As you know, citing every source you use during your academic research is essential. And if you’re using APA style, you might already be confident working with straightforward and commonly used sources, such as journal articles and books. But what about other types of sources – for example, ethics codes? Want to know more? Keep reading to learn how to cite a code of ethics in APA referencing.
A code of ethics is a set of principles that outline the ethical standards and expectations for a particular group or profession. It can include guidelines on a wide range of ethical considerations, such as confidentiality, accountability, honesty, and fairness. These codes are intended to promote ethical behavior among employees, maintain professional standards, and protect the reputation of the organization. They can also help employees navigate complex ethical dilemmas. Different professions tailor their specific codes of ethics to their unique situations.
References entries for codes of ethics follow the same format as entries for reports. Include the organizational author, the year of publication, and the publisher. If the code is available online, include the URL. The basic formats for print and online codes are:
● Print: Author Organization. (Year). Title of code. Publisher.
● Online: Author Organization. (Year). Title of code. Publisher. URL
For codes of ethics, the publisher is often the same as the author organization. If so, you can omit the publisher to prevent repetition.
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Here’s an example of what this kind of entry might look like on your reference page. Most codes of ethics are available online, so this example includes the URL:
You can reference codes of ethics as parenthetical or narrative citations. Parenthetical citations follow a phrase, clause, or sentence and include, in parentheses, the name of the author organization and the year of publication, separated by a comma:
Narrative citations will name the author organization in the sentence, with the year of publication following in parentheses:
To cite a particular section in an ethics code, create a reference entry for the entire code and then cite the specific section in the text. Use the terminology of the code in your citation (e.g., standard, section). For example:
The reference list and in-text citations are important parts of your research, so make sure you’ve formatted them correctly and included all the necessary information. Be sure to check out our helpful guide to APA referencing before writing your next paper.
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