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APA 7th Edition

This guide provides information about creating APA 7 Reference List and In-Text Citations

General Information

In APA, you are required to include an in-text citation when you quote or paraphrase in order to document the source of your information. These in-text citation point your readers to more complete citation information in the reference list section of your paper.

Writing In-Text Citations

Basic Structure of APA In-Text Citations

  • Author last name(s)
  • Publication date
  • Page number (Required for direct quotes; Encouraged for paraphrasing)

There are two ways to write your in-text citations:

Parenthetical: All components of the in-text citation are included in parenthesis at the end of the sentence.
  1. Understanding how marine mammals, like whales, respond to stress is critical to their health and sustainability (Cates et. al., 2020). 
  2. "Relatively little is known about variations in humpback whale stress physiology as compared to other parameters and life history traits, such as abundance, migratory trends, reproduction, behavior and communication" (Cates et. al., 2020, p. 2).
Narrative: Components of the in-text citation are written within the sentence.  
  1. According to Cates et. al. (2020), understanding how marine mammals, like whales, respond to stress is critical to their health and sustainability.
  2. Cates et. al. (2020) found that " relatively little is known about variations in humpback whale stress physiology as compared to other parameters and life history traits, such as abundance, migratory trends, reproduction, behavior and communication" (p.2).

Author(s)

Similar to reference list citations, there are specific author guidelines for in-text citations.

One author (Aubrey, 2019)
Two authors (Schuler & Pearson, 2019)
Three or more authors (Cates et. al., 2020) 
Organization as an author
  • First in-text citation: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2019)
  • Subsequent in-text citations: (APA, 2019)

Page Numbers

A page number is required for direct quotes and encouraged for paraphrasing.

Use the abbreviation “p.” for one page or “pp.” for multiple pages 

  • (Smith, 2009, p. 3)
  • (Smith, 2009, pp. 3-4)

No page number? Use another identifying element such as a paragraph number, chapter number, section number etc. 

  • (Freeman, 2019, para. 3)

More than One Source

Citing more than one source in your in-text citation? List the sources alphabetically by author's last name in the same order they would appear on the References List.

  • (Aubrey, 2019; Freeman 2019)

Citing a work quoted in another source

Sometimes an author will mention another person’s work by quoting or paraphrasing information from that source. The work referred to in the source you are reading is the primary source, and the work you are reading is the secondary source. 

Reference List: 

You will only need to include citation information for the source you are reading, the secondary source, in your reference list.

 

Grossman, R. (2009). Structures for facilitating student reflection. College Teaching, 57(1), 15-22. https://doi.org/10.3200/CTCH.57.1.15-22

In-Text Citation:

Identify the primary source and then write "as cited in" the secondary source.

 
  • According to Zimmerman, (2002, as cited in Grossman, 2009) “metacognition is defined as the awareness of and knowledge about one’s own thinking” (p.17).
  • “Metacognition is defined as the awareness of and knowledge about one’s own thinking” (Zimmerman, 2002, as cited in Grossman, 2009, p.17)

Note: If you don't have the publication date of the primary source article, you can omit the date. For example:

According to Zimmerman, (as cited in Grossman, 2009) “metacognition is defined as the awareness of and knowledge about one’s own thinking” (p.17).