Every time you use another person's ideas in your assignment, whether you present them in quotations or write them in your own words, you must cite and reference. This page demonstrates how to create citations and insert quotations directly into the text of your research. The Reference List page demonstrates how to create references of the sources you used for your reference list.
Footnotes are not generally used with the APA Citation Style, but there are some exceptions. Please consult section 2.13 (pp. 40-41) of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition, 2020) to find out more.
For more information on citing and quoting, please consult Chapter 8 of the Publication Manual.
In-Text Citations (to go to the Quotations section, click here)
The instructions of this section apply to most kinds of sources (books, journals, magazines, theses, encyclopedias, etc.) used by students at Saint Paul University for their assignments.
Jump to:
General Information / Specific Parts of a Source / Two Authors / Three or More Authors / Organizations as Authors / Authors with the Same Last Name / Two or More Works by Different Authors, Same Parentheses / Two or More Works by the Same Author, Same Year / Two or More Works by the Same Author, Different Years / Newspapers / Webpages / Images / Course Materials / Personal Communications / Social Media / YouTube, Vimeo or Other Online Video
General Information
- The APA Citation Style uses the author-date system for the citation of sources in the text. This means that the surname (family name) of the author and the year of publication, separated by a comma, are presented in parentheses directly after the portion of text being cited. Here is an example for a single author:
In Ancient Egypt, large wild felines, such as lions, were both feared and revered by the population (Thomas, 1978).
- If the name of the author (or authors) is already included in the text, only include the date in parentheses, like such:
As Robertson (2010) indicated...
As Taylor and Christie (1999) demonstrated...
- When it is impossible to identify the author(s) of a work, simply cite the first few words of the corresponding reference list entry (usually the title) instead. Double quotation marks are used for titles of articles, chapters and web pages. Titles of books, journals and reports are italicized:
("A study on the effects of tobacco use on self-esteem," 2001)
(An Introduction to Pastoral Counseling, 1998)
If no publication date is indicated, use the abbreviation n.d., for "no date":
(Jones, n.d.)
According to Jamieson (n.d.), that argument...
Specific Parts of a Source
- To cite a specific part of a source, such as page numbers, a chapter, a table, a figure or an equation, add a comma after the year followed by the part you wish to cite. The abbreviation for page is p., while the abbreviation for pages is pp.:
(Government of Canada, 2006, p. 10)
(Schultz & Vary, 1995, pp. 112-125)
(Chalmers, 1989, Chapter 4)
(American Psychiatric Association, 2014, Figure 1)
- If you wish to specify a volume number in your citation, simply write vol. followed by the number of the volume. Place this information after the date and before the page number (if applicable):
(Howard, 2011, vol. 3, p. 30)
- Please note that with a quotation, you must always indicate the page number(s) in your citation. See the Quotations section of this box for more information about inserting quotations into your text.
- Citing the specific part of a source is also encouraged when you use a paraphrase, that is when you explain an author's idea(s) in your own words. In sum, try to be as specific as possible in your citations to help your readers easily locate the sources you used to support your research.
Two Authors
- When a source has two authors, include both of their surnames separated by an ampersand (&) in the citation. If you mention them directly in the text, use the word "and". You must include both names every time you cite that specific source in the text.
(King & Hill, 2007)
As King and Hill (2007) concluded in their study...
Three or More Authors
- When a source has three or more authors, only cite the surname of the first author followed by "et al.". Subsequent citations in the assignment are presented the same way:
(Gray et al., 1999)
Gray et al. (1999) claimed that...
Organizations as Authors
- The names of organizations (such as a corporations, associations, government agencies or study groups) that serve as authors are usually written in full every time they are cited. However, they may be abbreviated after the first citation if it will not cause any confusion to the reader in understanding that it is always the same organization being mentioned and in locating that source in the reference list. In this case, the full name and the abbreviated form must both be included the first time an organization is cited. Afterwards, only the abbreviated form is utilized.
