Sometimes, the easiest way to think about your in-text citations and references (and how they must match) is to see them side by side. The following examples provide reference information and corresponding in-text citation information for common source types and situations you are likely to encounter while working with your sources.
And, remember, in your paper, your in-text citations and your references must match or correspond. This means that you must have an in-text citation for any source that appears on your References list, AND you must follow APA formatting guidelines so that the first part of each of your References entry matches up with your in-text citation.
Click on the following items below to learn more.
Book
| Reference |
|
Parenthetical Citation |
|
Narrative Citation |
|
Larson, M. S. (1977). The rise of professionalism. University of California Press. |
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(Larson, 1977, p. 121). |
|
According to Larson (1977), insert quote or paraphrase here (p. 121).
Note: Page numbers are only required for direct quotes.
|
Online Book
| Reference |
|
Parenthetical Citation |
|
Narrative Citation |
Presnall, J. J. (1995). Rachel Carson. Lucent Books. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL1436989M/Rachel_Carson |
|
If the electronic book has page numbers, the citations would look as they look for a traditional book. However, if there are no page numbers, APA recommends paragraph numbers or names of the headings.
(Presnall, 1995, para.35).
or
(Presnall, 1995, Chapter 3). |
|
Presnall (1995) argues, insert quote or paraphrase here (para.35)
or
Presnall (1995) argues, “insert quote here” (Chapter 3).
Note: Paragraph numbers or chapters/sections are only required for direct quotes.
|
Online or Database Journal Article: With DOI
| Reference |
|
Parenthetical Citation |
|
Narrative Citation |
Herbst-Damm, K. L., & Kulik, J. A. (2005). Volunteer support, marital status, and the survival times of terminally ill patients. Health Psychology, 24(2), 225-229. https://doi.org/10.1037/027806133.24.2.225 |
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(Herbst-Damm & Kulik, 2005, p. 225). |
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According to Herbst-Damm and Kulik (2005), insert quote or paraphrase here (p. 225).
Note: Page numbers are only required for direct quotes.
|
Online or Database Journal Article: Without DOI
| Reference |
|
Parenthetical Citation |
|
Narrative Citation |
Gasinska, A. (2016). The contribution of women to radiobiology: Marie Curie and beyond. Reports of Practical Oncology & Radiotherapy, 21(30), 250-253. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5002019/ |
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(Gasinska, 2016, p. 251). |
|
According to Gasinska (2016), insert quote or paraphrase here (p. 251).
Note: Page numbers are only required for direct quotes.
|
Web Page
| Reference |
|
Parenthetical Citation |
|
Narrative Citation |
Boyd, V. (2012). About Zora Neale Hurston. https://zoranealehurston.com/about |
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(Boyd, 2012, para. 10). |
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According to Boyd (2012), insert quote or paraphrase here (para. 10).
Note: Paragraph numbers are only required for direct quotes.
|
Video
| Reference |
|
Parenthetical Citation |
|
Narrative Citation |
Ezekial, S. (Lecturer). (2012, March 21). MIT understanding laser and fiberoptics: Fiberoptics fundamentals [Video]. YouTube. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0DCrIAxEv_Y |
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(Ezekial, 2012). |
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According to Ezekial (2012), insert quote or paraphrase here. |
Source with Two Authors
| Reference |
|
Parenthetical Citation |
|
Narrative Citation |
Barker, D., & Pollan, M. (2015, December 15). A secret weapon to fight climate change. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2015/12/04/fe22879e-990b-11e5-8917-653b65c809eb_story.html |
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(Barker & Pollan, 2015, para. 5). |
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According to Barker and Pollan (2015), insert quote or paraphrase here (para. 5).
Note: Page or paragraph numbers are only required for direct quotes.
|
Source with Multiple Authors (3 or more)
| Reference |
|
Parenthetical Citation |
|
Narrative Citation |
| (Any source type may have multiple authors. This example shows a book, but if you have a different source, simply model the author portion from this sample and the appropriate portion for your source from another sample).
Rivano, A. S., Hoson, A., & Stallings B. (2001). Regional integration and economic development. Palgrave. |
|
For three or more authors, APA requires using the first author’s last name followed by et al. on all in-text citations.
(Rivano et al., 2001, p. 42). |
|
According to Rivano et al. (2001), insert quote or paraphrase here (p. 42).
Note: Page numbers are only required for direct quotes.
|
NOTE: For blocked quotes, the period will be placed before the in-text citation.
