APA 6th Referencing Style Guide
- APA referencing style
- In-text citation
- Reference list
- TV, film & video
- Tables, figures & images

Conference papers found online
Conference papers and proceedings - published, conference papers and presentations - not formally published.
- Personal communications
- Lecture notes
- Social media
- Computer software & mobile applications
- Legislation & cases
- Standards & patents
- Specific health examples
- Exhibition catalogue
Conference paper as a PDF from a website
In-text citations guide
If conference proceedings are published:
- regularly (in a journal) - treat like a journal article
- as a book - treat like a book or book chapter
Conference paper online - in regularly published proceedings or retrieved from a library database
Reference list entry:
- If a DOI is available, include the DIO in the citation
- If there isn't a DOI, and the paper is online open access, include the URL of the conference paper in the citation
- Most conference papers from a database will have a DOI. For those without a DOI, use the URL of the database homepage and remove the expoxy.aut.ac.nz and onwards from the URL. For example, https://ieeexplore-ieee-org . e zproxy.aut.ac.nz/document/6184167
Conference proceedings - published as a book
Conference paper - in regularly published proceedings and retrieved in print
Conference paper - abstract retrieved online
- Use the following formats for papers not available online, and not published in a book or journal
- Include the year and the month of the symposium or meeting
Symposium contribution
reference format:
Paper presented in a conference
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- Last Updated: Jun 21, 2022 12:46 PM
- URL: https://aut.ac.nz.libguides.com/APA6th
APA 6th referencing style
- About APA 6th
- In-text references
- Direct quotations
- Indirect citation or secondary source
- Reference list
- Author information
- Additional referencing information
- Using headings
- Book chapter
- ChatGPT and other generative AI tools
- Journal article
- Other Internet sources
- Social media
- Dictionary or encyclopaedia
Published conference paper
Unpublished conference paper, conference paper from proceedings published regularly online.
- Newspaper or magazine article
- Lecture notes and slides
- Video or DVD
- Television program
- Government legislation
- Legal sources
- Patents and standards
- Personal communication
- Specialised health information
- Press (media) release
- Works in non-English languages
- Works in non-English scripts, such as Arabic or Chinese
- Printing this guide
- << Previous: Dictionary or encyclopaedia
- Next: Newspaper or magazine article >>
- Last Updated: Mar 3, 2023 12:32 PM
- URL: https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa6
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- Knowledge Base
- APA Style 6th edition
- How to cite a conference paper in APA Style (6th edition)
APA Conference Paper Citation (6th Edition) | Format & Examples
Published on November 6, 2020 by Koen Driessen .
Proceedings are contributions to scientific conferences, congresses, symposiums or meetings. They often are published bundled and are formally published in a book or in periodicals. This represents a report about what has been discussed during a particular conference. The APA Style has specific rules for the notation of proceedings or conference papers.
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Driessen, K. (2020, November 06). APA Conference Paper Citation (6th Edition) | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/6th-edition/archived-conference-paper/
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APA Style 6th Edition: Citing Your Sources
- Basics of APA Formatting
- In Text Quick View
- Block Quotes
- Books & eBooks
- Thesis/Dissertation
- Conference Presentations
Standard Format
Various examples.
- Course Documents
- Social Media
- Government Documents
- Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
- Additional Resources
- Sample Reference Page
Unpublished Paper
Contributor Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year, Month of presentation). Title of contribution. In First Initial. Second Initial. Chairperson Surname (Chair), Title of conference. Conference conducted at the meeting of Organization Name, Location.
Paper Presentation or Poster Session
Presenter Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year, Month). Title of paper or poster session. Paper presented at the meeting of Organization Name, Location.
