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APA Style (7th ed.)

This guides shows how to reference with the APA 7th edition style

What kind of sources to choose

For an annotated bibliography, you will firstly be interested in academic literature, which consists of textbooks, journal articles, reports and scholarly books. As these are scholarly works, they will have been peer-reviewed and scrutinized by experts in the field.

 

There may also be credible non-academic sources that are more current than academic ones and can give a broader perspective to your research. For example:

 

  • Reports from Irish government departments, Health Service Executive reports, reports from international agencies such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization etc.
  • Longer articles and reports from major newspapers, broadcast media and magazines that are well regarded in academic circles (e.g. The Guardian, The Economist, Financial Times)
  • Non-academic books written by authors with expertise and credentials, who support their ideas with well-sourced information.

 

As you are collecting sources of useful information to your project, jot down the references to them as you go or add them to an automated Reference Manager such as EndNote, Zotero or Mendeley. This will save time later. Find out more about EndNote with our ATU Library Guide to EndNote Online.  

 

Search and Find

 

 

The library has special search engines and databases to find what you need for your course assignments. Check your assignment to see if it specifies a number of books, a number of articles and so on.

 

Search + Find on the ATU library website is your one-stop search for all library-related materials.

 

ATU Library provides access to a huge range of e-Resources (electronic resources) to support you in your studies - including subject databases, abstract and indexing databases, e-journals and e-books. Which resource you use depends on what you’re looking for. It’s a good idea to start with Search + Find because it indexes a large number of our e-Resources along with our physical collections. To narrow down your search, use the tools on the left-hand side of your results screen.

 

An example:

 

 

Databases

Databases can also be searched directly. They are listed from A-Z on our Databases webpage. 

Find out more tips on searching with our ATU Library Guide to Searching. 

Some of the more popular databases are:

Many students favour Google Scholar as a starting point in research. However, results can be vast and unfocused on your topic. Nevertheless, it can be useful in conjunction with the academic databases from our library. Find out more with our ATU Library Guide to Google Scholar. 

 

Google Scholar also has features called “Cited by” and “Related articles” which shows you other sources relevant to the topic. This can lead you to many more related articles.

 

Example:

 


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