Word automatically generates a bibliography from the sources you used to write your paper. Each time you add a new citation to your document, Word adds that source so that it appears in the bibliography in the proper format, such as MLA, APA, and Chicago-style.
Add a citation after a quote
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On the References tab , in the Citations & Bibliography group, click the arrow next to Style.
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Click the style that you want to use for the citation and source.
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Click at the end of the sentence or phrase that you want to cite.
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Click Insert Citation and then select Add New Source.
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In the Create Source box, type in the citation details, and then click OK.
When you’ve completed these steps, the citation is added to the list of available citations. The next time you quote this reference, you don’t have to type it all out again, just click Insert Citation and select the citation you want to use.
Important: APA and MLA can change their formats, so you’ll want to ensure that these format versions meet your requirements. You can create your own updated version of a style or build custom styles. For more information see Bibliography & Citations 102 – Building Custom styles.
Create a bibliography from your sources
If you want to create a bibliography from your sources, do the following:
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Click where you want to insert a bibliography. Typically, they are at the end of a document.
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On the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, click Bibliography.
Similar to the Table of Contents builder in Word, you can select a predesigned bibliography format that includes a title, or you can just click Insert Bibliography to add the citation without a title.
If you want to learn more about using citation placeholders and editing sources, take a look at Create a bibliography. Or, if you want to export your bibliography sources to another computer, check out this post on the Microsoft Word blog.
APA 6th Edition citation style fix procedure.
APA style uses the author’s name and publication date. If you have multiple citations from the same author, there is a known Word bug where the citation generator fills in the publication title when it’s not supposed to. If this happens to you, here’s how to fix the problem:
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In the Word document, click the citation.
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Click the down-arrow, and then click Edit Citation.
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Click the Title checkbox, and then click OK.
APA and MLA can change their formats, so you’ll want to ensure that these format versions meet your requirements. You can create your own updated version of a style or build custom styles. For more information see Bibliography & Citations 102 – Building Custom styles.
If you are using the APA 5th Edition citation style, there’s one issue you should be aware of. APA style uses the author’s name and publication date. If you have multiple citations from the same author, there is a known Word 2010 bug where the citation generator fills in the publication title when it’s not supposed to. If this happens to you, see the section entitled, ‘APA 5th Edition citation style fix procedure below.
Add a citation after a quote
-
In your Word document, click on the References tab in the Ribbon.
-
In the Citations & Bibliography group, click the arrow next to Style.
-
Click the style that you want to use for the citation and source.
-
Click at the end of the sentence or phrase that you want to cite.
-
Click Insert Citation and then select Add New Source.
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Type in the citation details and then click OK.
When you’ve completed these steps, the citation is added to the Insert Citation button, so the next time you quote this reference, you don’t have to type it all out again.
Create a bibliography from your sources
If you want to create a bibliography from your sources, do the following:
-
Click where you want to insert a bibliography. Typically they are at the end of a document.
-
On the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, click Bibliography.
Much like the Table of Contents builder in Word, you can select a predesigned bibliography format that includes a title or you can just click Insert Bibliography to add the citation without a title.
If you want to learn more about using citation placeholders and editing sources, take a look at Creating a bibliography in Word 2010. Or if you want to export your bibliography sources to another computer, check out this post on the Microsoft Word blog.
APA 5th Edition citation style fix procedure
APA style uses the author’s name and publication date. If you have multiple citations from the same author, there is a known Word 2010 bug where the citation generator fills in the publication title when it’s not supposed to. If this happens to you, here’s how to fix the problem:
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In the Word document, click the citation.
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Click the down-arrow and then click Edit Citation.
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Click the Title checkbox and then click OK.
You can’t automatically generate citations in Word Online. Word Online preserves the bibliography in your document, but it doesn’t provide a way to create one.
Instead, if you have the desktop version of Word, select Open in Word to open the document.
Then follow the steps for Word desktop.
When you’re done and you save the document in Word, you’ll see the table of contents when you reopen the doc in Word Online.
Welcome to the Purdue OWL
This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.
Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.
Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style can be found here.
Reference citations in text are covered on pages 261-268 of the Publication Manual. What follows are some general guidelines for referring to the works of others in your essay.
