in text citation apa paraphrasing

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APA Citation Style, 7th Edition: In-Text Citations & Paraphrasing

APA 6/7 Comparison Guide
New & Notable Changes
Student Paper Layout
Journal Article with One Author
Journal Article with Two Authors
Journal Article with Three or more Authors
Help?! I can't find the DOI
One Author/Editor
Two Authors/Editors
Chapter in a Book
Electronic Books
Social Media Posts
YouTube or other streaming video
Podcast or other audio works
Infographic, Powerpoint, or other visual works
Government Websites & Publications, & Gray Literature
Legislative (US & State House & Senate) Bills
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Dissertations & Thesis
Interviews & Emails
Magazine Articles
Newspaper Articles
Datasets, Software, & Tests
Posters & Conference Sessions
Photographs, Tables, & PDF's
Canvas Posts & Class Discussion Boards
In-Text Citations & Paraphrasing
References Page
Free APA 7th edition Resources, Handouts, & Tutorials

When do I use in-text citations?

When should you add in-text citations in your paper .

There are several rules of thumb you can follow to make sure that you are citing your paper correctly in APA 7 format.

Think of your paper broken up into paragraphs. When you start a paragraph, the first time you add a sentence that has been paraphrased from a reference -> that's when you need to add an in-text citation.
Continue writing your paragraph, you do NOT need to add another in-text citation until: 1) You are paraphrasing from a NEW source, which means you need to cite NEW information OR 2) You need to cite a DIRECT quote, which includes a page number, paragraph number or Section title.
Important to remember : You DO NOT need to add an in-text citation after EVERY sentence of your paragraph.

Paragraph Rules of Thumb: Cite after 1st paraphrase, continue writing, add a new cite for a new source or a direct quote.

What do in-text citations look like?

In-text citation styles: , let's look at these examples if they were written in text: .

An example with 1 author:

Parenthetical citation: Following American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines will help you to cultivate your own unique academic voice as an expert in your field (Forbes, 2020).

Narrative citation : Forbes (2020) shared that by following American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines, students would learn to find their own voice as experts in the field of nursing.

An example with 2 authors:

Parenthetical citation: Research on the use of progressive muscle relaxation for stress reduction has demonstrated the efficacy of the method (Bennett & Miller, 2019).

Narrative citation: As shared by Bennett and Miller (2019), research on the use of progressive muscle relaxation for stress reduction has demonstrated the efficacy of the method.

An example with 3 authors:

Parenthetical citation: Guided imagery has also been shown to reduce stress, length of hospital stay, and symptoms related to medical and psychological conditions (Jones et al., 2020).

Narrative citation: Jones et al. (2020) shared that guided imagery has also been shown to reduce stress, length of hospital stay, and symptoms related to medical and psychological conditions.

An example with a group/corporate author:

Parenthetical citation: Dr. Philip G. Rogers, senior vice president at the American Council on Education, was recently elected as the newest chancellor of the university (East Carolina University, 2020).

Narrative citation: Recently shared on the East Carolina University (2020) website, Dr. Philip G. Rogers, senior vice president at the American Council on Education, was elected as the newest chancellor.

Tips on Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is recreating someone else's ideas into your own words & thoughts, without changing the original meaning (gahan, 2020). .

Here are some best practices when you are paraphrasing:

How do I learn to paraphrase? IF you are thoroughly reading and researching articles or book chapters for a paper, you will start to take notes in your own words . Those notes are the beginning of paraphrased information.
Read the original information, PUT IT AWAY, then rewrite the ideas in your own words . This is hard to do at first, it takes practice, but this is how you start to paraphrase.
It's usually better to paraphrase, than to use too many direct quotes.
When you start to paraphrase, cite your source.
Make sure not to use language that is TOO close to the original, so that you are not committing plagiarism.
Use theasaurus.com to help you come up with like/similar phrases if you are struggling.
Paraphrasing (vs. using direct quotes) is important because it shows that YOU ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND the information you are reading.
Paraphrasing ALLOWS YOUR VOICE to be prevalent in your writing.
The best time to use direct quotes is when you need to give an exact definition, provide specific evidence, or if you need to use the original writer's terminology.
BEST PRACTICE PER PARAGRAPH: On your 1st paraphrase of a source, CITE IT. There is no need to add another in-text citation until you use a different source, OR, until you use a direct quote.

References :

Gahan, C. (2020, October 15). How to paraphrase sources . Scribbr.com . https://tinyurl.com/y7ssxc6g

Citing Direct Quotes

When should i use a direct quote in my paper .

Direct quotes should only be used occasionally:

When you need to share an exact definition
When you want to provide specific evidence or information that cannot be paraphrased
When you want to use the original writer's terminology

From: https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/whaddyamean/

Definitions of direct quotes:

Western Oregon University's APA Guidelines on Direct Quotes This is an excellent quick tutorial on how to format direct quotes in APA 7th edition. Bookmark this page for future reference!

Carrie Forbes, MLS

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Last Updated: Jan 12, 2024 10:05 AM
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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / APA In-text Citations

APA In-Text Citations

Welcome to our guide on in-text citations! If you’re looking to learn the ins and outs of APA style in-text citations and how to do in-text citations APA, we’ve got you covered in this thorough guide.

The information below follows the 7th edition of the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association .

Here’s a run through of everything this page includes:

APA Style overview
In-text citations and why we use them
Two types of APA in-text citations
Corresponding entry in reference list
In-text citations for direct quotes

Paraphrasing in APA

In-text citations for sources with one author
In-text citations for sources with multiple authors
In-text citations for sources with no author or date
Additional in-text citation examples

If you’re simply looking for a quick guide, check out our APA parenthetical citation guide, which serves as a lite-version of this page.

Let’s get started!

What is APA?

This is a term that you might hear your teacher, professor, or librarian throw around a lot. This abbreviation stands for

P sychological

A ssociation

This association is kind of a big deal. They do a lot of things related to psychology, but they’re also famous for creating one of the most popular citation styles, APA format . There are other big names on campus, such as MLA format , and Chicago, but this particular style is commonly used by individuals who are writing a science-related paper.

Even if your paper doesn’t necessarily fall into a “science” category, many educators ask their students to cite in this style since it’s so commonly used.

If you’re trying to find information about other commonly used styles, there are more styles on EasyBib.com.

What is an APA In-text Citation?

In plain and simple terms, APA in-text citations are found in the text of a project. Get it? In text. The purpose of an in-text citation in APA is to show the reader, while they’re reading your work, that a piece of information in your project was found elsewhere. They’re placed IN the wording or body of a project, not on the last page; the last page has full references. To learn more about those types of references, check out APA citation .

We’ve all heard about the word plagiarism , and you already know what it means. Simply put, including APA in-text citations are one way to prevent plagiarism.

Here’s what’s included in an APA 7th edition in-text citation:

Last name(s) of the author(s) or Group name
Year the source was published
Page number (if available)

Depending on the number of authors and the source type, some in-text citations look different than others. Read on to learn how to structure an in-text citation for APA. In fact, if you’re looking for an easy route, EasyBib.com has an in-text citation APA generator, which does the work for you. Use our automatic generator to create your full references, and you’ll see an option on the final screen to format your APA in-text citations. An APA in-text citation generator and full reference generator all in one. What could beat that?

Why do we use in-text citations?

When you do a research project, you’re probably going to include facts from websites, databases, books, and other sources. When you add those facts into your project, you must show where those facts came from. It’s the responsible thing to do. It prevents plagiarism. You always give credit to the original author. It’s kind of like thanking them for their contribution to your paper.

Here’s the neat thing about in-text citations. Since they’re IN your project, readers get a quick idea as to where the information you included came from. In-text citations APA are not long and lengthy, like the full references on the APA reference page or APA bibliography . In-text citations are cute, little, and give us the perfect amount of information we need to understand where a fact came from. If you want to get the full information about the source, then you can flip to the back page of the paper, where the full reference is listed. The in-text citation APA style provides us with a tidbit of information. Just enough to glance at it and keep on going with reading the paper.

To recap, in-text citations are great because:

They credit the original author of a work or information
They let readers quickly see where the information is coming from
Including helps make you an ethical writer

If you’re looking to learn more about footnotes in Chicago format , MLA in-text & parenthetical citations , or want to learn how to cite websites in MLA , EasyBib.com has the information you need to be a citing superstar.

Types of APA In-text Citations

Just like there are two days in the weekend, two types of peanut butter (creamy and nutty), and two types of foods we crave (salty and sweet), there are (you guessed it) two types of in-text citations.

The in-text citation APA option you include in your paper depends on how you craft your sentences.

Narrative In-Text APA Citations:

In-text citation APA format, in narrative form, is one that shows the author’s name in the sentence itself.

Narrative In-text APA Citation Example:

Tyson, Strauss, and Gott (2016) encourage the use of simplified terms when it comes to discussing and defining the universe. For example, a small white star is simply called a white dwarf. Keep it short and sweet because the universe is confusing enough (p. 22).

Parenthetical Citations:

This is a type of APA in-text citation where the author’s name(s) are in parentheses, usually at the end of the fact or quote.

Parenthetical Citation Example

Use simplified terms when discussing and defining the universe. For example, a small white star is simply called a white dwarf. Keep it short and sweet because the universe is confusing enough (Tyson, Strauss, & Gott, 2016, p. 22).

As you can see, the type of APA in-text citation you include, whether it’s a narrative one or one in parentheses, depends on how you decide to structure your sentences. It doesn’t matter if you use all narrative, all parentheses, or a mix of both.

What is important is that you’re a responsible researcher and you properly cite your sources!

Remember, most facts, quotes, stats, and copied and pasted information NEED an APA in-text citation next to it.

What’s the only type of information you don’t need to create an in-text citation APA for? Anything that’s common knowledge. For example, paper is made from trees. You and most people already knew that. That’s an example of common knowledge. It’s a piece of information that everyone already knows.

Now, before you simply include the author’s name(s), the date, and the page number in your project and think you’ve covered all your bases, you’re not quite done yet. In-text citations APA are only part of the puzzle.

The other piece of the puzzle is found on the last page of the project: the reference page. That’s where all of the full references are found in their entirety. In-text citations only include the author’s name, year published, and the page number.

The reference page, on the other hand, includes the title of each source, the publishers, the website addresses, and other information. Continue reading to learn why in-text citations and references on the reference page are the perfect match.

Before we continue, MLA works cited pages are very similar to the ones in this style. EasyBib.com has resources for many styles, to help you learn the ins and outs of referencing your work. We even have full pages on grammar topics too, to keep your paper in tip-top shape. Brush up on your noun , conjunction , and interjection skills with our easy-to-follow, comprehensive guides.

