17 Citing & Referencing
Your thesis must follow APA 7th edition throughout — for in-text citations, the reference list, tables, figures, and statistical reporting. The authoritative source is apastyle.apa.org.
17.1 In-text citations
17.1.1 Basic format
| Situation | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One author | (Author, Year) | (Masur, 2023) |
| Two authors | (Author & Author, Year) | (Masur & Teutsch, 2023) |
| Three or more authors | (First author et al., Year) | (Masur et al., 2023) |
| Narrative citation | Author (Year) found that… | Masur (2023) found that… |
| Multiple citations | Alphabetical order, separated by ; | (Jones, 2021; Masur, 2023) |
17.1.2 Direct quotations
If you quote directly, you must include a page number:
(Masur, 2023, p. 45)
In scientific writing, you should paraphrase and synthesize — direct quotations are the exception, not the rule. Only quote when the exact wording is essential.
17.1.3 Paraphrasing
When you restate an idea in your own words, you still need a citation. Every factual claim, theoretical argument, or empirical finding that is not your own must be cited.
17.2 Reference list
The reference list appears at the end of the thesis, after the Conclusion and before the AI statement. Entries are in alphabetical order by first author’s last name and use a hanging indent.
17.2.1 Common reference types
Journal article:
Masur, P. K., DiFranzo, D. J., & Bazarova, N. N. (2021). Behavioral Contagion on Social Media: Effects of Social Norms, Design Interventions, and Critical Media Literacy on Self-Disclosure. PLOS One, 16(7). e0254670. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254670
Journal article with DOI: Include the DOI as a live hyperlink. Always include DOI when available.
Book:
Masur, P. K. (2018). Situational privacy and self-disclosure: Communication processes in online environments. Cham, Switzerland: Springer
Book chapter:
Masur, P.K., Hagendorff, T., & Trepte, S. (2023). Challenges in Studying Social Media Privacy Literacy. In S. Trepte & P. K. Masur (Eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Privacy and Social Media (pp. 110-123). New York: Routledge.
Always verify book chapter references manually — check that editor names, book title, page numbers, and publisher are all included.
17.3 Quality of references
- The large majority of your references should be peer-reviewed journal articles
- Prefer articles from journals with a strong reputation in social sciences
- Avoid citing: Wikipedia, blogs, news articles, BA/MA theses, or PhD dissertations as primary sources for theoretical claims
- When in doubt about a source’s quality, discuss it with me
- Aim to include diverse sources (not just from WEIRD countries or all-male). You can check the diversity of your sources with the “Diversity-X” tool.
17.4 Using Zotero
Zotero generates APA 7th references automatically. However, always check the output — automatic generation sometimes produces errors or incomplete entries, especially for: - Book chapters (often missing editors, page numbers, or publisher) - Conference papers - Preprints