The in-text citation appears within the body of the paper (or in a table, figure, footnote, or appendix) and briefly identifies the cited work by its author and date of publication.
In-text citations have two formats: parenthetical and narrative.
Regardless of the type of in-text citation used, each work cited must appear in the reference list, and each work in the reference list must be cited in the text (or in a table, figure, footnote, or appendix).
Both the author and the date, separated by a comma, appear in parentheses for a parenthetical citation. A parenthetical citation can appear within or at the end of a sentence.
Example:
Falsely balanced news coverage can distort the public's perception of expert consensus on an issue (Koehler, 2016)
Narrative citations
The author’s surname appears in running text, and the date appears in parentheses immediately after the author’s name for a narrative citation. The author’s name can be included in the sentence in any place it makes sense.
Example: Koehler (2016) noted the dangers of falsely balanced news coverage.
Page Numbers for Quotation
When quoting directly, always provide the author, year, and page number of the quotation (in both parenthetical and narrative in-text citations).
Follow these guidelines when providing a page number:
If the work does not have page numbers, provide another way for the reader to locate the quotation:
PLEASE NOTE: APA style does not require the page number for paraphrased in text citations, but some instructors require it. ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR what they prefer. For more information, see page 269 of the Publication Manual.
Examples of narrative and parenthetical in-text citations:
| Type of Citation | Narrative citation | Parenthetical citation |
|---|---|---|
|
One author |
Siegel (2004) | (Siegel, 2004) |
|
Two authors
|
Hunt and Wilkins (2007) | (Hunt & Wilkins, 2007) |
|
Three or more authors
|
Baxter et al. (2005) | (Baxter et al., 2005) |
|
Groups (readily identified through abbreviations) as authors
|
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2007) |
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2007) |
|
Groups (no abbreviation) as authors |
Olds College (2010) | (Olds College, 2010) |
|
Multiple works with the same author and date
|
Jones (2009a) Jones (2009b) |
(Jones, 2009a) (Jones, 2009b) |
|
Secondary Source with the year of primary source
|
Freud (1916) ... (as cited in Jones, 2003) | (Freud, 1916, as cited in Jones, 2003) |
|
Secondary Source without the year of primary source
|
Freud (as cited in Jones, 2003) | (Freud, as cited in Jones, 2003) |
|
Personal Communication (Do not include in Reference page)
|
J. Smith (personal communication, March 19, 2016) | (J. Smith, personal communication, March 19, 2016) |
|
Court Decision |
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) |
(Brown v. Board of Education, 1954) |
| Federal Statue | Violence Against Women (1994) | (Violence Against Women, 1994) |
If you have a question that this guide does not answer, visit the Library Information Desk or Book a Citation Appointment with the Librarian.
Block Quote:
Example:
Researchers have studied how people talk to themselves:
Inner speech is a paradoxical phenomenon. It is an experience that is central to many people’s everyday lives, and yet it presents considerable challenges to any effort to study it scientifically. Nevertheless, a wide range of methodologies and approaches have combined to shed light on the subjective experience of inner speech and its cognitive and neural underpinnings. (Alderson-Day & Fernyhough, 2015, p. 957)