APA In-Text Citations

What are APA In-Text Citations?
APA in-text citations briefly identify the author and publication date of each source used in a paper. Every direct quotation or paraphrase of another author’s words, facts, or ideas in a paper should include an in-text citation. All in-text citations must correspond to a source’s information on the References page.

APA In-Text Citation Format

In APA, in-text citations can be either parenthetical or narrative.

• General Guidelines for Narrative Citations:
  • Include the author’s name in the running text immediately followed by the date in parentheses.
  • Enclose the page number or other location information in parentheses at the end of the quotation or paraphrase.
  • In the rare event that the date is also a part of the narrative text, do not include it again in parentheses.
  • Write the signal verb of narrative citations in the past tense (e.g., observed, noted, explained).
• General Guidelines for Parenthetical Citations:
  • Include the author and date, separated by a comma and enclosed within a set of parentheses, at the end of a quote or paraphrase.
  • EThe in-text citation comes before the punctuation mark that ends the sentence, clause, or phrase that contains the cited material.
• General Guidelines for Citing a Specific Part of a Source:
  • In addition to the author’s name and date, include the pages, paragraphs, or sections where the information is found.

Note: Individual instructor’s specifications may vary, so check with your instructor before formatting and submitting your work.