Key Terminology
Reference list entry includes all 4 elements (who, what, when, where) that lead a reader to the actual source.
In-text citation is an abbreviated connection from the paper to the reference list and usually is composed of the author and the date of the source.
Every in-text citation must have a corresponding and complete reference list entry.
In-text citations can be written in different ways. They can be quotes, paraphrased, or summarized. The in-text citation is written in the parenthetical or narrative format.
Parenthetical in-text citations means the author and the date are both included within brackets, e.g. (Robertson, 2020)
Narrative in-text citations include the author within the sentence or paragraph structure leading to the quote, paraphrase, or summary. The date must still be included but typically is in brackets. Page or paragraph numbers may also be included in the brackets to direct the reader to the specific content. For example: Robertson (2020) stated that "libraries contribute in many ways to students' academic success" (p. 5).
A signal phrase generally introduces the narrative in-text. In the example above, "Robertson (2020) stated" is the signal phrase.
Quoting is the use of the exact words from the source and are inside quotation marks.
Block quoting is a quote that is longer 40 words and is indented within your paper. See Publication Manual Section 8.27.
- indented 0.5 inches
- double spaced
- no extra paragraph spacing around block quote
Paraphrasing information requires you to write it in your own words and not just replace a few words or switch the order. This is considered plagiarism and is an example of patch writing.
Summarizing information requires the main ideas in your own words and should be shorter than the original text. A good example of summarizing is when you explain to someone else what the book or movie is about in a few key sentences. If you are summarizing multiple works, create one in-text citation that lists each work separated by a semicolon. For example: (Chu et al, 2016; MacPherson & Leung, 2019; Smith, 2015). The works should be listed alphabetically. Each work needs to be represented on the references page. See Publication Manual Section 8.12.
APA Style, Author-Date Citation System
APA Style, In-Text Citations