apa in text citation quiz answers

APA Style Guide: 7th Edition

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APA 7th edition QUIZ

The quiz on this page has been adapted, with permission, from Royal Roads University's APA Style Practice Exercises .

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APA 7th Referencing

Apa 7th referencing: quiz.

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APA Referencing quiz

Take this quiz to test how much you've learnt about APA referencing.

To move to the NEXT question, click on the blue arrow below each question.

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APA Citation Style 7th ed.: Quiz Yourself!

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Generate accurate APA citations for free

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• Beginner’s guide to APA in-text citation

APA In-Text Citations (7th Ed.) | Multiple Authors & Missing Info

Published on November 4, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on September 30, 2022.

In-text citations briefly identify the source of information in the body text. They correspond to a full reference entry at the end of your paper.

APA in-text citations consist of the author’s last name and publication year. When citing a specific part of a source, also include a page number or range, for example (Parker, 2020, p. 67) or (Johnson, 2017, pp. 39–41) .

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Table of contents

Apa in-text citations explained in 4 minutes, parenthetical vs. narrative citations, apa in-text citations with multiple authors, no author, date or page number, multiple sources in one parenthesis, avoiding ambiguity in apa in-text citations, citing indirect sources (“as cited in”), citing personal communication, general mentions of websites and software, example paragraph with in-text citations, frequently asked questions.

The in-text citation can be placed in parentheses or naturally integrated into a sentence.

• Parenthetical : There is a correlation between social media usage and anxiety symptoms in teenagers (Parker, 2019) .
• Narrative: Parker (2019) found a correlation between social media usage and anxiety symptoms in teenagers.

The publication year appears directly after the author’s name when using the narrative format. The parenthetical citation can be placed within or at the end of a sentence, just before the period. Check out a full example paragraph with in-text citations .

If a work has two authors, separate their names with an ampersand (&) in a parenthetical citation or “and” in a narrative citation. If there are three or more authors, only include the first author’s last name followed by “et al.”, meaning “and others”.

Group authors known by their abbreviations (e.g., CDC) are written in full the first time and are abbreviated in subsequent citations.

If the author of a source is unknown, try to determine if there is an organization or government responsible for creating the content. If so, include its name in the in-text citation (and reference entry).

Alternatively, use the source title in place of the author. Italicize the title if it’s italicized in the reference entry (except for court cases , which are italicized in the in-text citation but not the reference entry). Otherwise, enclose it in double quotation marks.

Apply title case capitalization, and shorten long titles. The first word of the title should always be included so readers can easily locate the corresponding reference entry.

• (“U.S. Flood Risk,” 2015)
• ( Thinking, Fast and Slow , 2017)

No publication date

If the publication date is unknown, write “n.d.” (no date) in the in-text citation.

No page number (alternative locators)

Page numbers are only required with direct quotes in APA . If you are quoting from a work that does not have page numbers (e.g., webpages or YouTube videos ), you can use an alternative locator, such as:

• (Liu, 2020, 03:26 )
• (Johnson, 2019, Chapter 3 )
• (McCombes, 2016, para. 4 )
• (Davis, 2016, Slide 15 )
• (Flores, 2020, Table 5 )
• (Streefkerk, 2020, “No page number” section )

Note that Bible citations always use chapter and verse numbers, even when page numbers are available:

If a statement is supported by multiple sources, the in-text citations can be combined in one parenthesis. Order the sources alphabetically, and separate them with a semicolon.

When citing multiple works from the same author, list the years of publication separated by a comma.

When in-text citations are ambiguous because they correspond to multiple reference entries, apply the solutions outlined in the table below.

If you want to refer to a source that you have found in another source, you should always try to access the original or primary source .

However, if you cannot find the original source , you should cite it through the secondary source that led you to it, using the phrase “as cited in”.

If the publication date of the primary source is unknown, include only the year of publication of the secondary source.

Only include a reference entry for the secondary source, not the primary source.

Personal communications , such as phone calls, emails, and interviews, are not included in the reference list because readers can’t access them. The in-text citation is also formatted slightly differently.