Corresponding entry in APA reference list

Would you ever put on one shoe and walk around without the other? Of course not. The same goes with in-text citations and full references. You must include both in your paper. Where there’s one there has to be the other.

Each and every in-text citation APA must have a matching full reference on the reference page (American Psychological Association, p. 262 ).

If you’re wondering why, it’s to allow the reader to get that sneak peek about the source while reading your paper (the APA in-text citation), and then learn all about it on the final page (the reference page). If the reader wants to get their hands on a copy of the sources you used, all of the information they need can be found on the reference page.

Remember those APA style in-text citation examples found above? Let’s take a peek at them again.

Here’s the one with the authors’ names in parentheses: Use simplified terms when discussing and defining the universe. For example, a small white star is simply called a white dwarf. Keep it short and sweet because the universe is confusing enough (deGrasse, Strauss, & Gott, 2016, p. 22).

Here’s the full reference, which would be found on the final page of the project:

Tyson, N. D., Strauss, M. A., and Gott, J. R. (2016). Welcome to the universe: An astrophysical tour. Princeton University Press.

Notice that in the above in-text citation APA example, the full title of the book, the place the book was published, and the publisher are displayed. If the reader wants to locate the book themselves, all of the information they need is found in the full reference.

One other important thing we’d like to point out is that the same information from the in-text citation APA (Tyson, Strauss, & Gott) matches the first part of the full reference. This is done to allow the reader to easily find the full reference on the final page.

Remember, always include both in-text citations AND full references in your projects.

In the body of projects, in-text citations APA serve an important purpose. They give the reader a snippet of understanding as to the origin of information. It’s just enough information to allow the reader to continue reading the paper in a natural and fluid manner, without having to trip over long, clunky references. If the reader wants to get a detailed understanding of a source, they can flip to the back page, the reference page, to scope out all of the nitty gritty details.

In the next two sections of this page, we’re going to switch gears and share how to properly format direct quotes and paraphrases.

If you’re looking for specific source types, check out APA citation website and APA book citation . These two resources will explain how to format those specific types of references. If you’re stuck and not sure how to start, check out Chapter 10 of the Publication manual for some sample citations.

Direct Quotes in APA

As Drake states in his lyrics, “We don’t like to do too much explaining,” so we’re going to keep this one short and to the point.

“Direct quotes” are a fancy term used for any text that has been copied and pasted into your paper. That Drake quote above is a direct quote.

Direct quotes are any words or sentences copied and pasted into your project, but they don’t necessarily have to be a person’s quote. Anytime you copy and paste text into your assignment, you must include an APA in-text citation next to it. This shows the reader that:

The information came from another source
You’re being a responsible researcher and clearly documenting the outside source.

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when it comes to direct quotes:

Direct quotes are a solid way to show evidence and prove your point, but use them sparingly. Your paper shouldn’t be riddled with copied and pasted text.
Put quotation marks around the copied and pasted information. (The exception are APA block quotes , which are direct quotes longer than 40 words and are formatted differently.)
Always include the page number for direct quotes, if one is available. When formatting APA page numbers for an in-text citation, include p. before the number. Use pp. for a page range.

To create a narrative APA in-text citation, include the author’s last name in the sentence like this:

As Drake (2013) once said “We don’t like to do too much explaining.”
In the above APA in-text citation example, the Drake quote was taken from the song, “Started From the Bottom,” in 2013. The title of the source would be included in the reference page.

Or, you include the author’s name in parentheses:

“We don’t like to do too much explaining” (Drake, 2013).

If you are looking for more examples, go to page 272 of the American Psychological Association’s official Publication manual .

We said above that your entire paper shouldn’t have direct quotes everywhere. So, another way to include information from a source is by adding a paraphrase . Simply put, a paraphrase is restated information, but formed using your own words and writing style

APA paraphrases still need an in-text citation since the information was obtained elsewhere. Check out this quote from the song, “For Time,” by Drake:

“I like it when money makes a difference, but don’t make you different.”

To include it in your paper, without using the exact quote, make a paraphrase. Here’s one that would work:

Money has the ability to benefit things in your life, but it’s truly great when it doesn’t cause the person to act differently or change who they are (Drake, 2013).

The above APA in-text citation example is one with Drake’s name in parentheses. If you’d like to include the author’s name narratively, here’s an option:

In Drake’s (2013) lyrics, he shares that money has the ability to benefit things in your life. It’s truly great when it doesn’t cause the person to act differently or change who they are.

It is recommended to include page numbers for paraphrased material, but isn’t required.

Here’s more on paraphrases and direct quotes.

Organizing APA In-text Citations

Ready to learn how to structure your in-text citations? The next section dives deep into developing them and answers “How to do in-text citations APA.” Keep in mind that how each one is formed depends on the number of authors and other factors. All the examples below follow rules laid out in Chapter 8 of the Publication manual.

Even though the structure varies, most in-text citations APA are placed in this manner for narrative in-text citations:

Author’s Last Name (Year) “Quote or Paraphrase” (p. number).

For ones in parentheses, most are placed in this manner:

“Quote” or Paraphrase (Author’s Last Name, Year, p. number).

Notice that whether you choose to include a narrative in-text citation APA or one in parentheses, the author names and the year published are always together. They’re pretty much holding hands. Cute, huh?

Read on to learn the ins and outs of structuring various in-text citations.

Don’t forget, EasyBib.com has an in-text citation APA generator. Wondering what it’s all about? Here’s a quick explanation: We work for you so citing is easy for you. Yep, you read that correctly.

Our tools structure your in-text citations the way they’re supposed to be structured. Use our automatic generator to create your full references, and on the final screen you’ll see the option to create your in-text citations. An APA in-text citation generator that’s easy as pie!

Something else we do for you? We have a plagiarism checker that scans your paper for any instances of accidental copying. We also have tons of grammar pages to keep your page in check. Check out our adverb , preposition , and verb pages.

APA In-Text Citations for Sources with One Author

If your source has one author.

If your source has one author, lucky you! Your in-text citation is pretty simple to structure.

Narrative In-text APA Citation:

Author’s Last Name (Year published) are found in the sentence with a “direct quote” or paraphrase (p. number).

Parenthetical APA Citation:

“Direct quote” or Paraphrase (Author’s Last Name, Year published, p. number).

Citing multiple sources by the same author in the same year

You may have a bunch of case studies, articles, or books that you’re referencing, all by the same author. Let’s say you’re analyzing two works by Sigmund Freud, Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious and also Fragment of an Analysis of a Case of Hysteria , both of which were published in 1905. Placing (Freud, 1905) in the text would be confusing for the reader. How would the reader determine which source you’re referencing?

If this is the situation you’re in, there’s a pretty simple fix.

Place a lowercase a next to the year in the first source (Freud, 1905a). Place a lowercase b next to the second source (Freud, 1905b). Include those same lowercase letters in the full references on the reference page, like so:

Freud, S. (1905a). Fragment of an analysis of a case of hysteria . https://staferla.free.fr/Freud/Freud%20complete%20Works.pdf

Freud, S. (1905b). Jokes and their relation to the unconscious . https://staferla.free.fr/Freud/Freud%20complete%20Works.pdf

But there’s a catch. When you do this et al. can’t stand for only one author. After all it literally means “and others.” If you have two sources that are identical except for the last author, then you have to write out all the names every time. For example:

Gunderman, Slack, Rausch, and Smith (2017)

Gunderman, Slack, Rausch, and Johnston (2017)

These references are completely the same except for the very last name so you’d have to write all 4 names every time.

If your source has multiple works by the same author

What if you had 2 sources with the same author(s) and same publication year? Lucky for us the solution here is a lot simpler. Just a letter to the publication year!

Gunderman, Slack, and Rausch (2017)

Gunderman, Slack, and Rausch (2017a)

Gunderman, Slack, and Rausch (2017b)

Just remember to also follow this format in your works cited page even if there is an exact publication date available. See page 267 of your Publication Manual (American Psychological Association, 2020) for a further breakdown.

Need to create an APA in-text citation for a source without an author? How about an APA in-text citation for multiple authors? Continue reading to see the other ways to structure an APA style in-text citation.

APA In-Text Citations for Sources with Multiple Authors

Apa in-text citation for sources with two authors.

If your source has two authors, place them in the order they appear on the source. Do not place them in alphabetical order.

Use the word “and” in between the authors’ names.

1st Author’s Last Name and 2nd Author’s Last Name (Year published) are found somewhere in the sentence with a “direct quote” or paraphrase (p. number).

If you choose to include both authors’ names in parentheses, use an ampersand in between their names.

“Here is the direct quote” or Here is the paraphrase (1st Author’s Last Name & 2nd Author’s Last name, Year, p. number).

APA in-text citation for sources three or more authors

Only include the first author’s last name and then add ‘et al.’ Et al. is a fancy way of saying “and others” in Latin.

1st Author’s Last Name et al. (Year published) are found somewhere in the sentence with a “direct quote” or paraphrase (p. number).

“Here is the direct quote” or Paraphrase (1st Author’s Last Name et al., Year published, p. number).

If you have author of multiple works (with multiple authors)

Now here is where things can get a tad bit tricky. Sometimes authors with multiple works can cause some confusion in your citations. Generally when that happens you can tell the difference by the publication year, but when you can’t, that’s when you have to list as many authors as necessary to clear up the confusion.

Say you had the two sources below:

Gunderman, Slack, Rausch, and Maule (2017)

Gunderman, Byrnes, Oxner, Wigginton, and Draeger (2017)

Normally, they’d be written as:

Gunderman et al. (2017)

If you reduced both sources to Gunderman et al. (2017) you wouldn’t be able to tell which source you’re talking about. Instead cite it this way:

Gunderman, Slack, Rausch et al. (2017)

Gunderman, Byrnes, Oxner et al. (2017)

If you’re looking for more information on structuring journal articles, check out our APA journal page.

If you’re looking for a simple solution to referencing multiple authors, EasyBib.com creates in-text citations APA for you! Whether you need to create a reference for one or two authors, or an APA in-text citation for multiple authors, we’ve got you covered!

APA In-text citation no author or date

It’s common to come across sources without any authors. Movies, brochures, website pages often do not have a visible author’s name.

Citing a source with no author

If you find that the source you’re attempting to reference does not have an author, use the first few words from the reference list entry in the APA in-text citation with no author. Most often, it’s the title of the source.

Place the source name in quotation marks if the source is a:

website page

Simply italicize the source name if the source is a:

Or the full reference starts with italicized information

Remember, you do not have to use the entire title in your in-text citation APA no author. You can use only the first few words from the reference list.

“First few words of the webpage, article, or chapter Title” (Year) along with the “direct quote” or paraphrase (p. number). OR First few words of book, newspaper, report, or brochure (Year) along with the “direct quote” or paraphrase (p. number).

