APA- 7th Edition
In-text Citations
SPRING 2021
Introduction
The American Psychological Association (APA) is a citation format
developed by researchers in social sciences and in education.
APA presents specific guidelines for writing both in-text citations and
the reference list.
Why should we document?
1. Copyright law and the ethics of research
2. To avoid plagiarism (using someone’s material without crediting the
source)
3. Missing documentation
You must provide full and accurate documentation when writing both
your
1. In-text citations
2. Reference list.
In-Text Citations
The integration of sources into your own writing.
You need to cite sources for:
1. Direct quotations
2. Paraphrases
3. Summaries
What is the difference between these
three methods?
1. Quote:
To quote, include segments as they had been written in the original
source.
2. Summarize:
To summarize, write the main idea(s) in your own words.
3. Paraphrase:
To paraphrase, rewrite a whole passage in your own words.(Do not
add your opinion)
What to include in an
in-text citation?
the author,
year of publication, and
the page on which you found the material you borrowed. You don’t
have to include page numbers in summaries and paraphrases.
Examples:
Hunt (2011) explains that mother-infant attachment has been a leading
topic of developmental research since John Bowlby found that “infants
raised in institutions were deficient in emotional and personality
development" (p. 358).
Hunt (2011) claims that children who grew up in organizations lack
emotional and character advancement.
Variations of in-text citations:
Author, year, and page number at the end of the sentence
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).
Author and year in the beginning of the sentence, and page number at the end of the
sentence
Schobert (2005) claims that “zoos must change the concept of how elephants are
kept in captivity, starting with how much space we allot them” (p. 64).
No author (citation by “title” , year, and page number)
To alleviate the pain and suffering of elephants in zoos, “[they] must change the
concepts of how elephants are kept in captivity, starting with how much space we allot
them” (“Let the Zoo’s Elephants Go,” 2005, p. 64).
Citing Secondary
Sources
If you use a source that was cited in another source, name the
original source in your signal phrase.
List the secondary source in your reference list and include it in the
parentheses.
Add as cited in in between parentheses.
Example
According to Culver (year if available), the mastery of APA increases
an author's chance of scoring well on an assignment (as cited in
Jones, 2009).
• Primary Source: Original source, who proposed the theory or
research.
• Secondary Source: This is the source you actually read & found the
information in. This is what is found in the References page
Useful Tips :
Try not to use verbs like says or writes to introduce your source; aim for
variation and choose a verb that describes the content of the piece you
are quoting.
Ex: acknowledges, adds, admits, asserts, believes, compares, confirms,
declares, demonstrates, endorses, grants, implies, insists, notes, points
out, questions, reasons, reports, responds, reveals, speculates, states,
suggests, .......
oAfter each direct quotation, you must include:
(family name of the author, year of publication, page number).
Example: (Smith, 1990, p. 85)
oThe same applies to summaries and paraphrases except for the page
number.
Example: ( Smith, 1990)
Work by two authors
oWhen a work has 2 authors cite both names every time you reference
the work in the text.
oIn parenthesis join the names with an ampersand (&).
Example: (Baxter & Park, 2001).
oIn your narrative text, join the names with the word "and."
Example: Baxter and Park (2001) demonstrated
A WORK BY THREE OR MORE
AUTHORS
List only the first author’s name followed by “et al.” in every citation,
even the first.
Example:(Kernis et al., 1993)
Kernis et al. (1993) suggest...
In et al., et should not be followed by a period.
Only "al" should be followed by a period.
Works by no authors
oUse the first two or three words of the work's title as your text
reference.
oPlace the title in quotation marks if it refers to an article, chapter of a
book, or Web page.
Example: ("Climate and Weather," 1997)
oItalicize the title if it refers to a book, periodical, brochure, or report.
Example: (Education Reform, 2007)
Author is an
organization or a
government agency
oMention the organization in the signal phrase or in the
parenthetical citation the first time you cite the source,
just as you would an individual person.
oAccording to the American Psychological Association
(2000)…….
The organization has a
well-known abbreviation
o You may include the abbreviation in brackets the first
time the source is cited and then use only the
abbreviation in later citations.
oHowever, if you cite work from multiple organizations
whose abbreviations are the same, do not use
abbreviations (to avoid ambiguity).
oFirst citation: (Mothers Against Drunk Driving [MADD],
2000)\
oSecond citation: (MADD, 2000)
TWO OR MORE WORKS IN THE
SAME PARENTHESES
oWhen your parenthetical citation includes two or more
works, order them the same way they appear in the
reference list (viz., alphabetically), separated by a semi-
colon.
o(Johns, 2002; Harlow, 1983)
AUTHORS WITH THE SAME LAST
NAME
oTo prevent confusion, use first initials with the last
names.
(E. Johnson, 2001; L. Johnson, 1998)
What to do when you want to:
Add material to the quotation:
For the sake of clarity or grammar, enclose your insertion in brackets.
Ex: Moreover, Tailor discredits the concept that “the two [objective and
subjective reality] are discrete entities with remarkably little in
common” (2005, p.22).
The PEEL METHOD
POINT: Every Paragraph
Makes ONE Point
Your first sentence must state your point.
It introduces the topic you’re about to discuss and tells the reader what
the paragraph is going to be about.
This is the topic sentence.
E: EXPLAIN
Sub point 1: Explain this point through using your own words and
stating several supporting ideas and details.
Acts to further understanding of your topic sentence.
E: Evidence
Find facts, testimonies (quotes), statistics, and expert opinions to
support each sub- point.
Use paraphrasing to incorporate evidence.
L: link
Link the source you used and your original point.
Helps integrate the source into your own writing and CEMENTING the
topic sentence.
