BUSINESS COMMUNICATION 1

American Psychological Association

(APA) Style Citation

April 2010 Semester

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 Give Credit Where Credit Is DUE

APA STYLE CITATION

( American Psychological Association )

selected examples

April 2010 Semester

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 APA Style Citations
• Do not copy “wholesale” from a source,
whether it is from a textbook , a website, or
a journal/magazine article.
• It is an offence - Plagiarism
Ngee Ann Polytechnic policy (PENALTY: 0
marks for entire assignment.)
• Do cite your information sources
• Be able to interpret citations – useful
research skill

April 2010 Semester

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 Example of 100% Copying
Speaking in Singapore after his first year in office, Malaysian
Prime Minister said that he has put his political career on the
line by committing to purge rent–seeking and patronage
politics in Malaysia’s economy.

Safe Assign – a programme that checks for plagiarism – will:

a. highlight the sentences and paragraphs copied

b. calculate the percentage of the total material copied (e.g.
40%)
c. state the source where the material is copied, including
other students’ assignments

April 2010 Semester

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 Citation of A Book
• Author(s). (Year of Publication). Title of
book (Edition #). Place of Publication:
Publisher.

E.g.

• Bovee, C.L. and Thill, J., (2009). Business

communication essentials (4th ed).
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Pearson Prentice Hall.
April 2010 Semester
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 Citation of an Article
• Author(s). (Year). Article title. Title of
Source, Volume (Issue), Page No.

E.g.

• Fox, J. (2010, April 7). What would Adam

Smith say? Time, 175 (13), 27.

April 2010 Semester

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 Citation of An Article in a Database
• Author(s). (Year). Article Title. Title of
source, Volume, Page. digital object
identifier: [doi] no.

APA preferred format:

Block, W. E. (2010, April). In defense of

counterfeiting illegitimate money. American
Journal of Economics and Sociology, 69 (2), 867–
880. doi: 10.1111/j.1536-7150.2010.00716.x

April 2010 Semester

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 Citation of An Article in a
Database
• Author(s). (Year). Article Title. Title of
source, Volume, Page, Database

• APA format when digital object identifier

(doi) is not available:
• Telis, D. (2010, April 12). Motivate without
spending millions. Fortune, 161 (5), 37–38.
Retrieved April 19 2010, from Business Source
Premier Database.

April 2010 Semester

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 TRY THIS!
Title: WHAT MAKES BRANDS ELASTIC? THE INFLUENCE
OF BRAND CONCEPT AND STYLES OF
THINKING ON BRAND EXTENTION EVALUATION
Writer: MONGA ALOKPARNA BASU and DEBORAH
ROEDDER JOHN
Date: MAY 2010
Source: JOURNAL OF MARKETING
Volume 74, Issue 3, Page 80–92, 13
Retrieved: Business Source Premier Database
Doi 10.1509/jmkg.74.3.80

April 2010 Semester

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 Citation of an Article from the Web
 Name of writer. (Date). Title of article. Name of
website. Retrieval Date from website address.

 Farrell, C. (2010). Aging boomers may bring fiscal

blessings instead. Businessweek.com. Retrieved April 19
2010, from
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/ma
r2010/pi20100329_610980.htm

 The Associated Press. (2010, April 9). Geithner China visit

likely to spur currency shift. msn. Retrieved April 19
2010, from
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/provider
article.aspx?feed=AP&date=20100408&id=11386691

April 2010 Semester

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 Try This!
Title: The China Challenge
Writer: Edward Tse
Date: February 23 2010
Website: strategy+business, issue 58
url: http://www.strategy-
business.com/article/10104?pg=0

April 2010 Semester

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 Citation of Write-up from a Web Site
 Author / Editor/ (Date of creation or last
revision). Full title of the web page.
Retrieved [Date retrieved], from URL.
 Resorts World Sentosa. (2010). Getting to Resorts World
Sentosa. Retrieved April 19 2010, from
http://www.rwsentosa.com/language/en-
US/HowToGetThere

 Lim, S. (2007, April). Ministers’ pay. Parliamentary speech

by Sylvia Lim in 2007 in the Newsroom Section, Workers’
Party Website. Retrieved April 19 2010, from
http://wp.sg/2007/04/ministers-pay/

April 2010 Semester

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 Try This!

Website: Uniqlo
Title: Business Model
Date of website: No date
url: http://www.uniqlo.com/sg/corp/model/#top

April 2010 Semester

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 Citation Of A Newspaper Article From
Factiva Database And From A Hardcopy
 Ahmad, R. & Teo, C. W. (2010, April 7).
Najib: People support reforms. The
Straits Times. Retrieved April19 2010,
from Factiva Database. (doi not available)

 Game, M. (2010, April 10). From resume

to job offer. [Cats Recruit Section]. The
Straits Times, pR40.

April 2010 Semester

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 Try This!
Title: POWER TO CONTROL
Source: TODAY
Date: 5 APRIL 2010
Page: B4
Writer: JOHN BITTLESTON

April 2010 Semester

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 Citation of An Annual Report
1. Development Bank of Singapore

DBS Group Holdings Ltd. (2008). Annual

Report. Singapore: DBS Group Holdings Ltd.

2. Haier Group

Haier Group. (2009). Annual Report.

Shandong, People’s Republic of China: Haier
Group.

April 2010 Semester

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 In Text Citation
In–text refer to sentences or paragraphs taken from
another source
In- text citation refers to information sources incorporated
within the body of your written report

Guidelines to follow:
 Always cite in–text when sentences or paragraphs have
been taken from another source document. Follow up with
a citation in the Reference Section at the end of your
report.