(Government of Canada, 2002)
(American Psychological Association [APA], 2011) - First citation
(APA, 2011) - Subsequent citations
Authors With the Same Last Name
- If you are citing different authors that have the same surname, include each author's initials in front of their last name:
(B. D. Stanton, 1984)
(B. D. Stanton, 1984; W. Stanton, 1986)
W. Stanton (1986) mentioned in her thesis that...
Two or More Works by Different Authors in the Same Parentheses
- To cite two or more works by different authors in the same parentheses, place them in the order they appear in the reference list; i.e. alphabetically by the author's surname, separated by a semi-colon:
(Jefferson, 1997; Williams, 2003)
Two or More Works by the Same Author, Same Year
- Works that were created by the same author(s) in the same year are distinguished by adding lower-case letters to each date of publication. These letters must also be included in the corresponding references found in the reference list.
(Hiller & James, 1999a)
Reed's studies (2009a, 2009b) demonstrated that...
Two or More Works by the Same Author, Different Years
- If you want to cite multiple sources that have the same author(s), but were published in different years, arrange the dates chronologically after the surname(s) of the author(s):
(Government of Manitoba, 1994, 1999, 2004)
Newspapers
- Newspapers are cited like any other source, using the surname(s) of the author(s), the year and the specific part of the source, if applicable (such as a page or section number).
(Quinn, 2007, p. E5)
(Tremblay, 2019)
- If you do not know the name of the author, give the first few words of the title of the article in quotation marks or the newspaper title in italics:
("Canadian exports rebound," 2002)
(Ottawa Citizen, 1995, p. C7)
Webpages
- When citing an entire webpage, use the author's last name or the name of the organization and the year of publication.
(World Health Organization, 2019)
- To directly quote from written material that does not contain page numbers (e.g., webpages and websites, some ebooks), provide readers with another way of locating the quoted passage. Any of the following approaches is acceptable; use the approach that will best help readers find the quotation.
- Provide a heading or section name. It is okay to abbreviate a long or unwieldy heading or section name (with quotation marks; see second example):
- (Arruda, 2015, Literature Review section)
- (United Nations Environment Programme, 2017, “Global Emissions Trends” section)
- Provide a paragraph number (count the paragraphs manually if they are not numbered).
- (Ben Arfa, 2018, para. 3)
- Provide a heading or section name in combination with a paragraph number.
- (Karlsson, 2017, Background section, para. 4)
- Don't forget to include a reference for the website on your reference list.
Images
- Images can be tables or figures. In the APA citation style, the term "figure" is used to represent graphs, charts, maps, drawings and photographs.
- If you are putting an image that was created by someone else into your assignment, make sure you have permission to use it by the copyright holder.
For complete information on how to put a figure or a table directly into your text using the APA style, please consult Chapter 5 of the Publication Manual. This chapter explains and gives visual examples of the important elements you must include with images, such as a caption or a note below each figure or table. Captions and notes are short descriptions of figures and tables that include a citation of the original source of the image.
- If you are only referring to an image (print or electronic), but not putting it directly into your assignment, it must still be cited. Introduce it in your text followed by the surname(s) of the creator(s) or author(s), the date, and, if applicable, the specific part of the source in which the image was found (the page(s), paragraph, table or figure). The surname(s) used in the citation must match the surname(s) listed at the beginning of the reference in the reference list.
The Persistence of Memory (Dalí, 1931) was painted at a time when...
(Jackson, 1942, p. 10)
(Adams, 2001, Table 1)
(Wu & Loiselle, 1999, para. 2)
(Sirois et al., 1989, Figure 18
- Don't forget to include a reference for each image in your reference list.
Here are some excellent guides by other universities/colleges that explain how to insert images into your text according to the APA Style:
Course Materials
- To cite lecture notes (PowerPoint slides provided by your professor), simply give the surname of the instructor and the year in the citation:
(Leroux, 2015)
- Cite your own lecture notes as you would a personal communication.
- If you want to cite something your professor said in class, treat it as a personal communication.
