APA Citations : How to Cite Sources Inside APA Style Text
When writing an APA Style paper, it's required that you properly cite any sources you've used. Citing sources is important for a few reasons. First, it allows instructors to check the accuracy of your research. Second, it gives your readers the opportunity to find additional related information. Most importantly, citing sources gives credit for the research and theories that you're citing to the people who've created them.
Citing sources in APA Style requires two processes. One citation is required at the position in the main text where the cited material appears, called an in-text citation. The other citation occurs at the end of the paper, in a list of all cited works, called a reference list.
In this article, we'll focus on materials you'll need to cite within the main text of the APA style paper.
I. CITING A PRINTED WORK IN APA STYLE
Often times, the type of APA formatting used for an in-text citation of printed material will depend on the structure of the sentence, as shown in these examples.
Citation example A:
Include the names of the author within the sentence, followed by the year of publication inside parentheses.
The study created by Johnson, Smith, & Jones (2003) indicates that technological advancements spur economic growth.
Citation example B:
You can place the names of the authors inside the parentheses with the year of publication, depending on your sentence structure.
Some economists have indicated that technological advancements spur economic growth (Johnson, Smith, & Jones, 2003).
II. SUBSEQUENT LISTINGS
Once you have listed a printed source and its author(s) in your paper, you sometimes can abbreviate with subsequent in-text citations of the same work. As shown in these examples, the number of authors determines whether an abbreviation is appropriate.
One or two authors:
On subsequent references, list it as you did the first time, with one or both authors' names and the year of publication.
Additionally, the Johnson & Jones (2003) study indicates ...
Three or more authors:
On subsequent references, you only need to list the first author, followed by "et al." before the year of publication.
Additionally, the Johnson et al. (2003) study indicates ...
III. SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
With published works, figuring out the authors' names and the year of publication is a fairly easy process. With some sources, creating the proper in-text APA citation can be a little more difficult.
For example, a Web page might not readily include an author's name. If one isn't available, you can use an editor's name, simply listing it as you listed the author's name in the examples shown earlier.
If no author's name or editor's name is available, just list the name of the organization or institution that's associated with the Web site, as shown in the following example.
An economic organization's study has indicated that technological advancements spur economic growth (Worldwide Economists Group, 2006).
You also can use the title of a Web page or publication with the in-text citation, if no author is listed. Remember, with an in-text citation, you're simply trying to ensure that those who read your paper can easily find the full listing of the source in the reference list at the end of the paper.
IV. Quotations
When quoting source material directly within your text, use the same in-text citation formatting we've already described, along with a little additional information.
Short quotations:
For any quotation less than 40 words in length, use quotation marks around the quotation, followed by the page number of the reference.
According to Johnson (2003), "Spending tax dollars on technological advancements spurs growth in the local economy" (p. 43).
Long quotations:
Follow the same APA format for in-text citations, including the page number(s), for a long quotation of more than 40 words. However, you'll want to create a special block of text for the long quotation by indenting about one-half inch from the left margin for all lines of the quotation. Return to the normal left margin after reaching the end of the quotation block. Do not use quotation marks with this long quotation block, and double space throughout the block.
V. MORE INFORMATION
Keep in mind that APA Style says that you should always use past tense or present perfect tense when describing research that requires an in-text citation.
Finally, if you have a particularly tricky source to cite within your text that isn't covered here, you can find the answer in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, which is the ultimate resource for APA Style.
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