APA

In-text citation

Personal communication is used for any information that is given to you 'in person'. To recognise oral communication from an Elder or Knowledge Keeper within text, the APA format to follow is personal communication.

(Roy Patterson, Taungurung, personal communication, June 14, 2019)

Or

Aunty Rhonda, Birpai Country (yarning circle, May 20, 2023) shared stories about ...

Notes

• Personal communication is not recorded in your reference list. You only refer to it in text.
• Provide enough detail in the in-text citation to convey the content and origin of the source of information.
• When referring to a senior member of an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community, it may be appropriate to use the terms Uncle, Aunty or Elder to show respect and to indicate their respected status. Always check with the person to see how he or she would like to be referred to. They may only want their title used within their community.
• If the communication was received via yarning circle or sharing session, using 'yarning circle' rather than 'personal communication' in the in-text citation.
• Refer to the Australian Government Style Manual - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples for guidance on using culturally appropriate and respectful language. Refer also to the toolkit Indigenous referencing guidance for Indigenous knowledges for additional examples and help in citing indigenous knowledges. This resource includes decision-making tools for selecting appropriate sources, and for adhering to the protocols and responsibilities attached to citing First Peoples' knowledges. The referencing examples in the toolkit are displayed in APA style.

Include the author's affiliated nation, country, or language group in both the in-text citation and the reference list, if this information is available in the source. Do not assume a person's affiliation if it isn’t clearly stated.

Reference list

Book reference

Example:

Moreton-Robinson, A. (Goenpul). (2020). Talkin' up to the white woman. University of Queensland Press.

In-text citation

(Moreton-Robinson, Goenpul, 2020)

As argued by Moreton-Robinson (Goenpul) (2020) ....

Notes:

• An author/s or editor/s Nation, Country or Language group may be published in a contributor section of a book rather than in the individual chapter.
• Refer to the toolkit Indigenous referencing guidance for Indigenous knowledges for additional examples and help in citing indigenous knowledges. This resource includes decision-making tools for selecting appropriate sources, and for adhering to the protocols and responsibilities attached to citing First Peoples' knowledges. The referencing examples in the toolkit are displayed in APA style.

Increasingly, Indigenous authors are including 'Country' in their works. They recognise that Country as author shows respect, points to relationships and knowledge reciprocity between Country and its peoples, and demonstrates connection to the traditional lands, seas, and waters that have contributed to the research and published work.

Reference list

Book chapter example:

Karulkiyalu Country, Gordon, P. (Ngemba), & Spillman, D. (Karulkiyalu). (2021). Embracing Country as teacher in outdoor and environmental education. In G. Thomas, J. Dyment & H. Prince (Eds.), Outdoor environmental education in higher education (pp. 215–224). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75980-3_18

Journal article example:

Martuwarra River of Life, Taylor, K.S., & Poelina, A. (Nyikina Warrwa).(2021). Living waters, law first: Nyikina and Mangala water governance in the Kimberley, Western Australia. Australian Journal of Water Resources, 25(1), 40–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/13241583.2021.1880538

Notes:

• An author/s or editor/s Nation, Country or Language group may be published in a contributor section of a book rather than in the individual chapter.
• If a work includes a First Nations' Country as a co-author, treat the Country name in the same way as a corporate/organisation author by using the full name of the country or place as an author in the reference.
• If no specific person is named, then give attribution to the Nation/Country/Language group mentioned as the knowledge's source.

In-text

According to S. W. Choi (personal communication, August 4, 2021) …

(S. W. Choi, personal communication, August 4, 2021) …

Notes

• Personal communications are not included in the reference list as they cannot be accessed or found by others. Cite them in the text only.
• Personal communications can include emails, text messages, online chats, personal interviews, phone conversations, memos, letters, and lectures. More examples can be found on the APAstyle website.