polgar & Thomas, 2020, p.
81).

Quotes of more than 40 words need to be in a separate indented paragraph or block quote:

Polgar & Thomas (2020) described how to conduct a quantitative analysis of interview
transcripts:
A number of quantitative analysis possibilities are presented with interview
transcripts. The researcher might count the number of words spoken by each
participant to obtain quantitative measurements of their relative contribution to the
conversational process. Another possibility would be to count the number of
questions asked by the clinician. (p. 81)

 Paraphrasing
If you are paraphrasing (restating an idea from a text in your own words) you are not required
to provide a page or paragraph number in the in-text citation, but you may include one when it
would help the readers locate the relevant passage.

 Secondary citations
A secondary citation is where you cite information or quotes that the author of your
reference has taken from a source you have not read. As far as reasonably practicable,
students should locate the original source. It is not recommended to use secondary citations
unless the original source cannot be located.

In-text citation

The pain resulting from medical procedures is one of the most stressful and scary
experiences in children (Birnie et al., 2014, as cited in Saliba et al., 2021).

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 Reference List

Basic Principles of Reference List Entries

 A reference list entry generally has four elements: the author, date, title, and source.
 The reference list is double-spaced.
 A reference list is arranged alphabetically by the author last name.
 Each reference appears on a new line.
 Each item in the reference list is required to have a hanging indent.

1. Book/Ebook References

Material Type Reference List Example

Book from a library Hayden, J. (2019). Health behavior theory. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
database: No DOI Do not include the database information in the reference.
(Single Author)

Book from the web: Power, J. (2018). The European blood and marrow transplantation
No DOI textbook for nurses. Springer Nature.
(Single Author) https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/41668
If a URL 'jumps' down a line, leave it. Do not 'break' URLs across
lines, as this will stop the link from working.

Book: 2 Authors McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2021). Nursing informatics and
and Edition foundation of knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
The edition number is included after the title of the work (not
necessary for first editions).

Book: 3 to 20 Hockenberry, M. J., Rodger, C. C., & Wilson, D. (2022). Wong’s

Authors, no DOI essentials of pediatric nursing (11th ed.). Elsevier.
Provide the names of all authors in the reference list, up to and
including 20 authors.
For a book with 21 or more authors, follow the same author format
as for a journal article with 21 or more authors.

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Material Type Reference List Example

Book: Diagnostic American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical

Manual (DSM-5) manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Book: Editor(s) Comite, U. (Ed.). (2022). Handbook of research on healthcare

standards, policies, and reform. IGI Global.
https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-8868-0
With more than one editor, follow the multiple author format as
above and use (Eds.).
Bowers, C. A., Beidel, D. C., Marks, M. R., Horan, K., & Cannon-
Bowers, J. (Eds.). (2022). Mental health and wellness in
healthcare workers: Identifying risks, prevention, and
treatment. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-
8813-0

Book: With Author Livesay, S., Zonsius, M., & McNette, M. (2020). Data for nurses:
and Editor Understanding and using data to optimize care delivery in
hospitals and health (M. McNett, Ed.). Elsevier.
Note that the editor's name appears with initials first and surname
following.

Chapter or part of a Shah, T. H. (2018). Big data analytics in higher education. In S. M.

Book to which a Perry (Ed.), Maximizing social science research through
number of authors publicly accessible data sets (pp. 38-61). IGI Global.
have contributed Note that the editor's name appears with initials first and surname
following.

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1.1. Whole authored book
First author’s surname, Initials., Second author’s surname, Initials., & Third author’s
surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title of book. Publisher.
Goodman, B. (2019). Psychology & sociology in nursing (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

1.2. Whole edited book

Editors. (Eds.). (Year). Name of the book. Publisher.
Chilton, S., & Bain, H. (Eds.). (2018). A textbook of community nursing. Routledge.
Kesharwani, P. (Ed.). (2020). Nanotechnology based approaches for tuberculosis
treatment. Academic Press.

1.3. Chapter in an edited book

Author(s). (Year). Topic of the chapter. In Editors. (Eds.), Name of the book (pp. xxx－
xxx). Publisher.
Hauff, E. (2019). The actual status of postgraduate training. In M. M. Hermans, C. H. Tan,
& E. Pi (Eds.). Education about mental health and illness (pp. 63-77). Springer.

