American Psychological Association (APA) Style Guide

Australian Legal Resources

The manual for APA style, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, does not include referencing examples of Australian legal material.

The reference list examples provided here are based on the Australian Guide to Legal Citation, 4th edition (AGLC4). In-text citations follow the standard APA format.

Jurisdiction (geographic area) is abbreviated: Commonwealth (Cth), Victoria (Vic), New South Wales (NSW), Tasmania (Tas), Queensland (Qld), South Australia (SA), Western Australia (WA), Northern Territory (NT), Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

When a resource (such as an act, bill, etc.) has a short and long title, cite the short title.

In-text citation

Short title of the legislation (in italics), year (in italics), jurisdiction (abbreviated), subdivision number (if relevant). Specify the jurisdiction in the first citation but it is not required in subsequent citations.

For example:
In the Victorian mental health system advance statements can be made to document an individual’s treatment preferences in the event they become a patient (Mental Health Act 2014 (Vic), s. 28).

Reference list

Short title of the act (in italics), year (in italics), jurisdiction (abbreviated), URL (if retrieved from a website)

For example:
Mental Health Act 2014 (Vic)

Bills are treated as unpublished works and the title is not italicised.

In-text citation

Short title of the bill, year, jurisdiction (abbreviated), subdivision number (if relevant)

For example:
As outlined in the Liability for Climate Change Commonwealth Bill (2020, s. 15).

Reference list

Short title of the bill, year, jurisdiction (abbreviated), section or paragraph number (if relevant).

For example:
Liability for Climate Change Bill 2020 (Cth). 

Legal cases can be organised by volume number or by year. Round brackets enclose the year of reports organised by volume numbers. Square brackets enclose the year of cases organised by year. Check the source you used to ensure your brackets match.

In-text citation

Title of the case (in italics), year (in brackets). Specify the year in the first citation but it is not required in subsequent citations.

For example:
Furthermore, in the case of Breen v Williams (1999), this was disputed.

Reference list

Title of the case (in italics), year (in brackets), volume number, law report abbreviation.

For example:

• Breen v Williams (1999) 186 CLR
• Mokbel v The King [2025] VSCA 243

According to APA style, when any kind of visual display (other than a table) is reproduced in a work, it should be treated as a figure. This includes photographs, drawings, bar graphs, infographics and other illustrations. The reference details are displayed with the figure and also included in the reference list.
Please note:

Figure

The components of a figure are:

• Number: The figure number (e.g. Figure 1) appears above the figure in bold.
• Title: The figure title appears one double-spaced line below the figure number, in italics and capitalised
• Image
• Legend (only relevant if reproducing a chart or other image containing symbols that need to be explained)
• Note: This appears below the figure, and the purpose is to describe the contents of the figure that cannot be understood from the figure title or image. This is also where the copyright attribution is placed. A reproduced or adapted image requires a copyright attribution. 

1. Authors intending to publish their work (including theses) must, before publication, obtain permission from the copyright owner or comply with any stated licensing conditions (such as a Creative Commons license).

2. Students using images in assignments submitted as part of their course do not need to ask permission from the copyright owner under Fair Dealing for Research or Study in Australian copyright law. However, “fair dealing” does not apply if the images are made available to anyone outside the course of study. This includes sharing your work (if the images are included) online or with potential employers. Otherwise you will need to obtain the copyright owner’s permission or omit the images.

In the body of the paper, for example:

Figure 1 shows the highly ornate…

Figure 1

Springthorpe Memorial

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: From Cemetery Architecture of Australia by D. Eade, 2020, p.18. Copyright by Art Architecture Books.

Reference list

Eade, D. (2020). Cemetery architecture of Australia. Art Architecture Books.

For example:

The ceiling of the Springthorpe Memorial, as seen in Figure 2, provides a colourful contrast to the sober, neoclassical elements of the building.

Figure 2

Stained Glass Ceiling, Springthorpe Memorial

Note. Reprinted from Stained Glass Ceilings in Australian Architecture, by A. B. Light, 2018, (http://ahas.org.au/stainedglassceilings_image1). Copyright 2020 by Australian Historic Architecture Society. Reprinted with permission.

Reference list

Light, A. B. (2018). Stained glass ceilings in Australian architecture. Australian Historic Architecture Society. 

A figure or image created by you, and reproduced in your paper, would not need a figure note as no copyright attribution would be required. However, if the image requires more description or explanation than that provided by the title, you may wish to include a figure note. No reference list entry is required.

Please note that an exception to this is where an author seeking to publish wishes to use an image they created that has already been published as the copyright may now reside with the publisher (see the note for Figure 1).

For further information, go to the Academic Writer database, or check out APA’s webpage Figure setup.

When you refer to an image without including a copy of it in your work, include it in the reference list and insert an in-text citation.

In-text citation

Images of Cathy Freeman’s distinctive, green and gold, running suit (Munday 2000), worn at the Sydney Olympics in 2000…

Reference list

Munday, S. (2000). [Photograph of Cathy Freeman at the Olympic Games Sydney 2000]. International Olympic Committee. https://stillmed.olympic.org/2018-08-15-Freeman.jpg

For further examples, or check out APA’s webpage, Audiovisual media.

In some Design units the preference is for the figure number and reference details to be displayed below the figure and also in the reference list.
For example:

As demonstrated in Figure 1, cemetery architecture at that time…






























Figure 1. Syme Memorial. Reprinted from “Edwardian Melbourne and Cemetery Architecture,” by J. J. Lintel, A. Corbel, and P. T. Rafter, 2019, Cemetery Art and Architecture, 20(1), p.5 (https://doi.org/10.1030/yho0000359). Copyright 2019 by Doodle, Quiff & Co.

Reference list

Lintel, J. J., Corbel, A., & Rafter, P. T. (2019). Edwardian Melbourne and cemetery architecture. Cemetery Art and Architecture, 20(1), 5-15, https://doi.org/10.1030/yho0000359

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