Include the initials and last name of the person you communicated with, the words “personal communication,” and the exact date in parentheses.

General mentions of a website or software don’t have to be cited with an in-text citation or entry in the reference list. Instead, incorporate relevant information into the running text.

• The website of Scribbr (www.scribbr.com) contains various useful resources.
• Statistical software SPSS (version 25) was used to analyze the data.

When citing a webpage or online article , the APA in-text citation consists of the author’s last name and year of publication. For example: (Worland & Williams, 2015). Note that the author can also be an organization. For example: (American Psychological Association, 2019).

If you’re quoting you should also include a locator. Since web pages don’t have page numbers, you can use one of the following options:

• Paragraph number: (Smith, 2018, para. 15).
• Heading or section name: ( CDC, 2020, Flu Season section)
• Abbreviated heading:  ( CDC, 2020, “Key Facts” section)

Instead of the author’s name, include the first few words of the work’s title in the in-text citation. Enclose the title in double quotation marks when citing an article, web page or book chapter. Italicize the title of periodicals, books, and reports.

If the publication date is unknown , use “n.d.” (no date) instead. For example: (Johnson, n.d.).

The abbreviation “ et al. ” (meaning “and others”) is used to shorten APA in-text citations with three or more authors . Here’s how it works:

Only include the first author’s last name, followed by “et al.”, a comma and the year of publication, for example (Taylor et al., 2018).

Always include page numbers in the APA in-text citation when quoting a source . Don’t include page numbers when referring to a work as a whole – for example, an entire book or journal article.

If your source does not have page numbers, you can use an alternative locator such as a timestamp, chapter heading or paragraph number.

If you cite several sources by the same author or group of authors, you’ll distinguish between them in your APA in-text citations using the year of publication.

If you cite multiple sources by the same author(s) at the same point , you can just write the author name(s) once and separate the different years with commas, e.g., (Smith, 2020, 2021).

To distinguish between sources with the same author(s) and  the same publication year, add a different lowercase letter after the year for each source, e.g., (Smith, 2020, 2021a, 2021b). Add the same letters to the corresponding reference entries .

In an APA in-text citation , you use the phrase “ as cited in ” if you want to cite a source indirectly (i.e., if you cannot find the original source).

Parenthetical citation: (Brown, 1829, as cited in Mahone, 2018) Narrative citation: Brown (1829, as cited in Mahone, 2018) states that…

On the reference page , you only include the secondary source (Mahone, 2018).

An APA in-text citation is placed before the final punctuation mark in a sentence.

• The company invested over 40,000 hours in optimizing its algorithm (Davis, 2011) .
• A recent poll suggests that EU membership “would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” in a referendum (Levring, 2018) .

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Streefkerk, R. (2022, September 30). APA In-Text Citations (7th Ed.) | Multiple Authors & Missing Info. Scribbr. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/in-text-citation/

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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

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA 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 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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APA Style MCQs Quiz With Answers

Are you familiar with APA style and citation? With this APA style quiz, test yourself with the help of our APA format quiz. Can you answer these questions? APA style is commonly used for citing sources within the behavioral and social sciences field. It is portrayed in the style guidebook of the American Psychological Association. The guidelines were created to assist with reading comprehension in the social and behavioral sciences for communication clarity. To understand more about APA style and citation, complete this APA citation quiz.

Identify the APA issue(s) in the following passage: (Select all that apply)  An innovative approach to breaking the generational cycle of poverty involves creating Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). Individual Development Accounts are a special type of savings account that match the deposit amounts when the funds are withdrawn to make a qualifying purchase such as: (1) purchasing a home as a primary residence, (2) paying for postsecondary education or job training, or (3) creating a retirement saving account.

The abbreviation for IDAs should be used to start the second sentence.

The colon in the second sentence is misused and unnecessary.

The in-line series should use lowercase letters such as (a), (b), and (c) rather than numbers.