1.4. Book, author as group or publisher

Name of the group. (Year). Name of the book. Publisher.
American Nurses Association. (2021). Nursing administration: Scope and standards of
practice (4th ed.). American Nurses Association.

1.5. Book with no author or editors

Name of the book (Year). Publisher.
Oxford concise English-Chinese medical dictionary (2nd ed.). (2013). Oxford University
Press.

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2. Journal article

2.1 Print article

Author(s) of journal article – family name and initials, use & for multiple authors. (Year).
Title of journal article. Journal name, Volume(Issue or number), Page number(s).
Tan, L. F., & Seetharaman, S. K. (2021). COVID-19 outbreak in nursing homes in
Singapore. Journal of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infection, 54(1), 123.

2.2 One author

Author(s) of journal article – family name and initials, use & for multiple authors. (Year).
Title of journal article. Journal name, Volume(Issue or number), Page number(s). DOI
address OR Web address (if no DOI available)

Elkman, L. (2022). Developing and evaluating an e-learning resource for nurses in

haemato-oncology. Cancer Nursing Practice, 21(4).
https://doi.org/10.7748/cnp.2018.e1510

2.3 Two authors

Author(s) of journal article – family name and initials, use & for multiple authors. (Year).
Title of journal article. Journal name, Volume(Issue or number), Page number(s). DOI
address OR Web address (if no DOI available)
Beazley, C., Blattner, K., & Herd, G. (2021). Point-of-care hematology analyzer quality
assurance programme: A rural nursing perspective. Journal of Primary Health
Care, 13(1), 84-90. https://doi.org/10.1071/HC20080

2.4 Three to twenty authors

Author(s) of journal article – family name and initials, use & for multiple authors.
(Year). Title of journal article. Journal nam, Volume(Issue or number), Page
number(s). DOI address OR Web address (if no DOI available)
Helvik, A. S., Bergh, S., Šaltytė Benth, J., Selbaek, G., Husebo, B. S., & Tevik, K. (2022).
Pain in nursing home residents with dementia and its association to quality of
life. Aging & Mental Health, 26(9), 1787-1797.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.1947968

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2.5 21 authors or more
Author(s) of journal article – family name and initials for first 19 . . . Last Author
family name, initial(s). (Year). Title of journal article. Journal name, Volume(Issue or
number), Page number(s). DOI address OR Web address (if available)
List all authors up to 19 names.
For 21 or more authors, include the first 19, then an ellipsis - ... - followed by the last
author's name.
Nath, A. P., Ritchie, S. C., Grinberg, N. F., Tang, H. H., Huang, Q. Q., Teo, S. M., Ahola-
Olli, A. V., Wurtz, P., Havulinna, A. S., Santalahti, K., Pitkanen, N., Lehtimaki, T.,
Kahonen, M., Lyytikainen, L. P., Raitoharju, E., Seppala, I., Sarin, A. P., Ripatti, S.,
Palotie, A., . . . Inouye, M. (2019). Multivariate genome-wide association analysis
of a cytokine network reveals variants with widespread immune, hematological, and
cardio-metabolic pleiotropy. American Journal of Human Genetics, 105(6), 1076-
1090. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2019.10.001

3. Newspaper or magazine article

3.1. Newspaper article

Author(s) of article – family name and initials, use & for multiple authors. (Year). Title of
article. Newspaper title, Page number(s) - if available. Web or DOI address - if available
Lytton, C. (2020, January 18). The playground game re-energising gym classes. Brisbane
Times. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/the-playground-game-re-
energising-gym-classes-20200117-p53sga.html

3.2. Newspaper article, no author

Title of article. (Year, Month Day). Newspaper title, Page number(s) - if available. Web
or DOI address - if available
Number of coronavirus cases linked to Hong Kong nursing homes rises as health experts
call for unvaccinated elderly residents to get jabs. (2022, Jun 27). South China Morning
Post.

3.3. Online news websites

Author(s) of article – family name and initials, use & for multiple authors. (Year, Month
Day - if available). Title of article. Name of news website. Web address
McGhee, R. & Burt, J. (2019, November 22). Bushfire crisis costing Queensland and
northern NSW millions. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-
22/queensland-bushfire-crisis-nsw-fires-cost-insurance-damage-bill/11725920

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3.4. Magazine article
Author(s) - last name, initial(s). (Year, Month Day - if available). Article title. Magazine
name, volume(Issue - if available), Page(s) - if available. DOI or Web address - if
available
Flora, C. (2017, September 5). The hardest word. Psychology Today,
50(5). https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201709/the-hardest-
word?collection=1105674
If any elements eg. page numbers are missing, leave them out.

