Academic Support Centre - Writing Help & APA Style

Writing assistance, including guidance on citation, referencing, and APA Style, is available from the professional tutors in the Academic Support Centres tricampus. 

Recommended APA Style Guides

Writing Rescue. (2021). APA Citing - 7th Edition [Video File playlist] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_PEdEyhgu3SITeGiF8uSp5IvoxYME7O2 [Closed captioning and transcript are available via YouTube].

Citing Guidelines

  • Acknowledge the source and content creator when using a short excerpt from a book.
  • Acknowledge the source and content creator when using a short excerpt from a periodical (newspaper, magazine, journal, serial).
  • Acknowledge the source and content creator when using text from an online source.
  • Acknowledge the source and content creator when using an image from an online source in a handout whose text you wrote.
  • Acknowledge the source and content creator when using an image from an online source or a printed source.

Copied with minor edits from the Fanshawe College Library Copyright Services Guide.

When to Quote and/or Cite Sources

If the ideas and expression of those ideas belong to you, they don’t have to be Quoted or Cited.

Common Knowledge doesn’t have to be Quoted or Cited.

If you’re summarizing someone else’s words – Cite.

Facts have to be Quoted and Cited.

Facts Proven by Research have to be Quoted and Cited.

General Rule: If it’s not in your words: Quote & Cite.

Use Quotations

Scenario 1

Quote material when you believe that the way the author has expressed an idea is the most effective way to communicate the point you want to make.

  • Identify the Source (Name Author & Text)“Quote” from it and Cite it (Author’s Last Name, Page Number of Source).

In his feature article ‘The Continued Evolution of Social Media’, Martin Brens stated that “social media has not yet reached its peak, it will continue to evolve and impact our lives” (Brens, 37).

Scenario 2

Quote material when a quotation the author has included supports the point you’re trying to make.

  • Identify the Source (Name of Author & Text)“Quote” the ‘Quotation’ and Cite it (Author’s Last Name, Page Number of Source).

In his feature article ‘The Continued Evolution of Social Media’, Martin Brens interviewed the chief programmer of a social media start-up who said that ‘the rapid speed at which technology is evolving will allow us to make instantaneous updates to our software platform‘ (Brens, 39).

Scenario 3

If you’re using more than a complete sentence or more than two lines of the author’s material…

  • Separate your text from the author’s material,
  • Reduce the Font Size and Indent the author’s material,
  • Identify the Source (Name of Author & Text) but Don’t use “Quotations” of Cite.

In his feature article, ‘The Continued Evolution of Social Media’, Martin Brens writes that:

Social Media didn’t begin with today’s most popular networking sites, the concept of

social media has been around since the dawn of the internet. As each new social

media agent is introduced, they often try to add their own spin to the concept. In

many regards, parallels can be drawn between this and the biological evolution.  

Brens makes a very interesting and important point. The significance of his research…

Citing Sources

In the text of your paper, end the sentence where you’ve placed a quote with a Citation. Mention the Author of the Material and the Page where the Quote came from. Put this information in (Brackets) and place the Period to finish the sentence after the citation.

(Brens, 24).

Include these lists at the end of your paper:

  • Works Cited: a list of the sources you cited in your paper.
  • Bibliography: a list of the sources you consulted while researching your paper.

‘Citation Guides’ are available within the Academic Support Centre and online via The Learning Portal.

Government and Crown Publications

Provincial Government Publications

Provincial print and online materials are protected by Crown Copyright which is held by the King’s Printer for Ontario. These materials can be reproduced for education and training-related purposes as long as the following conditions are met:

  • Credit the Provincial Government Publication (a.k.a. the title)
  • Acknowledge Crown Copyright
  • Acknowledge that the reproduction is not the official version

Example: How to Cite a Provincial Publication © King's Printer for Ontario, January 2000. Official version available here: [LINK].

Federal Government Publications

Federal print and online materials are produced and compiled by the Government of Canada and are protected by Crown Copyright. They can be reproduced for education and training-related purposes as long as the following conditions are met:

  • Identify the Government of Canada as the source (a.k.a. the title)
  • Acknowledge Crown Copyright
  • Acknowledge that the reproduction is not the official version

Example: How to Cite a Federal Publication © His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, January 2000. Official version available here: [LINK].

APA Style 7th ed. Video

SLC Libraries. (2020). APA Style 7th edition Academic Support Centre video. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/kFefLyHw3ss

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Retrieving an APA Style citation from results in the Page 1+ Library Search

When viewing a detailed item record in the Page 1+ search platform, a computer-generated citation is available to copy and paste. Look for the quotation marks symbol to identify the citation tool. Select "APA (7th edition)" and copy and paste the text. Always follow instructor guidelines and proofread the text to ensure accuracy.

 screen shot of citation feature in Page 1+ item record