None of the above

Rate this question:

Identify the problem(s) in the sentence below: The social information processing (SIP) theory holds that a child's behavior is the result of six overlapping cognitive steps that occur in the following order:(a) encode social cues, (b) mentally represent and interpret the cues, (c) constructing goals, (d) search for possible responses, (e) making a responsible decision, (f) enact a behavioral response while monitoring its effect.

The theory name should be capitalized.

The colon is misused. It would be better to make a second sentence.

The list of steps lacks a parallel structure.

Nothing - the sentence is correct as written.

The passage below has several problems. Select all that apply. In this study, a sample of 43 urban youth was compared to a similar sample of 44 rural youth. Each of the youth was given a survey to complete and return in a sealed envelope. Follow-up interviews were conducted at the youth treatment facility, or it's community-based outreach clinic. Each of the interviews was conducted by a master's-level social work student and audio recorded for accurate transcription. 

Problem with subject-verb number agreement.

First sentence should use compared with rather than compared to

Third sentence used contraction for it is; needs possessive its

None of the above, The passage has problems, but not those identified in A, B, or C.

Identify the writing problem(s) in the following paragraph: The U. S. government defines poverty using an income-based threshold created in the early 1960s, which set the poverty level at 3 times the yearly cost of a basic food budget. Except for adjustments for inflation, it has remained unchanged since it was established despite the fact that today's families spend more on housing, child care, and health care than food. Social service workers spend much of their time trying to help families in need patch together a network of resources to meet their basic needs. Because the level of public assistance has not kept pace with other costs, this means they spend a greater proportion of their income on basic necessities that are not accounted for in the poverty equation. Further, it fails to account for regional differences in costs or receipt of other benefits such as Medicaid and Food Stamps.

The information is poorly organized.

The author has failed to cite sources.

The author's meaning is not clear because he or she has used too many pronouns with unclear antecedents.

None of the above - the paragraph is correct as written.

You are using material from a newspaper article. The article does not list an author, but the title is "Budget Cuts Go Beyond the Bone," which was published on page 23 of The Independent, April 28, 2011. Which is the correct in-text citation for this source?

...reducing services to a lottery will turn away many of those in need of basic services (not a quote; no citation needed for a paraphrase).

...reducing services to a lottery will turn away many of those in need of basic services (Independent, 2011, p. 23).

...reducing services to a lottery will turn away many of those in need of basic services (Budget Cuts, 2011).

...reducing services to a lottery will turn away many of those in need of basic services (Anonymous, 2001, p. 23).

In which sentence(s) has the quotation been integrated most successfully?

Keay (2004) explained that Gen Xers are likely to develop a new management style. "Having rebelled against standard business hours and micromanagement, they might find it difficult to make such demands of their subordinates" (p.102).

Keay (2004) explained that a new kind of management style would emerge from Gen Xers. They have "rebelled against standard business hours and micromanagement. They might find it difficult to make such demands of their subordinates" (p.102).

Keay (2004) explained that Gen Xers would develop a new kind of management style because of their attitudes toward traditional work routines and being managed: "Having rebelled against standard business hours and micromanagement, they might find it difficult to make such demands of their subordinates" (p.102).

Different management styles have emerged as social changes have taken hold. For example, [Gen Xers] "rebelled against standard business hours and micromanagement. They might find it difficult to make such demands of their subordinates" (Keaveney, 2004, p.102).

Your source on young entrepreneurs gives statistics on increasing rates of business ownership among  those 18 to 34 years old. The source states, "This trend may dilute corporate pools of promotable junior managers but provide a needed infrastructure for corporate outsourcing" (Keaveney, 2004, p. 102-103). Which of the following is an acceptable paraphrase?

Increasingly, young adults (i.e., 18 to 34 years old) are establishing their own businesses rather than working their way up the corporate ladder. This increased rate of entrepreneurship has two implications for corporate America: (a) corporations will have a less-rich resource in-house from which to develop managers, and (b) corporations may need to look to subcontract some work to these entrepreneurs.

A necessary infrastructure for corporate outsourcing has been established even though the trend of young adults owning their own businesses is weakening the availability of junior managers, who are potential executives (Keaveney 2004).

