There are two chief concerns when it comes to citing and documenting material: accuracy and consistency. Whatever system of citation is used, a research writer must follow it closely and consistently.
About In-text Citations
In-Text Citations
The APA system emphasizes the date of publication, which must appear within an in-text citation. Whenever a quotation is given, the page number must also be provided:
Example:
Bonnycastle (2007) refers to "the true and lively spirit of opposition" (p. 204) with which Marxist literary criticism invigorates the discipline.
It is common to mention the names of authors you are citing in the body of your text, as is done in the example above. If author names are not mentioned in the body of the text, however, they must be provided within the in-text citation:
Example:
One overview of literary theory (Bonnycastle, 2007) has praised "the true and lively spirit of opposition" (p. 204) with which Marxist literary criticism invigorates the discipline.
If the reference does not involve a quotation (as it commonly does not in social science papers), only the date need be given as an in-text citation, providing that the author's name appears in the signal phrase:
Example:
Bonnycastle (2007) argues that the oppositional tone of Marxist literary criticism invigorates the discipline.
A citation such as this connects to a list of references at the end of the paper. In this case the entry under "References" at the end of the paper would be as follows:
Example Reference:
Bonnycastle, S. (2007). In search of authority: A guide to literary theory (3rd ed.). Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press.
Notice here that the date of publication is again foregrounded, appearing immediately following the author's name.
Notice too that all words in a title except the first word in the title, the first in the subtitle, and any proper nouns appear in lower case.
Titles: Italics / Underlining:
Example:
Bonnycastle, S. (2007). In search of authority: A guide to literary theory (3rd ed.). Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press.
Notice in the above example that both the title and the subtitle are in italics. The APA allows either italics or underlining for titles.
Most writers now seem to feel that italic type has a more attractive appearance than underlining does; that italics is the form used in published work (meaning that if you have used underlining and your work is then published, all that underlining has to be converted to italics); and that italics is just as easy as underlining to produce with word processing systems. For all those reasons, we use italics rather than underlining for titles in these pages.
Titles of Short Works
The titles of works are not usually used in the body of the text. Titles of short works (such as articles, lyric poems, and short stories) should be put in quotation marks if they appear in the body of the text or in an in-text citation, with key words capitalized.
In the list of references, however, such works should not be put in quotation marks or italicized, and no words should be capitalized except the first word in the title and the first in the subtitle, if any.
Placing of In-Text Citations
The in-text citation comes directly after the name of the author or after the end quotation mark. Often, the citation comes just before the period or comma in the surrounding sentence.
If a quotation ends with punctuation other than a period or comma, then this should precede the end of the quotation, and a period or comma should still follow the parenthetical reference, if this is grammatically appropriate.
Examples:
The claim has been convincingly refuted by Ricks (2001), but it nevertheless continues to be put forward (Dendel, 2008).
One of Berra's favourite coaching tips was that "ninety per cent of the game is half mental" (Adelman, 2007, p. 98).
Berra at one point said to his players, "You can observe a lot by watching!" (Adelman, 2007, p. 98).
Garner (2005) associates statistics and pleasure.
Parenthetical Reference When Text is in Parentheses
If a parenthetical reference occurs within text in parentheses, commas are used to set off elements of the reference.
Example:
(See Figure 6.1 of Harrison, 2006, for data on transplant waiting lists.)
When There Is No Signal Phrase (Or Author Not Named in Signal Phrase):
If the context does not make it clear who the author is, that information must be added to the in-text citation.
Note that commas separate the name of the author, the date, and the page number (where this is given).
Example:
Even in recent years some have continued to believe that Marxist literary criticism invigorates the discipline with a "true and lively spirit of opposition" (Bonnycastle, 2005, p. 4).
How to Cite an Electronic Source—Page Number Unavailable:
If a Web document cited is in PDF format, the page numbers are stable and may be cited as one would the pages of a printed source.
Many Web page numbers are unstable, however, and many more lack page numbers. In such cases, you should provide a section or paragraph number if a reference is needed.
For Paragraphs
APA suggests using either the abbreviation "para." or the symbol ¶. Remember that with APA style you need only provide information as to author and date if you are not quoting directly.
Examples, When Quoting Directly:
In a recent Web posting a leading theorist has clearly stated that he finds such an approach "thoroughly objectionable" (Bhabha, 2005, para. 7).
In a recent Web posting a leading theorist has clearly stated that he finds such an approach "thoroughly objectionable" (Bhabha, 2005, ¶ 7).
Examples, When Not Quoting Directly
Bhabha (2005) has clearly stated his opposition to this approach.
Carter and Zhaba (2005) describe this approach as "more reliable than that adopted by Perkins" (Method section, para. 2).
For Chapters
If you are citing longer texts from electronic versions, chapter references may be more appropriate. For example, if the online Gutenberg edition of Darwin's On the Origin of the Species were being cited, the citation would be as follows:
Darwin refers to the core of his theory as an "ineluctable principle" (1856, chap. 26).
Students should be cautioned that online editions of older or classic works are often unreliable; typically there are far more typos and other errors in such versions than there are in print versions.
