paraphrasing an author in apa format

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Paraphrasing in APA

Paraphrasing is the art of putting information into your own words while writing a research paper, in order to maintain the academic integrity of your project. This is important because you need to use solid evidence as a researcher, but you need to put information into the proper format to avoid plagiarism. The American Psychological Association (APA) created a writing style in 1929 that calls for uniformity and consistency in giving credit to sources in your research.

How to properly paraphrase

If you do not properly paraphrase your source material following the APA style, you are at the risk of losing credibility as a writer and possibly plagiarizing. Although paraphrasing is not difficult, it does take time and a little forethought to do it correctly. There are several steps you should follow in order to achieve success.

1. Read the original source

The first step in creating an effective paraphrase is to carefully read the original source. Read it the first time to get the overall understanding, and then do a second closer reading in order to gather details and material that will help you formulate your argument.

2. Take notes in your own words

After reading the original source and determining what details can help you formulate your argument, take a minute to jot down some notes. Be careful to put everything into your own words. Change the structure of the sentence as well as the vocabulary.

Also, take a moment to take notes on the context of the source. Why was it written? Who wrote it? When was it written?

3. Construct a paraphrase

In order to construct a paraphrase, you need to include the same information, but with different sentence structure and different vocabulary. APA rules say that a paraphrase should be approximately the same length as the original.

You also need to add contextual text around the paraphrase so it fits within your paper.

4. Double check the original source to avoid duplication

Although an extra step, it is always a good idea to read through the original source one more time to make sure that you have chosen different words and varied the sentence structure. This is a good time to add the APA requirements of author and year of the source so that you have it handy.

5. Include an APA in-text citation

Even though you are putting a paraphrase into your own words, APA requires an in-text citation for paraphrasing. You can create a parenthetical citation or a narrative citation to accomplish this.

Remember: All in-text citations will also need a corresponding APA reference in the APA reference page . For this article, we’re just focusing on in-text citations in paraphrases.

For both types of in-text citation, you will need the following source information:

• Author’s last name
• Year published
• single page: p. #
• page range: pp. #-#

Parenthetical citation

For an APA parenthetical citation , write your paraphrase and then add the author and year in parenthesis at the end. Use a comma between the author and the year inside the parenthesis, and put the period for the end of the sentence outside the parenthesis.

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming? (Key, 1814).

My parents traveled from Italy to Germany and then France. As the oldest child, I traveled with them after being born in Naples. They were very close, and shared that love they had for each other with me (Shelley, 1818, p. 78).

Narrative citation

In a narrative citation, you introduce the author’s name as part of the sentence, and put the year in parenthesis.

Francis Scott Key (1814) wrote very special words while overlooking a battle: Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?

For further details, visit this guide on APA in-text citations.

Paraphrasing example

Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave an inaugural address in January 1933 during the Great Depression. This is an excerpt taken from an online source :

This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper….

1. Read original source text

In order to paraphrase, read through the text once to get the gist of it, and then again for deeper understanding. The context of this passage is also significant. It was given by a U.S. president during the Great Depression. What do you think he was trying to achieve?

Next take notes in your own words. Without immediately looking at the text, jot down what you think is the main point or concept of it. Next, take notes on the context of the source (you can look at the source for this).

For this passage, a few example notes could be:

• Facing truth
• Harsh current reality
• Believing that this great nation will endure and eventually prosper again
• Speech by President Roosevelt in 1933
• Given during the Great Depression
• He was addressing his citizens

Now’s the time to construct the paraphrase. Based on the notes above, a paraphrase would look something like this:

With his inaugural speech, Roosevelt was carefully trying to prepare citizens of the Nation to face the harsh reality that the Great Depression had caused, while also reassuring them that the country would endure and eventually prosper again.

4. Double check with the original source

The paraphrase above doesn’t not look too similar to the original, but we could still change a few words that were also in the original phrase (like “Nation,” “endure,” and “prosper). Revised, it looks like this:

With his inaugural speech, Roosevelt was carefully trying to prepare citizens of the United States to face the harsh reality that the Great Depression had caused, while also reassuring them that the country would eventually bounce back .

5. Add an APA in-text citation

An APA in-text citation means including the source’s author, year published, and page numbers (if available). The paraphrase already has the author’s name, but the year published needs to be added in parentheses. This is from an online source so no page number is needed.

With his inaugural speech, Roosevelt (1933) was carefully trying to prepare citizens of the United States to face the harsh reality that the Great Depression had caused, while also reassuring them that the country would eventually bounce back.

