APA Refresher

In-Text Citations
7th Edition

This refresher module explains how, when, and why to create in-
text citations. It includes practice questions, instructional content,
and a quiz to test your knowledge.

For additional support with in-text citations, visit the APA In-Text
Citations page in the APA Style area of the Excelsior Online
Writing Lab.
Index
Use this guide to ensure that you are meeting APA guidelines for in-text citations. This
presentation will cover:
Block Quotations
Direct Quotes
Final Note
Introducing a Citation with
Author's Last Names
Multiple References in One
Citation
Organization as an Author
Paraphrasing Three or More Authors Citation
Personal Communication Two Authors Citation
Punctuation Unknown Author
Quotes That Appear in a What to Cite
Secondary Source
Why & Where to Cite
Single Author Citation
Summarizing
You are not just citing words; you are citing ideas.

Cite direct quotes, summarized information, and

paraphrased information

For more information on what to cite, review the Avoiding Plagiarism tutorial here in
the OWL.
Why use in-text citations?
To let your readers know when you are using information from someone else,
whose information it was (or who said it), and where the information has
come from.

It is illegal and unethical to use someone else's words without

citing them.

Where are in-text citations located?

Within the text of your paper, in parentheses
Single Author Citation

Often you will need just the author and the year of publication. 

The paraphrased content would be here (Crocco, 2017).

Notice the comma after the author's name and the period after the
closed parentheses of the in-text citation.
 Two Authors Citation

Often you will need just the authors' last names and the year of publication.
Authors should be presented in the order that they appear in the published article.

A well-known study argued that social class is rapidly becoming

obsolete (Calvert & Liu, 1987).

Notice the comma after the author's name and the period after the closed parentheses
of the in-text citation.
 Practice 1
When is "et al." used for in-text citations? Select all that apply.

If there are two authors for a work, and you have listed both authors the first time you mention them in 
your text.

Only when referencing textbooks. 

 If there are three or more authors of a work. 

Correct!

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 Three or More Authors Citation
With three or more authors, each in-text citation uses the principal author
and then "et al."

The abbreviation “et al.” is derived from Latin and means “and others.” 

A recent study argued that the concept of social class is rapidly

becoming obsolete (Calvert et al., 1987).

NOTE: "al." has a period after it.

Unknown Author and Personal
Communication

If the author is unknown, cite the first few words of the reference and the year.

...finished ("Research Guidelines," 2014).

Personal communication does need an in-text citation, but is not required to be on the
References page as it is not recoverable data.

...acceptable (W. Jones, personal communication, April 23, 2015).

Organization as an Author
Use the name of the organization or government agency followed by a comma and
the year.
...publications (Library of Congress, 1997).

Organizations with well known abbreviations use their full name, the abbreviation,
and the year for the first citation.

...approved (Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 2000).

Subsequent Citations

...testing issues (FDA, 2000).

Multiple References in One Citation
Multiple Single Author References
Use the last name, a comma, and the years of publication from the oldest to the
newest separated by commas.

...continuity (Trumble, 1997, 2004, 2017).

Multiple Author References in One Citation

Order the citations alphabetically, separating works by different authors with a
semicolon. Include only last names and year of publication.

...paradigm shift (Bulmore, 1997; Pickens & Huber 2004; Trumble, 2000).

 Practice 2
According to Jones, "the APA Manual changes every few years, so it is important to stay on top of
changes in the current edition" (p. 87).

According to Jones, "the APA Manual changes every few years, so it is important to stay on top of changes
in
the current edition." (p. 87)

According to Jones, "the APA Manual changes every few years, so it is important to stay on top of 
changes in the current edition" (2011 p. 87).

 According to Jones (2011), "the APA Manual changes every few years, so it is important to stay on top 
of changes in the current edition" (p. 87).

Correct!

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Introducing an In-Text Citation with
the Authors' Last Names
Note that the authors' last names set The year is mentioned after
up the quoted material. APA calls their names.
these citations "narrative citations."

Stapleton and Radia (2009) describe this checklist as a

kind of "ROAT" list where sources are evaluated for "rigor,
authority, objectivity, and transparency" (p. 156).

The page number belongs after the quote.

What is a summary?
A summary restates the main ideas of a text in your own words. They are usually
a lot shorter than the original text.

What is a paraphrase?
A paraphrase uses your own words to explain the specific points another writer
has made. Paraphrases are normally as long, and sometimes longer than the
original text.