- << Previous: Multimedia
- Next: Course Documents >>
- Last Updated: Sep 22, 2022 11:20 AM
- URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/APA-citation-style

Conference Presentation References
This page contains reference examples for works presented at conferences and meetings, including the following:
- Conference presentation
- Abstract of a conference presentation
1. Conference presentation
Evans, A. C., Jr., Garbarino, J., Bocanegra, E., Kinscherff, R. T., & Márquez-Greene, N. (2019, August 8–11). Gun violence: An event on the power of community [Conference presentation]. APA 2019 Convention, Chicago, IL, United States. https://convention.apa.org/2019-video
- Parenthetical citation : (Evans et al., 2019)
- Narrative citation : Evans et al. (2019)
- Provide the names of the presenters in the author element of the reference.
- Provide the full dates of the conference in the date element of the reference.
- Describe the presentation in square brackets after the title. The description is flexible (e.g., “[Conference session],” “[Paper presentation],” “[Poster session],” “[Keynote address]”).
- Provide the name of the conference or meeting and its location in the source element of the reference.
- If video of the conference presentation is available, include a link at the end of the reference.
2. Abstract of a conference presentation
Cacioppo, S. (2019, April 25–28). Evolutionary theory of social connections: Past, present, and future [Conference presentation abstract]. Ninety-ninth annual convention of the Western Psychological Association, Pasadena, CA, United States. https://westernpsych.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/WPA-Program-2019-Final-2.pdf
- Parenthetical citation : (Cacioppo, 2019)
- Narrative citation : Cacioppo (2019)
- To cite only the abstract of a conference presentation, include the word “abstract” as part of the bracketed description (e.g., “[Conference presentation abstract]”).

This guidance has been revised from the 6th edition.

- Conference papers >
Conference papers — APA 6th edition
The 7th edition of APA was published in October 2019. Some departments and lecturers may still be using the 6th edition. Ask your lecturer or supervisor if you are unsure which edition to use.
Conference papers – published in a book or journal
Conference proceedings may be formally published in a book or journal. If conference proceedings are published:
Use the same format as for a book or book chapter, e.g.
Bowles, T., Musgrove, E., & Hornsby, Z. (2009). The consistency of attachment styles: An experiment eliciting a response to acceptance or rejection. In Z. J. Hazelwood (Ed.), Connecting research and practice in relationships: Conference proceedings (pp. 9–14). Melbourne, Australia: Australian Psychological Society.
In a journal
Use the same format as a journal article, e.g.
Helton, W. S., Kemp, S., & Walton, D. (2013). Individual differences in movements in response to natural disasters: Tsunami and earthquake case studies. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting , 57 (1), 858–862. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931213571186
Conference papers or posters - not formally published
For paper or poster presentations that have not been formally published as a book or journal, use the following as a guide:
Presenter, A. A. (Year, month). Title of paper or poster . Paper or poster session presented at the meeting of Organisation name, Location. If you retrieved the proceedings online, include either the doi or Retrieved from and the URL.
Proudfoot, F. (2015, February). Understanding cultural differences at the frontline . Paper presented at the Australasian Housing Researchers Conference, Hobart, Australia. Retrieved from http://ahrc2015.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Fiona%20Proudfoot.pdf
- Include the month and the year in the reference.
For more information see the APA Style Blog How to cite material from meetings and symposia
Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / How to Cite a Conference Paper in APA
How to Cite a Conference Paper in APA
Last name, FM. (Year published). Title of Paper or Proceedings, Title of Conference, Location, Date. Place of publication: Publisher.
Cloyd, AM. (2014). Surveying students: A look at citation habits of college students, presented at EasyBib Info Lit Conference, New York City, 2014. New York, NY: EasyBib Publishing.
APA Formatting Guide
APA Formatting
- Annotated Bibliography
- Block Quotes
- et al Usage
- In-text Citations
- Multiple Authors
- Paraphrasing
- Page Numbers
- Parenthetical Citations
- Reference Page
- Sample Paper
- APA 7 Updates
- View APA Guide

Citation Examples
- Book Chapter
- Journal Article
- Magazine Article
- Newspaper Article
- Website (no author)
- View all APA Examples
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You should not use URL if the DOI number is present. The following rules will help you identify when to use DOIs and when to use URLs in references:
- If both the DOI and URL are given, include only the DOI and do not include the URL.
