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LANG 1406 Academic English for Business Studies

This module should take about 1.5 hours & then there is a quiz that you will take during a LANG 1406 lesson. Learn & Enjoy!

Why Learn APA Style?

APA style (American Psychological Association) and AMA (American Management Association) styles are widely used in the field of business. APA is also used in psychology and social sciences.

Your LANG 1406 teachers expect you to use this citation style for your projects. You may also have to use it later in your university writing. So, let's learn APA!

Watch this short tutorial (3 min 54 sec) on citing references in APA 7th.

How to cite in APA Style

APA Style - Basics & Examples

In APA, you have to make two types of citation in your writing

In-text citation

  • If the author can be identified, write the author's surname (family name, last name) and publication year in brackets:
    Photography provides the model for modern technoscientific vision (Garlick, 2009), ...
  • If the author can't be identified, write the first few words of the article title and the year, use double quotation marks around the title:
    A smartphone might consume up to 15Mbps downstream ("Can can you," 2013)...

End-of-paper References

  • Include all sources you have cited (make in-text reference to), except personal communications, in your paper
  • General format:
    Author surname, Initials. (Year). Article title. Magazine title, volume no. (issue no.), page range.
    Author surname, Initials. (Year). Article title. Newspaper title, page number.
    If the author can't be identified, article title will come first.
    Precede page numbers for newspaper articles with p. or pp.
  • Sources should be listed in alphabetical order
  • Examples:

References

Can can you you hear hear me me now now? (2013, April 13). Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2013/04/voice-quality

Garlick, S. (2009). Given time: Biology, nature and photographic vision. History of the Human Sciences, 22(5), 81-101.

Kelly, M. (2013). Living in an era of technology revolution. Electronics World, 119(1924), 42-43.

Common Reference Types

Books

  In-text Citation End-of-paper Reference
Format

It was found that... (Author, Year).

Author (Year) found that...

 Authors / Editors (Year). Book title (# edition, if available). Publisher. DOI or URL (if available)

Example 1

(Authored book)

It was found that... (Hamblen & Mueser, 2021).

Hamblen and Mueser (2021) found that...

Hamblen, J. L., & Mueser, K. T. (2021). Treatment for postdisaster distress: A transdiagnostic approach. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000237-000

Example 2

(Edited book)

It was found that... (Hemlin et al., 2013).

Hemlin et al. (2013) found that...

Hemlin, S., Allwood, C. M.,  Martin, B. R., & Mumford, M. D. (Eds.). (2013). Creativity and leadership in science, technology, and innovation. Routledge.

More examples on book references 

Journal Articles

  In-text Citation End-of-paper Reference
Format

It was found that... (Author, Year).

Author (Year) found that...

Authors. Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages. DOI or URL (if available)
Example 1

It was found that... (Diliello et al., 2011).

Diliello et al. (2011) found that...

Diliello, T. C., Houghton, J. D., & Dawley, D. (2011). Narrowing the creativity gap: The moderating effects of perceived support for creativity. Journal of Psychology, 145(3), 151-172. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2010.548412

Example 2

(Missing page no. and DOI)

It was found that... (Butler, 2017).

Butler (2017) found that...

Butler, J. (2017). Where access meets multimodality: The case of ASL music videos. Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, 21(1). http://technorhetoric.net/21.1/topoi/butler/index.html

More examples on article references 

Online News Articles

  In-text Citation End-of-paper Reference
Format

It was found that... (Author, Year).

Author (Year) found that...

Authors (Date). Title of article. Title of Newspaper. URL

Example

It was found that... (Toner, 2020).

Toner (2020) found that...

Toner, K. (2020, September 24). When Covid-19 hit, he turned his newspaper route into a lifeline for senior citizens. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/04/us/coronavirus-newspaper-deliveryman-groceries-senior-citizens-cnnheroes-trnd/index.html

More examples 

Article or Chapter in a Book

  In-text Citation End-of-paper Reference
Format

It was found that... (Author, Year).

Author (Year) found that...

 Authors / Editors (Year). Article Title. In Editor (Ed.), Book title (# edition, if available)(page number). Publisher. DOI or URL (if available)

Example

It was found that... (Neves & Pinheiro, 2012).

Neves and Pinheiro, (2021) found that...

Neves, J., & Pinheiro, L. D. (2012). Cyberbullying: A Sociological Approach. In (Ed.), Ethical Impact of Technological Advancements and Applications in Society (pp. 132-142). IGI Global.

More examples 

Magazine Articles

  In-text Citation End-of-paper Reference
Format

It was found that... (Author, Year).

