Researching

Finding information, using the ideas of others, citing sources.

APA In-Text Citations

In APA style, in-text citations are written in (author, date) form. Throughout your paper, every time you use someone else’s ideas, you must give them credit. The parenthetical information given in the text through your in-text citations will help someone find the source in the Reference List.

One Work by One Author

There is no specific point where you have to insert the author’s last name and the date. It’s usually just placed in the most logical and appropriate spot. Often, this is at the end of the sentence. If you have mentioned the author’s name in your sentence, you do not need to add it in the parentheses, but you should put the date next to the author’s name.

Example:

Sizing in the clothing business is a rather simplistic concept, with each size based on a particular range of measurements (Ennis, 2006).

According to Ennis (2005), sizing in the clothing business is a rather simplistic concept, with each size based on a particular range of measurements.

Page Numbers

In APA style, you will not quote other authors as often as you may have in MLA style. When you have a quotation, however, like MLA you must also include a page number in your in-text citation.

Example:

The difficulty “is how to bridge the gap between writing in and writing outside the disciplines, the knowing that and the knowing how” (Carter, 2007, p. 387).

According to Carter (2007), the difficulty “is how to bridge the gap between writing in and writing outside the disciplines, the knowing that and the knowing how” (p.387).

Tip

APA does not require page numbers for paraphrase or summary.

One Work by Multiple Authors

There are a few different rules to follow when you have multiple authors.

Two authors

Cite both names every time.

Example:

In support of these theoretical assertions, prospective research has found that perceived pressure to be thin from family, peers, and the media predicts subsequent increases in body dissatisfaction (Cattarin & Thompson, 1994).

In support of these theoretical assertions, Cattarin and Thompson (1994) found that perceived pressure to be thin from family, peers, and the media predicts subsequent increases in body dissatisfaction.

Three, four, or five authors

Cite all the names the first time they are mentioned in your paper, but after that only mention the first name followed by et al., which means “and others” in Latin.

Example:

Numerous researchers have proposed that sociocultural pressures to be thin promote body image, affective, and eating disturbances in young women (Stice, Maxfield, and Wells, 2002).

Followed in later citations by

(Stice et al., 2002)

Six or more authors

Cite only the first author followed by et al.

Example:

…assess the influence of peers, parents, and the media on the development of weight concerns and frequent dieting (Field et al., 2001).

Multiple Sources from the Same Author in the Same Year

Ordinarily, sources by the same author can be distinguished by the differing years of publication. Sometimes, however, you have two sources from the same author published in the same year. In these cases, add a lowercase letter to the date (a, b, etc.), and use those in both the in-text citations and the References list.

Example:

White (2005a) argued that assessment is regularly used for political purposes rather than more legitimate goals. White (2005b) also described the work of the Council of Writing Program Administrators as an example of legitimate assessment.

Indirect Sources

An indirect source is one in which the quotation you are using is quoted in another source (a quote of a quote). When citing an indirect source, use the name of the primary source in your sentence, and use “as cited in” in your parenthetical citation to clarify.

Example:

Another approach to a macrolevel understanding of genre is Bazerman’s concept of system of genres, “a complex web of interrelated genres where each participant makes a recognizable act or move in some recognizable genre, which then may be followed by a certain range of appropriate generic responses by others” (as cited in Carter, 2007, p. 392).

Works with No Authors

Sometimes a work might not have any author mentioned anywhere on the document. In this case, like you did in your header: take the first 2 or 3 words from the title and put them in parentheses in place of an author.

Example:

Many teenage girls of average weight think they are overweight and are not satisfied with their bodies (Moms Influence, 2007).

Tip

There are other times when the author is actually listed as “Anonymous.” If this happens, treat “Anonymous” as the author’s name and place that in parentheses with the date

Groups as Authors

When you are working with groups or organizations that use their group name as the author, the main thing you have to remember you need to use your judgment as to how much information you should put in the parentheses. Most times you will have a group that you can abbreviate after the first citation, but if you have a group that is too short to abbreviate or wouldn’t be easily recognized, you must spell it out every time you cite it.

Example:

In deciding whether to abbreviate the name of a group author, use the general rule that you need to give enough information in the text citation for the reader to locate the entry in the reference list without difficulty (American Psychological Association [APA], 2001).

Followed in later citations by

(APA, 2001)

Web Sites

As much as possible, cite web sites as you would a print text, including using titles and group names as necessary. Sometimes web sites have no date. When this happens, you need to include n.d. where the year would normally appear to indicate that the source has no date.

Example:

(Smith, n.d.)

(Body Image, n.d.)

Tip

If you are just referencing a web site and not using a direct quote, place the web address in parentheses, and you do not need to put this in your References list later on. For example, your in-text citation could look like this: (http://www.linkhere.com, 2001).

Sources

American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2001.

Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007.

Purdue University. “APA Formatting and Style Guide.” The OWL at Purdue. 4 Dec. 2007. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/.