APA referencing uses author-date citations, so when using the work of others, an in-text citation must include the author and date to acknowledge the work fully. When directly quoting from another's work, then the location of the quote is also required - generally this will be the page number, but sometimes it is the paragraph number, section title or time-stamp.
Put the citation within your work whenever you use information, ideas, images, etc. from another source. You need to make it obvious to the reader where each piece of information came from. Remember that in-text citations are a signpost to their reference list entry, there must be enough information in the in-text citation for it to be found again in the reference list.
There are a few different ways to incorporate in-text citations within your work, see below how they can look and some of the different ways they can be used and formatted.
Citations can be either narrative or parenthetical, this is a stylistic choice and up to the writer.
Narrative citations: Name (date) comes before the cited information and is incorporated into the sentence.
Note:
Parenthetical citations: The citation details appear in parentheses (brackets) after the information (Name, date).
Note:
|
Narrative Example |
Parenthetical Example |
|
Steinem (1983) understands the issue as... (p. 52)
Lamb and Yuen (2024) stated that... (p. 52) |
The issue here is .... (Steinem, 1983, p. 52).
The issue here is .... (Lamb & Yuen, 2024, p. 52). |
When quoting, you need to include a specific location of the information in the original source (in the in-text citation only). This can differ depending on the source type, generally you'll use:
We use abbreviations for some of these:
| Source Part | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Page | p. |
| Page Range | pp. |
| Paragraph | para. |
| Paragraph Range | paras. |
| Clause | cl. |
| Clause Range | cls. |
(Example adapted from ChatGPT generated paragraph, authors are fictional).
Sometimes you may want to paraphrase the work of multiple people into one statement, this is called synthesising and is considered to be good academic practice. In this case you'll need to include all the names into the same parenthetical citation (brackets).
When you have two or more sources that you want to include in the same parentheses, they would be ordered alphabetically with a semicolon separating each one, like so:
(Reilly, 2014; Winters, 2013).
If you want to use multiple works by the same author, the author's name is mentioned once, then the years of publication for each source are included, ordered chronologically like so:
(Reilly, 2014; Winters, 1995, 1999, 2013).
You then list all sources used in your reference list.
Note: This works best with parenthetical citations rather than narrative format.
If you are going to paraphrase an author's work over multiple sentences, you can structure your paragraph so that you don't need to repeat the in-text citations multiple times, which can disrupt the flow of your work. You just need to ensure that it is obvious to your reader that you are referring to the same work. With narrative citations you can omit the date for subsequent mentions and you can utilise your own wording to show your reader you are still referring to the same source, e.g. "Their research".
In examining the evolutionary history of dinosaurs, Baryonx (2024) elucidates the pivotal role they played in shaping terrestrial ecosystems during the Mesozoic era. Baryonx further explores the diverse range of adaptations exhibited by various dinosaur species, from the towering sauropods to the swift and agile theropods. Their research also delves into the complex social behaviors observed in some dinosaur species, shedding light on their intricate communication systems and social structures. The study of dinosaurs provides a window into the ancient past, offering unparalleled opportunities to unravel the mysteries of prehistoric life on Earth (Baryonx, 2024).
(Example adapted from a ChatGPT generated paragraph)
A secondary citation is where you cite information or quotes that the author of your reference has taken from a source that you have not read. If you quote or paraphrase this other author, you must acknowledge both the author of the quote, and the author of the source you are reading.
Where possible, attempt to track down the original work and find the quote. If unsuccessful, create a secondary citation where both authors and dates appear in-text, but only the author of the work you are viewing is placed in the reference list.
Butler, J. (2006). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. Routledge.
... (Beauvoir, 1949, as cited in Butler, 2006).
OR
Beauvoir (1949, as cited in Butler, 2006) argues that ...
Edited books are put together by editors and usually have chapters written by different authors. The authors of these chapters may quote or paraphrase other authors. If you quote or paraphrase these other authors, you must acknowledge everyone - the author of the quote, the author of the chapter in the edited book and the editor/s of the edited book.
Glynn, T. & Berryman, M. (2005). Understanding and responding to students' behaviour difficulties. In D. Fraser, R. Moltzen, & K. Ryba (Eds.), Learners with special needs in Aotearoa New Zealand (3rd ed., pp. 294-315). Dunmore Press.
... (Wearmouth & Connors, 2004, as cited in Glynn & Berryman, 2005).
OR
As Wearmouth and Connors (2004, as cited in Glynn & Berryman, 2005) state ...
You can use acronyms in-text, but you need to write the group author name in full the first time you use it, and it must also be written in full in your reference list.
Narrative (first time used): The Ministry of Education (MoE, 2024) ....
Parenthetical (first time used): ... (The Ministry of Education [MoE], 2024). Note the use of square brackets within the bracket.
From here on in you can refer to the Ministry of Education as MoE.