How do I cite?
Answer
A citation is a note that tells your reader you used a source to write your sentence. There are three things you should know about citations in APA style:
1) A citation has 2-3 pieces of information: Author, Date, Location.
2) If you are paraphrasing, a citation has two parts: (Author, Date). If you are quoting, a citation has three parts: (Author, Date, Location).
3) Citations can be parenthetical (all parts in brackets at the end of the sentence) or narrative (author name(s) as part of the sentence and year/location in parenthesis).
More examples:
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Narrative, Paraphrase: |
Wang (2018) illustrated the effective use of narrative citations. |
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Parenthetical, Paraphrase: |
The use of citations and paraphrasing are discussed (Wang, 2018). |
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Narrative, Quote: |
As described by Gray et al. (2018), citations “may include direct quotes” ("How to cite"). |
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Parenthetical, Quote: |
Moreover, citations “may include direct quotes” (Gray et al., 2018, para. 3). |
This page in our APA guide has further information with examples of how to cite quotes and paraphrases.
Check out best citation practice on the APA blog.