“Here is the direct quote” or paraphrase (“Web page, Article, or Chapter Title,” Year, p. number). OR “Here is the direct quote” or paraphrase ( Book, Newspaper, Report, or Brochure Title , Year, p. number).

Citing source with no date

No date? No problem! An APA in-text citation no date situation is easier to solve than you think. Only include the author’s name and the page number.

APA in-text citation no date example:

(Foster, p. 35).

Additional APA In-Text Citation Examples

Source by a group, organization, company, or government agency.

There are two types of groups: Ones that are abbreviated often and ones that are not abbreviated.

For example, think about these two citation style types: APA and Chicago. One is abbreviated (for the American Psychological Association) and the other is usually written as is (Chicago style).

Abbreviated groups

If the company is often abbreviated, in the first mention in text, display the full name and the abbreviation. In the second and any other subsequent mentions, only use the abbreviation.

1st mention:

Full Company’s Name (Abbreviation, Year) with the “direct quote” or paraphrase (p. number).

2nd mention:

Company Abbrev. (Year) “direct quote” or paraphrase (p. number).

“Direct quote” or paraphrase (Full Company’s Name [Abbreviation], Year, p. number).

“Direct quote” or paraphrase (Abbreviation, Year, p. number).

Non-abbreviated groups

Always include the full group, company, or organization’s name in each and every mention in text.

Full Name of Group (Year) with the “direct quote” or paraphrase (p. number).

“Direct quote” or paraphrase (Full Name of Group, Year, p. number).

Citing sources with different authors with the same last name

We’re not quite sure how the author of The Baby-Sitters Club (Ann M. Martin) could be used in a paper that’s also referencing the author of Game of Thrones (George R. R. Martin), but hey, it could happen! It’s a Martin party! It’s important to show the reader the difference between the two individuals to prevent any confusion. To differentiate between the two authors in the text, include their first initials.

Example of in-text citation APA:

“Here’s a quote” (A. Martin, Year, p. 6). G. Martin (Year) also states “this direct quote” (p. 45).

As always, keep the author names and the dates directly next to each other. They love being together and it’s a best practice.

Citing multiple sources in the same in-text citation

List sources alphabetically and separate with a semicolon.

Be sure to list authors alphabetically.

Johnson (2019), Smith and Adams (2015), and Washington (2017), examined…

“Direct quote” or Paraphrase (Author 1 Last Name, Year published, p. number if needed; Author 2 Last Name, Year published, p. number if needed)

Parenthetical Citation Examples:

(Johnson et al., 2019; Smith & Adams, 2015; Washington, 2017)

(Honda, 2006, p. 107; Sato, 1980)

If you want to emphasize a source because it is particularly important or relevant, add “see also” before the source’s citation. Think of “see also” as synonymous with “for more information see…”

(Johnson et al., 2019; see also Smith & Adams, 2015; Washington, 2017).

Citing a source within a source

Did you stumble upon the perfect quote that’s quoted in another source? It happens all of the time and it can be a little tricky to figure out how to quote a quote.

The American Psychological Association recommends locating the original quote, if possible. Instead of relying on secondary sources, take the time to locate the original source to make sure the quote is accurate. Finding and reading through the original source also provides you with further information on your research topic!

If finding the original source isn’t possible, due to out of print titles, web pages taken down, or other factors, then it’s okay to quote the secondary source. In your writing, use the phrase “as cited in Secondary Author’s Last name, Year.”

On the reference page, include the reference for the secondary source.

As cited in Shapiro’s (2019) article, Carranza stated, “Districts 3 and 15 are showing how we can have the important conversations and take bold action on this issue.”

Carranza stated, “Districts 3 and 15 are showing how we can have the important conversations and take bold action on this issue” (as cited in Shapiro, 2019).

On the reference page, Shapiro’s article would be referenced in its entirety.

Citing audiovisual material

APA in-text citations for YouTube videos , songs, podcasts, television shows, and other audiovisual materials look a bit different than other types of sources. They include an extra piece of information: a time stamp.

Bill Nye (2017) shares that the sun is over four-hundred septillion watts (13:15).

The sun is over four-hundred septillion watts (Bill Nye, 2017, 13:15).

If you’re still scratching your head, and feeling the urge to type “how to do in-text citations APA” into Google, click here for a website that we dig.

If you’re looking for a quick fix to developing your references, EasyBib.com has you covered! Our tools can help you create an APA in-text citation multiple authors, one author, no authors, plus more!

Overview of APA Parenthetical Citations for Websites

Here’s a quick overview of how to create an in-text citation for websites. Notice that since these are for online sources, the in-text citation has no page number.

Once again, if grammar isn’t your thing, and you’re looking for help related to specific parts of speech, check out our adjective , pronoun , and determiner pages, among many, many others!

Follow our EasyBib Twitter feed to find more citing tips, fun grammar facts, and the latest product updates.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) https:doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Published May 21, 2019. Updated October 25, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau . Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and one of the in-house EasyBib librarians. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

Annotated Bibliography
Block Quotes
et al Usage
In-text Citations
Multiple Authors
Paraphrasing
Page Numbers
Parenthetical Citations
Reference Page
Sample Paper
APA 7 Updates
View APA Guide

Citation Examples

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An in-text citation is a shortened version of the source being referred to in the paper. As the name implies, it appears in the text of the paper. A reference list entry, on the other hand, details the complete information of the source being cited and is listed at the end of the paper after the main text. An example of an in-text citation and the corresponding reference list entry for a journal article with one author is listed below for your understanding:

In-text citation template and example:

Only the author name and the publication year are used in in-text citations to direct the reader to the corresponding reference list entry.

Author Surname (Publication Year)

Elden (2003)

Parenthetical

(Author Surname, Publication Year)

(Elden, 2003)

Reference list entry template and example:

Complete information of the reference is used to guide the reader to locate the source for further reference. In the below template, “F” and “M” are first and middle initials, respectively. #–# denotes the page range.

Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the article: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume (Issue), #–#. DOI

Elden, S. (2003). Plague, panopticon, police. Surveillance & Society, 1 (3), 240–253. https://doi:10.24908/ss.v1i3.3339

When you use APA style, all sources need to have in-text citations. In-text citations direct a reader to the reference entry to get more information on the source being cited in the text. If an in-text citation is not provided, your reader doesn’t know whether there is a source available in the reference list for the idea or topic being discussed in the text. Even if all the basic elements to cite a source are not available, try to provide an in-text citation with the information you do have. For example, if a source does not have an author, use a shortened version of the title in place of the author in your in-text citation. An example is given below for a parenthetical citation.

Author name available:

(Author Surname, Publication Year, p.# for direct quote)

Author name not available:

(“Title of the Work,” Publication Year, p.# for direct quote)

Therefore, in-text citations are essential to guide a reader to locate the corresponding sources in the reference list for the topics discussed in the text.

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APA Citation Guide (7th edition) : Paraphrasing

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Paraphrasing

Works Cited in Another Source
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In-Text Citation for Group or Corporate Authors

No author and/or no date.

When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).

Note : If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.

Original Source

Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.

Source from:

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480.

Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing

The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005).

Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way.

Example: Correct Paraphrasing

Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).

Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

No Known Author:

Note that in most cases where a personal author is not named, a group author may be cited instead (eg. Statistics Canada). However, in certain cases, such as religious ancient texts, the author is unknown. Where you'd normally put the author's last name, instead use the first one, two, or three words from the title. Don't count initial articles like "A", "An" or "The". You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your References List.

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

Capitalize the titles using title case (every major word is capitalized) even if the reference list entry uses sentence case (only first word is capitalized).

( Cell Biology , 2012, p. 157)

("Nursing," 2011, p. 9)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d., p. 200)

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Last Updated: Apr 15, 2024 11:26 AM
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Citations - APA: In-Text Citations - Quoting & Paraphrasing

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Works Quoted in Another Source (Secondary Source)
In-Text Citations - Quoting & Paraphrasing
Formatting - Essay, Reference List, Appendix, & Sample Paper
Annotated Bibliography

Long Quotations

Paraphrasing.

No Page Numbers

No Author and/or No Date

In-text citation for two or more authors/editors, citing a source that you found in another source (secondary source), about in-text citations.

In APA, in-text citations are inserted in the body of your research paper to briefly document the source of your information. Brief in-text citations point the reader to the full citation on the References list at the end of the paper.

Create in-text citations for the following:

Direct quotes

When you quote from online sources that do not provide page numbers (like Webpages), you can cite:

A paragraph number (if this is not provided, you can count the paragraph number from the start of your source). Bowlby described "three phases of the separation response: protest, despair, and detachment" (Garelli, 2001, para. 3).
A heading and paragraph number. Example: Bowlby described "three phases of the separation response: protest, despair, and detachment" (Garelli, 2001, Bowlby's Initial Stance section, para. 3).

No Known Author:

Where you'd normally put the author's last name, instead use the first one, two, or three words from the title. Don't count initial articles like "A", "An" or "The". You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your References List.

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

( Cell Biology , 2012)

("Nursing," 2011)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d.)

When quoting directly from a source, enclose the words in quotation marks then add the necessary information in parenthesis. There are two basic formats which can be used .

Option 1 - APA standard

The homeless were typically neglected growing up since they "commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony" (Rokach, 2005, p. 477).

Option 2 - used when the author's name for the work being cited is written in the lead in sentence before the quote.

As Rokach (2005) notes, the homeless "often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately" (p. 477).

What Is a Long Quotation?

If your quotation extends to more than forty words as you're typing your essay, it is a long quotation. This can also be referred to as a block quotation.

Rules for Long Quotations

There are 4 rules that apply to long quotations that are different from regular quotations:

The line before your long quotation, when you're introducing the quote, usually ends with a colon.
The long quotation is indented half an inch from the rest of the text, so it looks like a block of text.
There are no quotation marks around the quotation.
The period at the end of the quotation comes before your in-text citation as opposed to after , as it does with regular quotations.

Example of a Long Quotation

At the end of Lord of the Flies the boys are struck with the realization of their behaviour:

The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. (Golding, 1960, p.186)

When you write information from a source in your own words then cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).

If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.

Original Source

Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing

Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way.

Example: Correct Paraphrasing

Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).

Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.

Full Citation:

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480. 10.3200/JRLP.139.5.469-480

In scholarly work, a primary source reports original content; a secondary source refers to content first reported in another source.

Cite secondary sources sparingly—for instance, when the original work is out of print, unavailable, or available only in a language that you do not understand.
If possible, as a matter of good scholarly practice, find the primary source, read it, and cite it directly rather than citing a secondary source. For example, rather than citing an instructor’s lecture or a textbook or encyclopedia that in turn cites original research, find, read, and cite the original research directly (unless an instructor has directed you to do otherwise).

