To cite one source in APA in-text, use the author-date system, including the author's last name and year (e.g., (Smith, 2023)), or the author's name in the sentence with the year in parentheses (e.g., Smith (2023)). For direct quotes, add the page number (p.) or paragraph number (para.) (e.g., (Smith, 2023, p. 42) or (Smith, 2023, para. 3)). If paraphrasing, you only need one citation at the start of the paragraph for clarity.
APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14).
Generally, if you are using information from one source in the same paragraph, you only need to use an in-text citation in the first sentence-- as long as it is clear to the reader that all of the information in the paragraph is from the same source.
Citing Multiple Works
Add "as cited in" between the sources in the in-text citation. For example, (Smith, 2015, as cited in Jonson, 2019).
Put in-text citations right next to the point in your writing that the source is referred to, whether it's a quotation, paraphrase or a summary. The author's name, date and page numbers (if relevant) should always be together in the text, even if not all of this information is inside the brackets.
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).
If you are citing multiple sources in the same reference, you should list them in alphabetical order separated by a semi colon.
Avoiding ambiguity in APA in-text citations
Add a lowercase letter after the year. Different authors with the same last name. Include the authors' initials. Multiple works with 3+ authors that shorten to the same form (i.e., same first author(s) and date).
When citing paraphrased information, APA requires you to include the author and date. It is also recommended (but not required) that you include the page number. The format of the page number depends on if the information is on a single page or range of pages. Thompson (2014) believes that.....
Try to make it clear in each following sentence if it is still coming from the same source, using phrases like "According to", "They also state...", "That article concludes...". If it is clear, you don't need to repeat the in-text citation for those sentences.
When paraphrasing or summarising using one source over several sentences or even a whole paragraph, cite the source in the first sentence. There is no need to cite the work again in this paragraph provided it is clear that this is the only source being paraphrased.
Citing Primary Sources
If you do decide to use the secondary source to reference the original author's ideas then the principle is that you must acknowledge this in your in-text using this format (Harris, 2009 as cited in Lewis, 2019) or " As highlighted by Harris (2009, as cited in Lewis, 2019).
Scribbr's free citation generator automatically generates accurate references and in-text citations. This citation guide outlines the most important citation guidelines from the 7th edition APA Publication Manual (2020).
Paragraph. Format. para. For electronic sources that do not provide page numbers, use the paragraph number and, if available, preceded by the abbreviation 'para. '
Incorrect Margins and Spacing – APA 7 requires 1-inch margins on all sides and double-spacing throughout, including references. 4. Improper Use of Fonts – APA 7 allows multiple fonts (e.g., Times New Roman 12 pt., Arial 11 pt.), but inconsistencies within the document can be an issue.
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About In-Text Citation
When your parenthetical citation includes two or more works, order them the same way they appear in the reference list (viz., alphabetically), separated by a semi-colon. If you cite multiple works by the same author in the same parenthetical citation, give the author's name only once and follow with dates.
Multiple sources in the same citation
If you wish to refer to more than one source which has the same viewpoint, list them together at the relevant point in the sentence, putting them in brackets with the author's name, followed by the date of publication and separated by a semi-colon. The sources should be cited in alphabetical order in each list.
Citing a Source Within A Source
This is known as secondary citation. For an in-text citation, you would cite the primary source you are taking information from and then cite the secondary source at the end of the citation. Your reference list will only list the secondary source for MLA and APA Format.
Citing multiple sources within the same parentheses
If you refer to several works at the same time, they are stated in alphabetical order by the author and then in chronological order. Semicolons are used between each reference.
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