APA style: In-Text Citations

There are two ways to integrate others' research into your work:

  Quoting is copying a selection from someone else's work, phrasing it exactly it was originally written. When quoting place quotation marks (" ") around the selected passage to show where the quote begins and where it ends. Make sure to include an in-text citation.

  Paraphrasing is used to show that you understand what another author wrote. You must reword the passage, expressing their ideas in your own words, and not just change a few words here and there. Make sure to also include an in-text citation.

  When you include actual data like numerical facts or statistics in your work, you also need to clearly state where you saw the data. Make sure to include an in-text citation.

Example:

Amy Saltzman (2018) reports that junior elite soccer players showed an almost 50 % decrease in injuries after only 7 mindfulness sessions. 

    WHAT ARE IN-TEXT CITATIONS?

APA Style uses the author-date system, in which a brief in-text citation directs readers to a full reference list entry. The in-text citation appears within the body of the paper (or in a table, figure, footnote, or appendix) and briefly identifies the cited work by its author and date of publication. In-text citations create the link from the information you took from another source to the complete citation in the reference list at the end of the paper. You keep them short so you are not interrupting the logical development of the thoughts in your paper.

Each work cited must appear in the reference list, and each work in the reference list must be cited in the text (or in a table, figure, footnote, or appendix).

   WHY ARE IN-TEXT CITATIONS NEEDED?

Any information you borrow from other authors must be acknowledged in your paper. In-text citations provide the exact source of the quotation (somebody else’s words), or of facts that were gathered by someone else. They give added authority to your paper. They also provide your reader with leads to other sources and permit the reader to check (verify) the sources that you used to come to your conclusions.

  HOW ARE IN-TEXT CITATIONS PREPARED?

In-text citations are brief references within the text of your paper. They refer the reader to your reference list. In-text citations usually include the author’s last name and date of publication. The reader can then turn to your reference list for complete publishing information. In-text citations can take on two different forms:

• A parenthetical citation follows the words or facts you borrow from another author: "It is an absolute privilege to share the practices of mindfulness with you" (Saltzman 2018).
• A narrative citation introduces the words or facts you borrow from another author: Saltzman advises us to be "an athlete who is committed to training not only your body, but also your mind and spirit." (2018).

 Note: To keep these in-text citations short, do not list more than 2 authors. If there are more than two authors, put: the first author followed by <et al.>, meaning <and others>.

  When you write information or ideas from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation.

Short Paraphrase

When your paraphrase highlights one specific aspect, you may include a page number in your in-text citation to help your audience find the original sequence more easily.

An intense wish for your circumstances to be different than they are will lead to suffering and emotional turmoil. (Saltzman 2018 p. 109)

Long Paraphrase

A paraphrase may continue for several sentences. In such cases, cite the work being paraphrased on first mention. For example:

According to Saltzman (2018) the basic component of mindfulness practice as consisting of 1) paying attention in the here and now, 2) paying kind and curious attention to our feelings, and 3) choosing our behavior based on what we have observed. Just to be clear, there is no judgment involved in these observations.