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APA 7th Edition Referencing Guide1

A Wintec Library guide to referencing in APA 7th edition style

Quick links

 

Note

If your point-of-care information is from a website free to the public on the internet, see the Point-of-Care web resources page. 

The citation functions in point-of-care databases are not always accurate. Use them as a starting point, but always check against examples in the APA guide.


CINAHL

Point-of-care resources from CINAHL are mainly evidence-based care sheets or quick lessons. Use the below as a standard model and include as much information as you can find.

Author Surname(s), A. (Year, Month Day). Title of entry in sentence case: Subtitle in sentence case [Format descriptor in sentence case]. Title of Database in Italic Title Case. 

Caple, C., & Cabrera, G. (2021, July 9). Asthma: Management in older adults [Evidence-based care sheet]. CINAHL Nursing Guide. 

 

Evidence-based care sheet

Reference list entry

Pilgrim, J., & Parks-Chapman, J. (2018, January 12). Gastroesophageal reflux disease [Evidence-based care sheet]. CINAHL Nursing Guide.
 

In-text citations

Section and paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
Pilgrim and Parks-Chapman (2018) list the following contraindications ... (What we know section, para. 3).

Parenthetical
... (Pilgrim & Parks-Chapman, 2018, What we know section, para. 3).

 

Quick lesson

Reference list entry

Pilgrim, J., & Karakashian, A. L. (2018, November 2). Agitation [Quick lesson]. CINAHL Nursing Guide.
 

In-text citations

Section and paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
Pilgrim and Karakashian (2018) state ... (Risk factors section, para. 1).

Parenthetical
... (Pilgrim & Karakashian, 2018, Risk factors section, para. 1).

 

Where to find information
Author: Use authors. You do not need editor information.
Date: Use Source. If in doubt, use Latest revision, beneath the reference list. Do not use review dates as no changes may have been made.
Title: Use the entry heading at the top of the page
Format descriptor: Use Publication type
Database title: Use Source. It will usually be CINAHL Nursing Guide.
URL: No URL is needed for CINAHL evidence-based care sheets or quick notes

 

Note

If there is no named author, move the title and format descriptor to the place of author, keeping the original formatting. Keep everything else in the same order.

CINAHL and Nursing Reference Centre Plus resources are referenced in the same way.


Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Any point-of-care resource from Cochrane is referenced the same as a journal article. Use the below as a standard model.

It is okay to leave out volume, issue, page, article number and DOI if they don't have them, but include them if they do. Often this can only be found in PDF versions, so always look there first. For information see Systematic reviews in the Tricky Health APA guide.

Surname, A. (Year). Title of resource in sentence case: Subtitle in sentence case. Title of Systematic Review Database or Proprietary Publication in Italic Title Case, volume number in italic case(issue number), Article number or eLocator, page range of resource. DOI or proprietary database homepage URL

Nevitt, S. J., Sudell, M., Cividini, S., Marson, A. G., & Tudur Smith, C. (2022). Antiepileptic drug monotherapy for epilepsy: A network meta-analysis of individual participant data. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4), Article CD011412, 60-120. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011412.pub4

 

Clinical Answer

Reference list entry

Ronellenfitsch, U. (2023). What are the effects of priobiotics for the management of functional abdominal pain disorders in children? Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
https://doi.org/10.1002/cca.4297

In-text citations

Page/paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
Ronellenfitsch (2023) describes... (para. 2).

Parenthetical
... (Ronellenfitsch, 2023, para. 2).

 

Protocol-Intervention

Reference list entry

Vilate, G., Fox, T., Rohwer, A. C., Volmink, J., & McCaul, M. (2023). Digital devices for tuberculosis treatment adherence. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (6), Article CD015709.
https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD015709

In-text citations

Page/paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
Vilate et al. (2023) describe... (p. 7).

Parenthetical
... (Vilate et al., 2023, p. 7).

 

Note

Cochrane resources only need the year, because they are referenced as journal articles. They don't need any format descriptors in square brackets for the same reason. 


DynaMed

Information from DynaMed is referenced either as a drug monograph, or not a drug monograph. Non-drug monographs can include conditions, management, devices, and approaches to patient. To know which is which, look in the top left-hand corner above the entry title.