Author (Year) found that...

Authors (Date). Title of article. Title of Magazine, volume number(issue number), pages. URL (if available)

Example

It was found that... (Grossman, 2010).

Grossman (2010) found that...

Grossman, L. (2010, December 15). Mark Zuckerberg - Person of the Year 2010 - TIME. http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2036683_2037183,00.html

More examples 

Images are put in your writing as "Figures" and instead of an in-text citation, you put the information about the image in the "Note" along with the copyright information.   For more info, watch  How to Cite Videos & Images APA Style (2 min 20 sec).

Example 1

Citing images Figure 1. Uni Apartments on the Coast

Reference List

Coghlan, M. (2014). Uni Apartments on the Coast [photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikecogh/13964342460/.

 

Example 2.

Figure 1. Fly Pan Am to Hong Kong.

Travel poster advertising Hong Kong in 1965. Shows iamge of Hong Kong Island (Causeway Bay, Wanchai, Central) and Victiria Harbour with ships

Note: Images of Hong Kong's rapid development and extraordinary natural beauty helped lay the foundation of the tourism industry in the 1960s. Fly Pan Am to Hong Kong. 1965. (c) The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, https://lbezone.hkust.edu.hk/bib/991013160821003412

Reference List

Pan Am Corporation [?]. (1965). Fly Pan Am to Hong Kong [image of poster]. HKUST Library, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Rare and Special e-Zone https://lbezone.hkust.edu.hk/bib/991013160821003412

  Figure no. and Note End-of-paper Reference
Format

Figure [number]. Name.

Note: [text]. Title by [name of person if known]. (Year). Copyright  [name of owner], URL (if available)

 Author. (Year). Title [format]. Publisher/Owner, URL (if available)

Example

Figure 1. Fly Pan Am to Hong Kong.

Note: Images of Hong Kong's rapid development and extraordinary natural beauty helped lay the foundation of the tourism industry in the 1960s. Fly Pan Am to Hong Kong. 1965. (c) The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, https://lbezone.hkust.edu.hk/bib/991013160821003412

 Pan Am Corporation [?]. (1965). Fly Pan Am to Hong Kong [image of poster]. HKUST Library, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Rare and Special e-Zone https://lbezone.hkust.edu.hk/bib/991013160821003412

Films / Video / TV Series

  In-text Citation End-of-paper Reference
Format

It was found that... (Director, Year).

Director (Year) found that...

Director, A. A. (Director) (Year). Title of work [Description]. Production Company.

Example 1

It was suggested that... (Ball, 2024).

Ball (2024) suggested that...

Ball, W. (Director) (2024). Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes [Film]. 20th Century; Disney.

Example 2

It was suggested that... (Sherman-Palladino, 2018).

Sherman-Palladino (2018) suggested that...

Sherman-Palladino, A. (Writer & Director). (2018, December 5). All alone (Season 2, Episode 10) [TV series episode]. In A. Sherman-Palladino, D. Palladino, D. Gilbert, M. Shapiro, S. Carino, & S. Lawrence (Executive Producers), The marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions; Picrow; Amazon Studios.

More examples 

Youtube Video

  In-text Citation End-of-paper Reference
Format

It was found that... (Author, Year).

Author (Year) found that...

Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Description]. Hosting platform. URL

Example 1

It was suggested that... (BBC Learning English, 2018).

BBC Learning English (2018) suggested that...

BBC Learning English. (2018, September 3). 5 uses of 'get' - English In A Minute [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLoZ0OfxXfc

Example 2

It was suggested that... (HKUST, 2023).

HKUST (2023) suggested that...

HKUST. (2023, May 25). HKUST's Trailblazing Innovations - AI Chip and Pioneering Microelectronics [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXmekaMHEo0

More examples 

Other Reference Types

What about indirect sources?

For example, you read about Smith's idea (or research findings) in Nicholson's paper but you did not read Smith's article yourself. In this case, you CANNOT cite a source that you have not read, so you need to indicate that the information is obtained from a secondary source:

  1. List the source you have read (Nicholson's paper) in the reference list, and
  2. Make an in-text citation, such as
    • Smith's survey (as cited in Nicholson, 2020) showed ...
    • According to Nicholson (2020), Smith's survey says ...

 

What about personal communications?

Personal communications may be private letters, memo, electronic communications (e.g., e-mail), personal interviews, telephone communications, etc. Because they are not considered recoverable data, personal communications are not required in the reference list, but you have to cite personal communications within the text. Give the initials, follow by the surname (family name, last name) of the communicator, and provide the exact date as possible.

