APA In-Text Text Citations: The Ultimate Guide
The world of academic writing is filled with precise rules and regulations, each one designed to lend credibility and structure to the works produced.
The American Psychological Association, or APA style, is a set of guidelines often used in social and behavioral sciences.
One crucial element of this style is the in-text citation, which are used to cite a source within a body of text.
In this article, we will explore what APA in-text citations are, why they're important, their format, and we'll look at some examples.
What Are APA Citations Used For?
APA citations are used primarily to acknowledge the work of other scholars. When you write an academic paper, you're entering into a global conversation about ideas, research, and theories. As such, it's important to credit those whose work has informed your own.
APA citations help authors avoid plagiarism by acknowledging the sources of information used in their work. This not only pays respect to the original authors but also allows readers to trace back the source material if they wish to explore further.
Why Are APA Citations Important?
The significance of APA citations in academic writing cannot be overstated. First, they act as a guard against plagiarism, which is a grave academic offense that can lead to severe penalties.
Note: Plagiarism is more than just 'copying and pasting'. It also involves using another person's ideas without giving them due credit.
Second, citations add credibility to your work. They demonstrate that your arguments and conclusions are backed up by research.
Finally, APA citations provide a road map for interested readers to further delve into the topic. They can easily locate and read the original resources you used in your work, enabling a greater depth of understanding.
What Are In-Text Citations?
In-text citations are brief references within the body of your text that direct readers to the full citation in the reference list at the end of your paper.
The purpose of an in-text citation is to point the reader to the relevant citation in the reference list so they can verify the source of the information.
As opposed to footnotes or endnotes, in-text citations make the source of information clear immediately, rather than requiring the reader to flip pages or scroll down.
This immediate clarity can be helpful for readers who want to verify facts or dig deeper into the original source material.
When to Use APA In-Text Citations
Understanding when to use APA in-text citations is crucial in academic writing. You should include these citations whenever you:
Directly Quote: Include an in-text citation every time you quote another author's words directly, no matter the length of the quote.
Paraphrase or Summarize: You should also cite when you're rephrasing or summarizing another's ideas, even if you're not using their exact wording.
Referencing a Theory or Idea: An in-text citation is required when referencing another's theory, model, or idea, even without direct quoting or paraphrasing.
Use Data, Statistics, or Research Findings: Whenever you use specific data or research findings from another work, ensure you provide an in-text citation to give credit to the original source.
The aim of APA in-text citations is to accurately credit the original authors, providing a trail for readers to trace back the original source.
What is the Format of an APA In-Text Citation?
The format of an APA in-text citation is straightforward. The citation should immediately follow the direct quote, paraphrase, or reference to another author's work in your text.
It usually includes the author's last name and the year of publication, separated by a comma, and enclosed in parentheses.
The general format of an in-text citation (in APA style) is: (Author's Last Name, Year of Publication).
If you directly quote a source, the page number should also be included, as follows:
(Author's Last Name, Year of Publication, p. Page Number).
APA In-Text Citation Example
Let's look at an example to bring it all together. Suppose you are citing Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, published in 1813:
If you are paraphrasing Austen's idea, it would look something like this:
"Romantic relationships were often complex and fraught with danger in early 19th-century England (Austen, 1813)."
If you are directly quoting Austen, your citation should include the page number:
Note that the parenthesis is outside of the quotation marks and that the punctuation mark is after the parenthesis.
APA Citation Generator: In-Text + Full Citations
Creating citations, whether in-text or full citations, takes time, especially if you are citing multiple sources in your work. Instead of taking the time to cite them manually, use a citation generator to save time and automatically create citations.
Look no further than Text Blaze's APA citation generator to help you create citations in a fraction of the time it takes to do them by hand.
With Text Blaze's APA citation generator, you can:
- Generate in-text + full citations for any source type in seconds with no hassle or headaches.
- Insert your citations using keyboard shortcuts instead of copying and pasting so that the format is maintained.
- Create citations from anywhere, such as your most used sites/apps (Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Gmail, Outlook, etc).