Note: On pages 117-118, the Publication Manual suggests that authors of research papers should use the past tense or present perfect tense for signal phrases that occur in the literature review and procedure descriptions (for example, Jones (1998) found or Jones (1998) has found…). Contexts other than traditionally-structured research writing may permit the simple present tense (for example, Jones (1998) finds).
APA Citation Basics
When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author’s last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
If you are referring to an idea from another work but NOT directly quoting the material, or making reference to an entire book, article or other work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication and not the page number in your in-text reference.
On the other hand, if you are directly quoting or borrowing from another work, you should include the page number at the end of the parenthetical citation. Use the abbreviation “p.” (for one page) or “pp.” (for multiple pages) before listing the page number(s). Use an en dash for page ranges. For example, you might write (Jones, 1998, p. 199) or (Jones, 1998, pp. 199–201). This information is reiterated below.
Regardless of how they are referenced, all sources that are cited in the text must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
In-text citation capitalization, quotes, and italics/underlining
- Always capitalize proper nouns, including author names and initials: D. Jones.
- If you refer to the title of a source within your paper, capitalize all words that are four letters long or greater within the title of a source: Permanence and Change. Exceptions apply to short words that are verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs: Writing New Media, There Is Nothing Left to Lose.
(Note: in your References list, only the first word of a title will be capitalized: Writing new media.)
- When capitalizing titles, capitalize both words in a hyphenated compound word: Natural-Born Cyborgs.
- Capitalize the first word after a dash or colon: «Defining Film Rhetoric: The Case of Hitchcock’s Vertigo.»
- If the title of the work is italicized in your reference list, italicize it and use title case capitalization in the text: The Closing of the American Mind; The Wizard of Oz; Friends.
- If the title of the work is not italicized in your reference list, use double quotation marks and title case capitalization (even though the reference list uses sentence case): «Multimedia Narration: Constructing Possible Worlds;» «The One Where Chandler Can’t Cry.»
Short quotations
If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and page number for the reference (preceded by «p.» for a single page and “pp.” for a span of multiple pages, with the page numbers separated by an en dash).
You can introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author’s last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses.
According to Jones (1998), «students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time» (p. 199).
Jones (1998) found «students often had difficulty using APA style» (p. 199); what implications does this have for teachers?
If you do not include the author’s name in the text of the sentence, place the author’s last name, the year of publication, and the page number in parentheses after the quotation.
She stated, «Students often had difficulty using APA style» (Jones, 1998, p. 199), but she did not offer an explanation as to why.
Long quotations
Place direct quotations that are 40 words or longer in a free-standing block of typewritten lines and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin, i.e., in the same place you would begin a new paragraph. Type the entire quotation on the new margin, and indent the first line of any subsequent paragraph within the quotation 1/2 inch from the new margin. Maintain double-spacing throughout, but do not add an extra blank line before or after it. The parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.
Because block quotation formatting is difficult for us to replicate in the OWL’s content management system, we have simply provided a screenshot of a generic example below.
Formatting example for block quotations in APA 7 style.
Quotations from sources without pages
Direct quotations from sources that do not contain pages should not reference a page number. Instead, you may reference another logical identifying element: a paragraph, a chapter number, a section number, a table number, or something else. Older works (like religious texts) can also incorporate special location identifiers like verse numbers. In short: pick a substitute for page numbers that makes sense for your source.
Jones (1998) found a variety of causes for student dissatisfaction with prevailing citation practices (paras. 4–5).
A meta-analysis of available literature (Jones, 1998) revealed inconsistency across large-scale studies of student learning (Table 3).
Summary or paraphrase
If you are paraphrasing an idea from another work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference and may omit the page numbers. APA guidelines, however, do encourage including a page range for a summary or paraphrase when it will help the reader find the information in a longer work.
According to Jones (1998), APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners.
APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners (Jones, 1998, p. 199).
Published on
November 12, 2020
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
June 16, 2022.
A direct quote is a piece of text copied word-for-word from a source. You may quote a word, phrase, sentence, or entire passage.
There are three main rules for quoting in APA Style:
- If the quote is under 40 words, place it in double quotation marks.
- If the quote is 40 words or more, format it as a block quote.
- Cite the author, year, and page number with an APA in-text citation.
