APA Citation: In-text Citations

For more extensive information provided by APA go here: Quoting 

For QUOTES provide information about author, date, and the specific part to which you are referring.

SHORT QUOTES: Enclose short quotations (less than 40 words) in double quotation marks and incorporate them in your sentence.

EXAMPLE PRINT BOOK WITH FIXED PAGE NUMBERS AVAILABLE:

According to Smail (2008), Darwinian evolution "follows a rhythm dictated by the rapidity of generational turnover" (p. 99). 

One opinion is that Darwinian evolution "follows a rhythm dictated by the rapidity of generational turnover" (Smail, 2008, p. 99). 

In 2008, Smail stated that Darwinian evolution "follows a rhythm dictated by the rapidity of generational turnover" (p. 99). 

EXAMPLES USING AN ONLINE SOURCE WITH NO PAGE NUMBERS AVAILABLE: 

It seems "that there are still substantial theoretical issues at stake that may alter the understanding of evolutionary theory in important ways" (Sloan, 2008, Summary and Conclusion section). 

Sloan (2008) concluded "that there are still substantial theoretical issues at stake that may alter the understanding of evolutionary theory in important ways" (Summary and Conclusion section). 

Unlike some other scientists, Darwin "did not believe that evolution follows a predetermined direction or that it has an inevitable goal" (O'Neill, 1998-2003, "Darwin," para. 17). 

O'Neill (1998-2003) points out that Darwin  "did not believe that evolution follows a predetermined direction or that it has an inevitable goal" ("Darwin," para. 17). 

LONG QUOTES: Display a quotation of more than 40 words in a block with no quotation marks, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin. Note that the closing punctuation mark precedes the page citation.

EXAMPLE USING AN ONLINE SOURCE WITH CHAPTERS AVAILABLE: 

Darwin (1998-2016) concluded the following:

REFERENCE LIST entries for the above examples

For more extensive information provided by APA go here: Paraphrasing 

For PARAPHRASES and SUMMARIES provide the author and date information. Although not required, you may include information about the specific part so your reader can find the part more easily. 

EXAMPLE:

The speed of human cultural evolution is linked to the turnover rate of cultural entities (Smail, 2008).

OR

The speed of human cultural evolution is linked to the turnover rate of cultural entities (Smail, 2008, pp. 99-100).

Smail (2008) suggested that the speed of human cultural evolution is linked to the turnover rate of cultural entities. 

OR

Smail (2008) suggested that the speed of human cultural evolution is linked to the turnover rate of cultural entities (pp. 99-100).

REFERENCE LIST entry for the above examples

For more extensive information provided by APA go here

• The basic rule is that credit must be given for anything that is not one's own thought, idea or creation, and that it must be clear to the reader which of the information is borrowed and which one is not
• Any parenthetical reference that contains the author must also include the year
• When the author is referred to as part of the sentence (instead of in a parenthetical reference), the date needs to be included after the first reference in a paragraph; you do not need to repeat the date if you cite the author as part of a sentence again in the same paragraph; however, you DO need to repeat the year if there was a parenthetical reference before
• It is considered overcitation to repeat the same citation in every sentence when the source and topic have not changed (see example "Overcitation" below). Instead, when paraphrasing a key point in more than one sentence within a paragraph, cite the source in the first sentence in which it is relevant and do not repeat the citation in subsequent sentences as long as the source remains clear and unchanged (see second example below. To see another example from APA, go here)

Overcitation - avoid this:

The average person accepts pseudoscience much more readily than real science (Sagan, 1996). One of the reasons is that pseudoscience feeds the illusion of having unrealistic personal powers (Sagan, 1996). Some even go as far as to proclaim that wishful thinking is enough to create the reality we desire (Sagan, 1996). Other branches of pseudoscience satisfy our spiritual longings and promise that we are one with the Universe (Sagan, 1996)

 If you cite the same source without interruption within a paragraph, this is sufficient: 

According to Sagan (1996), the average person accepts pseudoscience much more readily than real science. One of the reasons is that pseudoscience feeds the illusion of having unrealistic personal powers, with some going as far as to proclaim that wishful thinking is enough to create the reality we desire. The author points out that other branches of pseudoscience satisfy our spiritual longings and promise that we are one with the Universe.

REFERENCE LIST entry for the above examples

For more extensive information provided by APA go here: Author

For TWO authors, cite both names every time. Combine the two names with the word "and" if you use the names in the sentence, but combine them with "&" if you use them in parentheses. Include a page number or other locator if you quote directly.

EXAMPLE:

Clarkson and Mildenberger (2011) conclude that "neither Canada nor Mexico can initiate a trade war without risking its own prosperity" (p. 55).

The economic wellbeing of both Canada and Mexico is dependent on their relations with the United States (Clarkson & Mildenberger, 2011).  

For MORE THAN TWO authors, list the first author's last name followed by the words et al. (meaning "and others"). Add a locator if available.

EXAMPLE:

Songer et al. (2012) found that "the actual voting behaviour of the justices is related to the political attitudes they bring to the court" (p. 174). 

Recent research shows that "the actual voting behaviour of the justices is related to the political attitudes they bring to the court" (Songer et al., 2012, p. 174).

Songer et al. (2012) concluded that personal ideology was only part of the Canadian appointment process of a justice.

Personal ideology was only part of the Canadian appointment process of a justice (Songer et al., 2012).

For citations with the SAME AUTHOR AND SAME DATE, add the letter a, b, c, etc. to the date. List the citations in alphabetical order of the title in the reference list. For more info, see here

EXAMPLE:

Koriat (2008a) discovered that .... Other research showed .... Koriat (2008b) ...

NO author: Put the title in the author position (abbreviate if long). If the title in the Reference list is in italics, italicize the title in the in-text citation as well. If the title is NOT italicized in the reference list, put it in quotation marks in the in-text citation. Capitalize these titles in the text using title case, even though sentence case is used in the reference list entry. Add a locator if necessary.

EXAMPLES:

One important relationship between nutrition and health is ..... (Good Housekeeping, 1995).
In the health and nutrition section of Good Housekeeping (1995) it states that ... 
The effect of lead based ... ("B.C. Wildlife Experts," 2019).
The article "B.C. Wildlife Experts" (2019) describes the effect of ...

REFERENCE LIST entries for the above examples: