What Is In-Text Citation?In APA, in-text citations are inserted in the text of your research paper to briefly document the source of your information. Brief in-text citations point the reader to more complete information in the Reference list. Show
When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. In the author-date method, the writer includes the author and date within the body of the paper and includes a corresponding reference in the Reference list. This method allows the reader to identify sources used in the paper by reviewing the author and date within the text of the paper, and then easily locate the corresponding reference in the alphabetical Reference list. Create an in-text citation whenever you quote another work, or whenever you paraphrase another work in your own words. In-text Citations Have Two Formats
If you are referring to an idea from another work (paraphrasing or summarizing) but NOT directly quoting the material, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication and not the page number in your in-text reference. If you are directly quoting or borrowing from another work, you should include the page number at the end of the parenthetical citation. For example, (Burnside, 2016, p. 199). Published on November 4, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk. Revised on September 30, 2022. In-text citations briefly identify the source of information in the body text. They correspond to a full reference entry at the end of your paper. APA in-text citations consist of the author’s last name
and publication year. When citing a specific part of a source, also include a page number or range, for example (Parker, 2020, p. 67) or (Johnson, 2017, pp. 39–41). Run a quick check to see how many APA citation errors your paper contains before submitting your work.
Try for free APA in-text citations explained in 4 minutesParenthetical vs. narrative citationsThe in-text citation can be placed in parentheses or naturally integrated into a sentence.
The publication year appears directly after the author’s name when using the narrative format. The parenthetical citation can be placed within or at the end of a sentence, just before the period. Check out a full example paragraph with in-text citations. If a work has two authors, separate their names with an ampersand (&) in a parenthetical citation or “and” in a narrative citation. If there are three or more authors, only include the first author’s last name followed by “et al.”, meaning “and others”. Group authors known by their abbreviations (e.g., CDC) are written in full the first time and are abbreviated in subsequent citations. Multiple authors in APA in-text citations
No author, date or page numberMissing information in APA in-text citations
No authorIf the author of a source is unknown, try to determine if there is an organization or government responsible for creating the content. If so, include its name in the in-text citation (and reference entry). The costs of solar energy have decreased by 34% in the past three years (Tesla, 2020).Alternatively, use the source title in place of the author. Italicize the title if it’s italicized in the reference entry (except for court cases, which are italicized in the in-text citation but not the reference entry). Otherwise, enclose it in double quotation marks. Apply title case capitalization, and shorten long titles. The first word of the title should always be included so readers can easily locate the corresponding reference entry.
No publication dateIf the publication date is unknown, write “n.d.” (no date) in the in-text citation. (Johnson, n.d.).No page number (alternative locators)Page numbers are only required with direct quotes in APA. If you are quoting from a work that does not have page numbers (e.g., webpages or YouTube videos), you can use an alternative locator, such as:
Note that Bible citations always use chapter and verse numbers, even when page numbers are available: (English Standard Version Bible, 2001, Josh. 2:7)Multiple sources in one parenthesisIf a statement is supported by multiple sources, the in-text citations can be combined in one parenthesis. Order the sources alphabetically, and separate them with a semicolon. When citing multiple works from the same author, list the years of publication separated by a comma. Several studies have replicated these results (Brown, 2009; Porter, 2004; Smith, 2015, 2017).Avoiding ambiguity in APA in-text citationsWhen in-text citations are ambiguous because they correspond to multiple reference entries, apply the solutions outlined in the table below. Ambiguity in APA in-text citations
Citing indirect sources (“as cited in”)If you want to refer to a source that you have found in another source, you should always try to access the original or primary source. However, if you cannot find the original source, you should cite it through the secondary source that led you to it, using the phrase “as cited in”. (Parker, 1978, as cited in Bloom et al., 2017)If the publication date of the primary source is unknown, include only the year of publication of the secondary source. Porter (as cited in Johnson, 2017) states that…Only include a reference entry for the secondary source, not the primary source. Citing personal communicationPersonal communications, such as phone calls, emails, and interviews, are not included in the reference list because readers can’t access them. The in-text citation is also formatted slightly differently. Include the initials and last name of the person you communicated with, the words “personal communication,” and the exact date in parentheses. Sales are declining in the second quarter (P. G. Brown, personal communication, June 13, 2019).General mentions of websites and softwareGeneral mentions of a website or software don’t have to be cited with an in-text citation or entry in the reference list. Instead, incorporate relevant information into the running text.
Example paragraph with in-text citationsAdapted example paragraphBody image issues have been widely associated with social media usage, particularly in young women (Perloff, 2014). The relation between media depictions and body image concerns is well-established; a meta-analysis by Grabe et al. (2008) concluded that exposure to mass media is linked to body image dissatisfaction among women. Several empirical studies have focused on Facebook usage in adolescent girls (Meier & Gray, 2014; Tiggermann & Slater, 2013), while a systematic review by Holland and Timmerman (2016) established a relationship between social networking and body image for both women and men. Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat does an APA in-text citation for a website look like? When citing a webpage or online article, the APA in-text citation consists of the author’s last name and year of publication. For example: (Worland & Williams, 2015). Note that the author can also be an organization. For example: (American Psychological Association, 2019). If you’re quoting you should also include a locator. Since web pages don’t have page numbers, you can use one of the following options:
How do I cite multiple sources by the same author in APA Style? If you cite several sources by the same author or group of authors, you’ll distinguish between them in your APA in-text citations using the year of publication. If you cite multiple sources by the same author(s) at the same point, you can just write the author name(s) once and separate the different years with commas, e.g., (Smith, 2020, 2021). To distinguish between sources with the same author(s) and the same publication year, add a different lowercase letter after the year for each source, e.g., (Smith, 2020, 2021a, 2021b). Add the same letters to the corresponding reference entries. Cite this Scribbr articleIf you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Is this article helpful?You have already voted. Thanks :-) Your vote is saved :-) Processing your vote... How do you cite someone in an essay?In-text citations include the last name of the author followed by a page number enclosed in parentheses. "Here's a direct quote" (Smith 8). If the author's name is not given, then use the first word or words of the title. Follow the same formatting that was used in the works cited list, such as quotation marks.
How do you cite within a citation APA?Include both the original author and year and the author and year of the work where quote/idea was found in the in-text reference. Add "as cited in" before the author in the in-text reference. For example - (Harris, 2009, as cited in Lewis, 2019).
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