APA (American Psychological Association) 7th is an author-date referencing style where you have an in-text citation and a related entry in a reference list at the end of your document.

APA 7th - legal material

This guide is for students who are studying non-law disciplines. Law students should refer to The New Zealand Law Style Guide.

The guidelines below are for New Zealand cases, Acts, and Regulations. For other jurisdictions, see Chapter 11 in the APA manual, which largely follows The Bluebook.

Add a reference list entitled References at the end of your essay, citing all sources used in the body of your writing, except for personal communications.

The reference list should be in alphabetical order by the first author's surname (last name).

The first line of each reference should be aligned with the left margin. Second and subsequent lines should be indented seven spaces (1.27cm).

An example reference list

See also: multiple works by the same author, one source cited in another, similar information from multiple works, abbreviations.

See also: Multiple works by the same author, Similar information from multiple works, One source quoted in another

An example paragraph

See also: more on paraphrasing ...

Direct quotes of less than 40 words require quotation marks and the page number/s.

• A "review of the National Office Early Childhood and Regional Education group" was completed on their management and support structure (Ministry of Education, 2009, p. 34).
• The Ministry of Education (2009) "completed a $500 million capital works programme in 2008/09" on making sure that school buildings would meet future needs and demands (p. 37).
• Data showed that there is a serious health risk from eating contaminated shellfish and that the "long-term nature of the toxicity associated with seafood toxins makes them a particularly important public health issue" (Australia New Zealand Food Authority, 2001, p. 14). 
• Australia New Zealand Food Authority (2001) reported that "poisonous seafood neither looks nor tastes different from uncontaminated seafood" (p. 3).

See also: more on quoting, including long quotes ...

This material is based on the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (2020). For further information, please consult the manual directly.