Table of contents
- Citing a direct quote
- Quoting a source with no page numbers
- Quoting 40 words or more (APA block quotes)
- Making changes to direct quotes in APA
- Frequently asked questions about APA Style
Citing a direct quote
To cite a quote in APA, you always include the the author’s last name, the year the source was published, and the page on which the quote can be found. The page number is preceded by “p.” (for a single page) or “pp.” (for a page range).
There are two types of APA in-text citation: parenthetical and narrative.
In a parenthetical citation, you place the entire citation in parentheses directly after the quote and before the period (or other punctuation mark).
In a narrative citation, the author(s) appear as part of your sentence. Place the year in parentheses directly after the author’s name, and place the page number in parentheses directly after the quote.
Remember that every in-text citation must correspond to a full APA reference at the end of the text. You can easily create your reference list with our free APA Citation Generator.
Generate APA references
Quoting a source with no page numbers
Some source types, such as web pages, do not have page numbers. In this case, to cite a direct quote, you should generally include an alternative locator, unless the source is very short.
The locator may be a chapter or section heading (abbreviated if necessary), a paragraph number, or a combination of the two. Use whichever locator will help your reader find the quote most easily.
For sources such as movies, YouTube videos, or audiobooks, use a timestamp to locate the beginning of the quote.
Quoting 40 words or more (APA block quotes)
If the quote contains 40 words or more, it must be formatted as a block quote. To format a block quote in APA Style:
- Do not use quotation marks.
- Start the quote on a new line.
- Indent the entire quote 0.5 inches.
- Double-space the entire quote.
Like regular quotes, block quotes can be cited with a parenthetical or narrative citation. However, if the block quote ends with a period, place the citation after the period.
Block quoting is particularly useful when you want to comment on an author’s language or present an argument that you will then critique. By setting the quote on a new line and indenting it, the passage is clearly marked apart from your own words. Therefore, no quotation marks are necessary. (O’Connor, 2019, p. 38)
Block quoting is particularly useful when you want to comment on an author’s language or present an argument that you will then critique. By setting the quote on a new line and indenting it, the passage is clearly marked apart from your own words. Therefore, no quotation marks are necessary. (p. 38)
Block quotes with multiple paragraphs
If the block quote contains multiple paragraphs, indent the first line of each paragraph after the first.
Block quoting is particularly useful when you want to comment on an author’s language or present an argument that you will then critique. By setting the quote on a new line and indenting it, the passage is clearly marked apart from your own words. Therefore, no quotation marks are necessary.
However, it is important not to rely on long quotes to make your point for you. Each quote must be introduced and explained or discussed in your own words. (O’Connor, 2019, p. 38)
Making changes to direct quotes in APA
In general, a direct quote should be an exact reproduction of the original. However, there are some situations where you may need to make small changes.
You may change the capitalization of the first word or the final punctuation mark in order to integrate the quote grammatically into your sentence, as long as the meaning is not altered.
Any other changes must be marked following these APA guidelines.
Shortening a quote
If you want to omit some words, phrases, or sentences from the quote to save space, use an ellipsis (. . .) with a space before and after it to indicate that some material has been left out.
If the part you removed includes a sentence break, add a period before the ellipsis to indicate this.
Clarifying a quote
Sometimes you might want to add a word or phrase for context. For example, if a pronoun is used in the quote, you may add a name to clarify who or what is being referred to.
Any added text should be enclosed in square brackets to show that it is not part of the original.
Adding emphasis to quotes
If you want to emphasize a word or phrase in a quote, italicize it and include the words “emphasis added” in square brackets.
Errors in quotes
If the quote contains a spelling or grammatical error, indicate it with the Latin word “sic”, italicized and in square brackets, directly after the error.
Frequently asked questions about APA Style
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How do I cite a source with no page numbers in APA Style?
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When you quote or paraphrase a specific passage from a source, you need to indicate the location of the passage in your APA in-text citation. If there are no page numbers (e.g. when citing a website) but the text is long, you can instead use section headings, paragraph numbers, or a combination of the two:
(Caulfield, 2019, Linking section, para. 1).
Section headings can be shortened if necessary. Kindle location numbers should not be used in ebook citations, as they are unreliable.
If you are referring to the source as a whole, it’s not necessary to include a page number or other marker.
Cite this Scribbr article
If 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.
McCombes, S.
(2022, June 16). Direct quotes in APA Style. Scribbr.
