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APA 7th Edition Citation Style Guide

Citing sources in your text

Every time you use an idea that is not your own or information that is not common knowledge in your writing you have to cite the source directly in your text. For more details see:

Link to Purdue's In-text citations: The basics

General Rules:

There are two types of in text citations: narrative and parenthetical, both are acceptable. 

  • Narrative: Use the author(s) last name(s) followed by the publication date in parentheses in your text. 
  • Parenthetical: list the author(s) name(s) and publication date in parentheses at the end of your sentence.
  • If you use a direct quote from the source include a page number in the parentheses at the end of your sentence. 
  • While it’s not required, including the page number when paraphrasing can help readers locate the relevant passage easily.

Examples:

Ross and Myers (2009) argue that traffic stops deserve more critical attention because of the wide range of privacy rights issues and officer safety issues they can pose. 

Issues surrounding traffic stops require careful Fourth Amendment analysis (Ross & Myers, 2009).

Ross and Myers posit that “the touchstone of the Fourth Amendment is reasonableness” and that it has been considered reasonable for police to remove any or all occupants from a vehicle during a traffic stop at their discretion (2009, p. 470).

Basic In-Text Citation Styles on Author or More

Author type  Parenthetical citation Narrative Citation
One author (Nader, 2001) Nader (2001)
Two authors (Nader & Travis, 2001) Nader and Travis (2001)
Three or more authors (Nader et al., 2021) Nader et al. (2020)

Group author with abbreviation-First citation

Subsequent citation

(Maharishi International University [MIU], 2024)

(MIU, 2024)

Maharishi International University (MIU, 2024)

MIU (2024)

Group author without abbreviation

(Cornell Colledge, 2024) Cornell College (2024)
For more details see section 8.17, Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed.