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BALB 106
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APA In-Text Citations
(Chapter 8 in the Publication Manual)
1
APA style papers must give proper credit to sources paraphrased or quoted in the
body of the paper. To give such credit, APA style uses the author-date method of
citation. The last name of the author(s) and the year of publication are inserted into
the text at the appropriate point. The table below lists some common situations
students may encounter when citing sources within their papers.
Note: All examples are given in single-spaced text. In application, APA papers will
use double-spacing.
In-Text Situation
Example
Author in text:
If you mention the author’s name in your
text, put the date in parentheses
immediately after the author name.
Note: This is called a “narrative citation.”
See 8.11 in the Publication Manual for
more information on narrative citations.
Wolfe (2019) stated that inquiry-based
learning helps students learn content
through hands-on discovery as they
explore answers to their questions.
Author in citation:
If the author’s name is not mentioned in
the text of the paper, put both the author
and the date, separated by a comma, in
parentheses.
Note: This is called a “parenthetical
citation.” See 8.11 in the Publication
Manual for more information on
parenthetical citations.
Science addresses natural phenomena,
whereas engineering and technology
cover the human-made aspect of society
(Milano, 2013).
Author and date cited in text:
No parenthetical citation necessary.
In a 1989 article, Gould explores some of
Darwin’s most effective metaphors.
Two authors:
Cite both names every time reference
occurs in text.
1. Brothen and Wambach (2003)
found that students who took two
or more remedial courses were
1
Source for all guidelines:
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
Note: In example #1, notice how the word
“and” is used when the authors are
mentioned in the text. If the authors are
cited within the parentheses (example
#2), an ampersand (&) is used.
twice as likely to drop out of
college.
(or)
2. Students who took two or more
remedial courses were twice as
likely to drop out of college
(Brothen & Wambach, 2003).
Three or more authors:
For sources with three or more authors,
give the last name of the first author and
et al.
Note: “et al.” is a Latin abbreviation for
“and others.” “al.” is an abbreviation like
“etc.,” so it will always end with a period.
Engineering in the preschool setting
allows students to express their creativity
and helpful nature by confronting them
with problems while supplying them with
the tools to provide a solution (Davis et
al., 2017).
Secondary sources:
If you read an author’s work as cited in
another source, name the original work,
and give a citation for the secondary
source. Cite only the secondary source
on the reference list.
Note: Use secondary sources sparingly,
for instance, when the original work is out
of print, unavailable, or available only in a
language that you do not understand (8.6
in the Publication Manual).
APA advises finding the primary source,
reading it, and citing it directly rather than
citing a secondary source (8.6 in the
Publication Manual).
1. Sue’s Racial Identity Development
Model (as cited in Whitaker, 2004) …
(or)
2. The lack of research on ethnic
minority populations is made worse by
its poor quality (Sue, 1999, as cited in
Lemme, 2002).
Groups as author (8.21):
Some group authors are spelled out each
time they are mentioned in the text; some
are spelled out the first time and
abbreviated afterward. Use an
abbreviation for each subsequent in-text
citation if it is easily identifiable by your
reader.
First mention in text:
For communities and society at large to
progress, engineering concepts need to
be taught from the beginning of a
student’s school career, an idea
supported by the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA, 2018).
Subsequent mentions:
NASA (2018) asserts that the key to
getting more engineers is to engage
students when they are young.
Unknown or anonymous author (8.14)
Cite in text the title and the year of
publication. Use double quotation marks
for the title of an article or chapter;
periodicals and books are italicized. If the
title is long, shorten it for the in-text
citation.
Book with no author: (Interpersonal
Skills, 2019)
Magazine article with no author:
(“Understanding Sensory Memory,” 2018)
Note: These examples are taken from
page 265 of the Publication Manual.
No date:
Use n.d. in text and on the reference list.
In-text citation: The engineering design
process for this lesson from Hand (n.d.)
involves building a bridge over the
stream.
Reference list entry:
Hand, J. (n.d.). Bridge-building STEAM
activities. Preschool STEAM.
https://preschoolsteam.com/bridge-
building-activities-preschoolers/
No page number (8.28):
• Provide a heading or section name
(can be abbreviated in quotation
marks if it is too long or unwieldly
to use in full).
• Provide a paragraph number
• Provide a heading or section name
in combination with the page
number.
• (McCabe, 2004, Conclusion
section)
• (American Society for Engineering
Education, 2018, para. 6)
• (Golan et al., 2007, “Mandatory
Labeling Has Targeted,” para. 4)
Citing Multiple Works (8.12):
Cite in alphabetical order by authors’
surnames. Separate citations with
semicolons.
Works by the same author: Arrange by
year of publication, earliest first.
Several studies (Brothen, 1999; McCabe,
2000; Wambach, 1998) suggest that
college remediation benefits society….
Past research (Brothen & Wambach,
2001, 2005) studied the grade point
averages of students who took two
remedial courses in college…
Personal communication: For personal
interviews or emails, cite within the paper
but do not include on the reference list.
(N. Montoya, personal communication, April
28, 2021)
Note: See pages 259-261 in the
Publication Manual for a full discussion of
works that require a special approach to
citation (e.g., lecture notes or PowerPoint
slides)
Entire Web site:
Whenever possible, provide citation
information for a specific page or
document on a Web site rather than for a
home or index page. If an entire site is
used for a project, include the basic name
and URL for the site within the text. A
citation on the reference list is not
necessary.
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
provides free, reliable resources on
grammar, documentation styles, and
other writing issues
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/).
Direct quotes in APA style
Direct quotes also require the author-
date method of citation as seen in the
previous examples. The difference: In
addition to providing the author and
date, give the page number.
Quotes under 40 words:
Quotes fewer than 40 words are
incorporated into the text.
Punctuating a direct quote: Use double
quotation marks around the quoted
material; at the end of the quote, put the
citation in parentheses, then, the period
to end the sentence.
In an English language learning (ELL)
class using an engineering design
challenge, DeRomero et al. (2006)
observed that “student involvement in
engineering design units led to their
learning valuable and transferable
problem-solving skills as well as deep
acquisition of science concepts” (p. 37).
Quotes longer than 40 words: Quotes
longer than 40 words are set off in a
freestanding block indented about ½ inch
from left margin (in the same position as
a new paragraph). Double-space the
quote; no quotation marks are necessary.
Note: The example is single-spaced for
formatting reasons only; do not forget to
double space within your actual paper!
Davis et al. (2017) communicated the
following:
While there is no set engineering
design process (EDP) that every
engineer adheres to, in general, there
is agreement that engineering
problems are solved using an iterative
process that includes background
research, brainstorming, planning, the
building and testing of prototypes,
analysis, and redesign. (p. 5)