Two or More Dates for a Work
If you have consulted a re-issue of a work (whether in printed or electronic form), you should provide both the original date of publication and the date of the re-issue (the date of the version you are using).
Example:
Emerson (1837/1909) asserted that America's "long apprenticeship to the learning of other lands" was "drawing to a close" (para. 1).
The relevant entry in the list of references would look like this:
Emerson, R. W. (1909). Essays and English Traits. New York: P. F. Collier & Son. (Original work published 1837)
If you are citing work in a form that has been revised by the author, however, you should cite the date of the revised publication, not the original.
Example:
In a preface to the latest edition of his classic work (2004), Watson discusses its genesis.
Multiple Authors
If there are two or three authors, all authors should be named either in the signal phrase or in the in-text citation. Use and in the signal phrase but & in parentheses.
Example in the Signal Phrase:
Chambliss and Best (2005) have argued that the nature of this research is practical as well as theoretical.
Example in Parentheses:
Two distinguished scholars have argued that the nature of this research is practical as well as theoretical (Chambliss & Best, 2005).
Three to Five Authors
In the body of the text, list the names of all authors the first time the work is referred to; for subsequent references use only the first author's name, followed by "et al
."
Examples:
Chambliss, Best, Didby, and Jones (2005) have argued that the nature of this research is practical as well as theoretical.
Four distinguished scholars have argued that the nature of this research is practical as well as theoretical (Chambliss, Best, Didby, & Jones, 2005).
More than Five Authors
Use only the first author's name, followed by "et al."
Examples:
Chambliss et al. (2005) have argued that the nature of this research is practical as well as theoretical.
Six distinguished scholars have argued that the nature of this research is practical as well as theoretical (Chambliss et al., 2005).
Author Unknown / Corporate Author
Be sure to refer to the relevant organization and/or the title of the piece so as to make the reference clear. For organizations, recommended practice is to provide the full name on the first occasion, followed by an abbreviation, and then to use the abbreviation for subsequent references.
Example:
Blindness has decreased markedly but at an uneven pace since the late 1800s (National Institute for the Blind [NIB], 2002).
Electronic Source—Author Not Given
If the author of the electronic source is not given, the source may be identified in the parenthetical reference by a short form of the title.
Example:
The party's electronic newsletter said the candidate mentioned his role in the protests ("Globalization," 2004).
Electronic Source—Date Not Given
Some electronic sources do not provide a date of publication. Where this is the case, use the abbreviation n.d. for "no date."
Example:
Some still claim that evidence of global warming is difficult to come by (Sanders, n.d.; Zimmerman, 2005).
Order of Authors' Names
Works should appear in in-text citations in the same order they do in the list of references, i.e., alphabetically, by author's last name, and then by publication date.
Examples:
Various studies have established a psychological link between fear and sexual arousal (Aikens, Cox, & Bartlett, 1998; Looby, 1999a, 1999b, 2003; Looby & Cairns, 2008, in press).
Various studies appear to have established a psychological link between fear and sexual arousal (Looby & Cairns, 1999, 2002, 2005).
Two or More Authors with the Same Last Name
If the "References" list includes two or more authors with the same last name, the in-text citation should supply an initial:
Example:
One of the leading economists of the time advocated wage and price controls (H. Johnston, 1977).
Works in a Collection of Readings or Anthology
In the in-text citation for a work in an anthology or collection of readings, use the name of the author of the work, not that of the editor of the anthology.
If the work was first published in the collection you have consulted, there is only the one date to cite. But if the work is reprinted in that collection after having first been published elsewhere, cite the date of the original publication and the date of the collection you have consulted, separating these dates with a slash.
The following citation refers to an article by Frederic W. Gleach that was first published in a collection of readings edited by Jennifer Brown and Elizabeth Vibert.
Example:
One of the essays in Brown and Vibert's collection argues that we should rethink the Pocahontas myth (Gleach, 1996).
In your list of references, this work should be alphabetized under Gleach, the author of the piece you have consulted, not under Brown, the editor of the anthology.
The next example is a lecture by George Simmel first published in 1903, which a student consulted in an edited collection by Roberta Garner that was published in 2001.
Example:
Simmel (1903/2001) argues that the "deepest problems of modern life derive from the claim of the individual to preserve the autonomy and individuality of his existence" (p. 141).
The reference list entry would look like this:
Simmel, G. (2001). The metropolis and mental life. In R. garner (Ed.), Social theory–Continuity and confrontation: A reader (pp. 141–153). Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press. (Original work published in 1903)
As you can see, in your reference list these works are listed under the authors of the pieces (Gleach or Simmel), not under the compilers, editors, or translators of the collection (Brown & Vibert or Garner).
If you cite another work by a different author from the same anthology or book of readings, that should appear as a separate entry in your list of works cited—again, alphabetized under the author's name.
Indirect Source
If you are citing a source from a reference other than the source itself, you should use the phrase "as cited in" in your in-text citation.
Example:
In de Beauvoir's famous phrase, "one is not born a woman, one becomes one" (as cited in Levey, 2001, para. 3).
In this case, the entry in your reference list would be for Levey, not de Beauvoir.
Material from The Broadview Guide to Writing.