Follow these directions when citing a secondary source:

In the reference list, provide an entry for the secondary source that you used.
In the in-text, identify the primary source and write “as cited in” the secondary source that you used.

If the year of publication of the primary source is known, also include it in the text citation.

For example, if you read a work by Lyon et al. (2014) in which Rabbitt (1982) was cited, and you were unable to read Rabbitt’s work yourself, cite Rabbitt’s work as the original source, followed by Lyon et al.’s work as the secondary source. Only Lyon et al.’s work appears in the reference list.

(Rabbitt, 1982, as cited in Lyon et al., 2014)

If the year of the primary source is unknown, omit it from the in-text citation.

Allport’s diary (as cited in Nicholson, 2003)

https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/secondary-sources

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Last Updated: Dec 14, 2023 11:30 AM
URL: https://libguides.lahc.edu/apa

Penn State University Libraries

Apa quick citation guide.

In-text Citation
Citing Generative AI
Citing Web Pages and Social Media
Citing Articles
Citing Books
Citing Business Reports
Other Formats
APA Style Quiz

Using In-text Citation

Include an in-text citation when you refer to, summarize, paraphrase, or quote from another source. For every in-text citation in your paper, there must be a corresponding entry in your reference list.

APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14). For sources such as websites and e-books that have no page numbers , use a paragraph number, for example: (Field, 2005, para. 1). More information on direct quotation of sources without pagination is given on the APA Style and Grammar Guidelines web page.

Example paragraph with in-text citation

A few researchers in the linguistics field have developed training programs designed to improve native speakers' ability to understand accented speech (Derwing et al., 2002; Thomas, 2004). Their training techniques are based on the research described above indicating that comprehension improves with exposure to non-native speech. Derwing et al. (2002) conducted their training with students preparing to be social workers, but note that other professionals who work with non-native speakers could benefit from a similar program.

Derwing, T. M., Rossiter, M. J., & Munro, M. J. (2002). Teaching native speakers to listen to foreign-accented speech. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development , 23 (4), 245-259.

Thomas, H. K. (2004). Training strategies for improving listeners' comprehension of foreign-accented speech (Doctoral dissertation). University of Colorado, Boulder.

Citing Web Pages In Text

Cite web pages in text as you would any other source, using the author and date if known. Keep in mind that the author may be an organization rather than a person. For sources with no author, use the title in place of an author.

For sources with no date use n.d. (for no date) in place of the year: (Smith, n.d.). For more information on citations for sources with no date or other missing information see the page on missing reference information on the APA Style and Grammar Guidelines web page.

Below are examples of using in-text citation with web pages.

Web page with author:

In-text citation

Heavy social media use can be linked to depression and other mental disorders in teens (Asmelash, 2019).

Reference entry

Asmelash, L. (2019, August 14). Social media use may harm teens' mental health by disrupting positive activities, study says . CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/13/health/social-media-mental-health-trnd/index.html

Web page with organizational author:

More than 300 million people worldwide are affected by depression (World Health Organization, 2018).

World Health Organization. (2018, March 22). Depression . https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression

Web page with no date:

Establishing regular routines, such as exercise, can help survivors of disasters recover from trauma (American Psychological Association [APA], n.d.).

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Recovering emotionally from disaste r. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/recovering-disasters.aspx

General Guidelines

In-text references should immediately follow the title, word, or phrase to which they are directly relevant, rather than appearing at the end of long clauses or sentences. In-text references should always precede punctuation marks. Below are examples of using in-text citation.

Author's name in parentheses:

One study found that the most important element in comprehending non-native speech is familiarity with the topic (Gass & Varonis, 1984).

Author's name part of narrative:

Gass and Varonis (1984) found that the most important element in comprehending non-native speech is familiarity with the topic.

Group as author: First citation: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2015) Subsequent citation: (APA, 2015)

Multiple works: (separate each work with semi-colons)

Research shows that listening to a particular accent improves comprehension of accented speech in general (Gass & Varonis, 1984; Krech Thomas, 2004).

Direct quote: (include page number and place quotation marks around the direct quote)

One study found that “the listener's familiarity with the topic of discourse greatly facilitates the interpretation of the entire message” (Gass & Varonis, 1984, p. 85).

Gass and Varonis (1984) found that “the listener’s familiarity with the topic of discourse greatly facilitates the interpretation of the entire message” (p. 85).

Note: For direct quotations of more than 40 words , display the quote as an indented block of text without quotation marks and include the authors’ names, year, and page number in parentheses at the end of the quote. For example:

This suggests that familiarity with nonnative speech in general, although it is clearly not as important a variable as topic familiarity, may indeed have some effect. That is, prior experience with nonnative speech, such as that gained by listening to the reading, facilitates comprehension. (Gass & Varonis, 1984, p. 77)

Works by Multiple Authors

APA style has specific rules for citing works by multiple authors. Use the following guidelines to determine how to correctly cite works by multiple authors in text. For more information on citing works by multiple authors see the APA Style and Grammar Guidelines page on in-text citation .

Note: When using multiple authors' names as part of your narrative, rather than in parentheses, always spell out the word and. For multiple authors' names within a parenthetic citation, use &.

One author: (Field, 2005)

Two authors: (Gass & Varonis, 1984)

Three or more authors: (Tremblay et al., 2010)

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Last Updated: Jul 19, 2023 2:50 PM
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APA Citation Guide (7th edition) CGS

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Works Cited in Another Source

Paraphrasing

Reference List & Sample Writing
Annotated Bibliography

When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).

Note : If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.

Paraphrasing Examples

Original Source

Source from:

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480.

Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing

Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way.

Example: Correct Paraphrasing

Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).

Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.

No Author and/or No Date

No Known Author:

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

Capitalize the titles using title case (every major word is capitalized) even if the reference list entry uses sentence case (only first word is capitalized).

( Cell Biology , 2012, p. 157)

("Nursing," 2011, p. 9)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d., p. 200)

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

In-text citation for group or corporate authors.

<< Previous: Quoting
Next: Reference List & Sample Writing >>
Last Updated: Sep 1, 2023 10:43 AM
URL: https://guides.library.uwm.edu/c.php?g=1007936

APA Citation Style, 7th edition: In-Text Citations, Paraphrasing and Quoting

General Style Guidelines
APA 6th /7th Comparison
One Author or Editor
Two Authors or Two Editors
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Article in a Reference Book
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Translation
Government Publication
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Entry in a Reference Work
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Citation Support
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Formatting Your Paper
In-Text Citations, Paraphrasing and Quoting

When do I use in-text citations?

When should you add in-text citations in your paper , there are several rules of thumb you can follow to make sure that you are citing your paper correctly in apa 7 format. .

Think of your paper broken up into paragraphs. When you start a paragraph, the first time you add a sentence that has been paraphrased from a reference -> that's when you need to add an in-text citation.
Continue writing your paragraph, you DO NOT need to add another in-text citation until:
You are paraphrasing from a NEW source, which means you need to cite NEW information OR
You need to cite a DIRECT quote, which includes a page number, paragraph number or Section title.
Important to remember : You DO NOT need to add an in-text citation after EVERY sentence of your paragraph.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is recreating someone else's ideas into your own words & thoughts, without changing the original meaning (gahan, 2020). .

Here are some best practices when you are paraphrasing:

How do I learn to paraphrase? IF you are thoroughly reading and researching articles or book chapters for a paper, you will start to take notes in your own words . Those notes are the beginning of paraphrased information.
Read the original information, PUT IT AWAY, then rewrite the ideas in your own words . This is hard to do at first, it takes practice, but this is how you start to paraphrase.
It's usually better to paraphrase, than to use too many direct quotes.
When you start to paraphrase, cite your source.
Make sure not to use language that is TOO close to the original, so that you are not committing plagiarism.
Use theasaurus.com to help you come up with like/similar phrases if you are struggling.
Paraphrasing (vs. using direct quotes) is important because it shows that YOU ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND the information you are reading.
Paraphrasing ALLOWS YOUR VOICE to be prevalent in your writing.
The best time to use direct quotes is when you need to give an exact definition, provide specific evidence, or if you need to use the original writer's terminology.
BEST PRACTICE PER PARAGRAPH: On your 1st paraphrase of a source, CITE IT. There is no need to add another in-text citation until you use a different source, OR, until you use a direct quote.

What do in-text citations look like?

In-text citation styles: .

This table demonstrates how to create an in-text citation depending on how many authors are in your reference:

Let's look at these examples if they were written in text:

An example with 1 author:

Parenthetical citation: Following American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines will help you to cultivate your own unique academic voice as an expert in your field (Forbes, 2020).

Narrative citation : Forbes (2020) shared that by following American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines, students would learn to find their own voice as experts in the field of nursing.

An example with 2 authors:

Parenthetical citation: Research on the use of progressive muscle relaxation for stress reduction has demonstrated the efficacy of the method (Bennett & Miller, 2019).

Narrative citation: As shared by Bennett and Miller (2019), research on the use of progressive muscle relaxation for stress reduction has demonstrated the efficacy of the method.

An example with 3 authors:

Parenthetical citation: Guided imagery has also been shown to reduce stress, length of hospital stay, and symptoms related to medical and psychological conditions (Jones et al., 2020).

Narrative citation: Jones et al. (2020) shared that guided imagery has also been shown to reduce stress, length of hospital stay, and symptoms related to medical and psychological conditions.

An example with a group/corporate author:

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

In-text citation for group or corporate authors, when should i use a direct quote in my paper .

Direct quotes should only be used occasionally:

When you need to share an exact definition
When you want to provide specific evidence or information that cannot be paraphrased
When you want to use the original writer's terminology

From: https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/whaddyamean/

Short Quotation

When you quote directly (i.e. use the exact words) from a source, enclose the words in quotation marks and add the page number to the in-text citation. There are two basic formats which can be used.:

The homeless were typically neglected growing up since they "commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony" (Rokach, 2005, p. 477).

As Rokach (2005) notes, the homeless "often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately" (p. 477).

Option one is the standard APA in-text citation format for quoting. The second option is used when the author's name for the work being cited is written in the lead in sentence before the quote.

Long Quotation

What Is a Long Quotation?

If your quotation contains more than forty words, it is a considered a long quotation. This can also be referred to as a block quotation.

Rules for Long Quotations

There are 4 rules that apply to long quotations that are different from regular quotations:

Place a colon at the end of the line that you write to introduce your long quotation.
Indent the long quotation 0.5 inches from the rest of the text, so it looks like a block of text.
Do not put quotation marks around the quotation.
Place the period at the end of the quotation before your in-text citation instead of after , as with regular quotations.