 Always cite in–text when borrowing ideas from someone

else, even if you have paraphrased the text. Follow up with
a citation in the Reference section of your report.

April 2010 Semester

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 In–Text Citation
Personal Communication, Lecture Handouts, Lectures
 Lee, E.K. (personal communication, 2010, April 19)
reiterated that the Chinese government may….
 Tham, L.L. (April 2010 semester) said that “the
limited supply of Certificates of Entitlement (COEs)
resulted in the rise in the price of automobiles.”
(MIEC lecture: Ngee Ann Polytechnic.)
 Pon, M. indicated that “ the greenhouse effect
resulting in the hot weather has adversely affected
the supply of rice, leading to an increase in the
price of rice.” (MIEC Lecture, 2010, April 19).

April 2010 Semester

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 In–text citations
short quotations less than 40 words
Journal article, no author
The Economist in the article, It was commented that “a
“Bending, not bowing” (2010), stronger yuan would cut import
commented that “a stronger yuan prices; a suppler one would give
would cut import prices; a suppler the central bank a freer hand to
one would give the central bank a raise interest rates, without
freer hand to raise interest rates, worrying about the capital inflows
without worrying about the capital such rates might attract despite
inflows such rates might attract China’s capital controls”(Bending,
despite China’s capital controls”
not bowing, 2010, April) √
Reference (at the end of the report:
The Economist. (2010, April 8). Bending, not bowing. Economist.com. Retrieved April 19
2010, from http://www.economist.com/
business-finance/displaystory.cfm?storyid=15871905&source=hptextfeature

April 2010 Semester

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 In–text Citation
Website, More than 40 words cited in report.
According to the Wall Street Journal, (2010), “if Beijing widens the
band for the yuan, allowing it to appreciate against the U.S.
dollar, it will likely boost the yen, the Australian dollar and the
currencies of China's regional trading partners. A stronger yuan
will allow China to buy more of the products its trading partners
export. Critics in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere say China's
policy of tying the yuan to the dollar suppresses the yuan's value,
making Chinese exports artificially inexpensive and harming
exporters from other countries.”

Reference (at the end of report):

Johnson K. & Flint, R. (2010, April 11) Dollar, yen, euro hostage to moves in EU and
China. TheWall Street Journal. Retrieved April 19 2010, from
http://online.wsj.com/article/
SB10001424052702304703104575174353256463606.html?
mod=WSJASIA_hpp_LEFTTopWhatNews
April 2010 Semester
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 In–text citation, more than 40 words
Or: put the in–text citation at the end of the
paragraph:
“If Beijing widens the band for the yuan, allowing it to appreciate
against the U.S. dollar, it will likely boost the yen, the Australian
dollar and the currencies of China's regional trading partners. A
stronger yuan will allow China to buy more of the products its
trading partners export. Critics in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere
say China's policy of tying the yuan to the dollar suppresses the
yuan's value, making Chinese exports artificially inexpensive and
harming exporters from other countries.” (Johnson, K. & Flint, R.,
2010 April 11).preferred!

Reference at the end:

Johnson K. & Flint, R. (2010, April 11) Dollar, yen, euro hostage to moves in EU and
China. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 19 2010, from
http://online.wsj.com/article/
SB10001424052702304703104575174353256463606.html?
mod=WSJASIA_hpp_LEFTTopWhatNews
April 2010 Semester
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 In–text citation
Newspaper, magazine article, with known
author:
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that he
was confident that he could deal with the backlash
expected from his plan to dismantle the country’s
“affirmative action, which favours Malays”. (Ahmad
& Teo, 2010)  (preferred!)

Reference (at the end of the report):

Ahmad, R. & Teo, C.W. (2010, April 7). Najib: People
support reforms. The Straits Times, p A4.

April 2010 Semester

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 In–Text Citation
Newspaper, magazine article with known author

or:

Ahmad & Teo (2010) reported that Prime Minister

Najib Razak was confident that he could deal with
the backlash expected from his plan to “dismantle
the country’s affirmative action, which favours
Malays.”

Reference (at the end of the report):

Ahmad, R. & Teo, C.W. (2010, April 7). Najib: People support
reforms. The Straits Times, p A4.
April 2010 Semester
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 In–text Citation
Textbook
According to Jones (1998), “Students often had difficulty
using APA style, especially when it was their first time” (p.
199).

or

It was stated, “Students often had difficulty using APA

style” (Jones, 1998, p. 199).  preferred!

State the page no. at the end of the quotation from

a printed textbook.
April 2010 Semester
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 Pictures!
Name of file. (date of website). Size. Title of
picture. Retrieval date, from url

Falling stars. (2010). 356 KB. Wish upon a star 10. Retrieved
April 19 2010, from http://www.koreandrama.org/wp-
content/uploads/2010/04/star8.jpg

April 2010 Semester

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 Pictures: Try This!
Name of file: ?
Date of website: 2010
Size: 709 KB
Title of Picture: ?
Retrieval Date: April 19 2010
url: http://i.dramacrazy.net/wish.jpg

April 2010 Semester

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 Online Video
Youtube–type Video Weblog Post

Name of person who posted the video/Name of

producer. (date). Title of video. [Video file]. Video
posted to url….

Axon, S. (2010, March 30). Lady Gaga feat Sesame

Street – telephone. [Video file]. Video posted to
http://mashable.com/2010/03/29/
lady-gaga-sesame-street/

April 2010 Semester

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 References:
 NP Library Citing Resources

 Citing sources APA style

http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html

 Purdue Online Writing Lab

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

 Son of Citation Machine:

http://citationmachine.net/

 BibMe: Fully Automatic Bibliography Maker

Auto–fills
http://www.bibme.org/

April 2010 Semester

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