APA 7th referencing

Act of Parliament

Note. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association does not cover Australian legal materials. The guidelines presented are adapted from the Australian Guide to Legal Citation.


Reference components

Title of Act in Italics (Jurisdiction abbreviation) section number and subdivision if relevant. URL


Reference list examples

Building Industry Act 1985 (Cth) s. 10.4. https://legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016C01029

Dog Act 1976 (WA). https://legislation.wa.gov.au/legislation/statutes.nsf/law_a230.html

(Building Industry Act 1985).

OR

According to the Building Industry Act 1985


If quoting

Section 55.1 of the Fair Work Act 2009 states “a modern award or enterprise agreement must not exclude the National Employment Standards or any provision of the National Employment Standards.”

Case

Note. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association does not cover Australian legal materials. The guidelines presented are adapted from the Australian Guide to Legal Citation.


Reference components

Case Name in Italics (year) volume number Law Report Series Title starting page. URL


Reference list example

Shea v. News Ltd. (2015) WASC 1. http://austlii.edu.au/au/cases/wa/WASC/2015/1.html

(Shea v. News Ltd., 2015).

OR

The case of Shea v. News Ltd. (2015) highlights…


If quoting

The plaintiff’s claim relates to “damage to their reputations, by their identification in photographs and accompanying articles” (Shea v. News Ltd., 2015, p. 4).

OR

The case of Shea v. News Ltd. (2015) relates to the plaintiff’s claim of “damage to their reputations, by their identification in photographs and accompanying articles” (p. 4).

  • If the volumes of the law report are organised by year, there will be no volume number
  • For cases from overseas jurisdictions, refer to the Australian Guide to Legal Citation

Standard

Reference components

Author Surname, Initial(s) or Organisation Name. (year). Title of standard in italics (Standard number). Publisher Name. URL


Reference list example

Standards Australia. (2015). Placement and presentation of hand hygiene materials in relation to the basin in healthcare settings (AS 1071:2015). Techstreet Enterprise. https://subscriptions-techstreet-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/products/819671

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2018). Midwife standards for practice. https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-standards/Midwife-standards-for-practice.aspx

(Standards Australia, 2015).

OR

Standards Australia (2015) outlines…


If quoting

“Hand towels, should be to the right of the tap, where practical, and closer to the basin than the hand lotion” (Standards Australia, 2015, p. 10).

OR

Standards Australia (2015) state “hand towels, should be to the right of the tap, where practical, and closer to the basin than the hand lotion” (p. 10).

  • If using a print standard omit the URL
  • If there is no standard number, omit this from the reference
  • When the publisher is the same as the author, omit the publisher name from the reference

United Nations treaties and conventions

Reference components

Name of Treaty or Convention, Month Day, Year of signing or approval, URL


Reference list example

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, November 20, 1989, https://www.ohchr.org/en

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, December 13, 2006, https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html

(United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989).

OR

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) outlines…


If quoting

“Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the full development, advancement and empowerment of women” (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006, Article 6).

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) states “parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the full development, advancement and empowerment of women” (Article 6).


Optional name abbreviation

First citation:

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989)…

OR

(United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child [UNCRC], 2006).

Subsequent citations:

(UNCRC, 1989).

OR

The UNCRC (1989) states…