Example of a Long Quotation

At the end of Lord of the Flies the boys are struck with the realization of their behaviour:

No Page Numbers

When you quote from electronic sources that do not provide page numbers (like Web pages), provide another way to locate the quoted passage. You can use any of the following approaches:

Option 1 : Provide a heading or section name

Bowlby described "three phases of the separation response: protest, despair, and detachment" (Garelli, 2001, Bowlby's Initial Stance section).

Option 2 : Provide an abbreviated heading or section name, in quotation marks (use this if the heading or section title is very long) note: full section title is: Get a Litter Box and Take Care of Sleeping Arrangements

Unpleasant odors can be minimized "with scrupulous maintenance of your cat's litter box" (Syufy, 2019, "Get a Litter Box" section).

Option 3 : Provide a paragraph number (count manually if they are not numbered):

It is important to remember that "study habits are very personal and what works for one student may not work for another" (Bennett, 2017, para. 3).

Option 4 : Provide a heading or section name in combination with a paragraph number:

It has been shown that "moods can vary depending on weather conditions" (Stark, 2015, Mood and Weather section, para. 2).

If a source has no page numbers and there is only one paragraph, skip that part of the in-text citation. The in-text citation would have the author(s) last name(s) and the year, e.g. (Garellio, 2001).

No Author and/or No Date

No Known Author:

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

Capitalize the titles using title case (every major word is capitalized) even if the reference list entry uses sentence case (only first word is capitalized).

( Cell Biology , 2012, p. 157)

("Nursing," 2011, p. 9)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d., p. 200)

Columbia College. (BC) (2021). APA Citation Guide (7th edition) : In-Text Citation . https://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/c.php? g=713274&p=5082934
East Carolina University Libraries. (2021). APA Citation Style, 7th Edition: APA 6/7 Comparison Guide. https://libguides.ecu.edu/c.php?g=982594&p=8158003
Gahan, C. (2020, October 15). How to paraphrase sources . https://tinyurl.com/y7ssxc6g
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APA Citation Guide (7th edition): Quotes vs Paraphrases

Book Examples
Article Examples
Media Examples
Internet Resources Examples
Other Examples
Quotes vs Paraphrases
Reference Entry Components
Paper Formatting

What's the Difference?

Quoting vs paraphrasing: what's the difference.

There are two ways to integrate sources into your assignment: quoting directly or paraphrasing.

Quoting is copying a selection from someone else's work, phrasing it exactly as it was originally written. When quoting place quotation marks (" ") around the selected passage to show where the quote begins and where it ends. Make sure to include an in-text citation.

Paraphrasing is used to show that you understand what the author wrote. You must reword the passage, expressing the ideas in your own words, and not just change a few words here and there. Make sure to also include an in-text citation.

Quoting Example

There are two basic formats that can be used:

Parenthetical Style:

Narrative Style:

Quoting Tips

Long Quotes
Changing Quotes

What Is a Long Quotation?

A quotation of more than 40 words.

Rules for Long Quotations

There are 4 rules that apply to long quotations that are different from regular quotations:

The line before your long quotation, when you're introducing the quote, usually ends with a colon.
The long quotation is indented half an inch from the rest of the text, so it looks like a block of text.
There are no quotation marks around the quotation.
The period at the end of the quotation comes before your in-text citation as opposed to after, as it does with regular quotations.

Example of a Long Quotation

At the end of Lord of the Flies the boys are struck with the realization of their behaviour:

Changing Quotations

Sometimes you may want to make some modifications to the quote to fit your writing. Here are some APA rules when changing quotes:

Incorrect spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Add the word [sic] after the error in the quotation to let your reader know the error was in the original source and is not your error.

Omitting parts of a quotation

If you would like to exclude some words from a quotation, replace the words you are not including with an ellipsis - ...

Adding words to a quote

If you are adding words that are not part of the original quote, enclose the additional words in square brackets - [XYZ]

Secondary Source Quotes

What is a secondary source.

In scholarly work, a primary source reports original content; a secondary source refers to content first reported in another source.

Cite secondary sources sparingly—for instance, when the original work is out of print, unavailable, or available only in a language that you do not understand.
If possible, as a matter of good scholarly practice, find the primary source, read it, and cite it directly rather than citing a secondary source.

Rules for Secondary Source Citations

In the reference list, provide an entry only for the secondary source that you used.
In the text, identify the primary source and write “as cited in” the secondary source that you used.
If the year of publication of the primary source is known, also include it in the in-text citation.

Example of a Secondary Source Use

Quote & In-Text Citation

Reference List Entry

Paraphrases

Paraphrasing example.

When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

NOTE : Although not required, APA encourages including the page number when paraphrasing if it will help the reader locate the information in a long text and distinguish between the information that is coming from you and the source.

Paraphrasing Tips

Long Paraphrases

Original Source

Source from:

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology, 139, 469-480.

Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing

Example: correct paraphrasing.

If your paraphrase is longer than one sentence, provide an in-text citation for the source at the beginning of the paraphrase. As long as it's clear that the paraphrase continues to the following sentences, you don't have to include in-text citations for the following sentences.

If your paraphrase continues to another paragraph and/or you include paraphrases from other sources within the paragraph, repeat the in-text citations for each.

Additional Resource

Paraphrasing (The Learning Portal)

Tip sheet on paraphrasing information

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Ai, ethics & human agency, collaboration, information literacy, writing process, apa paraphrase.

How should a paraphrased passage be cited?

When paraphrasing a passage, it is essential to express the ideas of the author in your own original words; however, the author’s message and meaning should always be preserved.

Charges of plagiarism can be avoided by including the proper citation of the work you are drawing from in your paraphrase. The APA requires a paraphrase to include the author’s last name and the work’s year of publication, but also suggests that the page number of the original text be included.

Let’s look at an example of a cited paraphrase:

Original text: “A yellow flower is yellow because it reflects yellow light and absorbs other wavelengths. The red glass of a stained glass window is red because it transmits red light and absorbs other wavelengths. The process by which we perceive the colours of natural objects around us can therefore be described as a ‘subtractive’ process” (Pender, 1998, p. 14). [1]

Paraphrase: Pender explains that through subtractive process , humans see the color of objects based on the wavelengths of light that are absorbed by each object (Pender, 1998, p. 14). [1]

Note: The paraphrase maintains the ideas of the original passage while expressing the message in a new voice. The original author is also cited properly.

How should a summarized passage or work be cited?

When summarizing a passage or work from another writer, briefly outline in your own original words the major ideas presented in the source material. As brevity is the key feature of a summary, it is essential to express the main concepts of the original passage in as concise a manner as possible. Consider using a summary—rather than a short or block quotation—when preserving the original wording of the source material is not necessary for the reader to understand the ideas under discussion.

Let’s look at an example of a cited summary:

Original text: “In their everyday life, people generally assume that they see the world around them the way it really is. When camping in Colorado, hikers believe they see the horizon as dotted with snow-covered mountaintops. When laying on the beach in North Carolina, sunbathers believe they see pelicans flying above the breaking waves. And these people would nearly always be right. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine not believing that the sights and sounds delivered to conscious awareness by perceptual systems are accurate renderings of the outside world. It would be difficult to know how to act if one could not trust one’s senses to accurately report what the world outside is like” (Balcetis, 2010, p. 77). [2]

Summary: In Social Psychology of Visual Perception , Balcetis (2010) argues that because humans rely on the sensory information received from their body, they form preconceived beliefs about their surroundings that manifest as imaginary visual occurrences (p. 77). [2]

Note: The summary maintains the ideas of the original passage while concisely expressing its main concepts. The original author is also cited properly.

How should multiple sources be cited in a single parenthetical reference?

If multiple works need to be cited in the same set of parentheses, simply arrange them in alphabetical order by the author’s last names, or the order in which they would be listed in the References page. Use a semicolon to separate each work from the next one.

Let’s look at an example of multiple authors being cited:

In the past thirty years, Parkinson’s disease has been written about extensively by recognized figures in the field (Dorros, 1989; Duvoisin, 1991; Hauser & Zesiewicz, 1996). [3][4][5]

Note: This example includes the in-text citations of three works arranged in alphabetical order by authors’ names, separated by semi-colons, and enclosed in parentheses.

Formatting In-text Citations (APA)

[1] Pender, K. (1998). Digital colour in graphic design . Burlington, VT: Elsevier Science & Technology.

[2] Balcetis, E. (2010). Social psychology of visual perception . Hoboken, NJ: Taylor & Francis.

[3] Dorros, S. (1989). Parkinson’s: A patient’s view . Cabin John, MD: Seven Locks Press.

[4] Duvoisin, R. C. (1991). Parkinson’s disease: A guide for patient and family . New York, NY: Raven Press.

[5] Hauser, R. A., & Zesiewicz, T. A. (1996). Parkinson’s disease: Questions and answers . Coral Springs, FL: Merit.

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Flow - How to Create Flow in Writing

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Citation Styles Guide: In-text citation

In-text citations
Works cited - page formatting and creating an entry
Works cited - examples
Annotated bibliographies
Tables, figures and musical illustrations
In-text citation
List of references - general formatting
List of references - examples
Tables and figures
Footnotes and endnotes
Bibliographies
Tables and Figures

In-text citation basics: Paraphrasing, summarizing, or direct quotations

Whether you directly quote, paraphrase, or summarize an idea, fact or argument that is not your own, you must include an in-text citation.

All in-text citations must have a corresponding entry on the References list, except for personal communications (personal letters, e-mails, in-person interviews, etc. . .), which only need to be cited in text.

Here are some basic rules for citing sources in-text:

Paraphrasing or summarizing

Whenever paraphrasing or summarizing a source, include the surname of the author(s), a comma, and the year of publication in parentheses at the end of the sentence. The period in the sentence goes after the citation. APA calls this a "parenthetical citation."

example: By linking his work to the memory of the martyred president, Whitman was able to salvage his respectability (Ryan, 2011).

If you name the author in your sentence, place the year of publication in parentheses immediately after the name. APA calls this a "narrative citation."

example: According to Ryan (2011), by linking his work to the memory of the martyred president, Whitman was able salvage his respectability.

APA does not require you to include page numbers when paraphrasing or summarizing. However, this may be required by your teacher, or you may want to include them if you want your reader to be able to find the specific portion of the source that you are paraphrasing. In those cases, include the page number(s) in the parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence. Precede the page numbers with "p." for a single page, or "pp." for multiple pages. Put an "en" dash "-" between ranges of numbers, providing only the first and last page in the range. Put commas between discontinuous page numbers (e.g. if you paraphrased content from page 5 and page 8 of a source in a single sentence).

example: By linking his work to the memory of the martyred president, Whitman was able to salvage his respectability (Ryan, 2011, pp. 61-62).

If using a narrative citation, place the page number(s) separately in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

example: According to Ryan (2011), by linking his work to the memory of the martyred president, Whitman was able to salvage his respectability (pp. 61-62).