Paraphrasing is an important skill to master in writing and will help you develop
your own original, scholarly voice.
Summarized or Paraphrased Material

A book and a notebook with notes

For more information, check out the
Summarizing and Paraphrasing pages in
the Excelsior OWL.

The Drafting & Integrating area of the

Research section on the Excelsior OWL can
also be helpful.
 Practice 3
pp g g g gy p g g 
nursing education (Missildine, Fountain, Summers, & Gosselin, 2013).

Correct!

“Flipping the nursing classroom (Missildine, Fountain, Summers, & Gosselin, 2013) is an active learning 
strategy that can promote higher-level learning in nursing education.” (Missildine, Fountain, Summers, &
Gosselin, 2013).

Flipping the nursing classroom is an active learning strategy that can promote higher-level learning in 
nursing education (Missildine, Fountain, Summers, & Gosselin, March 6, 2013).

Flipping the nursing classroom is an active learning strategy that can promote higher-level learning in 
nursing education (Missildine, Fountain, Summers, & Gosselin, March 2013, p. 145).

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Citing Summarized or Paraphrased
Material
Credit needs to be given to the author(s) when information has been
summarized or paraphrased.

Quotes are not needed, as this is not the original author's voice.
The author's last name and year of publication need to be included. 

The APA manual states that you can include the page number. It is not
usually necessary unless you have a specific reason for referring the
reader to a particular passage. Most professional literature does not
include the page number unless it is a direct quote.
 Practice 4
Which of the following in text citations for a direct quote is correct?

“Environmental factors contribute as much as 80% to cases of obesity” (Lee, 2014) 

 “Environmental factors contribute as much as 80% to cases of obesity” (Lee, 2014, p. 5). 

Correct!

Environmental factors contribute as much as 80% to cases of obesity. (Lee, 2014, p. 5) 

“Environmental factors contribute as much as 80% to cases of obesity” (A. Lee, 2014, page 5) 

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Direct Quotes – When to Use
Direct quotes should be used sparingly, usually less than 15% of your paper,
depending on the assignment.

Use direct quotes to emphasize key points or compelling statements that sound
better in the original language rather than paraphrased.

Examples of phrases best left with the original words:

✅ To be or not to be

✅ Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

Most concepts should be put into your own words. This will help grow your own
scholarly voice.
Direct Quotes – Example
Direct quotes should be placed in quotes and include the author's last name, a
comma, the year, a comma, a "p" and a period, followed by the page number(s).

"Rhetoric is the art of finding and employing the most

effective means of persuasion on any subject, considered
independently of intellectual master of that subject"
(Booth, 1963, p. 139).

It is important to cite direct quotes correctly. Failure to identify them as direct

quotes may constitute plagiarism.
 Practice 5
If you are using a quote longer than 40 words, you should

double-space and enclose the quotation in quotation marks. 

 double space and indent the quotation half an inch. 

Correct!

single-space, indent half an inch, and enclose the quotation in quotation marks. 

double-space, indent half an inch, and enclose the quotation in quotation marks. 

single-space and enclose the quotation in quotation marks. 

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Block Quotations

> 40 words Indent the quote 1/2 inch

Use minimally The period comes before the in-text

citation.*
Double spaced
*This is an exception to the rule.

Do NOT use quotation marks

For more information, please see the pages on Using Quotations, the APA In-Text Citations video,
or this blog post in Hoot, the OWL Blog.
 Practice 6
Correct! The direct quote is placed in quotation marks, the original author is given credit (Satcher) and the
secondary source (Critser) is identified, along with a year and page number.

A nation of yourng people is seriously at risk of starting out obese and dooming themselves to the 
difficult task of overcoming a tough illness (Crister, 2003).

Former surgeon general Dr. David Satcher described "a nation of young people seriously at risk of 
starting out obese and dooming themselves to the difficult task of overcoming a tough illness" (Crister,
2003).

Dr. David Satcher described "a nation of young people seriously at risk of starting out obese and 
dooming themselves to the difficult task of overcoming a tough illness."

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Quotes That Appear in a Secondary
Source
The direct quote should be placed in quotation marks.
The original author should be given credit.

The secondary source should be identified, along with

a year and page number.

Paraphrased material is here (Healy, 2004,

as cited in Abeyta, 2016).

The reference included in the references list would be Abeyta (2016).

Punctuation
Use commas between each item in your in-text citations.

