Q. The author for my reference is the name of an organisation which is really long. Do I have to keep writing this name out in full every time or can I just use the initials? I’m using APA.
For the first in-text citation you need to include the full name followed by the acronym (initials) in square brackets. From then on, whenever you mention them again you can use the acronym.
For example, the first in-text citation would look like this:
(Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2016)
The second and subsequent citation would look like this:
(ABS, 2016)
In the reference list, write the name out in full and don’t include the acronym.
The APA Guide has more examples of this under the ‘What if. . . ?’ tab then 'Organisation as an author'
We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and acknowledge Traditional Owners of the lands where our staff and students, live, learn and work.
