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APA reference list entry structure

An APA reference list entry gives the author, year, title and source in that order. Entries are listed A-Z by author, with a hanging indent on any lines after the first.

Part of: VCE Applied Computing - U1O1 - Data analysis — Module 59, VCE Data Analytics - U3O1 - Data Analytics — Module 55, VCE Data Analytics - U3O2 - Analysis and Design — Module 109

Understanding APA reference list entry structure in VCE Data Analysis

What it does: Australian comes before Smith alphabetically, so the entries are in the correct reference list order. This entry follows Author. (Year). Title. Source. with the surname and initial first, the year in brackets, the title, then the publisher. A reference list is sorted A-Z by author, not by when you used each source. In a hanging indent, lines after the first are pushed in, which makes the author names easy to scan. The source is the last part of the entry and shows where the work was published or can be found. APA uses a set order so every entry looks consistent and is easy to read.

Common mistakes: The entry starts with the year instead of the author. An APA entry must follow the order Author. (Year). Title. Source. It should be: Chen, L. (2021). Data. Wiley. Reference list entries must be in alphabetical order by author surname. Zhao would come after Cole, so it cannot sit between Ali and Cole. The line should start with Baker.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 56–67) and word search (Modules 56–80).

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Learning
Duo
Which order does an APA reference list entry use?
Title. Author. Source. (Year).Author. (Year). Title. Source.
Matches
Smith, J. Data privacy. (2021). Tech Press.
↓
The year is in the wrong place. It must come straight after the author, before the title.
Applying
Meanings
Term
Author. (Year). Title. Source.
Meaning
An APA reference list entry gives the author, year, title and source in that order. Entries are listed A-Z by author, with a hanging indent on any lines after the first.
Practice
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022).
Testing
Gaps
. (Year). Title. Source.
Check Answer
Spots
2Brown, K. (2020). Data. Sage.
3(2021). Chen, L. Data. Wiley.

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Quick Questions

1. Which order does an APA reference list entry use?
A. Author. (Year). Title. Source. ✓
B. Title. Author. Source. (Year).
APA entries always run in the order author, year, title, source.
2. How should entries in an APA reference list be arranged?
A. Alphabetically by the author's surname (A-Z) ✓
B. In the order you used them in your work
A reference list is sorted A-Z by author, not by when you used each source.
3. Which entry has the year in the correct APA position?
A. Smith, J. Teen screen time. (2023). Health Press.
B. Smith, J. (2023). Teen screen time. Health Press. ✓
The year goes in brackets straight after the author, followed by a full stop.
4. What is a hanging indent?
A. Only the first line is indented and later lines sit at the margin
B. The first line starts at the margin and any later lines are indented ✓
In a hanging indent, lines after the first are pushed in, which makes the author names easy to scan.
5. Which list is in correct alphabetical order for an APA reference list?
A. Brown, A. then Nguyen, T. then Zhang, L. ✓
B. Zhang, L. then Brown, A. then Nguyen, T.
B comes before N, and N comes before Z, so this order is A-Z by surname.

Match the Pairs

Author. (Year). Title. Source. → The set order of parts in an APA reference list entry: who made it, when, what it is called, and where it came from
Hanging indent → The first line of an entry starts at the left margin and any extra lines are indented
Entries in the reference list are sorted A-Z by the first author's surname → Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022). Census data. ABS. Smith, J. (2021). Data privacy. Tech Press.
An entry gives the author, then the year in brackets, then the title, then the source → Lee, A. (2023). Survey design basics. Learning Hub.
Smith, J. Data privacy. (2021). Tech Press. → The year is in the wrong place. It must come straight after the author, before the title.
Smith, J. (2021). Data privacy. Tech Press. Adams, R. (2020). Online safety. Net Books. → The entries are not in alphabetical order. Adams should be listed before Smith.

Key Term

Author. (Year). Title. Source.
An APA reference list entry gives the author, year, title and source in that order. Entries are listed A-Z by author, with a hanging indent on any lines after the first.

Fill in the Blanks

1. Author. (Year). Title. Source.
Hint: Type the first element of an APA reference list entry.
2. Author. (Year). Title. Source.
Hint: Type the element that goes inside the brackets after the author.
3. Author. (Year). Title. Source.
Hint: Type the last element, which tells the reader where the work was published or found.
4. List entries in alphabetical order
Hint: Type the word for how reference list entries are sorted by author, A to Z.
5. Lines after the first use a hanging indent
Hint: Type the word for the indent style used on the second and later lines of an entry.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A Adams, J. (2019). Data. Wiley.
B Brown, K. (2020). Data. Sage.
C (2021). Chen, L. Data. Wiley.
Line C — The entry starts with the year instead of the author. An APA entry must follow the order Author. (Year). Title. Source. It should be: Chen, L. (2021). Data. Wiley.
Question 2
A Ali, S. (2018). Big data. ABS.
B Zhao, T. (2020). Data. Sage.
C Cole, P. (2021). Data. Wiley.
Line B — Reference list entries must be in alphabetical order by author surname. Zhao would come after Cole, so it cannot sit between Ali and Cole. The line should start with Baker.
Question 3
A Patel, R. 2022. Cyber tips.
B Pearson.
C Smith, A. (2020). Web data.
D Wiley.
Line A — The year must be in round brackets followed by a full stop. It should be: Patel, R. (2022). Cyber tips.
Question 4
A Lee, S. Data privacy. (2021).
B OAIC. https://oaic.gov.au
C Mills, T. (2019). Data ethics.
D Pearson.
Line A — The year goes straight after the author, before the title. The order is Author. (Year). Title. Source. It should be: Lee, S. (2021). Data privacy.
Question 5
A Reid, A. (2019). Data. Sage.
B Smith, B. [2020]. Bias. ABS.
C Tran, C. (2021). Maps. Wiley.
Line B — APA puts the year in round brackets, not square brackets. It should be: Smith, B. (2020). Bias. ABS.

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