Examples of poor paraphrasing

Most people who fail at paraphrasing use the same sentence as the original source, and just change a word or two. If this is the case, the paraphrase would look something like this:

This great country will endure as it has endured, will come back to life and will prosper. So, first of all, let me show my strong belief that the only thing we have to worry about is fear itself…”

Another problem with paraphrasing occurs when you do half the job. Although the first and third sentences change the sentence structure and vocabulary in the sample below, there are some sections that are taken word-for-word from the original.

“From Italy they visited Germany and France. I, their eldest child, was born at Naples, and as an infant accompanied them in their rambles. I remained for several years their only child. Much as they were attached to each other, they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores of affection from a very mine of love to bestow them upon me.

Paraphrase:

My parents visited Italy and then Germany and France. I, their eldest child, was born at Naples. I traveled with them and was their only child for a few years. They loved each other and they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores of affection from a very mine of love.

In addition to the word-for-word similarities, this paraphrase doesn’t mention the original source’s author, year published, or page number (Shelley, 1818, p. 78).

Key takeaways

• In order to avoid plagiarism, APA delineates the way to give credit to sources when you are paraphrasing.
• In APA style, parenthetical citations demand the author and year of source.
• In order to create a stellar paraphrase, you need to change the structure and the words, but keep the main idea intact.

Published October 28, 2020.

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APA Citation Guide (7th edition): Quotes vs Paraphrases

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What's the Difference?

Quoting vs paraphrasing: what's the difference.

There are two ways to integrate sources into your assignment: quoting directly or paraphrasing.

Quoting  is copying a selection from someone else's work, phrasing it exactly as it was originally written. When quoting place quotation marks (" ") around the selected passage to show where the quote begins and where it ends. Make sure to include an in-text citation. 

Paraphrasing  is used to show that you understand what the author wrote. You must reword the passage, expressing the ideas in your own words, and not just change a few words here and there. Make sure to also include an in-text citation. 

Quoting Example

There are two basic formats that can be used:

Parenthetical Style:

Narrative Style:

Quoting Tips

• Long Quotes
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What Is a Long Quotation?

A quotation of more than 40 words. 

Rules for Long Quotations

There are 4 rules that apply to long quotations that are different from regular quotations:

• The line before your long quotation, when you're introducing the quote, usually ends with a colon.
• The long quotation is indented half an inch from the rest of the text, so it looks like a block of text.
• There are no quotation marks around the quotation.
• The period at the end of the quotation comes before your in-text citation as opposed to after, as it does with regular quotations.

Example of a Long Quotation

At the end of Lord of the Flies the boys are struck with the realization of their behaviour:

The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. (Golding, 1960, p.186)

Changing Quotations

Sometimes you may want to make some modifications to the quote to fit your writing. Here are some APA rules when changing quotes:

Incorrect spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Add the word [sic] after the error in the quotation to let your reader know the error was in the original source and is not your error.

Omitting parts of a quotation

If you would like to exclude some words from a quotation, replace the words you are not including with an ellipsis - ...

Adding words to a quote

If you are adding words that are not part of the original quote, enclose the additional words in square brackets - [XYZ]

Secondary Source Quotes

What is a secondary source.

In scholarly work, a primary source reports original content; a secondary source refers to content first reported in another source.

• Cite secondary sources sparingly—for instance, when the original work is out of print, unavailable, or available only in a language that you do not understand.
• If possible, as a matter of good scholarly practice, find the primary source, read it, and cite it directly rather than citing a secondary source.

Rules for Secondary Source Citations

• In the reference list, provide an entry only for the secondary source that you used.
• In the text, identify the primary source and write “as cited in” the secondary source that you used. 
• If the year of publication of the primary source is known, also include it in the in-text citation.

Example of a Secondary Source Use

Quote & In-Text Citation

Reference List Entry

Paraphrases

Paraphrasing example.

When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

NOTE : Although not required, APA encourages including the page number when paraphrasing if it will help the reader locate the information in a long text and distinguish between the information that is coming from you and the source.

Paraphrasing Tips

• Long Paraphrases

Original Source

Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.

Source from: 

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology, 139, 469-480. 

Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing

Example: correct paraphrasing.

If your paraphrase is longer than one sentence, provide an in-text citation for the source at the beginning of the paraphrase. As long as it's clear that the paraphrase continues to the following sentences, you don't have to include in-text citations for the following sentences.

If your paraphrase continues to another paragraph and/or you include paraphrases from other sources within the paragraph, repeat the in-text citations for each.