4. Conference paper
Author(s) of paper – last name and initials, use & for multiple authors. (Year, Month
Date(s)). Title of paper. [Type of paper eg. Paper presentation]. Conference Name, Location.
DOI or Web address - if available.
Norton, M., Moloney, G., Burke, S., Sanson, A., & Louis, W. (2018, September 27-
30). Psychological responses to social threats: From stigma to solidarity [Paper
presentation]. 2018 APS Congress Psychology advancing into a new age, Sydney,
NSW, Australia.

5. Doctoral dissertations or Master’s theses

5.1.Theses published online

Author, A. A. (Year). Title [Doctoral or Masters thesis or dissertation, Name of the
Institution]. Database Name. URL
Kelly, C. B. D. (2018). The art of coffee roasting: Investigations into sensor development
for the application of controlling coffee roasting [Doctoral thesis, The University of
Waikato]. The University of Waikato Research
Commons. https://hdl.handle.net/10289/11614
Miller, T. (2019). Enhancing readiness: An exploration of the New Zealand Qualified
Firefighter Programme [Master's thesis, Auckland University of Technology].
Tuwhera. https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/handle/10292/12338

5.2.Unpublished theses and dissertations

Author, A. A. (Year). Title [Unpublished doctoral or master's thesis or dissertation].
Name of the Institution awarding the degree.
Stewart, Y. (2000). Dressing the tarot [Unpublished master's thesis]. Auckland University
of Technology.

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6. Government report
Author(s) - last name, initial(s) or company name - use & for multiple authors.
(Year). Title of report (Report number - if available). Publisher - include if different to
author. Web address - if available
Centre for Health Protection. (2018). Report of Unintentional Injury Survey 2018.
https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/report_of_unintentional_injury_survey_2018_en.pdf

7. Webpage

7.1.Webpage within website - individual author

Author(s) of page – person or organisation, use & for multiple authors. (Year, Month Day
- if available). Title of page. Website name. Web address
Shapiro, R. E., & Cowan, R. (2017, January 10). Key points about caffeine and
migraines. American Migraine Foundation.
https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/caffeine-and-migraine/

7.2.Webpage within website - group author

Group author name. (Year, Month Day - if available). Title of page. Website name - if
needed. Web address
Mayo Clinic. (2017, March 8). Nutrition and healthy
eating. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-
eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678?p=1

7.3.Webpage within website - no date

Group author name. (n.d.). Title of page. Website name - if needed. Web address
Australian Psychological Society. (n.d.). Anxiety
disorders. https://www.psychology.org.au/for-the-public/Psychology-
Topics/Anxiety
Leave out the name of the website if the author and site name are the same.

8. Press (media) release – online

Author - last name, initial(s) or corporate name. (Year, Month Day). Title [Press release].
Web address
Office of Fair Trading. (2018, August 17). Community groups key to seniors staying
engaged [Press release]. https://www.qld.gov.au/law/laws-regulated-industries-
and-accountability/queensland-laws-and-regulations/fair-trading-services-
programs-and-resources/fair-trading-latest-news/media-statements/community-
groups-key-to-seniors-staying-engaged
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9. Others (e.g. brochure, leaflet, videotape)
Author - last name, initial(s) or corporate name. (Year). Title of work [Type of
information]. Publisher.
Department of Health. (2019). Liver Cancer Prevention and Screening [Leaflet]. Hong
Kong Government press.

Acceptable Abbreviations

p. (pp.) page (pages) 2nd ed. second edition

ed. Edition Ed. (Eds.) Editor (Editors)
Rev. ed. revised edition Vol. Volume (as in Vol. 4)
Chap. Chapter Vols. Volumes (as in 4 vols)
No. Number Trans. Translator(s)
n. d. No date / non-dated Pt. Part
Suppl. Supplement Tech. Rep. Technical Report

Level and Style of Headings

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 References
American Psychological Association. (2020). APA style. https://apastyle.apa.org/

The University of Queensland. (2021). APA 7th referencing style.

https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa7

Declaration
This guide is for reference only. If in doubt, students should refer to the seventh edition of the
American Psychological Association's publication manual.

(Prepared by Course Maintenance Sub-Group on Sep 2022,

Departmental Learning and Teaching Workgroup,
Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Health Studies)

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