# APA, IEEE and Harvard citation guide

Decision workbook and teaching example · 2026-10-06

The completed case is fictional. Its values and decisions are not actual findings; complete your project using relevant permissions, methods and requirements.

- Project: ____________________
- Researcher and role: ____________________
- Date and version: ____________________
- Data seen before the decision: ____________________
- Aim and scope: ____________________

## Completed example

| Stage/decision | Example | Check or action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Discovery | Imported record with incomplete metadata | Has the original been found? |
| Correction | Title, authors, year and DOI | Do all identify one document? |
| Citation | Required outlet style | Are quotations and paraphrases distinct? |
| Reconciliation | Text versus reference list | Any orphan entries or citations? |
| Rights | Adapted figure and separate licence | Is permission and credit adequate? |

## Complete your own record

| Topic | Actual decision and reason | Evidence link and status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Discovery | __________ | __________ |
| Correction | __________ | __________ |
| Citation | __________ | __________ |
| Reconciliation | __________ | __________ |
| Rights | __________ | __________ |

## Completion checks

- [ ] Create a corrected reference library and text/list reconciliation record.

## Changes and limitations

| Date | Change | Data known at decision time | Reason | Consequence for claim | Reviewer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ |

## Sources and further reading

- [APA Style — Reference examples](https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples)
- [Zotero — Quick start guide](https://www.zotero.org/support/quick_start_guide)
- [Crossref — REST API and metadata](https://www.crossref.org/documentation/retrieve-metadata/rest-api/)

Related guide: https://didgar-research-site1.vercel.app/en/guides/citation-styles/