DynaMed condition, management, device, approach to patient

Editor Surname(s), A. (Eds.). (Year, Month Day). Title of entry in sentence case: Subtitle in sentence case. Title of Database in Italic Title Case. Database homepage URL

Lin, M., Lang, E., & Ehrlich, A. (Eds.). (2022, October 11). Acetaminophen poisoning. DynaMed. https://dynamed.com/home

 

Reference list entry

Dunn, L. K., Toscano, F. V., & Trow, T. K. (Eds.). (2023, October 2). General anesthesia in adults. DynaMed. https://www.dynamed.com/home
 

In-text citations

Section and paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
Dunn et al. (2023) list the following ... (Quality improvement section).

Parenthetical
... (Dunn et al., 2023, Quality improvement section).

 

Where to find information
Editors: Use all listed editors on the top right of the entry page. Do not include reviewers.
Editor abbreviations: For one editor, use (Ed.). For two or more, use (Eds.).
Date: Use Updated date 
Title: Use the entry heading at the top of the page
Database: This should be in italics
URL: Use the homepage URL as this is a proprietary database. For DynaMed, use https://www.dynamed.com/home

 

DynaMed drug information

Drug monographs from DynaMed are referenced in the same way as a webpage. However, because DynaMed drug monographs do not include authors, shift the title and format descriptor to the place of the author.

Title of entry in italic sentence case: Subtitle in sentence case [Format descriptor in sentence case]. (Year, Month Day). Title of Database in Title Case. Database homepage URL

Varenicline [Drug monograph]. (2023, September 21). DynaMed. https://www.dynamed.com/home 

 

Reference list entry

Salicylic acid [Drug monograph]. (2023, November 15). DynaMed. https://www.dynamed.com/home
 

In-text citations

Section and paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
"Salicylic Acid" (2023) states ... (Mechanism of action section, para. 1).

Parenthetical
... ("Salicylic Acid", 2023, Mechanism of action section, para. 1).

 

Where to find information
Author: As no author is given, move the title and format to the position of author
Title: Use the entry heading at the top of the page
Format descriptor: Use [Drug monograph]
Date: Use Last modified date. Click on "About", then "Static info". The Last modified date is just below this. Do not use review dates as no changes may have been made.
Database: This should NOT be in italics
URL: Use the homepage URL as this is a proprietary database. For DynaMed, use https://www.dynamed.com/home

 

Note

Watch out for italics in DynaMed entries. The name of the database is not in italics for drug monographs, but is in italics for everything else. 

 

Note
In-text citations use a shortened version of the title, enclosed in quotation marks and in Title Case. 

Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI)

JBI database point-of-care resources include best practice information sheets, recommended practices and evidence summaries. They are referenced slightly differently because of the information they do or don't have. To reference a systematic review from JBI, see Systematic reviews

Best practice information sheet

Best practice information sheets are referenced as a journal articles, but with a format descriptor and a proprietary database URL.

Author Surname, A. (Year). Title of entry in sentence case: Subtitle in sentence case [Format descriptor in sentence case]. Name of Database in Italic Title Case, volume number in italics(issue number), page range of article. Website homepage URL

Weaver, S. H. (2023). The experiences and perceptions of nurses working night shift [Best practice evidence sheet]. Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database, 25(1), 1-4. https://joannabriggs.org/

 

Reference list entry

Johal, J. (2022). Effectiveness of telemonitoring on self-care behaviors among community-dwelling adults with heart failure [Best practice evidence sheet]. Joanna Briggs Insititue EBP Database, 23(6), 1-4.
https://joannabriggs.org/

In-text citations

Page/paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
As Johal (2022) states ... (p. 2).

Parenthetical
...  (Johal, 2022, p. 2).

 

Where to find information
Most of the information for JBI best practice information sheets can be found on the entry landing page.
Author: Use Author on the entry landing page
Date: Use Year of Publication on the entry landing page. If an updated date is given in the PDF, use that.
Title: Use Title on the entry landing page
Format: Use Publication type on the entry landing page
Name of database: Use Joanna Briggs Insitute EBP Database
Volume and issue numbers: Click on "Cite". Alternatively, open the "JBI database PDF". Scroll down to "How to cite this..." at the bottom of the PDF. 
Page range: Click on "Cite". Alternatively, open the "JBI database PDF". Scroll down to "How to cite this..." at the bottom of the PDF.
URL: Use the homepage URL as this is a proprietary database. For JBI this is: https://joannabriggs.org/

 

Note
A retrieved date is not required for best practice evidence sheets, because volume and issue numbers are given to help locate them.