In-text Reference = (T.W. Lau, personal communication, September 2, 2012)


See A Guide to Good Referencing Skills for more tips on how to paraphrase and summarize sources.

Citing AI in APA style

APA style

Guidelines from APA

Key points  (Aug 2025)

  1. AI cannot be an author. 
  2. Any use of AI must be fully disclosed in the manuscript or course work. (See "Where & how to disclose" below)
  3. AI must not be used to fabricate or falsify data. 
  4. AI-generated images or figures must be disclosed and used with proper rights.
  5. Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy and originality of AI-generated content. 
  6. Human oversight is required at all stages of research and writing.

 

Where & How to Disclose 

AI Use Where & How to Disclose
Generate content (e.g. manuscript drafts, literature summaries)

In the Introduction section  
Include AI tools, prompts, and keywords used (preserve output if needed)
Translate or copyedit text

In a general author note 
Mention the AI tool used
Create or refine code; analyze, format, or visualize data; edit research methods/results

In the Method section 
Include the AI tool, usage details, and preserve outputs
Create or edit figures, tables, or images

In the section where visual content appears (e.g. Results) 
Include prompts, tools, and preserve output

Check more details here.

Suggested Practices

1. Cite an AI chat

Format:

AI Company Name. (year, month day). Title of chat in italics [Description, such as Generative AI chat]. Tool Name/Model. URL of the chat

In-text citation: 
(AI Company Name, year)
AI Company Name (year)


Example:

Conversation with an AI model In-text citation & Reference list

 

In-text citation

"ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, focuses on generating human-like text based on extensive internet-trained data, while Claude, developed by Anthropic, emphasizes safety and alignment through constitutional AI principles, aiming to reduce harmful outputs by adhering to a set of predefined ethical guidelines." (OpenAI, 2025)

Reference list

OpenAI. (2025, Oct 9). Differences between ChatGPT and Claude [Generative AI chat]. GPT-4o. https://poe.com/s/Q6CfwbdwTMVAtNY1HUcY

 

2. Cite AI model (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude)
  • cite the model or tool as Software

Format:

AI Company Name. (year). Tool Name/Model in Italics and Title Case [Description; e.g., Large language model]. URL of the tool

In-text citation: 
(AI Company Name, year)
AI Company Name (year)



Examples:

Reference list

OpenAI. (2025). GPT-5 [Large language model]. https://poe.com/GPT-5

Anthropic. (2025). Claude-Sonnet-4.5 [Large language model]. https://poe.com/Claude-Sonnet-4.5

Perplexity AI. (2025). Perplexity [Large language model]. https://www.perplexity.ai/

Google. (2025). Gemini-2.5-Pro [Large language model]. https://poe.com/Gemini-2.5-Pro

 

In-text citations:

(OpenAI, 2025; Anthropic, 2025; Perplexity AI, 2025; Google, 2025)

OpenAI (2025), Anthropic (2025), Perplexity AI (2025), Google (2025)

Learn more details: https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/cite-generative-ai-references 

Cite AI images in APA style

APA style

Guideline from APA

General Advice

  • Ensure you have the rights to use and reproduce the images.
  • Clearly disclose the use of AI-generated images or figures in your work. 
  • How to disclose: In the section where visual content appears (e.g. Results), include prompts, tools, and preserve output. 
  • To create the reference, follow the principles of citing AI-generated text to determine the author, date, title, and source elements for the tool.

Basic Format

  • Cite the image (in caption): 
Figure X
Image title
[the image]
Note. Description (e.g. Image generated using XXX prompt, by XXX tool)

For reference format of citing figures or images in general, you may also refer to APA guidelines on citing Clip Art or Stock Image References, Artwork references, and Sample figures.

  • Cite the AI model:
Author/Developer. (Year). Name of AI tool (Version) [AI image generation model]. URL

 

Example

Conversation with an AI image generation model Caption, In-text citation & Reference list

 

Figure 1

Night View Skyline

Note. Image generated using the prompt "skyscraper buildings in Hong Kong, night view, oil painting," by Stability AI, Stable Diffusion XL, 2024 (https://poe.com/StableDiffusionXL).

In-text citation:

Figure 1 illustrates the intensity of Hong Kong's cityscape and its architectural character (Stability AI, 2024).

Reference list:

Stability AI. (2024). Stable Diffusion XL [AI image generation model]. https://poe.com/StableDiffusionXL

More to Know: Full APA Style Guide

LibGuide content by HKUST Library is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, unless otherwise noted.