Companies will not be able to find enough people to hire with junior management skills, so they will have to subcontract much of the work instead (Keaveney, 2004)

An ever-growing number of young adults (i.e., those 18 to 34 years old) have chosen to create their own businesses rather than tie their lives to the corporate ladder. This increased entrepreneurship has two implications for corporate America: (a) corporations will have fewer highly skilled and talented mid-level employees from which they can select executives, and (b) corporations will need to overcome this "brain drain" by subcontracting with these entrepreneurs for their services (Keaveney, 2004).

The current fashion of members of the younger generation owning their own businesses might water down the numbers of available potential low-ranking administrators; however, it might also supply a necessary means at a basic level for businesses to subcontract (Keaveney, 2004).

Writing support for on-campus students attending the School of Social Work can be found from which of the following sources?

The Writing Resources page on the School's website, under the Current Students tab

The APA Quick Reference Guide can be downloaded from the Writing Resources page.

The School's Writing Support Team

The UNC Writing Center

All of the above

The Reference section should start on a separate page under the centered heading References, which does not use bold font. The reference entries should appear in alphabetical order by author's surname (or by title if works do not list an author) regardless of the type of source (e.g., book, film, journal article, website).

Choose the correct reference format for the following source that you retrieved from an online journal: social work and research, 1995, vol. 68(2), 127-137 ssn: 1948-ccx  doi:10.1037/swr/127 students and the problem of entitlement jeffrey t. swan     dennard q. rail    mary n. bushcombe university of georgia note:  per apa, journal titles should be set in italics (e.g., social work and research ); however, the quiz-maker software doesn't permit italics in the answer options.                                                                                                                                                                             .

Swan, J. T., Rail, D. Q., & Bushcombe, M. N. (1995). Students and the problem of entitlement. Social Work and Research, 68(2), 127-137.

J. T. Swan, D. Q. Rail, & M. N. Bushcombe. (1995). Students and the problem of entitlement. Social Work and Research, 68(2), 127-137. ISSN: 1948-CCX doi:10.1037/swr/127

Bushcombe, M. N., Rail, D. Q., & Swan, J. T. (1995). Students and the problem of entitlement. Social Work Research, 68(2), 127-137. doi:10.1037/swr/127

Swan, J. T., Rail, D. Q., & Bushcombe, M. N. (1995). Students and the problem of entitlement. Social Work and Research, 68(2), 127-137. doi:10.1037/swr/127

Which choice shows the correct format for the first use of  the Jeffrey T. Swan, Dennard Q. Rail, Mary N. Bushcombe (1995) source with the following sentence: Thus, students' misplaced sense of entitlement interferes with classroom teaching and, ultimately, the quality of education and training that students receive.

Training that students receive (Swan, Rail, & Bushcombe, 1995)

Training that students receive (Swan, Rail, & Bushcombe, 1995).

Training that students receive (Swan, Rail, and Bushcombe, 1995).

Training that students receive (Swan, Rail, & Bushcombe, 1993).

Which choice shows the correct format and APA style for the first use of  the Jeffrey T. Swan, Dennard Q. Rail, Mary N. Bushcombe (1995) source in the text of the following sentence: "... found that students' sense of entitlement led to complaints that course requirements were too burdensome and often interfered with their social commitments.

Jeffrey Swan, Dennard Rail, and Mary Bushcombe found that students' sense of entitlement led to complaints that course requirements were too burdensome and often interfered with their social commitments (1995).

Swan, Rail, & Bushcombe (1995) found that students' sense of entitlement led to complaints that course requirements were too burdensome and often interfered with their social commitments.

Swan, Rail, and Bushcombe (1995) found that students' sense of entitlement led to complaints that course requirements were too burdensome and often interfered with their social commitments.

Swan, Rail, and Bushcombe (1995) find that students' sense of entitlement led to complaints that course requirements were too burdensome and often interfered with their social commitments.

