Comprehensive Guide to APA 7th Edition In-Text and Reference Citations

Source Types and Analysis in Academic Writing

  • Primary Sources:
    • Defined as original reports or research studies authored directly by the individual(s) who conducted the empirical investigation.
    • Consist of empirical studies and original research articles.
  • Secondary Sources:
    • Defined as interpretations, evaluations, or summaries of primary sources.
    • Include literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses.
    • A literature review is automatically classified as a secondary source because its fundamental purpose is to synthesize and interpret primary research studies.
  • Purpose of Source Citations:
    • Establishes empirical background and authority in academic writing.
    • Directs readers to original sources in the reference list if they seek additional detail regarding cited claims.

APA Citation Framework vs. MLA Style

  • MLA Style Comparison:
    • Frequently relies on direct quotations accompanied by the complete article title stated within the main text.
  • APA Style Fundamentals:
    • Utilizes two distinct modes of in-text citations: narrative citations and parenthetical citations.
    • Employs a strict one-to-one correspondence rule: every in-text citation must have a complete matching reference entry in the references list at the end of the document.

Rules for Narrative In-Text Citations

  • Definition and Mechanics:
    • Read aloud directly within the flow of a sentence.
    • Spells out the author's last name within the text string.
    • Places only the publication year inside parentheses immediately following the author's name.
    • Example: Graybar (2015) noted that…
  • Single Author Rules:
    • Format: Author (Year)
    • Example: Graybar (2015)
  • Two Authors Rules:
    • Spells out the conjunction "and" between the two authors' last names because the citation is read aloud within the text.
    • Format: First Author and Second Author (Year)
  • Three or More Authors Rules:
    • Uses the first author's last name followed by the Latin abbreviation et al. (which stands for et alia, meaning "and others").
    • Mechanics of et al.: Written as e t space a l followed by a period.
    • Alternative narrative phrasing options allowed in text:
    • Cortez and colleagues (2021)
    • Cortez and others (2021)
    • Cortez and researchers (2021)
    • Format: First Author et al. (Year)

Rules for Parenthetical In-Text Citations

  • Definition and Mechanics:
    • Function as silent citations enclosed entirely within parentheses.
    • Typically placed at the end of a sentence before the final period, but can also be integrated mid-sentence.
    • Narrative-only phrasing options (such as "and colleagues" or "and others") are strictly prohibited inside parenthetical citations.
  • Single Author Rules:
    • Format: (Lastname, Year)
  • Two Authors Rules:
    • Replaces the spelled-out word "and" with an ampersand (&) symbol because the entry is silent.
    • Format: (First Author & Second Author, Year)
  • Three or More Authors Rules:
    • Format: (First Author et al., Year)
    • Proper punctuation: No comma between the author's last name and et al.; a period follows al, followed by a comma and the year.
  • Multiple Sources in a Single Parenthetical Citation:
    • Separate individual source citations with a semicolon within the same set of parentheses.
    • Used when providing synthesis or multiple pieces of evidence for a single claim.
  • Sentence Placement Examples:
    • End-of-sentence: Multiple studies support this claim (Smith, 2019; Jones & Taylor, 2020).
    • Mid-sentence: Several studies examine personality and intelligence (Source 1; Source 2), while other studies examine personality and happiness (Source 3).

Paraphrasing and Avoiding Unintentional Plagiarism

  • Definition of Paraphrasing:
    • Restating source information entirely in one's own words while retaining the original meaning.
  • Avoiding Plagiarism:
    • Unintentional plagiarism frequently occurs when writers rephrase information in their own words but fail to include an in-text citation.
    • Paraphrased content must always be accompanied by either a narrative or parenthetical in-text citation to attribute credit to the original author.

Reference List Formatting for Journal Articles

  • Periodical Definition:
    • Academic journals (e.g., Journal of Social Science, Neuroscience) published on a recurring basis.
  • Author Listing Thresholds:
    • Up to 21 authors: Must spell out every author's last name and initials in the reference entry.
    • 21 or more authors: Specific omitted-author formatting rules apply.
  • Formatting Template:
    • Author Names: Lastname, F. M., & Author, S. M. (Last name, comma, first initial, period, middle initial, period, comma, ampersand before final author).
    • Publication Year: (Year). in parentheses followed by a period.
    • Article Title: Sentence case formatting (capitalize only the first letter of the first word of the title, the first word after a colon or em-dash, and proper nouns).
    • Journal Name: Title case formatting (capitalize the first letter of all major words 3 letters or longer), fully italicized, followed by a comma.
    • Volume Number: Fully italicized, immediately following the journal name.
    • Issue Number: Enclosed in parentheses immediately following the volume number; not italicized.
    • Page Ranges: Listed after the issue number (e.g., 100-115). If an online article lacks page numbers, terminate the citation at the volume/issue level.
    • DOI: Include the complete DOI URL link at the end of the citation.
  • Example Journal Reference Entry:
    • Oralpath, A. E. (Year). Article title in sentence case. Journal Name, 12(3), 45-58.

Reference List Formatting for Websites and Online Sources

  • Publication Permanence vs. Web Content:
    • Journal articles cannot be changed once published, requiring only the year in references.
    • Web articles can be modified over time, requiring the exact year, month, and day in the reference list entry.
  • Formatting Template:
    • Author Name: Lastname, F.
    • Publication Date: (Year, Month Day).
    • Article Title: Sentence case formatting, fully italicized, followed by a period.
    • Website/Organization Name: Title case formatting, not italicized, followed by a period.
    • URL: Complete website link.
  • In-Text Citation Exception for Web Sources:
    • While the reference entry requires the year, month, and day, the in-text citation only uses the author's last name and year (Price, 2018).
  • Group/Corporate Authors:
    • When individual authors are not credited on a site (e.g., Mayo Clinic), use the organization name as the author.
  • Example Web Reference Entry:
    • Price, B. (2018, Month Day). Title of the web article in sentence case. Medium. https://www.url.com

Questions & Discussion

  • Question: How do parenthetical and narrative citations handle formatting errors during group identification exercises?
    • Response/Correction: A common error occurs with the improper insertion of commas or periods around et al. inside parenthetical citations.
    • Incorrect Parenthetical: (Cortez, et al., 2021) or (Cortez et. al., 2021)
    • Correct Parenthetical: (Cortez et al., 2021) — No comma after the last name, no period after et, period only after al, followed by a comma and the year.
  • Question: Where do narrative citations with terms like "and colleagues" belong?
    • Response/Correction: Narrative options such as Cortez and colleagues (2021) belong strictly in narrative inline sentences and must be moved out of parenthetical citation groupings.