- If you only have the URL, follow the recommendations below:
- Add a URL in the reference list entry for publications from websites (other than databases).
- For databases of academic research, which are easily accessible, do not include a URL or database information in the reference. In this case, the reference will be the same as the print version.
- For publications from databases that publish limited or proprietary work that would only be available in that database, add the name of the database and the URL of the work.
The in-text citation of a conference paper in APA is similar to the in-text citations used for a journal article or a book chapter. You need to know the names of the author and the publication year to cite a conference paper. Here, you can see in-text citation templates and examples for APA conference papers with one, two, and more than two authors.
Author Surname (Publication Year)
Goldstein (1999)
Parenthetical:
(Author Surname, Publication Year)
(Goldstein, 1999)
Two authors
Author Surname1 and Author Surname2 (Publication Year)
Thomas and Solomon (1998)
(Author Surname1 & Author Surname2, Publication Year)
(Thomas & Solomon, 1998)
More than two authors
Author Surname1 et al. (Publication Year)
David et al. (2004)
(Author Surname1 et al., Publication Year)
(David et al., 2004)
APA Citation Examples
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Other Citation Styles
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APA 7th Edition - University of Lincoln
- APA style and referencing
- Main changes from the 6th edition to the 7th edition of APA
- In-text citations
- Common citation queries
- Example start of an assignment with in-text citations
- Reference list
- Example reference list
- Guidance on writing in APA style
- Appendix/Appendices
- Figures and tables
- Secondary referencing
- Book with a single author
- Book with two authors
- Book with three to 20 authors
- Edited book
- Chapter in an edited book
- Book with no author
- Edition of a book other than the first
- Dictionary/ thesaurus or encylopedia
- One volume of a multi-volume work
- Diagnostic manual
- Journal article with one author
- Journal article with two authors
- Journal article with three to 20 authors
- Journal article with 21 or more authors
- Advance online publications or articles in press
- Special issue or special section in a journal
- Journal articles with an article number instead of page numbers
- Official publications and reports
- Webpages and websites
- Advertisements
- Conference sessions, paper and poster presentations
- Film, television, radio
- Law and legal references
- Treaties and international conventions
- Newspaper articles
- Personal communications
- Powerpoint slides
- Social media
- Software and mobile apps
- Tests, scales and inventories
- Theses, dissertations
- Translated works
- Figures and images
- Education subject guide
- Psychology subject guide
- Sport & Exercise Science subject guide
- Statistical tests
Acknowledgements
This guide is based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) and some of the examples used are taken from here.
Many thanks to the Southern Cross University, Australia, for permission to use and adapt their APA Citation Style 6th Edition libguide.
Useful books in the Library
APA 7th edition

How to use this guide
This guide has the same content as the Library's APA Referencing Handbook but the information is arranged in a different way. To find out how you would reference a particular source, use the options on the blue left hand menu bar. So if you needed to find out how to reference a book with four authors, hover over the Books section on the blue menu bar and use the drop down menu to select the Book with three to 20 authors option. This provides an example of how to reference this particular source in APA 7th style.
The four most commonly cited sources are listed first (books, journal articles, official publications and reports, and websites). Under Other sources are lots of other different sources of information - including social media, newspaper articles and TV programmes - just select the relevant one to see an example of how you reference this in APA 7th.
Getting Started with APA referencing
APA referencing (7th ed.) is used for the Schools of Education, Psychology, and Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Lincoln.
The APA referencing style is published in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. The 7th edition of the Manual was published in October 2019 and covers all aspects of writing in APA style. The Library's referencing information is based on the guidance in the Publication Manual.
