APA 7th Edition is the most commonly used referencing style here at the University of Portsmouth. Below you will find general guidance on how to reference and cite using APA 7th Edition, as well as examples for the specific sources you are likely to use in your assignments. 

Your department or lecturer may prefer you to reference sources differently from the guidance given here. Always follow the requirements of your department or lecturer. 

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The following guidance is for referencing whole apps. For entries in mobile app reference works including JRCALC, please see the guidance here.

 

Reference

The date used should be year of publication of the version of the app you are using.

Author or Group Name. (Year of release). Name of App (Version) [Mobile app]. Publisher or App store. URL

Fun Devs LLC. (2018). Video MP3 Converter (Version 1.6.28) [Mobile app]. Google Play Store. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fundevs.app.mediaconverter&hl=en_GB

 

In-text Citation

The names of apps should be italicised in the reference, but not in the text of your work. 

With Video MP3 Converter (FunDevs LLC, 2018), you can convert, resize and trim your videos...

 

Common software and programming languages mentioned in the text of your work but not paraphrased or quoted do not need references or citations.

"Common" will be relative to your area of study. Examples of software which doesn't require referencing include Microsoft Office, survey software (e.g. Survey Monkey), Adobe products and statistical programs such as SPSS. For these you simply give the name of the software within your text. 

For video games follow this guidance.

 

Reference

Author, Initials. or Group. (Year of release). Name of software (Version number) [Computer software]. Publisher. URL.

TechSmith Corporation. (2017). Camtasia Studio (Version 3) [Computer software]. http://www.techsmith.com/download.html

 

In-text Citation

If you refer to the name of software you have referenced and cited in your text, this should be in italics.

Camtasia Studio (TechSmith, 2017) can be used to record tutorials...

This software was created by TechSmith (2017)...

 

When the author and publisher are the same, omit the publisher from the reference.

Include a URL if the game can be downloaded online (e.g. from an App Store or from Steam). 

 

Reference

Author, Initials. or Group. (Year of release). Name of video game (Platform and/or Version) [Video game]. Publisher. URL.

InnoGames. (2012). Forge of empires (Android Version 1.216.14) [Video game]. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.innogames.foeandroid

Media Molecule. (2011). Little big planet (Playstation 3) [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment

 

In-text Citation

If you refer to the name of the video game you have referenced and cited in your text, this should be in italics.

Little Big Planet (Media Molecule, 2012) was highly successful... 

This video game was created by InnoGames (2011)...

 

Bloomberg terminals contain many different types of sources. 

If the source you are using contains a link to an external site where it originated, please click through and use the original for your reference and citation. The format of your reference and citation will depend on the type of source it is.

If the source you are using is only available from the Bloomberg terminal, please follow the guidance below.

 

With named author(s)

Reference

Author, Initials. or Name of organisation. (Year of publication). Title. Retrieved from Bloomberg terminal.

J. Sainsbury Plc. (2020). Annual report and Financial Statements. Retrieved from Bloomberg terminal.

 

In-text Citation

If the source doesn't have any page numbers you can use paragraph numbers in place of pages if you need to use them. You should use para. in place of p. to show this is what you are doing. For information about the use of page and paragraph numbers within in-text citations, please see our guidance here.

Profits were affected... (J. Sainsbury Plc., 2020) 

J. Sainsbury Plc. (2020, p. 5) reported profits... 

 

Without named author

Some content is written by Bloomberg themselves. This won't have a link to an external site or a named author. In this case, you can use Bloomberg as the author.

 

Reference

Bloomberg. (Year of publication if available). Title. Retrieved from Bloomberg terminal.

Bloomberg. (n.d.). Apple Inc. financial analysis. Retrieved from Bloomberg terminal.

 

In-text Citation

If the source doesn't have any page numbers you can use paragraph numbers in place of pages if you need to use them. You should use para. in place of p. to show this is what you are doing. For information about the use of page and paragraph numbers within in-text citations, please see our guidance here.

It was reported that... (Bloomberg, n.d.).

Bloomberg (n.d., para. 4) reported that...  

 

Data sets must be referenced if you have conducted secondary analyses of publicly archived data, or you have archived your own data being presented for the first time.

You must include a retrieval date if the data is likely to change over time.

 

Reference

Author, Initials. or Name of Organisation / Department. (Year of publication). Title of data set (Version) [Data set]. Retrieved Month Date, Year, from https:doi.org/ or URL

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. (2014). Price series for cereals – weekly [Data set]. Retrieved June 2, 2021 from https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/commodity-prices

 

In-text Citation

Prices fell in January and February 2014 before a sharp increase in early March (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, 2014).

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2014) reported price falls in January...

 

As with text, the source of previously published computer code needs to be acknowledged, but the APA style guide does not currently give examples. Use the example below as a guide if you need to reference and cite computer code.

It is standard practice for programmers to re-use code from elsewhere. However, using large amounts of other people’s code even if properly referenced may not allow you to demonstrate your own skills and abilities and result in  a lower mark, so check the assignment brief and/or consult with your tutor if you are unsure about code re-use.

 

Reference

Author, Initial. (Year). Title (Version number if any) [Source code]. URL

Smith, J. (2011). GraphicsDrawer source code (Version 2.0) [Source code]. http://www. graphicsdrawer.com

 

In-text Citation

The in-text citation is contained in comments in the code:

**/
*    The following code snippet was taken from/adapted from Smith (2011).
**/