Retrieved April 12, 2023,
from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/direct-quotes/
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When you are writing an essay or an article and you use someone else’s ideas, you must give them credit. Whether you are just putting their ideas in your own words or directly quoting them, you can give them credit by citing them as your source. If you don’t give them credit, you are plagiarizing, which is ethically dishonest and can have consequences, such as getting a failing grade for the paper you are writing or even being fired from a job. The APA format was developed by the American Psychological Association for academics in the social sciences to use. APA encompasses a style of writing, not just citations, though this discussion will be limited to citations.
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1
Look for your author. The author will be on the outside of the book or on the title page. It’s ok if there is more than one author. For our example, let’s say your author’s name is Georgia Smith.
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2
Find the publication date of your book. The publication date should be on the back of the title page. Use the most recent date.
- For the example, let’s say the book’s publication date is 1995.
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3
Choose how you will create your in-text citation. You have two basic ways that you can make a citation. You can name your author at the beginning of the sentence like this, using only the last name: “According to Smith (1995), leaves turn red in the fall.” Notice that in this instance, the date is in parentheses while “Smith” is not.
- The other way you can make an in-text citation is to put a citation at the end of the sentence without directly referencing the author in the sentence. This would look like the example: “Leaves turn red in the fall (Smith, 1995).” In this case, both the author and the date are in parenthesis, divided by a comma. Always put the author first and then the date.
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4
Cite multiple authors if your book was written by more than one person. If you have two authors, you can separate the authors’ last names with an ampersand (&). If you have more than two authors, you separate them with commas and an ampersand.
- Example of in-text citation for two authors: “Leaves turn read in the fall (Smith & Davis, 1995).
- Example of in-text citation for three or more authors: “Leaves turn red in the fall (Smith, Davis, & Baxter, 1995).” With three to five authors, you always list all the authors the first time you cite the source. After that, you’ll use “et al.” in this way: “(Smith et al., 1995).” “Et al.” just means “and others.”
- If you have six or more authors, you will always use the “et al.” version, even with the first citation you make.
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5
Write the page number if you are using a direct quote. In some instances, you’ll also need the page number to explain where you found the information. You must have the page number if you are using a direct quote. Let’s say you found this quote on page 123: “In my experience, leaves change from dark green to red in the fall.” You can cite this information in one of two ways. Whichever way you choose, always put the page number at the end of the sentence, even if you introduce the author and date at the beginning.
- Method 1: To use this quote, you would cite your source this way: “Smith (1995) discusses the process this way: ‘In my experience, leaves change from dark green to red in the fall’ (p. 123).” The page number is always last, and you put a “p” followed by period before it.
- Method 2: You could also write it this way: “Another writer put it this way: ‘In my experience, leaves change from dark green to red in the fall’ (Smith, 1995, p. 123).” Just like before, you put the information in parenthesis at the end of the sentence and separate it with commas.
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6
Make sure to put the punctuation in the correct places. When making an in-text citation with a direct quote, the end quotation mark will come before the citation, followed by a period, like the sentence from above:
- Example: “Another writer put it this way: “In my experience, leaves change from dark green to red in the fall” (Smith, 1995, p. 123).”
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1
Begin with the author’s name. Just like with an in-text citation, start your reference list citation with the author. However, when you make a citation in the reference list, you’ll also need the author’s initials, too. Put the author’s last name first, followed by a comma and the initial(s) with periods. For example:
- One author: “Smith, G.”
- If you have more than one author, your citation would look like: “Smith, G., Davis, D., and Baxter, R.”
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2
Add the date of publication to the citation. Next, you’ll put the date in parenthesis, followed by a period. Here’s an example:
- “Smith, G. Davis, D., and Baxter, R. (1995).”
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3
Write out the full title of the book. Now, you’re going to add in the title of the book. Unlike titles in other types of citations, in APA, you only capitalize the first word of the title, along with the first word of the subtitle. To introduce the subtitle, you use a colon. All the words in the title are italicized. In our example, it would look like this:
- “Smith, G. Davis, D., and Baxter, R. (1995). The world in our words: Why things happen.” In this case, the main title is “The World in Our Worlds,” while the subtitle is “Why Things Happen.” Follow the title with a period.
