APA procedures
National University
APA Parenthetical Citation Examples
(Citing an author in the text of your paper)
APA style uses parenthetical in-text citations to tell readers where you obtained your information or ideas.
You must credit any information you get from another source, including paraphrased text, direct quotations, and original ideas.
In-text citations usually contain the author’s last name and the date of publication, and are usually placed at the end of the sentence or paragraph that refers to the source. Example: A journal article written by John Smith, published in 2005, would be cited like this in the text of the paper.
If there is no author, use the first few words in the title of the source in quotes. If there is no publication date, use the initials n.d.
Example: A Web page called “Student Guide to Using
APA,” with no publication date would be cited like this in the text of the paper.
If you are quoting directly from a source, you must include the page number the quote is found on.
Example: A quote by John Smith, published in a book in 2002 would be cited like this in the text of the paper.
If you are quoting from a quote within a source
(secondary work), you reference the source you are using, not the source of the quote.
Example: A study by Seidenberg and McClelland cited in an article by Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins, & Haller in
1993 would be cited like this in the text of the paper.
What is APA format?
In addition to updating reference citation examples to include new media, the editors focused on key research issues of handling metadata, conducting research, and ethical issues.
New changes with the 6th edition
It is important to use APA correctly so that others can verify your research (“Student Guide,” n.d.).
Note: Do not include the URL of a website you cite in the body of your paper. The URL will be included in your reference page at the end of the paper.
Smith (2002)
APA Parenthetical Citation Examples
(Citing an author in the text of your paper)
APA style uses parenthetical in-text citations to tell readers where you obtained your information or ideas.
You must credit any information you get from another source, including paraphrased text, direct quotations, and original ideas.
In-text citations usually contain the author’s last name and the date of publication, and are usually placed at the end of the sentence or paragraph that refers to the source. Example: A journal article written by John Smith, published in 2005, would be cited like this in the text of the paper.
If there is no author, use the first few words in the title of the source in quotes. If there is no publication date, use the initials n.d.
Example: A Web page called “Student Guide to Using
APA,” with no publication date would be cited like this in the text of the paper.
If you are quoting directly from a source, you must include the page number the quote is found on.
Example: A quote by John Smith, published in a book in 2002 would be cited like this in the text of the paper.
If you are quoting from a quote within a source
(secondary work), you reference the source you are using, not the source of the quote.
Example: A study by Seidenberg and McClelland cited in an article by Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins, & Haller in
1993 would be cited like this in the text of the paper.
What is APA format?
In addition to updating reference citation examples to include new media, the editors focused on key research issues of handling metadata, conducting research, and ethical issues.
New changes with the 6th edition
It is important to use APA correctly so that others can verify your research (“Student Guide,” n.d.).
Note: Do not include the URL of a website you cite in the body of your paper. The URL will be included in your reference page at the end of the paper.
Smith (2002)