Last updated on
01 December 2024
APA Style is essential for clear and effective scholarly communication. It helps writers present their ideas in a structured, precise, and inclusive way. The "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition" serves as the official guide for APA Style, ensuring your work meets the highest standards of academic writing.
In APA, you must cite sources that you have paraphrased, quoted, or otherwise referred to in your research paper.
Cite your sources in two places:
-
In the body of your paper with an in-text citation.
- In the Reference list at the end of your paper.
What Is In-Text Citation?
In APA style, in-text citations are used within the body of your research paper to indicate the source of your information briefly. These brief citations guide the reader to more detailed information in the Reference list.
APA follows the author-date method for in-text citations, where the author’s name and the publication date are included in the text, with a matching entry in the Reference list. This allows readers to identify sources by checking the author and date in the text and then finding the full reference in the alphabetical list.
Always include an in-text citation when quoting or paraphrasing another work.
In APA Style, there are two main formats for in-text citation:
Parenthetical Citation: This format includes the author's last name and the year of publication within parentheses.
For example: (Smith, 2020)
Narrative Citation: This format incorporates the author's name as part of the sentence, with the year of publication in parentheses immediately following the name.
For example: Smith (2020) stated that...
Both formats are used to credit sources within your work's body and help readers find the full citation in the reference list.
When to Use Narrative and Parenthetical Citations
The choice between parenthetical and narrative citation depends on how you want to integrate the citation into your text:
Narrative Citation: Use this format when you want to emphasize the author or when the author is central to the point you're making. This format helps maintain a smooth flow of your writing and highlights the author as part of your sentence.
Example: According to Smith (2020), the results were significant.
Parenthetical Citation: Use this format when you want to emphasize the information or the study rather than the author. This is ideal for providing evidence or supporting data without interrupting the flow of your sentence.
Example: The results were significant (Smith, 2020).
General Guidance:
-
Use the narrative citation format when the author’s name is already included in the sentence (e.g., Smith (2020) found...).
Use the parenthetical citation format when you refer to a source without mentioning the author in the sentence (e.g., The results were significant (Smith, 2020).).
When directly quoting or borrowing from another source, include the page number in the parenthetical citation (e.g., Burnside, 2016, p. 199).
When paraphrasing or summarizing an idea from another work, cite only the author and the year of publication in the in-text reference, without including the page number.
The APA Style website contains several
sample papers formatted in the seventh edition of APA Style. The sample papers were published in both annotated and non-annotated formats.
For reference examples and guidance on APA citation, please visit the following link: Here.
Note: This guide reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7).