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4
Write down the city and state where the book was published. The city of publication is usually on the title page or the back of the title page. If there are multiple cities, pick the one closest to where you are. Use the postal abbreviation for the state, and don’t use periods between the letters. Do use a comma between the city and state. If your book was published in New York City, the citation would be:
- “Smith, G. Davis, D., and Baxter, R. (1995). The world in our words: Why things happen. New York City, NY.”
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5
Add the name of the publishing company to your citation. Place a colon between the state that the book was published in, and the name of the publishing company. Let’s say our book was published by Treehouse Publishers. Our example would therefore look like:
- “Smith, G. Davis, D., and Baxter, R. (1995). The world in our words: Why things happen. New York City, NY: Treehouse Publishers.”
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1
Understand what a hanging indentation is. The main thing you need to worry about when formatting citations in your reference list is to make a hanging indention. That means that the first line of each citation will be all the way over to the left hand margin, but each line after that will be indented.
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Make sure all of your citations have hanging indentations if they are long enough. To make a hanging indention, highlight your set of citations, then use the ruler bar at the top of the page. Click on the bottom arrow only, and move it over so that it form a half-inch indentation.
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3
Double space your reference page. To make sure that your page is double spaced, highlight the text, and right-click on it.
- Find “Paragraph” in the list that appears. Under “Spacing” and “Line Spacing,” select “Double.”
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You don’t have to use the page number in an in-text citation if you are not making a direct quote. However, it makes it easier on your reader to find the information if you do, so it is recommended that you include it.
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Of course, the citations differ a bit based on what you are citing (a journal article is different from a book, for instance), but knowing the basic process will make it easier when are you trying to cite something more complicated.
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APA Style is one of the most common formats used for papers related to the social sciences.
The purpose of APA Style is to make sure all papers follow a standardized set of guidelines. This helps make them as clear and readable as possible.
If you’re writing an APA paper, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, you’ll find a complete guide for how to use APA formatting for in-text citations, reference pages, title pages, and more.
How Do You Create an APA In-Text Citation?
When you use someone else’s work as a source in your own paper, you’ll need to include an in-text citation.
Let’s take a look at what in-text citations are for, and how to format them correctly.
What’s the Purpose of APA In-Text Citations?
In-text citations make your work more trustworthy by referencing other reliable sources.
When you use in-text citations, readers know you’re not pulling quotes and figures out of thin air. If they want to find out more about how those quotes and figures were created, they’ll be able to look up and read the original source.
If you reference other people’s work without citing the source, you run the risk of plagiarism, which is when you claim others’ work as your own. Plagiarizing, even by accident, can jeopardize your reputation, so make sure to use in-text citations properly.
For extra help in avoiding plagiarism, sign up for ProWritingAid’s Plagiarism Checker. Unlike other plagiarism checkers, ProWritingAid will not store or share your work. Ever.
When Do You Need to Use an In-Text Citation?
You should use an in-text citation every time you do the following things:
- Use a direct quote (i.e. the exact words the source used)
- Paraphrase the ideas of someone else (i.e. give the information in your own words)
- Mention a fact or figure that isn’t common knowledge
- Refer to data
- Use someone else’s table or figure
- Use a long text passage from someone else’s work
What Information Do You Need to Include in an APA In-Text Citation?
For every in-text citation, you need to provide two pieces of information: the last name of the author and the publication date.
If you’re using a direct quote, or a fact or figure from a specific page, you should also provide the page number that information is found on.
How Do You Format an APA In-Text Citation?
You should place the in-text citation immediately after the word or phrase it’s relevant to, rather than after a long paragraph or sentence.
You can reference sources using either parenthetical or narrative citations, depending on which one works better in the sentence you’re writing.
A parenthetical citation is when you write a normal sentence, and then include the author’s name and the year in parentheses. A narrative citation is when you mention the author’s last name within your sentence, as part of the text itself.
Let’s look at some examples from the universe of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
Examples of parenthetical citations:
- It’s not a good idea to tickle a sleeping dragon (Scamander, 1927), because you might get burned.
- Medieval witches who were burned at the stake would just perform a basic Flame-Freezing Charm so the fire had no effect (Bagshot, 1947).
Examples of narrative citations:
- According to Scamander (1927), it’s not a good idea to tickle a sleeping dragon, because you might get burned.