A direct quotation

If you use a direct quotation from a source, include the author's surname, the year of publication, and the page number(s) in parentheses immediately after the quotation. Precede the page numbers with "p." for a single page, or "pp." for multiple pages. Put an "en" dash "-" between ranges of numbers, providing only the first and last page in the range. Put commas between discontinuous page numbers (e.g. if you quoted content from page 5 and page 8 of a source in a single quotation). APA calls this a "parenthetical citation."

example: While it was asserted that "many parents today believe that they have so many demands on their time that they simply do not have the time to monitor everything their children are doing" (Becker-Olsen & Norberg, 2010, p. 91), there was little evidence of this presented in the study itself.

If you name the author(s) in your sentence prior to the quote, place the year in parentheses immediately after the author(s) name(s). Place the page number(s) in parentheses immediately after the quotation, following the rules for page numbers stated above.

example: While Becker-Olsen and Norberg (2010) noted that "many parents today believe that they have so many demands on their time that they simply do not have the time to monitor everything their children are doing" (p. 91), there was little evidence of this presented in the study itself.

If a quotation appears at the end of a sentence and ends with a period or comma, omit the period or comma from the quotation and place the period after the in-text citation. If the quotation ends with an exclamation point (!) or question mark (?), include them in the quotation, but also place a period after the in-text citation.

Multiple citations for the same source

In APA, include a complete citation every time your paraphrase, summarize or quote from a source, even if you are repeating the citation. Do not use "Ibid." when citing multiple times from the same source in a row. You may, however, omit the year of publication from citations when citing the same source multiple times in the same paragraph. If you start a new paragraph and continue to cite from the same source, you must include the year in the first citation for that source in the new paragraph.

Personal communications

Any work that cannot be recovered by your readers is cited in your text only as a personal communication . This can include emails, text messages, online chats or direct messages, personal interviews (not published and not a participant in your research), telephone conversations, live speeches (no recording available), unrecorded classroom lectures (if lecture notes or PowerPoint slides were not distributed), memos, letters (unpublished), and messages from non-archived discussion groups or bulletin boards.

Only use a personal communication citation when the non-retrievable source is the only source of the information you wish to cite. If it is possible to recover the information elsewhere, cite the recoverable source instead. For example, if you learn about research done on a topic through a telephone conversation, you should track down the research, read it, and cite the research itself. Only cite the conversation itself if it contained new information that cannot be found anywhere else.

example: (M. Flanagan, personal communication, December 16, 2019)

If using a narrative citation, place "personal communication" in the parentheses immediately after the author's name, before the date.

example: M. Flanagan (personal communication, December 16, 2019)

Unless your teacher instructs you to do otherwise, do not include the personal communication in your List of References, as the information you provide will not help your reader retrieve the source.

In-text citation: Variations in authors (multiple authors, group authors, and unknown/unidentified authors)

The following are variations that you will use in your in-text citations to account for sources with multiple authors, group authors, and no known author or anonymous author.

A work with two authors

If the work you are citing has two authors, list the surnames of both authors in the citation. Separate last names with a comma. Place an ampersand (&) before the second author's surname when using a parenthetical citation. You may use "and" between the two surnames for a narrative citation.

example: The study of Hemingway's work became increasingly interesting to women scholars in the 1970s (Broer & Holland, 2002).

In a narrative citation, name both authors, then place the year of publication after the second author's name.

example: Broer and Holland (2002) assert that the study of Hemingway's work became increasingly interesting to women scholars in the 1970s.

A work with three or more authors

If the work has three or more authors, use only the first author's last name, followed by "et al."

example: An aggressive, appropriate, and compassionate care strategy may help reduce suffering and other adverse effects of delirium in older patients (Balas et al., 2012).

In a narrative citation, only list the first author in the sentence, followed by "et al." Then place the year of publication in parentheses after the "et al."

example: Balas et al. (2012) found that an aggressive, appropriate, and compassionate care strategy may help reduce suffering and other adverse effects of delirium in older patients.

The only exception to this rule is if using "et al." will cause ambiguity between sources. For example, if you were using two sources published in the same year that had the same first author, but different second, third, etc. . . authors, you would want to include as many author's names as are necessary to differentiate between the sources.

(Kapoor, Bloom, Montez, et al., 2017) not (Kapoor et al., 2017) (Kapoor, Bloom, Zucker, et al., 2017) not (Kapoor et al., 2017)

Two or more works by the same author

If you happen to be citing two works by the same author, the inclusion of the year in the in-text citation is sufficient for differentiating one work from the other in your text.

example: Neil Postman is known for his work as a media theorist and cultural critic, particularly his theory about television as a form of mass addiction (Postman, 1985). Later, he would expand his groundbreaking theory on television to incorporate how society treats technology as a whole, seeking "its authorisation in technology, find[ing] its satisfactions in technology, and tak[ing] its orders from technology" (Postman, 1993, p. 71).

In a case where you are using two or more works by the same author that were published in the same year, add a lowercase letter to the end of the year, starting with "a," according to the order in which the works appear in your List of References. In other words, it would be "2000a" for the first work from 2000, then "2000b" for the second work from 2000 by the same author. Only add the letter in cases where you have multiple works by the same author from the same year.

A work with group authors

If a work has a group author (e.g. an association, working group, etc. . .) instead of an individual author, or a combination of group or individual authors, list the group as the author in the in-text citation. You can sometimes abbreviate the name, if the abbreviation is well-known (e.g. "American Psychological Association" as "APA"). Do not create your own abbreviation for the group.

In a parenthetical citation, place the abbreviation in square brackets [ ].

example: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2017)

In a narrative citation, place the abbreviation in parentheses, before the year.

example: The American Psychological Association (APA, 2017) states that. . .

After you list the abbreviation in the first citation, you can use the abbreviation in all citations that follow without having to include the full name.

A work with no identified author(s)

When the author(s) is not identified anywhere in your source, include the first few words of the title. Include enough of the title to make it easily identifiable to your reader. Sometimes, you may have to include more than a few words of the title in order to differentiate it from the title of another work that you use. You will have to use your judgment. Place quotation marks around the abbreviated title if it is an article, chapter, or web page. Italicize the title if it is a periodical, book, brochure, or report.

example: "The spill eventually polluted 1,300 miles (2,092 kilometres) of indented shoreline, as well as adjacent waters, as far south as the southern end of Shelikof Strait between Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula" ("Exxon Valdez," 2017).

If you name the title of the work in the sentence, you may place the year in parentheses immediately after the title, just as you would with an author's name.

example : As noted in "Exxon Valdez Oil Spill" (2017), the Valdez was converted to an ore carrier in 2008, and, under the name Oriental Nicety, sold for scrap in 2012.

Note: If the works is explicitly signed as "Anonymous," list "Anonymous" as the author of the work. Do not use the title in place of the author.

In-text citation: Works that do not have or use page numbers

When making a direct quotation from a source that does not include page numbers, or uses an alternative numbering to page numbers, do the following.

For works with canonical numbering (e.g. Book, chapter, verse, act, scene, line, or canto numbers), see In-text citation: Specific rules for Religious works, Classical works, and other works with canonically numbered sections .

A work with no page numbering: Using paragraph numbers

If you are citing a source with no page numbers, headings, or section titles, you should provide a paragraph number. Count paragraphs manually if they are not numbered. Include the abbreviation "para." before the paragraph number.

example: The central Ontario Town of Angus suffered significant damage thanks to a tornado that came through the town on Tuesday, June 18, 2014 (Sieniuc et al., 2014, para. 1).

DO NOT use location numbers from Kindle ebooks and other commercially-available ebook formats. These numbers change depending on screen size and font size, and are unreliable for the purposes of citation.

A work with no page numbering that have headings or section names

Provide the heading or section name to help readers locate the part of the source where you drew you quotation.

example : (Gecht-Silver & Duncombe, 2015, Osteoarthritis section).

Abbreviate the heading or section name in quotation marks to indicate that it is abbreviation if the section name is too long to cite in-text in full. Provide enough of the section name to make it easy to identify and differentiate from other sections in the source.

A work with no page numbers: Using paragraph numbers in addition to heading or section names

It is possible to provide a paragraph number in addition to a heading or section name if you wish to be more specific. When counting paragraphs, count from 1 with the first paragraph of the section where you are citing. If the source provides you with paragraph numbers, provide them.

example: (DeAngelis, 2018, Musical Forays section, para. 4)

Audiovisual works: Time stamps

Audiovisual sources such as films, podcasts, audiobooks and songs will usually have an option to pick a specific time in the source. This specific time is called a "time stamp." When quoting or otherwise referencing something from a specific point in a time stamped audiovisual source, it is important to include the timestamp. Include the time for the beginning of the quotation, and include the hour, minute, and second, separate by colons. If the source is less than an hour long, or if the quotation takes place within the first hour of the source, omit the hour.

Note: If a timestamp is not available in the source that you used, do not try to estimate the time.

example: To which Batman responds "Batman's life lesson number two: vigilantes don't have bedtimes" (Lord, Miller, Lin, Lee, & McKay, 2017, 48:44-45).

In-text citation: Variations in publication dates (translated, reprinted, republished, and reissued works)

When referencing translated, reprinted, republished, or reissued works, include both the year of publication of the original work and the year of publication of the translation, reprint, republication, or reissue. Separate the years with a slash, with the earlier year first.

example: (Thuy 2009/2012)

If you name the author in your sentence, place the years in parentheses immediately after the name as a narrative citation.

example: Thuy (2009/2012)

In-text citation: Specific rules for Religious works, Classical works, and other works with canonically numbered sections (e.g. Shakespeare)

Religious works.

Religious works, such at the Bible, Quran, Torah, or the Bhagavad Gita, are usually treated as having no known author. Instead, name the book in italics , then list the chapter, verse, or line (as available), separated by colons. For the year, list the original publication date of the version or translation you are using, if possible, then the publication date of the copy you are using. Do not use the standard abbreviations for the books of the Bible (e.g. 1 Peter, not 1 Pet.)

example: "Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but one who rejects a rebuke goes astray" ( Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version , 1989/2007, Proverbs 10:17).

Classical works

Classical Greek and Roman works will normally included standardized book and line numbers. Use these instead of page number when citing the work. Separate the book and line numbers (as available) with colons. For the year, since the original publication date of the text is only approximately known, include "ca." (the abbreviation for "circa," which means "approximately") before the year. Use "BCE" ("Before Common Era") with the year number to indicate a work written prior to the first year of the current calendar. Also include the publication date of the version which you are citing.

example: As Odysseus states "Of all that breathes and crawls across the earth, / our mother earth breeds nothing feebler than a man" (Homer, ca. 750 BCE/1996, 19:150-151).