For short quotes or paraphrases, place your period

(Booth, 1963, p. 139). after the in-text citation.
The example to the left shows this.

For block quotes, place your

period before the citation.
Final Note

On rare occasions, you may not find a method for referencing a particular source in the
APA manual. Should this happen to you, you have a few options.
You can ask the Online Writing Lab (OWL) to provide guidance.

You can locate a source most similar in the manual and use that.  
You can also consult the APA Style Blog.

However, remember you need to exercise due diligence first—look at the manual and
try to find the information. It is only in very rare instances that the manual cannot
provide guidance, but it does happen.
 Test Yourself
Test your understanding of in-text citations by answering the following multiple
choice questions.
 Question 1
Which of the following will help you avoid plagiarizing? Select all that apply.

 If the assignment allows, submit your paper to Turnitin.com and revise based on the originality report 

 Give proper credit to all sources 

Do not cite when quoting directly from the source 

 Use quotes correctly 

 When paraphrasing, rewrite statements completely in your own words and cite the source 

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 Question 2
 A nurse in the expert stage will unconsciously process many aspects of patient care at once, whereas a 
novice nurse needs more time for clinical decision making (Benner, 2001).

Correct! The in-text citation can occur within the sentence, or at the end, but needs to include only the
author's last name and year of publication.

 Benner (2001) maintains that a nurse in the expert stage will unconsciously process many aspects of 
patient care at once, whereas a novice nurse needs more time for clinical decision making.

Correct! The in-text citation can occur within the sentence, or at the end, but needs to include only the
author's last name and year of publication.

Benner states that a nurse in the expert stage will unconsciously process many aspects of patient care at 
once, whereas a novice nurse needs more time for clinical decision making.

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 Question 3
Use this format in text: Ronald Diaz, 2017. 

 Only reference in text, as personal communication is not recoverable data. 

Correct! The purpose of the reference page is for the reader to be able to trace the references; a personal
communication is not recoverable data.  However, you do need to cite in text using the format provide in the
third choice, or at the end of a sentence: (R. Diaz, personal communication, August 15, 2017).

 Use this format in text: (R. Diaz, personal communication, August 15, 2017). 

Correct! The purpose of the reference page is for the reader to be able to trace the references; a personal
communication is not recoverable data.  However, you do need to cite in text using the format provide in the
third choice, or at the end of a sentence: (R. Diaz, personal communication, August 15, 2017).

Use the format in the reference page for newspaper articles. 

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 Question 4
Which of the following demonstrates the correct way to cite multiple references in text in the same
parenthesis?

(Benner, P., 2011; Erikson, E., 1952; Nightingale, F.,1892; Watson, J., 2017) 

 (Benner, 2011; Erikson, 1952; Nightingale, 1892; Watson, 2017) 

Correct! Order citations alphabetically, separating works by different authors with a semicolon. Include only
last names and year of publication. 

(Benner, 2011, Erikson, 1952, Nightingale, 1892, Watson, 2017) 

(Benner, Patrica, 2011; Erikson, Erik, 1952, Nightingale, Florence,1892, Watson, Jean, 2017). 

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 Question 5
What information would an in-text citation include if the author is unknown?

The word "anonymous," followed by the year 

 The first few words of the reference list entry and the year 

Correct!

The word "anonymous," followed by the year and place of publication 

The first few words of the reference list entry, the year, and place of publication 

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 Question 6
Select all that apply. If you can't find the format for a particular reference in the APA manual, you
should

 consult with the APA Style Blog. 

 find a similar type in the manual and use it. 

use a different reference style and make note of it. 

 consult with Excelsior Online Writing Lab. 

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 Question 7
Direct quotes cannot be used if they are more than a year old. 

It is harder to locate direct quotes in a plagiarism detector, such as Turnitin.com. 

 Original ideas should be paraphrased in your own words. 

Correct! Most concepts can and should be assimilated into your own words, thus becoming a part of your
knowledge base. It is through this process that the concepts become your own, and you grow as a scholar.

 Interpreting original ideas in your own voice will help you grow as a scholar. 

Correct! Most concepts can and should be assimilated into your own words, thus becoming a part of your
knowledge base. It is through this process that the concepts become your own, and you grow as a scholar.

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Done!

This resource was created by the Excelsior Online Writing Lab.

For additional help, visit our APA Style guide.

Last updated 2/19/2020

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association®, 7th Edition
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Slide 28: Which of the following will help you avoid plagiarizing? ... 4/4
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