Comprehensive Guide to APA In-Text Citations (7th Edition)

Introduction to APA Citation Standards

  • Standard Manual: The notes cover in-text citations according to the 7th edition, second printing of the American Psychological Association (APA) manual.
  • Additional Resources: For further information, the transcript suggests consulting the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed., 2nd printing).
  • Core Logic: APA format utilizes the author-date method of in-text citation.     * The author's last name and the year of publication must appear in the text (e.g., Jones, 1998).     * A corresponding complete reference must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

Disciplinary Comparison of Citation Styles

  • Modern Language Association (MLA): Used for English Studies and Foreign Language and Literatures.
  • American Psychological Association (APA): Used for Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Communications, etc.) and Nursing.
  • Chicago Style: Used for History, Arts, and Sciences.

The Principles of Crediting Sources

  • Definition: Crediting sources involves giving an author or resource credit for original information. It consists of two essential parts:     * In-Text Citations: Briefly identifying the source within the body of the paper when information is presented.     * Reference List: A detailed list of sources cited, provided on a separate page at the end of the paper.     * Consistency: The in-text citations and the reference list must credit the exact same sources.
  • Purpose of Crediting:     * To acknowledge authors for their specific ideas.     * To avoid plagiarism.     * To increase the credibility and transparency of the work.     * To participate in an ongoing academic discussion.     * To become a member of a professional community.

Scope of Citation and Exceptions

  • What to Credit: Any information learned from another source, including:     * Facts and statistics.     * Opinions and theories.     * Photographs and charts.
  • Methods of Presentation: Credit is required regardless of how the information is mentioned, whether via quotations, summaries, or paraphrases.
  • The Common Knowledge Exception: Information that is considered common knowledge does not require citation.     * Example: "The declaration of independence was signed July 4, 1776."

Capitalization and Punctuation Rules for Titles

  • Proper Nouns: Always capitalize proper nouns, including author names and initials (e.g., D. Jones).
  • Internal Titles: Within the body of the paper, capitalize all words that are four letters long or greater.     * Example: Permanence and Change.
  • Grammatical Exceptions: Short words (under four letters) must be capitalized if they are verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, or adverbs.     * Examples: Writing New Media, There Is Nothing Left to Lose.
  • Hyphenation: Capitalize both words in a hyphenated compound word (e.g., Natural-Born Cyborgs).
  • Dashes and Colons: Capitalize the first word that follows a dash or a colon.     * Example: "Defining Film Rhetoric: The Case of Hitchcock's Vertigo."
  • Italicization and Underlining: Used for titles of longer works.     * Types: Books, edited collections, movies, television series, documentaries, or albums.     * Examples: The Closing of the American Mind; The Wizard of Oz; Friends.
  • Quotation Marks: Used for titles of shorter works.     * Types: Journal articles, articles from edited collections, television series episodes, and song titles.     * Examples: "Multimedia Narration: Constructing Possible Worlds"; "The One Where Chandler Can't Cry."

Formatting Direct Quotations

  • Short Quotations (Under 40 Words):     * Requirements: Must include author, year of publication, and page number (preceded by "p.").     * Signal Phrase Method: Introduce the quote with the author's name followed by the date in parentheses.         * Example: According to Jones (1998), "Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199).         * Example: Jones (1998) found "students often had difficulty using APA style" (p. 199); what implications does this have for teachers?     * No Signal Phrase Method: Place author, year, and page number in parentheses after the quote.         * Example: She stated, "Students often had difficulty using APA style" (Jones, 1998, p. 199), but she did not offer an explanation as to why.
  • Long Quotations (40 Words or Longer):     * Format: Use a free-standing block of typewritten lines; omit quotation marks.     * Indentation: Start on a new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin (where a new paragraph would begin).     * Internal Paragraphs: If there are subsequent paragraphs within the block quote, indent the first line of those paragraphs an additional 1/2 inch from the new margin.     * Spacing: Maintain double-spacing throughout.     * Citation Placement: Place the parenthetical citation after the final closing punctuation mark.

Citation Rules for Author Variations

  • Work by Two Authors: Name both authors in every citation. Use "and" in signal phrases but use the ampersand ("&") in parenthetical citations.     * Examples: Research by Wegener and Petty (1994) supports… OR (Wegener & Petty, 1994).
  • Work by Three to Five Authors:     * First Citation: List all authors in the signal phrase or parentheses. Use "and" in text and "&" in parentheses (e.g., Kernis, Cornell, Sun, Berry, & Harlow, 1993).     * Subsequent Citations: Use only the first author's last name followed by "et al." (e.g., Kernis et al., 1993).
  • Work by Six or More Authors: Use the first author's name followed by "et al." in every citation (e.g., Harris et al., 2001).
  • Anonymous Authors: Treat "Anonymous" as the author's name in both the citation (Anonymous, 2001) and the reference list.
  • Organizations as Authors: Mention the organization in the signal phrase or parenthetical citation the first time.     * Abbreviations: If widely known, include the abbreviation in brackets during the first citation and use only the abbreviation thereafter.     * Example First Citation: (Mothers Against Drunk Driving [MADD], 2000).     * Example Subsequent Citation: (MADD, 2000).
  • Multiple Works in One Citation: Order authors alphabetically as they appear in the reference list, separated by a semi-colon.     * Example: (Berndt, 2002; Harlow, 1983).
  • Authors with the Same Last Name: Include first initials to prevent confusion.     * Example: (E. Johnson, 2001; L. Johnson, 1998).

Electronic and Non-Paginated Sources

  • Electronic Source Logic: Follow the standard author-date style if possible (e.g., Kenneth, 2000).
  • Missing Page Numbers: Provide information to help readers find the passage.     * Numbered Paragraphs: Use the abbreviation "para." followed by the number.         * Example: (Hall, 2001, para. 5).     * Section Headings: If no paragraph numbers exist, provide the heading and specify the paragraph number under that heading.         * Example: According to Smith (1997), … (Mind over Matter section, para. 6).
  • Browser Functionality: Note that for Web pages, readers may use the "Find" function in their browser to locate the cited text.