Shakespeare, and other canonically numbered plays

Classic plays such as the works of Shakespeare will normally include standardized Act, Scene, and Line numbers. Use these instead of page numbers when citing the play. Separate Act, Scene, and Line with periods. For the year, list the original publication date of the version or translation you are using, if possible, then the publication date of the copy you are using. Do not use standard abbreviations for the titles of Shakespearean plays (e.g. Macbeth , not Mac.).

example: As the second witch says in the opening line's of Macbeth "When the hurly-burly's done, / When the battle's lost and won" (Shakespeare, 1623/1997, 1.1.3-4).

In-text citation: Citing a secondary source (Citing a source that is cited by the source you read)

Whenever possible, always use the original source for any information you use in your essay. However, sometimes it isn't possible to find the original source (e.g. the source is out of print, unavailable through the Library, or not available in a language you can read). In those cases, APA allows you to cite the information from what it calls a secondary source . A secondary source is a book, article, etc, that quotes or references a piece of information, but is not the original source of that information. When citing a secondary source of information, use the following format:

(the name of the author or title if author is unknown, the year of the original source (if available), as cited in the name of the author of the secondary source, year of publication of the secondary source, page numbers)

example: Miriam Makeba was once dubbed the "Star of Venice" ( Drum , 1959, as cited in Feldstein, 2013, p. 56).

In this example, the October 1959 issue of Drum magazine is the original source of the quote about Miriam Makeba. Since we couldn't find a copy of Drum , we used a book by Feldstein, which is where we first found the quote.

If the year of the primary source is unknown, leave it out of the in-text citation.

If you name the primary source in the sentence, place the year for the primary source immediately after the author (or title, if the author is unknown). Place "as cited in," followed by the secondary source author(s)' last name, followed by the year of the secondary source, and the page number where the primary source is cited.

example: Drum (1959) once dubbed Miriam Makeba the "Star of Venice" (as cited in Feldstein, 2013, p. 56).

In-text citation : Indigenous Elders or Knowledge Keepers

APA citation only provides guidance for citing Indigenous Elders or Knowledge Keepers as a "personal communication." However, Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers hold a significant role as carriers of knowledge and history for their respective Nations or Communities, they should not be treated in the same fashion as an email or a phone call. Therefore, in the spirit of reconciliation, NorQuest College Library has developed the following template, which Marianopolis College Library recommends for use in your work.

Unlike most personal communications, Indigenous Elders or Knowledge Keepers should be cited both in-text and in your List of References. For List of References formatting, see our examples page .

Note : If you would like to approach an Elder or Knowledge Keeper for teachings, remember to follow protocol or if you are unsure what their protocol is, please ask them ahead of time.

example (Elder/Knowledge Keeper names in your text): Delores Cardinal (2018) described the nature of the....

example (Elder/Knowledge Keeper not named in your text): The nature of the place was... (Cardinal, 2018).

In-text citations: Index

In-text citation basics: Paraphrasing, summarizing, or direct quotations Basic formatting for in-text citation.
In-text citation: Variation in authors (multiple authors, group authors, and unknown/unidentified authors) Outlines how to cite works with multiple authors, group authors, and unknown or unidentified authors.
In-text citation: Works that do not have or use page numbers Outlines what to do if your source does not have page numbers.
In-text citation: Variations in publication dates (translated, reprinted, republished, and reissued works) Outlines what to do regarding publication dates for translated, reprinted, republished, or reissued works.
In-text citation: Specific rules for Religious works, Classical works, and other works with canonically numbered sections (e.g. Shakespeare) Outlines how to cite Religious texts, Classical Greek or Roman texts, or other canonically numbered works, such as Shakespeare.
In-text citation: Citing a secondary source (citing a source that is cited by the source you read Outlines how to cite a source that is quoted or paraphrased in a source that you are using for your work.
In-text citation: Indigenous Elders or Knowledge Keepers Outlines how to cite Indigenous Elders or Knowledge Keepers in-text, as developed by NorQuest College Library.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed.

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style , 7th edition, published by the American Psychological Association, is the authoritative guide to APA style. It is designed to be used by anyone that uses APA style in their work, from students to researchers. However, there are specific sections in the guide that detail the streamlined formatting that should be used for student work. Copies of the Publication Manual are available at the Reserve Desk in the Library.

Additional resources for APA style, 7th ed.

APA Style - American Psychological Association Official Site (Website)
OWL at Purdue: APA Citation Formatting and Style Guide (Website)
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FAQ: How do I cite paraphrased information in APA Style (in-text)?

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When you paraphrase, you use your own words. This is usually preferable to direct quotes because the information is written in your own style, but you must be careful not to change the meaning. When paraphrasing, you must still acknowledge where you got the idea from by including a parenthetical citation.

When citing paraphrased information, APA requires you to include the author and date. It is also recommended (but not required) that you include the page number. The format of the page number depends on if the information is on a single page or range of pages.

Examples of Citing Paraphrased Information at the Beginning of a Sentence

A review (Selby et al., 2017) identified several laws pertaining to cancer research in the UK that might be affected because of Brexit.

Patafio et al. (2016) investigated the relationship between cancer research funding and cancer research output and found that research output is not well correlated with the public health burden of individual cancers that was measure by mortality rates.

The authors (Lindqvist & Neumann) argue that security and privacy are crucial in the Internet of Things (IoT) because if future attacks are successful they can cause widespread destruction and even cost lives.

Bernard (2011) argues that Henry VIII's Catholicism was more than just Catholicism without the pope.

Examples of Citing Paraphrased Information in the Middle of a Sentence

Surgery is considered a last resort in the treatment of plantar fasciitis Owens (2017) argues.

Strength training as treatment for plantar fasciitis, according to (Huffer et al. 2017) , does not contribute to the improved function and pain relief.

Many physical therapists use ultrasound therapy as treatment; however, numerous studies highlighted in the review published by Sanke and Radwan (2015) show that the therapy does not have any effect on the condition.

Examples of Citing Paraphrased Information at the End of a Sentence

There are multiple types of cyberbullying (El Asam & Samara, 2016) .

A significant amount of youths' social interaction takes place through technology and children as young as 10 have access to mobile devices (Williford & DePaolis, 2016) .

The authors found that undergraduate students are afraid to report cyberbullying (Watts et al., 2017, p. 273) .

Example of how the original quotation might be paraphrased<

Original quotation:.

American commitment to self-government rested on the early experience of colonization. English common law was introduced with the first settlers, and each new colony soon had an elected assembly designed to represent and protect the interests of the settler population, acting like a local equivalent of the Westminster House of Commons. In theory, popular participation in government was balanced by a strong executive, in the person of the governor, supported by an advisory council. Bit in the first years of settlement, when colonies were sponsored by private companies rather than the Crown, governors and councils were often themselves elected, reinforcing the tendency towards local control (Conway, 2013, p. 33) .

The essay incorporating the paraphrasing:

The early settlers in Colonial American may have considered themselves English and loyal to the Crown. However, the local government structure supported a system of relative self-governance (Conway, 2013, p. 33) .

More Information

APA guide (Shapiro Library)

Further Help

This information is intended to be a guideline, not expert advice. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate way to cite sources in your class assignments and projects.

Campus Students

To access Academic Support, visit your Brightspace course and select “Tutoring and Mentoring” from the Academic Support pulldown menu.

Online Students

To access help with citations and more, visit the Academic Support via modules in Brightspace:

Academic Support Overview: Getting Help with your Schoolwork This link opens in a new window

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7 th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Bernard, G. W. (2011). The dissolution of the monasteries. History , 96 (324), 390-409.

Conway, S. (2013). A short history of the American Revolutionary War . I.B.Tauris.

El Asam, A., & Samara, M. (2016). Cyberbullying and the law: A review of psychological and legal challenges. Computers in human behavior , 65 , 127-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.08.012

Lindqvist, U., & Neumann, P. G. (2017). The future of the internet of things. Communications of the ACM , 60 (2), 26-30. https://doi.org/10.1145/3029589

Owens, J. M. (2017). Diagnosis and management of plantar fasciitis in primary care. Journal for nurse practitioners , 13 (5), 354-359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2016.12.016

Patafio, F. M., Brooks, S. C., Wei, X., Peng, Y., Biagi, J., & Booth, C. M. (2016). Research output and the public health burden of cancer: Is there any relationship? Current Oncology , 23 (2), 75-80. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.23.2935

Sanke, P. L., & Radwan, T. S. (2015). Ultrasound as an effective treatment for chronic plantar fasciitis. Journal of foot & ankle surgery , 54 (4) 481-487.

Selby, P., Lawler, M., Baird, R., Banks, I., Johnston, P., & Nurse, P. (2017). The potential consequences for cancer care and cancer research of Brexit. Ecancermedicalscience , 11 (752-769), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2017.ed63

Watts, L. K., Wagner, J., Velasquez, B., & Behrens, P. I. (2017). Cyberbullying in higher education: A literature review. Computers in human behavior , 69 , 268-274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.038

Williford, A., & Depaolis, K. J. (2016). Predictors of cyberbullying intervention among elementary school staff: The moderating effect of staff status. Psychology in the schools , 53 (10), 1032-1044. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21973

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In-text citations

In-text citation examples, personal communications.

Articles from Journals, Magazines and Newspapers
Dictionary or Encyclopedia
Social Media and Blogs
Specialized Databases
Data Sets and Statistics
Paper formatting

A parenthetical citation includes the last name(s) of the author(s) followed by a comma and the page number(s). The parenthetical citation can be at the end of a sentence or may be in the middle of a sentence if needed to be clear on what is being cited.

A company should always do what is right regardless of the consequences, but doing the right thing tends to result in the best outcomes (Dunn, 2016).

Because doing the right thing is always the best choice (Dunn, 2016), corporate leaders must carefully develop a strong ethical compass.

A narrative citation is used when the author’s name is part of the text. In these cases, the author’s name does not need to be repeated in the parenthetical reference.

Dunn (2016) asserts the view that though a company should do what is right regardless of the potential consequences, ethical actions often produce the best possible outcomes for all (p. 22).

For more on in-text citations of a paraphrase, see opens new window https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/paraphrasing

When quoting a source directly, page numbers are used to indicate the location of the quoted text. Though page numbers are not required for a paraphrase, it may be helpful to include page numbers to indicate the location of the paraphrased text. If the source has no page numbers, other location indicators, such as paragraph or section numbers may be used.

“Fundraising is an art and a science” (Garry, 2017, p. 99).

It is hard to predict how donors will respond to an appeal, but in time fundraisers learn to trust their intuition regarding the best approach (Garry, 2017, p. 99).

For more on citing quotations, See opens new window https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/quotations

Personal communications are sources that can not be recovered or accessed by the reader because they are not published. This includes emails, texts, conversations (in person, by phone or video conference, etc.), online chats, interviews, classroom lectures, memos, letters, etc. If the information is not available from any recoverable (published) source, it can be cited as a personal communication. Because the reader can not access the information in personal communications, they will not be included in the reference list, but cited in the text only.