- Bagshot (1947) claimed that medieval witches who were burned at the stake would just perform a basic Flame-Freezing Charm, so the fire had no effect.
When possible, you should also include the page number the quote is found on.
Use the abbreviation “p.” for one page, or “pp.” for multiple pages, before listing the page number. For example, you might write (Bagshot, 1947, p. 129) or (Bagshot, 1947, pp. 129–131).
Example of parenthetical citations with page numbers:
- “Never tickle a sleeping dragon” (Scamander, 1927, p. 31).
- “Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises” (Bagshot, 1947, p. 129).
Examples of narrative citations with page numbers:
- According to Scamander (1927), one should “never tickle a sleeping dragon” (p. 31).
- Bagshot (1947) claimed that “Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises” (p. 129).
What If a Source Has Multiple Authors?
If a source has two authors, include both of their last names in the in-text citation.
If you’re using a parenthetical citation, use an ampersand between the names: (Name & name, year.)
Example:
- (Dumbledore & McGonagall, 1995)
If you’re using a narrative citation, write out the word “and”: (Name and name (year)…)
Example:
- Research by Dumbledore and McGonagall (1995) supports…
If a source has three or more authors, include the first author listed on the source, plus the words “et al.” (Name et al., year.)
The term “et al.” is short for the Latin term “et alia,” which means “and others.” You’ll often see it used in academic papers with multiple authors.
Examples:
- (Dumbledore et al., 1995)
- Research by Dumbledore et al. (1995) supports…
What If a Source Has an Unknown Author?
If a source has an unknown author, you can cite the source by its title instead of by its author.
Examples:
- A group of witches invented a spell to transform inert objects into living creatures (Intermediate Transfiguration, 1987).
- We learn in The Monster Book of Monsters (1999) that some creatures have extremely sharp teeth.
What If a Source Has an Unknown Date?
If a source has an unknown date, you can write “n.d.” (for no date) instead of the year.
Examples:
- A group of witches invented a spell to transform inert objects into living creatures (Intermediate Transfiguration, n.d.).
- We learn in The Monster Book of Monsters (n.d.) that some creatures have extremely sharp teeth.
How Many In-Text Citations Do You Need in Your Paper?
For most papers, you should cite one or two of the most representative sources for each key point.
For example, if you state that 41 percent of Americans like the Harry Potter series, you should provide at least one source that also states that same number.
If you’re writing a literature review paper, you should include a more exhaustive list of references because you want to include all the most relevant sources for that subject.
How Do You Create an APA Reference Page?
The APA reference page is a section of your paper where you list each of the sources you use in your paper.
Let’s take a look at what the APA reference page is for and how to format it correctly.
What’s the Purpose of the APA Reference Page?
For every source you cite in-text, you also need to create a reference at the end of the paper with all the information necessary to find that source.
Your goal is to make it clear exactly which source you’re citing, with no room for ambiguity, so that anyone reading your paper can clearly track down every source you used.
Where Should You Put the APA Reference Page?
The APA reference page should be the last section of the paper. It should come right after the main body of your paper, before any appendices.
Which Sources Do You Have to Include on the Reference Page?
You need to create a reference entry for every source that you’ve cited in the text. Any time you quote another author or use another author’s facts and figures, you need to make a reference entry for that source.
Make sure you don’t include any sources you don’t cite, even if you read them for research. Every reference entry in your reference page should be used directly in an in-text citation.
You can include any type of source in your reference page: books, chapters, articles, reports, web pages, and more.
What Information Do You Need to Include in an APA Reference Entry?
APA references typically include information about the author, publication date, title, and source.
Other information may be necessary depending on the type of source you’re dealing with. For example, if you’re citing a web page, you may need to include the URL.
Here’s what a reference entry should look like for a book:
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher Name. DOI (Digital Object Identifier) if available.
Book example:
- Bagshot, B. (1947). A history of magic. Little Red Books.
Here’s what a reference entry should look like for a web page:
Last name, F. M. (Year, Month date). Title of page. Site name. URL
Web page example:
- Stetka, B. (2014, September 9). Why everyone should read Harry Potter, Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-everyone-should-read-harry-potter/
How Do You Format an APA Reference Entry?
For the title, you should capitalize only the first letter of the first word of the title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns. For example, you would say A history of magic, not A History of Magic.
