PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2

APA in-text citations

The basics
In-text citations are brief references in the running text that direct readers to the reference
entry at the end of the paper. You include them every time you quote or paraphrase someone else’s
ideas or words.
An APA in-text citation consists of the author’s last name and the year of publication (also
known as the author-date system). If you’re citing a specific part of a source, you should also include
a locator such as a page number or timestamp. For example: (Smith, 2020, p. 170).

Parenthetical vs. narrative citation

The in-text citation can take two forms: parenthetical and narrative. Both types are generated
automatically when citing a source with Scribbr’s APA Citation Generator.
 Parenthetical citation: According to new research … (Smith, 2020).
 Narrative citation: Smith (2020) notes that …
Multiple authors and corporate authors
The in-text citation changes slightly when a source has multiple authors or an organization as
an author. Pay attention to punctuation and the use of the ampersand (&) symbol.
Author type Parenthetical citation Narrative citation
One author (Smith, 2020) Smith (2020)
Two authors (Smith & Jones, 2020) Smith and Jones (2020)
Three or more authors (Smith et al., 2020) Smith et al. (2020)
Organization (Scribbr, 2020) Scribbr (2020)
Missing information
When the author, publication date or locator is unknown, take the steps outlined below.
Missing element What to do Parenthetical citation
Author Use the source title.* (Source Title, 2020)
Date Write “n.d.” for “no date”. (Smith, n.d.)
Page number Either use an alternative locator or (Smith, 2020, Chapter 3) or
omit the page number. (Smith, 2020)
*Format the title in the same way as in the corresponding reference entry (either italicized or, if the
title in the reference entry is not italicized, placed in quotation marks). Use title case capitalization.
For court cases, use italics in the in-text citation but not in the reference entry.

APA references
The basics
APA references generally include information about the author, publication date, title,
and source. Depending on the type of source, you may have to include extra information that helps
your reader locate the source.

Missing information
It is not uncommon for certain information to be unknown or missing, especially with sources found
online. In these cases, the reference is slightly adjusted.

Missing element What to do Reference format

Author Start the reference entry with the source title. Title. (Date). Source.
Date Write “n.d.” for “no date”. Author. (n.d.). Title. Source.
Title Describe the work in square brackets. Author. (Date). [Description]. Source.

Reference List
A reference list lists only the sources you refer to in your writing.
The purpose of the reference list is to allow your sources to be be found by your reader.  It also gives
credit to authors you have consulted for their ideas.  All references cited in the text must appear in the
reference list, except for personal communications (such as conversations or emails) which cannot be
retrieved.  
A bibliography is different from a reference list as it lists all the sources used during your research
and background reading, not just the ones you refer to in your writing.
 Reference formatting guide

Title Include the title 'References' (one word, beginning with a capital letter, centred,
and not in italics

Indent Hanging indent your references (space bar in 5 - 7 spaces for the second and
subsequent lines of each reference)

Space between In general double-space between references

references

Ampersand Use for 2 - 6 authors, use "&" before the final author

One author, two Order by year of publication, the earlier one first.  Same year of publication for both
publications - add 'a' and 'b' after the year, inside the brackets. Include this in the in text citation.
example: Baheti, J. R. (2001a).

URLs Remove the underlines from URLs so that any underscores ( _ ) can be seen

Same first author, Order alphabetically by second or subsequent authors

different second
author

Upper case letters Journal title - use headline style; i.e. capitalise all the words, except articles and
(capital letters) prepositions
Book title or article title (in a journal, magazine or newspaper) - use sentence style;
i.e. capitalise the first word of the title, and subtitle (after the colon), and any proper
names

Place of USA publishers give the city in full and the abbreviation for the state. 
publication New York, NY
Springfield, MA
Publishers outside the USA: Give the city in full and the country in full
London, England
Auckland, New Zealand

Page range Use an en dash, NOT a hyphen, for page ranges: e.g. 21–27. No gaps between
the page numbers and the en dash.

Use of square If format, medium or description information is important for a resource to be

brackets retrieved or identified, use square brackets after the title to include this detail:
Scorsese, M. (Producer), & Lonergan, K. (Writer/Director). (2000). You can count
on me [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.

Reference examples
One author (a book chapter)
Easton, B. (2008). Does poverty affect health? In K. Dew & A. Matheson (Eds.), Understanding
health inequalities in Aotearoa New Zealand (pp. 97–106). Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University
Press.

One author, multiple works published in the same year

Rush, E., McLennan, S., Obolonkin, V., Cooper, R., & Hamlin, M. (2015a). Beyond the randomised
controlled trial and BMI--evaluation of effectiveness of through-school nutrition and physical
activity programmes. Public Health Nutrition, 18(9), 1578–1581.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980014003322
Rush, E. C., Obolonkin, V., Battin, M., Wouldes, T., & Rowan, J. (2015b). Body composition in
offspring of New Zealand women: Ethnic and gender differences at age 1–3 years in 2005–
2009. Annals Of Human Biology, 42(5), 492–497.
Two authors (a journal article with doi)
Li, S., & Seale, C. (2007). Learning to do qualitative data analysis: An observational study of doctoral
work. Qualitative Health Research, 17(10), 1442-1452.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732307306924
Three authors
Barnard, R., de Luca, R., & Li, J. (2015). First-year undergraduate students’ perceptions of lecturer
and peer feedback: A New Zealand action research project. Studies In Higher
Education, 40(5), 933–944. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2014.881343

 Use "&" before the final author.

Four to seven authors
Szcz Ę Sna, A., Nowak, A., Grabiec, P., Paszkuta, M., Tajstra, M., & Wojciechowska, M. (2017).
Survey of wearable multi-modal vital parameters measurement systems. Advances in Intelligent
Systems and Computing, 526. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47154-9_37

 List all authors in the reference entry.

Evaluation
Direction: Arrange the following.
1. Author(s): Lynn Smith
Year: 2010
Title: A study of Undergraduate Students
Page Number: article pgs, 170-191: quote pg. 172
Journal: Collegiate Learning Review
References:
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2. Author(s): Steven Marisol
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Publishing
Year: 2008
Title: Mathematical Concepts for Non-Math Majors
City of Publication: New York City, New York
Page Number: quote pg. 214
References:
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3. Author(s): Jan Plumm and Carol Neischke
 Publisher: Harley Publishing, Inc
Year: 2008
Title: A Creationist View of Sexuality
City of Publication: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Page Number: quote pg. 113 - 114
References:
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4. Author(s): John P. Ackran
Date of Publication: September 21, 2013
Title Webpage: Statistics of Insurance Coverage of Elderly
Date Access: April 3, 2014
Sponsoring Organization: Organization for Medical Reform
URL: http//www/medreform.org/statistics/insurance/elderlt-coverage/233
References:
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5. Author(s): No Specific Author
Date of Publication: May 3, 2011
Title: Coordinating Grassroot Campaigns for Liberal Conservatives
Date of Access: June 28, 2014
Sponsoring Organization: Grassroots of America
URL: http//www.grassrootsofamerica.org/strategies/campaigns/0012/abd
References:
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