APA 7
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.
External visitors are welcome to use this guide, but note that your institution's requirements may differ from those suggested here.
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Hyphenated names
When a surname is hyphenated, copy it exactly as it appears on the source.
Where an author has a hyphenated first name containing two capitals, retain the hyphen and include a period after each initial but no space. If the second element of the hyphenated name has a lower-case letter, treat it as a single name.
Ai-Jun Xu becomes Xu, A.-J.
Lee-ann Raboso becomes Raboso, L.
Surnames with two parts or a particle
When a surname has two parts separated by a space and no hyphen, include both names in the reference list entry and in-text citation. Use the capitalisation which appears on the source.
If the surname includes a particle (e.g., de, de la, der, van, von), include the particle before the surname in the reference list entry and in-text citation.
The name should appear in the alphabetical reference list using the first letter of the surname. For names with particles this would be the first letter of the particle. So de Beauvoir, for example, would appear in the reference list under "d".
The following are some examples showing how names should be formatted:
| Given names | Format for reference list | Format for in-text citations |
| Diego J. Rivera-Gutierrez | Rivera-Gutierrez, D. J. (2016). | (Rivera-Gutierrez, 2016) |
| Rena Torres Cacoullos | Torres Cacoullos, R. (2012). | (Torres Cacoullos, 2012) |
| Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz | von Thiele Schwarz, U. (2015). | (von Thiele Schwarz, 2015) |
| Simone de Beauvoir | de Beauvoir, S. (1944). | (de Beauvoir, 1944) |
| Ashley M. St. John | St. John, A. M. (2016). | (St. John, 2016) |
Note: In German and Portuguese, the particle is usually dropped when only the surname is used; for example, Ludwig van Beethoven is usually referred to in English as Beethoven and so would be credited as Beethoven, L. van, in the reference list entry and as Beethoven in the text. If you are writing in English, include the particle as part of the surname unless you know that the name is one of the famous German or Portuguese exceptions like Beethoven.
Identifying which parts of a name are the surname
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether an author has two surnames without a hyphen or two given names and one surname.
For example, is Maria Perez Garcia cited as Garcia (2017) or Perez Garcia (2017)?
Here are some techniques to help you determine what name format to use:
- Follow the format shown in the database bibliographic record for the work you are citing.
- If the author has cited other work they've done in their own reference list, follow the same format they have used.
- Look at how other authors have cited the author’s name and follow the most common presentation.
- Search for the author’s website or curriculum vita (CV) and follow the format they have used there.