Help with APA referencing
If you need any help with APA referencing or have any queries please contact your Subject Librarian:
Alexis Lamb ( [email protected] ) (Academic Subject Librarian for Psychology and Sport and Exercise Science )
Subject guides available at:
http://guides.library.lincoln.ac.uk/psychology
http://guides.library.lincoln.ac.uk/sport
Tracey Newby ( [email protected] ) (Academic Subject Librarian for Education )
Subject guide available at:
http://guides.library.lincoln.ac.uk/education
Recordings of Library APA referencing webinars

The Library also runs Introduction to APA referencing webinars if you would prefer to attend an online session. You can view all upcoming Library webinars here
Useful links
- APA website - lots of useful resources and tutorials on using APA style
- Official APA blog - blog written by APA experts
- OWL Pudue - Purdue University have an Online Writing Lab (OWL) which advises on general format for APA style and includes many referencing examples.
- Crossref - great for finding DOIs
- APA Style blog - run by APA experts who answer trickier APA queries
- Next: General Guidelines and avoiding plagiarism >>
- Last Updated: Mar 2, 2023 11:02 PM
- URL: https://guides.library.lincoln.ac.uk/APA7th
- Admin login
- ICT Support Desk
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- Accessibility
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APA (American Psychological Association) 6th is an author-date referencing style where you have an in-text citation and a related entry in a reference list at the end of your document.
APA 6th - conference proceedings/presentations/posters Reference list In-text citation Quoting
APA 6th - conference proceedings/presentations/posters
If the conference/symposium/meeting paper is formally published in a book format reference as a book or a chapter in an edited book.
If the conference/symposium/meeting paper is published regularly, use the format for a journal article.
If there is no year of publication use the abbreviation (n.d.) for no date.
Reference list
Add a reference list at the end of your essay, citing all sources used in the body of your writing. The reference list should be in alphabetical order by the first author's surname.
Unpublished paper presentation
Format (Electronic) Author. (Year of presentation, Month). Title of presentation . Paper presented at the meeting of name of conference or occasion, Location. Retrieved [or Abstract retrieved] from URL Format (Print) Author. (Year of presentation, Month). Title of presentation . Paper presented at the meeting of name of conference or occasion, Location. Example Stuart, J., Pacheco, G., Hedges, M., & Morton, S. (2014, July). Monkey see, monkey do: How do parental socioeconomic shifts influence children’s cognitive outcomes? Paper presented at the meeting of the New Zealand Association of Economists (NZAE) 55th Annual Conference, Auckland, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.nzae.org.nz/event/nzae-conference-2014/conference-papers/ Chang-Richards, Y., Wilkinson, S., Seville, E., & Brunsdon, D. (2015, July). A systems approach to managing human resources in disaster recovery projects . Paper presented at the meeting of the 5th Annual International Conference on Building Resilience, Newcastle, Australia.
Unpublished poster session
Format (Electronic) Author. (Year of presentation, Month). Title of presentation . Poster presented at meeting of name of conference or occasion, Location. Retrieved [or Abstract retrieved] from URL Format (Print) Author. (Year of presentation, Month). Title of presentation . Poster presented at meeting of name of conference or occasion, Location. Example Magnusson, J., & Zaar, J. (2017, April). Improving information literacy instruction through reflection! Poster presented at the meeting of the Librarians' Information Literacy Annual Conference (LILAC), Swansea, Wales. Retrieved from http://www.lilacconference.com/lilac-archive/lilac-2017-1#papersandposters Doci, F., Eiliat, H., Gillard, K., Burton, S., Kustra, E., & Meadow, K. (2014, May). Teaching culture indicators: Valuing and enhancing quality teaching in higher education. Poster presented at the meeting of the Windsor-Oakland Eighth Annual Conference on Teaching & Learning: Empowering Students to Learn, Oakland University, Rochester, MI. Wilcock, J. (2013, November). A co-citation network for biometrics . Poster presented at the meeting of the New Zealand Statistical Association Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand.