Evidence summary or recommended practices

These are referenced in the same way. However, evidence summaries have authors and recommended practices do not.

Author Surname, A. (Year, Month Day). Title of entry in sentence case: Subtitle in sentence case [Format descriptor in sentence case]. Name of Database in Italic Title Case. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from Website homepage URL

Moola, S. (2023, August 18). Blood transfusion: Platelet-rich-plasmapheresis [Evidence summary]. Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database. Retrieved November 27, 2023, from https://joannabriggs.org/

 

Reference list entry

Type 2 diabetes mellitus: Treatment of hypoglycemia [Recommended practice].(2023, November 6). Joanna Briggs Insititue EBP Database. Retrieved November 27, 2023, from 
https://joannabriggs.org/

In-text citations

Page/paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
"Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus" (2023) describes ... (Best practice recommendations section).

Parenthetical
...  ("Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus", 2023, Best practice recommendations section).

 

Where to find information
Author: 
For an evidence summary: Click on "JBI database PDF". Use the author(s) given at the top of the PDF. If it includes an "Updated by" author, include them, too.
For recommended practices: No authors are given for these. Move the title and format description to the place of author, as in the blue example above.
Date: Use Publication date in the PDF. If an updated date is given, use that.
Title: Use the entry title
Format: Use Publication type on the entry landing page. Alternatively, it is in the blue banner at the top of the PDF.
Name of database: Use Joanna Briggs Insitute EBP Database
Retrieved date: Use the date you accessed the information
URL: Use the website homepage URL as this is a proprietary database. For JBI this is: https://joannabriggs.org/

 

Note
A retrieved date is required for evidence summaries and recommended practices, as these are updated regularly.

 

Note
In-text citations use a shortened version of the title, enclosed in quotation marks and in Title Case. 

Lippincott Advisor

Lippincott Advisor and Lippincott Procedures are referenced in the same way.

Title of entry in sentence case. (Year, Month Day). Name of Website in Italic Title Case. Retrieved from Month Day, Year, from Homepage URL

Conjunctivitis, long term care. (2023, October 9). Lippincott Advisor: New Zealand Instance. Retrieved November 27, 2023, from https://advisor.lww.com

 

Reference list entry

Breast cancer tumor markers. (2022, January 7). Lippincott Advisor: New Zealand Instance. Retrieved November 27, 2023, from
https://advisor.lww.com

In-text citations

Section and paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
As detailed in "Breast Cancer Tumor Markers" (2022) ... (Teaching points section).

Parenthetical
... with patients ("Breast Cancer Tumor Markers", 2022, Teaching points section).

 

Where to find information
Author: As Lippincott entries do not give authors, you do not need this. The title of the entry is moved to the place of author.
Title: Use the entry title
Date: Use the Revised date at the top of the entry page. If there is no date, use n.d. 
Retrieved date: Use the date you accessed the information
URL: Use the website homepage URL as this is a proprietary database. For Lippincott Advisor this is: https://advisor.lww.com

 

Note
A retrieved date is required because information on Lippincott Advisor is regularly updated.
For information that is in (round brackets) but which needs to go inside another set of round brackets, change the internal set to [square brackets].

 

Note
In-text citations use a shortened version of the title, enclosed in quotation marks and in Title Case. 

Lippincott Procedures

Lippincott Procedures and Lippincott Advisor are referenced in the same way.

Title of entry in sentence case. (Year, Month Day). Name of Website in Italic Title Case. Retrieved from Month Day, Year, from Website homepage URL

Cultural assessment. (2023, May 22). Lippincott Procedures: New Zealand Instance. Retrieved November 27, 2023, from https://procedures.lww.com

 

Reference list entry

Lumbar puncture (Advanced practice). (2022, November 28). Lippincott Procedures: New Zealand Instance. Retrieved November 27, 2023, from
https://procedures.lww.com

In-text citations

Section and paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
As detailed in "Lumbar Puncture" (2022) ... (Complications section).