Which choice shows the correct format for the second parenthetical citation of the Jeffrey T. Swan, Dennard Q. Rail, Mary N. Bushcombe (1995) source in a later paragraph in the paper, using the following sentence: In addition, the authors suggested that admissions officers should have frank discussions with applicants that clearly outline what the graduate program demands, expects, and requires of students.

...demands, expects, and requirements of students (Swan, Rail, & Bushcombe, 1995).

...demands, expects, and requirements of students [Swan, Rail, and Buschcombe, 1995].

...demands, expects, and requirements of students (Swan, Rail & Bushcombe).

...demands, expects, and requirements of students (Swan et al. 1995)

...demands, expects, and requirements of students (Swan et al. 1995).

Which choice shows the correct format for the first in-text citation for the following journal article: (Select all that apply) "An Analysis of Qualitative Data on Sibling Relationships in Immigrant Families Obtained From Parent-Child Interviews Conducted as Part of the Latino Health Assessment Project" by J. K. O'Day, G. T. Cahn, B. B. Flores, P. W. Wrap, G. Dayfield, and A. P. Stele Published in 2009, the Journal of Long Titles , Volume 23, Issue 6, pages 1134-1145 DOI:1010/JLT.34   Springerbok Publishers, 145 Deerfield Plaza, Greenwich, Connecticut, 15432.

(O'Day, Chan, Flores, Wrap, Dayfield, & Steel, 2009)

(O'Day, Cahn, Flores, Wrap, Dayfield, and Stele, 2009)

(O'Day et al., 2009)

(O'Day and colleagues 2009)

Which choice shows a correct reference entry for the following journal article? (Select all that apply) "An Analysis of Qualitative Data on Sibling Relationships in Immigrant Families Obtained From Parent-Child Interviews Conducted as Part of the Latino Health Assessment Project" by J. K. O'Day, G. T. Cahn, B. B. Flores, P. W. Wrap, G. Dayfield, and A. P. Stele. Published in 2009, the Journal of Long Titles, Volume 23, Issue 6, pages 1134-1145. DOI:1010/JLT.34 Springerbok Publishers, 145 Deerfield Plaza, Greenwich, Connecticut, 15432.  Note: The quiz format does not permit the use of italics in the answers. Therefore, you will have to ignore the APA requirements for italics in reference formats. However, the full format is explained in the additional comments.

O'Day, JK Cahn, GT Flores, BB Wrap, PW Dayfield, G & Stele, AP (2009). An Analysis of Qualitative Data on Sibling Relationships in Immigrant Families Obtained From Parent-Child Interviews Conducted as Part of the Latino Health Assessment Project. Journal of Long Titles, Vol. 23, pp. 1134-45: Springerbok.

O'Day, J. K., Cahn, G. T., Flores, B. B., Wrap, P. W., Dayfield, G., & Stele, A. P. (2009).

O'Day, J. K., Cahn, G. T., Flores, B. B., Wrap, P. W., Dayfield, G., & Stele, A. P. (2009). An analysis of qualitative data on sibling relationships in immigrant families obtained from parent-child interviews conducted as part of the Latino Health Assessment Project. Journal of Long Titles, 23, 1134-1145. doi:1010/JLT.34

O'Day et al. (2009). An analysis of qualitative data on sibling relationships in immigrant families obtained from parent-child interviews conducted as part of the Latino Health Assessment Project. Journal of Long Titles, 23 (6), 1134-1145. DOI: 1010/jlt.34.

Suppose you have written a paper on the mission of social work, which is based on a section of the Code of Ethics adopted by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in 2008. The original article from the NASW website appears below.  "The mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of core values. These core values, embraced by social workers throughout the profession’s history, are the foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective: ·         service ·         social justice ·         dignity and worth of the person ·         importance of human relationships ·         integrity ·         competence" Which of the statements in your paper would need to include a citation?  (Select all that apply) Statement A: The social work profession seeks to ensure the well-being of the most vulnerable among the population. Statement B: The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has established a Code of Ethics that govern practitioners' actions in the field. Statement C: The Code of Ethics notes that the mission of social work is grounded in six essential values: (a) service, (b) social justice, (c) dignity and worth of the person, (d) importance of human relationships, (e) integrity, and (f) competence. Statement D: According to the NASW Code of Ethics, the mission of all social workers should be based on a set of core principles, including service to others, ensuring social justice and equality, recognizing and ensuring each person's value and dignity, working to preserve the essential worth of human relationships,  acting in accord with moral soundness and ethical wholeness, and possessing the skills and knowledge to carry out tasks required for practice.