An example reference list
See also: multiple works by the same author , one source cited in another , similar information from multiple works , abbreviations .
In-text citation
When you use another person’s ideas or words in your text include the author’s name and publication date.
If you use the author’s name as part of a sentence, include the date of publication in brackets.
… analysis of highly co-cited papers (Wilcock, 2013). Wilcock’s (2013) graph illustrates …
Wilcock (2013) presents a graph of co-citation papers published in the biometrics field. Wilcock analyses the data ...
Two authors
Use ‘&’ between the authors' surnames when they are enclosed within brackets. Use ‘and’ when they form part of the sentence.
- ... how teaching and reflection impacts on information literacy (Magnusson & Zaar, 2017). Magnusson and Zaar (2017) indicate this is a natural part of the teaching process.
Magnusson and Zaar’s (2017) colourful poster demonstrates the use of reflection with information literacy. Magnusson and Zaar show how this improves …
Three to five authors
List all surnames in the first citation, but subsequently, only the first listed author is used, followed by et al. A comma precedes 'and' and '&' when there are three or more authors.
… the impact of socioeconomic significance on the cognitive development of children (Stuart, Pacheco, Hedges, & Morton, 2014). Stuart et al. (2014) also considered the effect ...
- In a recent study, Wroe, Ferrara, McHenry, Curnoe, and Chamoli (2010) showed that ... Another finding, according to Wroe et al., was that ...
Six or more authors
Cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al.
- ... in the academic environment (Doci et al., 2014). Quality teaching and culture, according to Doci et al. (2014), was responsible ...
- In the poster presentation, Doci et al. (2014) showed that there is increasing pressure ... Teaching quality has an impact on improving student learning. Surveys were piloted by Doci et al., followed by focus groups ...
See also: Multiple works by the same author, Similar information from multiple works, One source quoted in another
An example paragraph
See also: more on paraphrasing ...
Direct quotes of less than 40 words require quotation marks and the page number/s.
This research "illustrates the areas of study that have dominated in the journal" (Wilcock, 2013, p. 1). Wilcock (2013) purported that the "edges are weighted by the frequency of co-citation" (p. 1). The employment "shortage was further compounded by factors such as the shortage of temporary accommodation" (Chang-Richards, Wilkinson, Seville & Brunsdon, 2015, p. 12). Chang-Richards, Wilkinson, Seville, and Brunsdon (2015) observed that "significant skill shortages have re-emerged from the earthquakes" (p. 5).
See also: more on quoting, including long quotes ...
This material is based on the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (2010), the APA style guide to electronic references (2012) and the APA style blog . For further information, please consult the manuals directly.

IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Presenter, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of paper. Paper presented at the meeting of Organisation Name, Location. In-text citations guide.
Presenter name - last name, initial(s). (Year, month). Title of paper - italicised. Paper presented at the Conference name, Location. doi:doi:xx
APA Conference Paper Citation (6th Edition) | Format & Examples ; APA-format, AuthorLastName, Initials. (Year). TitleConferencePaper.
Contributor Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year, Month of presentation). Title of contribution. In First Initial. Second Initial.
Conference Proceeding References ; 1. Conference proceedings published in a journal · Parenthetical citation: (Duckworth et al., 2019) · : Duckworth et al. (2019).
Describe the presentation in square brackets after the title. The description is flexible (e.g., “[Conference session],” “[Paper presentation],” “[Poster
For paper or poster presentations that have not been formally published as a book or journal, use the following as a guide: Presenter, A. A. (Year, month).
Last name, FM. (Year published). Title of Paper or Proceedings, Title of Conference, Location, Date. Place of publication: Publisher. Example: Cloyd
Conference papers can be published in book or periodical form, or online.To cite published proceedings from a book, use the same format as
Author. (Year of presentation, Month). Title of presentation. Paper presented at the meeting of name of conference or occasion, Location.