Parenthetical
... with patients ("Lumbar Puncture", 2022, Complications section).

 

Where to find information
Author: As Lippincott entries do not give authors, you do not need this. The title of the entry is moved to the place of author.
Title: Use the entry title
Date: Use the Revised date at the top of the entry page. If there is no date, use n.d. 
Retrieved date: use the date you accessed the information
URL: Use the website homepage URL as this is a proprietary database. For Lippincott Procedures this is: https://procedures.lww.com

 

Note
A retrieved date is required because information on Lippincott Procedures is regularly updated.
For information that is in (round brackets) but which needs to go inside another set of round brackets, change the internal set to [square brackets].

 

Note
In-text citations use a shortened version of the title, enclosed in quotation marks and in Title Case. 

Notes on Injectable Drugs (NOIDs)

Corporate Author. (Year). Title of monograph in italic sentence case [Format descriptor in sentence case]. Name of Website in Title Case. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from Website homepage URL

New Zealand Hospital Pharmacists' Association. (2022). Folic acid [Monograph]. Notes on Injectable Drugs. Retrieved November 5, 2023, from https://www.noids.nz

 

Reference list entry

New Zealand Hospital Pharmacists' Association. (2022). Acetylcysteine [Monograph]. Notes on Injectable Drugs. Retrieved January 17, 2024, from
https://www.noids.nz

In-text citations

Page/paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
New Zealand Hospital Pharmacists' Association (2022) gives... (Dilution section, para. 2).

Parenthetical
... (New Zealand Hospital Pharmacists' Association, 2022, Dilution section, para. 2).

 

Where to find information
Author: Use New Zealand Hospital Pharmacists' Association
Date: Use the year from the Revised date at the bottom of the document
Title: Use title of entry at top of document
Format descriptor: For NOIDs documents, this is [Monograph]
Retrieved date: Use the date you accessed the information
URL: Use the website homepage URL as any PDF URL will not be accesssible to non-subscribed users. For NOIDs this is: https://www.noids.nz

 

Note
As NOIDs monographs are used for pharmaceutical dosages and are revised regularly, it is medically responsible to include the retrieval date in your reference list entry.

Nursing Reference Centre Plus

Point-of-care resources from Nursing Reference Centre Plus (NRCP) include:

  • Evidence-based care sheets
  • Quick lessons
  • Nursing practice and skill
  • Care plans
  • Patient education
  • Drug monographs from a book

Drug monographs from a book in NRCP are referenced as a book or chapter in an edited book. They are also books from a database.

For all others, use the below example.

Author Surname(s), A. or Corporate Author(s). (Year, Month Day). Title of entry in sentence case: Subtitle in sentence case [Format descriptor in sentence case]. Title of Database in Italic Title Case. 

Caple, C., & McDaniels, C. (2023, March 31). Obtaining a specimen of nasal drainage [Quick lesson]. Nursing Reference Centre Plus. 

 

Reference list entry

Mennella, H., & Obiamaka, O. (2018, October 26). Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive (COPD): Fatigue [Evidence-based care sheet]. Nursing Reference Centre Plus.

In-text citations

Section and paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
Mennella and Obiamaka (2018) list the following ... (Diversity, equity and inclusion section).

Parenthetical
... (Mennella & Obiamaka, 2018, Diversity, equity and inclusion section).

 

Where to find information
Author: Use the author(s) on the By line. You do not need editor information (anything under Edited by).
Date: Use the date on the Title line at the top of the entry. If in doubt, use Latest revision beneath the reference list. Do not use review dates as no changes may have been made.
Title: Use the entry heading at the top of the page
Format descriptor: This should be immediately below the "listen" button. Alternatively, go back to the search results page and use the information in brackets that appears after the date on the entry listing.
Database title: Use Nursing Reference Centre Plus
URL: No URL is needed for Nursing Reference Centre Plus point-of-care resources

 

Note

If there is no named author, move the title and format descriptor to the place of author, keeping the original formatting. Keep everything else in the same order.

Nursing Reference Centre Plus and CINAHL resources are referenced in the same way.

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