{note}To create your citation, fill out all required fields (indicated with a *) as well as any additional fields necessary.
Your citation will be created at the bottom of this form. Only the citation will be output by this snippet.
Source
{formmenu: default=book; image; journal article; online video; textbook; website; name=source}
Citation Type
{formmenu: Full citation; default=In-text citation; name=citationtype; multiple=yes}
Selecting both will output both citations at once.
Citation Details
{if: source="book" or source="textbook"}
{if: includes(citationtype, "Full citation")}Year* {formtext: name=year}{if: testregex(year, "[^0-9]")}{error: Enter numbers only}{endif}
Title* {formtext: name=title; cols=50}
Publisher* {formtext: name=publisher; cols=25}
Edition {formtext: name=edition; cols=25}
Include the ordinal indicator, such as "1st", "2nd", "3rd", or "4th"
Page(s){if: includes(citationtype, "In-text citation")}*{endif} {formtext: name=pages; cols=25}
Numbers only for a single page. Multiple pages should be separated with a - such as 10-15.
DOI {formtext: name=doi; cols=25}
ID only. Do not include https://www.doi.org/
URL {formtext: name=url; cols=50}
Include the full URL. If a DOI is included, URL will be ignored.
{elseif: includes(citationtype, "In-text citation") and not includes(citationtype, "Full citation"); trim=right}
Year* {formtext: name=year}{if: testregex(year, "[^0-9]")}{error: Enter numbers only}{endif}
Pages* {formtext: name=pages; cols=25}
Numbers only for a single page. Multiple pages should be separated with a - such as 10-15.{endif}
{elseif: source="journal article"}
{if: includes(citationtype, "Full citation")}Year* {formtext: name=year}{if: testregex(year, "[^0-9]")}{error: Enter numbers only}{endif}
Title* {formtext: name=title; cols=50}
Journal* {formtext: name=journal; cols=50}
DOI {formtext: name=doi; cols=25}
ID only. Do not include https://www.doi.org/
Volume {formtext: name=volume; cols=25}
Issue {formtext: name=issue; cols=25}
Page(s) {formtext: name=pages; cols=25}
Numbers only for a single page. Multiple pages should be separated with a - such as 10-15.
URL {formtext: name=url; cols=50}
Include the full URL. If a DOI is included, URL will be ignored
{elseif: includes(citationtype, "In-text citation") and not includes(citationtype, "Full citation"); trim=right}
Year* {formtext: name=year}{if: testregex(year, "[^0-9]")}{error: Enter numbers only}{endif}{endif}
{elseif: source="website"}
{if: includes(citationtype, "Full citation")}Title* {formtext: name=title; cols=50}
Website Name* {formtext: name=website; cols=25}
URL* {formtext: name=url; cols=50}
Include the full URL
Publishing date: {formdate: YYYY, MMMM D; name=pubdate}
Date accessed: {formdate: MMMM D, YYYY; name=accessdate}
{elseif: includes(citationtype, "In-text citation") and not includes(citationtype, "Full citation"); trim=right}
Year* {formtext: name=year}{if: testregex(year, "[^0-9]")}{error: Enter numbers only}{endif}{endif}
{elseif: source="image"}
{if: includes(citationtype, "Full citation")}Title or Description* {formtext: name=title; cols=50}
If the image has a title, use it. Otherwise, provide a description of the image [in square brackets like this].
Year* {formtext: name=year; cols=25}{if: testregex(year, "[^0-9]")}{error: Enter numbers only}{endif}
Source {formtext: name=imagesource; cols=25}
URL {formtext: name=url; cols=50}
{elseif: includes(citationtype, "In-text citation") and not includes(citationtype, "Full citation"); trim=right}
Title or Description* {formtext: name=title; cols=50}
If the image has a title, use it. Otherwise, provide a description of the image.