In an interview, Benjamin Colby (personal communication, July 25, 2015) mentioned . . . .

A. J. Montoya (personal communication, February 4, 2020) emailed detailed financials to the research team . . . .

In a lecture on November 1, 2021, to a BUS 326 class, Dr. Dash said . . . .

More information is available on the APA Style website .

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UWP 101: Advanced Composition (Bright)

Apa overview.

APA citation style is most frequently used in the social and behavioral sciences, e.g. psychology, linguistics, education, as well as nursing and business.

The first style rules were published in 1929. The American Psychological Association has produced 7 editions of the Publication Manual in the ensuing 80+ years.

APA style relies on in text citations (author, date) for paraphrased, summarized, or quoted material within a paper. In text citations correspond to sources in the References list at the end of the paper.

APA Style Manual

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Reference List: Textual Sources

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Basic Format for Books

Edited book, no author, edited book with an author or authors, a translation.

Note : When you cite a republished work, like the one above, in your text, it should appear with both dates: Plato (385-378/1989)

Edition Other Than the First

Article or chapter in an edited book.

Note : When you list the pages of the chapter or essay in parentheses after the book title, use "pp." before the numbers: (pp. 1-21). This abbreviation, however, does not appear before the page numbers in periodical references, except for newspapers. List any edition number in the same set of parentheses as the page numbers, separated by a comma: (2nd ed., pp. 66-72).

Multivolume Work

Articles in periodicals.

APA style dictates that authors are named with their last name followed by their initials; publication year goes between parentheses, followed by a period. The title of the article is in sentence-case, meaning only the first word and proper nouns in the title are capitalized. The periodical title is run in title case, and is followed by the volume number which, with the title, is also italicized. If a DOI has been assigned to the article that you are using, you should include this after the page numbers for the article. If no DOI has been assigned and you are accessing the periodical online, use the URL of the website from which you are retrieving the periodical.

Article in Print Journal

Note: APA 7 advises writers to include a DOI (if available), even when using the print source. The example above assumes no DOI is available.

Article in Electronic Journal

Note : This content also appears on Reference List: Online Media .

As noted above, when citing an article in an electronic journal, include a DOI if one is associated with the article.

DOIs may not always be available. In these cases, use a URL. Many academic journals provide stable URLs that function similarly to DOIs. These are preferable to ordinary URLs copied and pasted from the browser's address bar.

Article in a Magazine

Article in a newspaper.

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COMMENTS

Paraphrasing
Learn how to paraphrase another's or your own ideas in your own words and cite the original work using the narrative or parenthetical citation format. Follow the guidelines for long and short paraphrases, multiple sources, and page or paragraph numbers.
In-Text Citations: The Basics
When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
APA Citation Style, 7th Edition: In-Text Citations & Paraphrasing
Let's look at these examples if they were written in text: An example with 1 author: Parenthetical citation: Following American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines will help you to cultivate your own unique academic voice as an expert in your field (Forbes, 2020). Narrative citation: Forbes (2020) shared that by following American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines ...
Paraphrasing in APA
5. Include an APA in-text citation. Even though you are putting a paraphrase into your own words, APA requires an in-text citation for paraphrasing. You can create a parenthetical citation or a narrative citation to accomplish this. Remember: All in-text citations will also need a corresponding APA reference in the APA reference page. For this ...
APA In-Text Citations (7th Ed.)
Learn how to cite sources in the body text of your paper according to APA 7th edition guidelines. Find out how to cite multiple authors, no author, no date or page number, indirect sources, personal communication and more. See examples of parenthetical and narrative citations with tips and tricks.
APA In-Text Citations
The in-text citation APA style provides us with a tidbit of information. Just enough to glance at it and keep on going with reading the paper. To recap, in-text citations are great because: They credit the original author of a work or information. They let readers quickly see where the information is coming from.
PDF Paraphrasing and Citation Activities, APA Style 7th Edition
Activity 1: Paraphrasing One Sentence. This activity consists of three steps: Read the following published sentence and then paraphrase it—that is, rewrite it in your own words. You do not need to repeat every element. Instead, try changing the focus of the sentence while preserving the meaning of the original.
LibGuides: APA Citation Guide (7th edition) : Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing. When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows: Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993). Note: If you refer to the author's ...
Citations
In APA, in-text citations are inserted in the body of your research paper to briefly document the source of your information. Brief in-text citations point the reader to the full citation on the References list at the end of the paper. Create in-text citations for the following: Direct quotes; Paraphrasing
Library Guides: APA Quick Citation Guide: In-text Citation
Using In-text Citation. Include an in-text citation when you refer to, summarize, paraphrase, or quote from another source. For every in-text citation in your paper, there must be a corresponding entry in your reference list. APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005).
Paraphrasing
When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows: Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).
In-Text Citations, Paraphrasing and Quoting
Let's look at these examples if they were written in text: An example with 1 author: Parenthetical citation: Following American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines will help you to cultivate your own unique academic voice as an expert in your field (Forbes, 2020). Narrative citation: Forbes (2020) shared that by following American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines ...
APA Citation Guide (7th edition): Quotes vs Paraphrases
Quoting is copying a selection from someone else's work, phrasing it exactly as it was originally written. When quoting place quotation marks (" ") around the selected passage to show where the quote begins and where it ends. Make sure to include an in-text citation. Paraphrasing is used to show that you understand what the author wrote.
APA Paraphrase
The APA requires a paraphrase to include the author's last name and the work's year of publication, but also suggests that the page number of the original text be included. ... Formatting In-text Citations (APA) [1] Pender, K. (1998). Digital colour in graphic design. Burlington, VT: Elsevier Science & Technology. [2] Balcetis, E. (2010).
In-text citation
In-text citation basics: Paraphrasing, summarizing, or direct quotations. Whether you directly quote, paraphrase, or summarize an idea, fact or argument that is not your own, you must include an in-text citation. All in-text citations must have a corresponding entry on the References list, except for personal communications (personal letters, e ...
How do I cite paraphrased information in APA Style (in-text)?
This is usually preferable to direct quotes because the information is written in your own style, but you must be careful not to change the meaning. When paraphrasing, you must still acknowledge where you got the idea from by including a parenthetical citation. When citing paraphrased information, APA requires you to include the author and date.
The Basics of In-Text Citation
Example: Paraphrase with APA Style in-text citation The evolutionary process consists of a series of incremental changes over a long period of time (Darwin, 1859, p. 510). However, to avoid over-citation, bear in mind that some information is considered common knowledge and doesn't need to be cited. For example, you don't need a citation to ...
Paraphrasing
Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase.
In-text citations
In-text citations. From the APA Style web site: APA Style uses the author-date citation system, in which a brief in-text citation directs readers to a full reference list entry. The in-text citation appears within the body of the paper (or in a table, figure, footnote, or appendix) and briefly identifies the cited work by its author and date ...
In-Text Citations: Author/Authors
The APA manual recommends the use of the author-date citation structure for in-text citation references. This structure requires that any in-text citation (i.e., within the body of the text) be accompanied by a corresponding reference list entry. In the in-text citation provide the surname of the author but do not include suffixes such as "Jr.".
Free APA Citation Generator
APA Style is widely used by students, researchers, and professionals in the social and behavioral sciences. Scribbr's free citation generator automatically generates accurate references and in-text citations. This citation guide outlines the most important citation guidelines from the 7th edition APA Publication Manual (2020).
APA Citation Style
APA citation style is most frequently used in the social and behavioral sciences, e.g. psychology, linguistics, education, as well as nursing and business.. The first style rules were published in 1929. The American Psychological Association has produced 7 editions of the Publication Manual in the ensuing 80+ years.. APA style relies on in text citations (author, date) for paraphrased ...
Parenthetical Citation
Parenthetical Citation | APA, MLA & Chicago Styles. Published on April 19, 2024 by Paige Pfeifer, BA. A parenthetical citation is a type of in-text citation enclosed in parentheses that includes information about a source, such as the author's name, publication date, and page number(s).Parenthetical citations come at the end of the sentence or clause that cites the source material.
Reference List: Textual Sources
APA style dictates that authors are named with their last name followed by their initials; publication year goes between parentheses, followed by a period. The title of the article is in sentence-case, meaning only the first word and proper nouns in the title are capitalized.

APA Citation Style, 7th Edition: In-Text Citations & Paraphrasing

When do I use in-text citations?

What do in-text citations look like?

Tips on Paraphrasing

Citing Direct Quotes

Definitions of direct quotes:

Carrie Forbes, MLS

Chat with a Librarian

APA In-Text Citations

Paraphrasing in APA

What is APA?

What is an APA In-text Citation?

Why do we use in-text citations?

Types of APA In-text Citations

Narrative In-Text APA Citations:

Narrative In-text APA Citation Example:

Parenthetical Citations:

Parenthetical Citation Example

Corresponding entry in APA reference list

Direct Quotes in APA

Organizing APA In-text Citations

APA In-Text Citations for Sources with One Author

Narrative In-text APA Citation:

Parenthetical APA Citation:

Citing multiple sources by the same author in the same year

If your source has multiple works by the same author

APA In-Text Citations for Sources with Multiple Authors

APA in-text citation for sources three or more authors

If you have author of multiple works (with multiple authors)

APA In-text citation no author or date

Citing a source with no author

Citing source with no date

APA in-text citation no date example:

Additional APA In-Text Citation Examples

Abbreviated groups

Non-abbreviated groups

Citing sources with different authors with the same last name

Citing multiple sources in the same in-text citation

Parenthetical Citation Examples:

Citing a source within a source

Citing audiovisual material

Overview of APA Parenthetical Citations for Websites

APA Formatting Guide

Citation Examples

Plagiarism Checker

APA Citation Guide (7th edition) : Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing

On This Page

In-Text Citation for Group or Corporate Authors

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

Citations - APA: In-Text Citations - Quoting & Paraphrasing

On This Page:

Long Quotations

No Author and/or No Date

When you write information from a source in your own words then cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Penn State University Libraries

Using In-text Citation

Citing Web Pages In Text

General Guidelines

Works by Multiple Authors

APA Citation Guide (7th edition) CGS

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing Examples

No Author and/or No Date

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

APA Citation Style, 7th edition: In-Text Citations, Paraphrasing and Quoting

When do I use in-text citations?

Paraphrasing

What do in-text citations look like?

Let's look at these examples if they were written in text:

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

Short Quotation

Long Quotation

No Author and/or No Date

APA Citation Guide (7th edition): Quotes vs Paraphrases

What's the Difference?

Quoting Example

Quoting Tips

What Is a Long Quotation?