Library
APA Guide with examples. Link opens a PDF in a new window.
(University of British Columbia)
(Purdue University)
(Purdue University)
Cite Indigenous Knowledge as personal communications. Unlike other personal communications, Elders and other Knowledge Keepers should be cited in-text and in the reference list. Capitalize words like Elders and Indigenous to show respect. The APA template was developed by Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and we thank them for sharing.
Note: If you would like to approach an Elder or Knowledge Keeper for teachings, remember to follow protocol. If you are unsure what their protocol is, please ask them ahead of time.
In-Text Citation
| Paraphrase | Delores Cardinal (2018) described the nature of the.... The nature of the place was... (Cardinal, 2018). |
| Quote | “I still remember how important it was to work in harmony with nature” (Cardinal, 2021) |
Reference List Entry
Last name, First initial. (Elder), Nation/Community. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. personal communication. Year, Month Date. Territory Acknowledgement of where information was shared/collected.
Lekeyten (Elder), Kwantlen First Nation. Community justice. personal communication. 2019, April 4. Shared on the traditional unceded territory of the Kwantlen, Musqueam, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt and Kwikwetlem Peoples.
Consult with your instructor before using ChatGPT. If you are permitted to use it for your assignment, explain how you used it in your Introduction, Methods, or Literature Review section. Follow the same basic APA format as citing software (McAdoo, 2023, How to cite ChatGPT). Include your query and the transcript as an appendix to your assignment; your reader may not get identical results if they use the same query. Include a short version of your query as a title for the reference list entry.
Refer to VCC's Understanding Generative AI page for more information about how to use ChatGPT and other tools ethically and responsibly.
In-Text Citation
| Paraphrase | In 1918, some British women over the age of 30 were able to vote (OpenAI, 2023). |
| Quote | Women’s roles “underwent significant changes during the World War I era” (OpenAI, 2023). |
Reference Entry
Name of software company. (Year). Software title (version) [Type of software]. Your prompt or query if applicable. URL
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 23 version) [Large language model]. Women’s rights in WWI England. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Author Last Name, Initial(s) [@username]. (Date). Title of work [Description of media]. Site Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://xxxx
If there isn’t a clear title, use the first twenty words of the post. Replicate emojis when possible. If you are not able to create the emoji, provide the emoji’s name in square brackets. The full list of emoji names can be found via the Unicode Consortium.
Tweet
Vancouver Community College Library [@VCCLib]. (2020, February 11). How scented products can affect your health: http://ow.ly/MT2m50y0n5h [Image Attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/VCCLib/status/1227246587891658752
Twitter Profile
Vancouver Community College [@myVCC]. (n.d.). Tweets Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved February 6, 2020, from https://twitter.com/myVCC
Facebook Post
CMHA BC Division. (2020, January 27). Great news about new housing project for vulnerable people in Kamloops! [Thumbnail with link attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/CMHABCDIVISION/posts/3413514605344832
Facebook Page
Small Business BC. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://www.facebook.com/smallbusinessbc/
Note: A social media homepage is designed to change, unlike an individual post. Thus, APA requires a “retrieved” date when you cite a social media homepage.
Instagram Photo or Video
VCC International [@vccinternational]. (2020, February 7). Checking the pictures from #flourishgala and feeling hungry already 🍽🍽🍽🍽 [Photographs]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B8QOC3CpMm9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Online Forum Post
HarleyCoops. (2020, February 1). Happy 10 year anniversary, vancity #2010memories [Image Attached] [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/f2vv8r/happy_10_year_anniversary_vanc ity_2010memories/
Personal communications include emails, conversations, unrecorded lessons, etc. that cannot be accessed by most of your readers. Include an in-text citation but not a reference list entry.
In-Text Citation
| Paraphrase | T. Rowlatt (personal communication, July 15, 2021) explained that VCC has been digitizing selected records for the past few years. |
| Quote | Schools “are responsible for their records” (M.-P. Vera, personal communication, May 8, 2016). |
When multiple references have authors with the same surname, include the authors' first initials in all in-text citations. This helps to avoid confusion.
(S. Rogers, 2020)
(K. Rogers & Tonnelo, 2019)
When more than one reference has the same author and publication year, include a lowercase letter after the year. This year-letter combination is used in both the reference list entry and the in-text citation. Use only the year-letter in the in-text citation even if the reference entry has a more specific date. Source: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020, p.267.
(Munroe, 2019a)
(Munroe, 2019b)
(Sawatzky, n.d.-a)
(Satwatzky, n.d.-b)
Content by Vancouver Community College Library is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License 