Year* {formtext: name=year; cols=25}{if: testregex(year, "[^0-9]")}{error: Enter numbers only}{endif}{endif}
{elseif: source="online video"}
{if: includes(citationtype, "Full citation")}Channel or Username of video publisher* {formtext: name=channel; cols=25}
Publishing date* {formdate: YYYY, MMMM D; name=pubdate}
Title* {formtext: name=title; cols=50}
Website Name* {formtext: name=website; cols=50}
URL* {formtext: name=url; cols=50}{if: includes(citationtype, "Full citation") and includes(citationtype, "In-text citation")}
Timestamp* {formtext: name=timestamp}
Provide as HH:MM:SS{endif}
Note: Listing contributors is not required for online videos. Only add below if you have this information. Check this box if you'd like to include contributors in the citation: {formtoggle: name=Include Contributors in online video citation}
{elseif: includes(citationtype, "In-text citation") and not includes(citationtype, "Full citation"); trim=right}
Channel or Username of video publisher* {formtext: name=channel; cols=25}
Publishing date* {formdate: YYYY, MMMM D; name=pubdate}
Timestamp* {formtext: name=timestamp}
Provide as HH:MM:SS
{endif}{endif}
Contributor Details
{if: (not includes(citationtype, "Full citation")) and (source="online video" or source="image")}Contributor details are not necessary for in-text citations for {=source}.{else}Number of contributors: {formmenu: default=1; 2; 3; 4; 5; name=contributors}
Contributor 1
| First Name{if: includes(citationtype, "Full citation")}*{endif} | Middle Initial | Last Name* | Suffix | Contributor Type* |
| {formtext: name=c1first; cols=15} | {formtext: name=c1mi; cols=3} | {formtext: name=c1last; cols=15} | {formtext: name=c1suff; cols=3} | {c1type="Author"}{=c1type} |
Contributor 2
| First Name{if: includes(citationtype, "Full citation")}*{endif} | Middle Initial | Last Name* | Suffix | Contributor Type* |
| {formtext: name=c2first; cols=15} | {formtext: name=c2mi; cols=3} | {formtext: name=c2last; cols=15} | {formtext: name=c2suff; cols=3} | {if: source="journal article" or source="website" or source="image" or source="online video"}{c2type="Author"}{=c2type}{else}{formmenu: Author; Editor; Translator; name=c2type}{endif} |
Contributor 3
| First Name{if: includes(citationtype, "Full citation")}*{endif} | Middle Initial | Last Name* | Suffix | Contributor Type* |
| {formtext: name=c3first; cols=15} | {formtext: name=c3mi; cols=3} | {formtext: name=c3last; cols=15} | {formtext: name=c3suff; cols=3} | {if: source="journal article" or source="website" or source="image" or source="online video"}{c3type="Author"}{=c3type}{else}{formmenu: Author; Editor; Translator; name=c3type}{endif} |
Contributor 4
| First Name{if: includes(citationtype, "Full citation")}*{endif} | Middle Initial | Last Name* | Suffix | Contributor Type* |
| {formtext: name=c4first; cols=15} | {formtext: name=c4mi; cols=3} | {formtext: name=c4last; cols=15} | {formtext: name=c4suff; cols=3} | {if: source="journal article" or source="website" or source="image" or source="online video"}{c4type="Author"}{=c4type}{else}{formmenu: Author; Editor; Translator; name=c4type}{endif} |
Contributor 5
| First Name{if: includes(citationtype, "Full citation")}*{endif} | Middle Initial | Last Name* | Suffix | Contributor Type* |
| {formtext: name=c5first; cols=15} | {formtext: name=c5mi; cols=3} | {formtext: name=c5last; cols=15} | {formtext: name=c5suff; cols=3} | {if: source="journal article" or source="website" or source="image" or source="online video"}{c5type="Author"}{=c5type}{else}{formmenu: Author; Editor; Translator; name=c5type}{endif} |
Conclusion
APA in-text citations play an indispensable role in academic writing. They help avoid plagiarism, lend credibility to an author's work, and provide a clear roadmap for readers to trace source materials.
Use Text Blaze's APA citation generator above to help you save time while creating citations and boost your productivity.
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