Citations Matter
Proper citation and documentation make the difference between a well-supported paper and, at worst, a fine piece of plagiarism. Citing your sources gives credit to the original authors and gives your paper authority. It also allows your readers to check your sources and evaluate the evidence that you provide. Following the standard citation style of a field or type of publication helps your readers see where you found your evidence and support. This brief overview provides information and citation formatting tips based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition. See a more detailed Citation Guide.
Elements of In-text Citations
In-text citations tell the reader who created the information and exactly where you found a fact, quotation, or other piece of evidence, whether you quote it directly or paraphrase it in your own words. Depending on the source information provided within your sentence, the amount of information you need to cite will vary. In APA Style, in-text citations are usually parenthetical—that is, source information is placed in parentheses within the body of the paper. However, citations also appear in narrative format. The author’s name is incorporated into the text as part of a sentence introducing the source and/or a quote or paraphrase, and the year of publication (or copyright year, if a book) follows in parentheses. The elements of in-text citations are listed below:
Author(s) or publishing organization/department
This is the provider of the original evidence.
- The format of the author element of the in-text citation changes depending on the number of authors and is abbreviated in some cases.
- One or two authors: Include the author’s name(s) in every citation.
- Three or more authors: Include the name of only the first author plus “et al.” in every citation (even the first citation).
- No author: Cite the source by its title in the signal phrase or use the first word or two in the parentheses. Titles of books and reports are italicized; titles of articles, chapters, and web pages are in quotation marks. APA style calls for capitalizing important words in titles when they are written in the text (but not when they are written in reference lists).
Year published (or copyright year for books)
Location of content within source
- Direct quotations: page numbers (or URL or DOI for e-resources) on which the evidence was found (for direct quotations)
- Paraphrases: Although it is not required to provide a page or paragraph number in the citation for a paraphrase, you may include one (in addition to the author and year) when it would help interested readers locate the relevant passage within a long or complex work (i.e., book, dissertation).
Placement of In-text Citations
The placement of parenthetical elements for in-text citations depends on where a quotation appears within a sentence and how many words it contains.
Middle of a sentence (<41 words)
- Place the citation directly after the closing quotation mark.
End of a sentence (<41 words)
- Place the citation between the closing quotation mark and the final sentence punctuation.
End of sentence (41 words or more)
- Use a block-citation: Position the quoted text in a separate mini-paragraph that is set in one inch from the left and right margins.
- Use double-spacing throughout the cited quotation.
- Left-align the mini-paragraph.
- Either cite the source in parentheses after the quotation’s final punctuation or cite the author and year in the narrative before the quotation and place only the page number in parentheses after the quotation’s final punctuation.
Introducing a Source
The first time you introduce a new work within the body of your paper, cite the year of publication in parentheses immediately after the author’s full name (or the work’s title if author is unavailable). In rare cases, the author and date might both appear in the narrative. In this case, do not use parentheses.
Author(s)/title and year stated in sentence
When you state the name of the author or title and year of publication in the sentence (narratively or in parentheses), you only need to include page numbers in a parenthetical citation after the end quotation marks.
- Author’s name (year) argues “quotation” (p. #). (for a single page)
- Author’s name (year) argues “quotation”… (pp. #–#). (for multiple page range)
- Author’s name (year) argues “quotation”… (pp. #, #). (for multiple pages that are discontinuous)
Example 1: Author and year stated in sentence
Deborah Tannen (1993) states, “This prior experience or knowledge then takes the form of expectations about the world” (pp. 20–21), thus indicating that we come to expect certain outcomes as a result of what we already know.
Author and year stated in paragraph
This case also applies if a previous first introduction of the work (with a citation) in the same paragraph is from the same work.
- Author’s name (year) … Sentence…”quotation” or paraphrase… (pp. #–##).
Example 1a: Author and year stated in paragraph
Deborah Tannen (1993) discusses the importance of individual experience to expectations. She argues, “This prior experience or knowledge then takes the form of expectations about the world” (pp. 20–21).
Subsequent In-text Citations (Common Examples)
Author stated in sentence
You can introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author’s last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses.
The author’s name often is stated to introduce evidence from their study. When the author’s name has already been stated, include the year of publication after the author’s name and cite pages on which the evidence is found in your parenthetical citation.
- Author (Year) states “quotation” or paraphrase (pp. #–##).
Example 2: Author stated in sentence
Tannen (1993) argues, “This prior experience or knowledge then takes the form of expectations about the world” (pp. 20–21).
Quotation or paraphrase stated directly
When you use a quotation from another work without first introducing its author, provide the author’s or authors’ last name(s), the year of publication, and the page numbers in your citation. Separate information with commas.
- “Quotation” or paraphrase… (Author last name(s), Year, pp. #–##).
For paraphrases, it is not required to provide a page or paragraph number in the citation. However, you may include one (in addition to the author and year) when it would help interested readers locate the relevant passage within a long or complex work (e.g., a book).
Example 3: Quoted or paraphrased directly
All of our personal experiences are stored and transformed into “expectations about the world” (Tannen, 1993, pp. 20–21).
Electronic (Internet and Web) sources
When citing an electronic source provide the author, authoring organization, or department name responsible for the work and the date of publication/copyright.
If no author or date is given and the source is considered to be reliable, use the title or the first word or two in the parentheses with the abbreviation n.d. (for no date).
When an electronic source lacks page numbers, you should try to include information that will help readers find the passage being cited. Use the heading or section name, an abbreviated heading or section name, a paragraph number (para. 1), or a combination of these.
- “Quotation” or paraphrase…(Author name, Year, Section heading/para. #).
Example 4: Quoting Web or E-Sources
“The [Dance Dance Revolution physical education] program in West Virginia will roll out in the coming weeks at 103 middle schools and junior high schools and will reach the remaining schools by the end of the 2006-07 school year” (Kim, 2006, para. 4).
See a more detailed Citation Guide.