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APA 7th Referencing

American Psychological Association, 7th edition

Music and sound format

Songs, albums, instrumental music and sound effects

 

Reference elements

Screenshot of an annotated music reference

 

Reuse of audio in an assignment

It is recommended where possible to use audio that has either a Creative Commons or copyright-free non-attribution license.

Only use copyrighted audio material if you have explicit written permission from the copyright holder.

There are some exceptions for using copyrighted audio as part of a student assessment (see Smartcopying research or study copyright exceptions), however use of the audio is not advised in the following cases:

  • The audio is for background ambience only 
  • You are able to find a free/CC alternative 
  • Purchase of a license is required

 

Caption / Note

If inserting audio material into an assessment such as a PowerPoint slide, add an attribution note using the following format.

  Format Example
Copyright free, non-attribution [OPTIONAL]
(e.g. Pixabay, Canva)		 Title of audio [Site Name, royalty-free]
OR
Audio/Music reused/created from/using Canva

Beyond infinity [Pixabay, royalty-free]
OR
Audio created using Canva
Creative Commons
(e.g. Free Music Archive)		 Music/Audio credit: Title of audio (Artist/Composer/Creator, Year, CC BY x.x) Music credit: What a day (Berger, 2011, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
Copyrighted Music/Audio credit: Title of audio (Artist/Composer/Creator, © Year) Music credit: Shallow (Lady Gaga & Cooper, © 2018)

 

In-text citation

Format Example

(Artist/Composer, Year)

OR

Artist/Composer (Year)

... is an example of a movie soundtrack that ... (Lady Gaga & Cooper, 2018).

OR

Lady Gaga and Cooper (2018), in their successful soundtrack Shallow ...
Note:
  • For Artists/Composers/Creators known by a stage name or single name, write their name exactly as it appears. e.g. Lady Gaga

 

Reference

Those which state they are copyright-free non-attribution (e.g. from Pixabay, Canva etc.) do not require to be referenced.

Creative Commons and copyrighted audio are referenced similar to audiovisual material with an artist, composer or creator as the author, and a flexible description of the material type.

 

Single song / track or sound effect
  Format Example
Creative Commons

Artist/Composer/Creator, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of audio material [Description]. On Album title. Archive/Website. https://xxxxx

Berger, A. (2011, February 9). What a day [Instrumental track]. On Albert Beger's Five: Listening. Free Music Archive. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Albert_Beger/Listening/01_What_A_Day/

Organizedlaziness. (2025, February 28). Level completed [Sound effect]. Freesound. https://freesound.org/people/organizedlaziness/sounds/790472/
Copyrighted

Artist/Composer/Creator, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of album [Description]. On Album title. Production Company; Record Label.

Lady Gaga., & Cooper, B. (2018). Shallow [Song]. On A star is born soundtrack. Warner Bros. & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Interscope Records.
Note:
  • For Artists/Composers/Creators known by a stage name or single name, write their name exactly as it appears. e.g. Lady Gaga
  • Provide the most exact date available.
  • Description may include [Song], [Instrumental track], [Soundtrack], [Sound effect] etc.
  • For standalone songs/tracks or sound effects not part of an album, omit the album title.
  • Include a URL if that location is the only means of retrieval (e.g. a song or album released on SoundCloud exclusively).

 

Album
  Format Example
Creative Commons

Artist/Composer/Creator, A. A. (Year). Title of album [Album]. Archive/Website. https://xxxxx

Berger, A. (2011, February 9). Albert Beger's Five: Listening [Album]. Music Archive. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Albert_Beger/Listening
Copyrighted

Artist/Composer/Creator, A. A. (Year). Title of album [Album]. Production Company; Record Label.

Lady Gaga., & Cooper, B. (2018). A star is born soundtrack [Album]. Warner Bros. & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Interscope Records.
Note:
  • For Artists/Composers/Creators known by a stage name or single name, write their name exactly as it appears. e.g. Lady Gaga
  • Provide the most exact date available.
  • Include a URL if that location is the only means of retrieval (e.g. a song or album released on SoundCloud exclusively).