Statement A should include a citation.

Statement B should include a citation.

Statement C should include a citation.

Statement D should include a citation.

"According to Erickson (1950, as cited in Hodgeworth, 2001), each of an individual's stages of development (i.e., physical, emotional, or psychological) are related to specific tasks that must be mastered. " . The citation used in the above sentence is called a secondary source citation. In this case, the student was citing a passage from the class text written by Hodgeworth (2001) that described Erik Erickson's work that was published in 1950. This type of citation is acceptable under which of the following circumstances? (Select all that apply)

The primary source (e.g., Erickson's publication) is not available in the language that the student reads.

The primary source is not available from the student's university library or inter-library loan, or there will be a substantial delay in obtaining the primary source.

The student is too lazy to find the primary source and read the original work.

The only required reading for the course was the textbook; therefore, the instructor has indicated that secondary citations will be allowed.

When the student is too busy to read the primary source, he recognizes that the secondary citations are weak supports and indicate a lack of scholarly rigor.

Identify the APA style issue(s) in the following passage: (Select all that apply) Since most graduate students have completed traditional 4-year college programs, professors in graduate schools assume that all students have mastered the skill of academic writing. While a few students are accomplished writers, the Writing Center has found that across disciplines, most graduate students struggle unnecessarily with writing because they are either unaware of the writing support that is available or is reluctant to admit that they might need to improve this important professional skill.

No problem with the passage

The second sentence is a run-on sentence.

Words Since and While are misused

Missing commas in the second sentence

Based on the APA style rules, what problem(s) can you identify in the sentence below: Birch (1998) argues that teens born outside of the U.S. are more likely to adopt conservative family norms. Select all that apply.

APA mandates the use of past tense when referring to published material or prior research.

The sentence uses informal language (i.e., teens). APA requires formal, precise language, such as youth or adolescents, which have to be defined by an age range.

United States must be spelled out when used as a noun; the abbreviation U.S. can be used as an adjective, such as U.S. population.

The sentence makes half a comparison; study participants were more likely than others to adopt such values.

On May 1, 2011, you interviewed Dr. Betsy Bledsoe for your paper on evidence-based practice. You decide to incorporate Dr. Bledsoe's information in your paper as a paraphrase or by using the following direct quote: "...to achieve wider use of the evidence-based practice in local agencies, schools of social work need to provide ongoing support to help agency staff translate research into practice." Which of the following shows the correct format for citing your interview?

"Schools of social work need to provide ongoing support to help agency staff translate research into practice"(add your surname as the person who conducted the interview, May 2011).

Currently, the wider use of the evidence-based practice in community agencies is challenged by a lack of resources and support to help staff understand the research implications and apply the findings to work with their specific population (personal communication, B. Bledsoe, May 1, 2011).

Currently, the wider use of evidence-based practice in community agencies is challenged by a lack of resources and support to help staff understand the research implications and apply the findings to work with their specific population (S. E. Bledsoe, personal communication, May 1, 2011).

Bledsoe said, "To achieve wider use of the evidence-based practice in local agencies, schools of social work need to provide ongoing support to help agency staff translate research into practice" (B. Bledsoe, interview, May 1, 2011)

Bledsoe said, "To achieve wider use of the evidence-based practice in local agencies, schools of social work need to provide ongoing support to help agency staff translate research into practice."

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

In-Text Citations: The Basics

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.

Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style  can be found here .

Reference citations in text are covered on pages 261-268 of the Publication Manual. What follows are some general guidelines for referring to the works of others in your essay.