- Cite a course manual as you would cite a book, with the surname(s) of the author(s), the year and the specific part of the source (if applicable) included in the citation:
(Kinney, 2012, p. 2)
Personal Communications
- Personal communications (such as interviews, e-mails, letters, telephone calls, and other person-to-person communications) must be cited in your text, but they do not require a reference in the reference list. However, some professors may request references, so please inquire with them. In the citation, include the communicator's initials and surname, the mention "personal communication," and the complete date of the communication:
(J. S. Warner, personal communication, January 20, 2001)
Social Media
- The following citation guidelines apply to social media posts that can easily be retrieved by someone reading your research paper. Don't forget to include a reference in the reference list.
- Treat information that is posted on a social media account with restricted access (for example, because of friends-only privacy settings or because it is a private message) as a personal communication.
- To cite a Twitter or Facebook post, give the surname of the author or the name of the organization followed by the year of the post. If the author surname or the organization name is not known, give the screen name:
(Tyson, 2015)
(United Nations, 2014)
(Black_Dahlia, 2015)
- Complete information on citing and referencing Twitter and Facebook can be found in section 10.15 (pp. 348-350) of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition, 2020).
YouTube, Vimeo or Other Online Video
- Use the name of the account that uploaded the video as the author
(Saint Paul University, 2018)
Quotations (to go to the In-Text Citations Section, click here)
Quotations and paraphrases are two different ways in which to present another person's ideas in your assignment. When you use the exact words a person used in another source, you are directly quoting them (direct quotation). When you explain another person's ideas in your own words, you are paraphrasing them. This section specifically shows you how integrate direct quotations into your assignment. See section 8.2 (pp. 269-278) of the Publication Manual for more information on quotations.
Short Direct Quotations
- Short direct quotations are quotations that are comprised of less than 40 words. You must integrate them directly into your text with double quotation marks (" ") followed by a citation in parentheses. Please note that page or paragraph numbers must always be provided in the citation of a quotation.
The psychologists observed that "after just a few weeks of this simple effort, there was a striking change in their formerly hostile attitudes: their automatic negative feelings were no longer activated by seeing an elderly person" (Bennett-Goleman, 2001, p. 197).
Haslam, Reicher and Platow (2011) write that "there is plenty of evidence that people often prefer leaders who are fair to those who are unfair" (p. 99), which is a logical assertion if you also consider the arguments of...
Aspri (2013) noted that "music does not come from the head, it comes from the soul" (para. 2), a viewpoint he developed when...
- The placement of the citation varies according to the punctuation used in a sentence:
"It's unbelievable that this should still occur today!" (Lasalle, 1996, p. 88). - citation after the exclamation point and quotation mark and before the period.
"How can they not see what is as clear as day?" (Richer, 2001, p. 20). - citation after the question mark and quotation mark and before the period.
"Each pastor will develop his own method of keeping records" (Jackson, 1975, p. 54). - citation after the quotation mark and before the period.
In the practice of Ministry, "each pastor will develop his own method of keeping records" (Jackson, 1975, p. 54), which means that...- citation after the quotation mark and before the comma.
Long Direct Quotations
- A long direct quotation is a quotation that contains 40 or more words. With this type of quotation, double quotation marks (" ") are omitted. You must use a sentence to introduce the quotation and then start the quoted text on a new line. Present it in block format, indenting the text 1/2 inch (five spaces) from the left margin of the document. Double-space the entire quotation. If there is more than one paragraph to be quoted, indent the first line of each new paragraph by another 1/2 inch. After the final punctuation mark, include a citation in parentheses. Please note that page or paragraph numbers must always be provided in the citation of a direct quotation:
One minister's view is quite different:
The variety of opportunities the religious organizations make available for people to be together and talk out their emotional concerns become quite a different thing when assayed from the point of view of Sullivan's philosophy. Perhaps the champion, at least during the earlier periods of development, for most parish counselors, especially in Roman Catholic Ranks, has been Carl Jung. (Jackson, 1975, p. 12)
- If you already mention the author's name and date of publication of the source when you are introducing the block quotation, only the page or paragraph numbers need to be included in the citation at the end of the quotation. If you only mention the author's name when you introduce the block quotation, include the date of publication and the page or paragraph numbers in the citation.
[Back to top]
