In-Text Citations

In-Text Citation

Using in-text citation with APA style

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. More information on citing sources without pagination is given on the APA Style web page.

Within the text of your paper, 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.

For more detailed examples of in-text citation see the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) or the Research and Documentation Online guide.

For examples of APA formats for reference lists, see our APA Quick Citation Guide.

Examples

Using the Author/Date System |

Author's Name | Example of Usage |

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. |

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). |

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, author's name part of narrative | 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). |

Direct quote, author's name in parentheses | 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). |

Note: For direct quotations of more than 40...