Note:  On pages 117-118, the Publication Manual suggests that authors of research papers should use the past tense or present perfect tense for signal phrases that occur in the literature review and procedure descriptions (for example, Jones (1998)  found  or Jones (1998)  has found ...). Contexts other than traditionally-structured research writing may permit the simple present tense (for example, Jones (1998)  finds ).

APA Citation 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.

If you are referring to an idea from another work but  NOT  directly quoting the material, or making reference to an entire book, article or other work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication and not the page number in your in-text reference.

On the other hand, if you are directly quoting or borrowing from another work, you should include the page number at the end of the parenthetical citation. Use the abbreviation “p.” (for one page) or “pp.” (for multiple pages) before listing the page number(s). Use an en dash for page ranges. For example, you might write (Jones, 1998, p. 199) or (Jones, 1998, pp. 199–201). This information is reiterated below.

Regardless of how they are referenced, all sources that are cited in the text must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

In-text citation capitalization, quotes, and italics/underlining

• Always capitalize proper nouns, including author names and initials: D. Jones.
• If you refer to the title of a source within your paper, capitalize all words that are four letters long or greater within the title of a source:  Permanence and Change . Exceptions apply to short words that are verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs:  Writing New Media ,  There Is Nothing Left to Lose .

( Note:  in your References list, only the first word of a title will be capitalized:  Writing new media .)

• When capitalizing titles, capitalize both words in a hyphenated compound word:  Natural-Born Cyborgs .
• Capitalize the first word after a dash or colon: "Defining Film Rhetoric: The Case of Hitchcock's  Vertigo ."
• If the title of the work is italicized in your reference list, italicize it and use title case capitalization in the text:  The Closing of the American Mind ;  The Wizard of Oz ;  Friends .
• If the title of the work is not italicized in your reference list, use double quotation marks and title case capitalization (even though the reference list uses sentence case): "Multimedia Narration: Constructing Possible Worlds;" "The One Where Chandler Can't Cry."

Short quotations

If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and page number for the reference (preceded by "p." for a single page and “pp.” for a span of multiple pages, with the page numbers separated by an en dash).

You can introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author's last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses.

If you do not include the author’s name in the text of the sentence, place the author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number in parentheses after the quotation.

Long quotations

Place direct quotations that are 40 words or longer in a free-standing block of typewritten lines and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin, i.e., in the same place you would begin a new paragraph. Type the entire quotation on the new margin, and indent the first line of any subsequent paragraph within the quotation 1/2 inch from the new margin. Maintain double-spacing throughout, but do not add an extra blank line before or after it. The parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.

Because block quotation formatting is difficult for us to replicate in the OWL's content management system, we have simply provided a screenshot of a generic example below.

Formatting example for block quotations in APA 7 style.

Quotations from sources without pages

Direct quotations from sources that do not contain pages should not reference a page number. Instead, you may reference another logical identifying element: a paragraph, a chapter number, a section number, a table number, or something else. Older works (like religious texts) can also incorporate special location identifiers like verse numbers. In short: pick a substitute for page numbers that makes sense for your source.

Summary or paraphrase

If you are paraphrasing an idea from another work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference and may omit the page numbers. APA guidelines, however, do encourage including a page range for a summary or paraphrase when it will help the reader find the information in a longer work. 

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Transitional Words

Kg -  2nd  , 116.9k plays, the explorer's daughter.

APA citation and referencing

30 questions

Introducing new   Paper mode

No student devices needed.   Know more

When mentioning a source with six or more authors in a sentence, in either a parenthetical citation or in the sentence text, only the first author's name and et al. should be provided.

For example:

Frenkel et al. (2015) explain that ...

Which of the following is CORRECT?

Social relationships are subjected to the process of change because of the laws of evolution (Coser, 1977).

Social relationships are subjected to the process of change because of the laws of evolution (Coser 1977).

Social relationships are subjected to the process of change because of the laws of evolution Coser 1977

Longevity refers to how long loyalty remains in a relationship between a customer and a company. Level of loyalty determines the lifetime value of a customer (McMullan and Gilmore 2008).

Longevity refers to how long loyalty remains in a relationship between a customer and a company. Level of loyalty determines the lifetime value of a customer (McMullan & Gilmore 2008).

Longevity refers to how long loyalty remains in a relationship between a customer and a company. Level of loyalty determines the lifetime value of a customer (McMullan & Gilmore, 2008).

Disinterest is commonly understood as a lack of feeling, emotionality or concern (Nixon, 2014 Hareli, 2015).

Disinterest is commonly understood as a lack of feeling, emotionality or concern (Hareli, 2015; Nixon, 2014 ).

Disinterest is commonly understood as a lack of feeling, emotionality or concern (Nixon 2014 Hareli 2015).

Consumer advocacy refers to exchanging market information and counselling other consumers so that they have a positive brand experience (Chelminski & Coulter, 2011).

Consumer advocacy refers to exchanging market information and counselling other consumers so that they have a positive brand experience. (Chelminski & Coulter, 2011)

Consumer advocacy refers to exchanging market information and counselling other consumers so that they have a positive brand experience (Chelminski & Coulter 2011).

Dekker, S. W. A., Hancock, P. A., & Wilkin, P. (2013). Ergonomics and sustainability: Towards an embrace of complexity and emergence. Ergonomics , 56 (3), 357-364.

Dekker, S. W. A., Hancock, P. A., & Wilkin, P. (2013). Ergonomics

and sustainability: Towards an embrace of complexity and

emergence. Ergonomics , 56 (3), 357-364. doi:

10.1080/00140139.2012.718799

emergence. Ergonomics, 56(3), 357-364. doi:

When should you use in-text citations within your paper?

At the end of each page

At the end of each paragraph

Whenever information has come from another source

You are referencing a website, which part of the reference goes first?

author/sponsor/organisation

title of website

website address

You use a quotation from a book in your assignment.

How would you write the in-text citation?

author, page number

author, title

author, year

author, year, page number

You are referencing a website, which part of the reference should be in italics?

Blass, E. M. (1997). Interactions between contact and chemosensory mechanisms in pain modulation in 10-day-old rats. Behavioral Neuroscience, 111, 147-154. doi:10.1037/0735-7044.111.1.147

What type of citation is this?

Book chapter

Austin, J. H. (1998). Zen and the brain: Toward an understanding of meditation and consciousness. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

book chapter

Ickes, W. (Ed.). (1998). Empathic accuracy. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Which one is the publisher's name?

Empathic accuracy

Guilford Press

New York, NY

Which of these entries would be appropriate for the reference section?

Smith (2019, November 10). Everything should be illegal.

Time 156 (21). 70-71.

Smith (2021). Everything should be Illegal. Time 70-71.

Smith (2019). Time

What does APA stand for?

American Psychological Association

Aimless People Arguing

American Physiological Association

American Pioneers Artwork

Which of the following is the correct in-text citation for APA?

This phenomenon is best referred to as a “cumulative collaboration of evidence” (Pepper, 1961, p. 49).

This phenomenon is best referred to as a “cumulative collaboration of evidence” (Dr. Pepper, 1961).

This phenomenon is best referred to as a “cumulative collaboration of evidence” (Pepper, Evidence is Life 1961, p. 49).

This phenomenon is best referred to as a “cumulative collaboration of evidence” (CITATION Ste19 \l 1033).

• 26. Multiple Choice Edit 1 minute 1 pt Illegal use of someone’s work without proper citations.  Plagiarizing Cheating Citing Referencing
• 27. Multiple Choice Edit 1 minute 1 pt What kind of spacing should a paper in APA  Format contain? Single Double 1.5 Multiple
• 28. Multiple Choice Edit 1 minute 1 pt The margins in APA essays should be what size?  .5" 1" 1.5" 2"
• 29. Multiple Choice Edit 1 minute 1 pt What font  size  is required in APA formatting? 10 11 12 14
• 30. Multiple Choice Edit 1 minute 1 pt Which of the following fonts are acceptable for an APA formatted paper?  Times New Roman Arial Comic Sans Both Times New Roman and Arial 

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