Italicize titles of longer works (e.g. books, edited collections, names of newspapers, and so on).
Authors’ first and middle names should be written as initials. For example, the reference entry for a source written by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore would be written as «Dumbledore, A. P. W. B.»
All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation.
What If There Are Multiple Authors?
If there are multiple authors, you should list the last name and first/middle initials for all of them. Separate each author’s initials from the next author in the list with a comma, and use an ampersand before the final author’s name.
What Happens If You Don’t Know All the Information You Need?
If you don’t know all the information you need, don’t worry—you can still meet APA standards.
If the author is unknown, you can start the reference entry with the title, like this: Title. (Date). Source.
Example of a missing author:
- A history of magic. (1947). Little Red Books.
If the date is missing, you can write “n.d.” for “no date», like this: Author. (n.d.). Title. Source.
Example of a missing date:
- Bagshot, B. (n.d.). A history of magic. Little Red Books.
If the title is missing, you can describe the source you’re citing in square brackets, like this: Author. (Date). [Description.] Source.
Example of a missing title:
- Bagshot, B. (1947). [Textbook about the history of magic.] Little Red Books.
Are There Easy Ways to Generate APA Reference Entries?
Many online generators can be useful, especially if you’re citing a lot of sources.
Scribbr has an APA Citation Generator. You can just plug in the information, and it will generate the reference entry for you.
You can also use an editing software like ProWritingAid to make sure your capitalization and punctuation is consistent throughout your document.
How Do You Format Your APA Reference Page?
Your reference page should be double-spaced and in a legible font, such as Times New Roman 12pt, just like the rest of the paper.
On the first line of the page, write “References” as the title of the section. Make this word bold and center it on the page.
On the second line, list your reference entries in alphabetical order. Make sure they have hanging indentation, which means that the first line of each reference entry is aligned flush with the left margin, and each subsequent line has a hanging indent of 0.5 inches.
Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last name of the first author of each work.
How Do You Create an APA Title Page?
The APA title page is the first page of your paper. On this page, you give all the key information about what your paper is for.
Let’s take a look at what the APA title page is for and how to format it correctly.
What’s the Purpose of the APA Title Page?
The title page ensures that all key information about your paper is presented upfront. With just a glance at the first page, a reader can easily figure out who wrote this paper, when it was written, and what it was written for.
What Are the Parts of an APA Title Page?
Every title page should contain the title of the paper, the author’s name, and the institutional affiliation.
Some components of the title page depend on whether you’re a student turning in a paper for a class or a professional turning in a paper to a journal.
A student paper should include the course number and name, instructor name, and assignment due date.
A professional paper should include the author note, which includes acknowledgments, disclosures, and the author’s contact information.
How Do You Format an APA Title Page?
The title should be centered with bold formatting applied, in the upper half of the page.
Beneath the title, type the author’s name: first name, middle initial, and last name. Don’t include any titles or degrees.
Beneath the author’s name, type the institutional affiliation—the location where the author conducted the research.
All text on the title page should be double-spaced, just like the rest of the paper.
Here’s an example of a student’s title page:
How to Transform a Needle into a Matchstick
Hermione Granger
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
TRAN 101, First-Year Transfiguration
Dr. Minerva McGonagall
November 2, 1998
Here’s an example of a professional’s title page:
How to Transform a Needle into a Matchstick
Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and WizardryAuthor Note
We have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Minerva McGonagall, 150 Hogwarts Drive.
What Is the Difference Between MLA Formatting and APA Formatting?
MLA and APA are two sets of guidelines for formatting papers and citing research.
MLA stands for the Modern Language Association. The MLA handbook is most often used in fields related to the humanities, such as literature, history, and philosophy. Check out our full guide to MLA formatting.
APA stands for the American Psychological Association. The APA manual is most often used in fields related to the social sciences, such as psychology, sociology, and nursing.
Where Can You Learn More About APA Formatting?
If you have questions about how to format a specific assignment or paper, it’s always best to consult your instructor or advisor first. If you’re a student, your school may also have a writing center that can help you with formatting questions.
Purdue’s website has fantastic resources for learning more about APA Style.
If you would like to find out more directly from the American Psychological Association, you can consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed.
Final Words on APA Citation
Now you’re ready to write an APA paper.
Do you have any other questions about APA Style? Let us know in the comments.
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