Additional Resource

• Paraphrasing (The Learning Portal)

Tip sheet on paraphrasing information

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Running text (Author, Date). Author (Date) running text.

Parenthetical Format . The citation can appear within or at the end of a sentence and includes the author and date separated by a comma. If at the end of a sentence a full stop is placed after the citation.  Growth occurs at every stage of life (Newman & Newman, 2017). Case study research does not employ the scientific method (Barlow et al., 2017) although it is an important tool for qualitative researchers (Travers, 2001). Narrative Format . The author is used as part of the text, the date appears directly after the author in parentheses. If the date is used as a part of the text, just separate the author and date with a comma.  As discussed by Newman and Newman (2017), growth occurs at every stage of life. In 2019, Hiscock et al. pointed out that half of Australian children and adolescents who experienced mental health issues did not receive professional treatment.

Common Examples

Long Paraphrases & Paragraphs

When paraphrasing or summarising using one source over several sentences or even a whole paragraph, cite the source in the first sentence. There is no need to cite the work again in this paragraph provided it is clear that this is the only source being paraphrased. The  APA Style and Grammar Guidelines provide this example:

          Velez et al. (2018) found that for women of color, sexism and racism in the workplace were associated with poor work and mental health outcomes, including job-related burnout, turnover intentions, and psychological distress. However, self-esteem, person–organization fit, and perceived organizational support mediated these effects. These findings underscore the importance of considering multiple forms of workplace discrimination in clinical practice and research with women of color, along with efforts to challenge and reduce such discrimination.

You must reintroduce the citation if the paraphrase continues across multiple paragraphs.  If the paragraph or sentence contains information from multiple sources, then cite as often as required to make sure the source is clearly acknowledged. The  APA Style and Grammar Guidelines provide this example:

           Play therapists can experience many symptoms of impaired wellness, including emotional exhaustion or reduced ability to empathize with others (Elwood et al., 2011; Figley, 2002), disruption in personal relationships (Elwood et al., 2011; Robinson-Keilig, 2014), decreased satisfaction with work (Elwood et al., 2011), avoidance of particular situations (Figley, 2002; O’Halloran & Linton, 2000), and feelings or thoughts of helplessness (Elwood et al., 2011; Figley, 2002; O’Halloran & Linton, 2000).

Academic Writer Tutorial: Paraphrasing & Quoting

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APA Style (7th ed.)

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Paraphrasing

Summarising.

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To paraphrase is to communicate the author’s work in your own words and to acknowledge the source:

• Used to rewrite text in your own words
• Used to clarify meaning
• Used to shorten a longer statement, but keep the main ideas
• Giving credit to the original author of the idea

Elements of a good paraphrase:

Change the structure of the original passage

Change the words

Give a citation / reference

To summarise is to describe broadly the findings of a study without directly quoting from it.  Summarising involves repeating the main ideas of a passage in your own words.  A summary concentrates on the important points rather than the details.

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In-text basics (paraphrasing).

When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

If you are referring to an idea from another work but  NOT  directly quoting the material (i.e. paraphrasing ), or making reference to an entire book, article or other work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication and not the page number in your in-text reference. APA guidelines, however, do encourage including a page range for a summary or paraphrase when it will help the reader find the information in a longer work.

Regardless of how they are referenced, all sources that are cited in the text must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

Source: Purdue OWL

When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).  

If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.

Paraphrasing Examples

Original Source

Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.

Source from: 

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing

The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005). 

Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way. 

Example: Correct Paraphrasing

Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).

Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.

Three or More Authors/Editors (In-text citations)

No Author and/or No Date

No Known Author:

Where you'd normally put the author's last name, instead use the first one, two, or three words from the title. Don't count initial articles like "A", "An" or "The". You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your References List.

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

( Cell Biology , 2012)

("Nursing," 2011)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d.)

More Than One Author/Editor

Two Authors or Editors

Provide each author's last name and the year of publication each time you cite the work in-text.

Three or More Authors or Editors

Provide the first author's last name followed by "et al.," and the year of publication every time you cite the work in-text.

Have a question about paraphrasing or in-text citations that isn't answered on this page? Check out these sites for more detailed information:

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What Are Paraphrase and Summary?

Paraphrase (narrative citation), summary (parenthetical citation).

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Paraphrase and Summary:

• Incorporate a portion of the source into your essay by conveying its meaning in your own words.
• Paraphrase aims to replicate all of the ideas of the source passage, while summary aims to express only its main point(s).
• Are introduced by a signal phrase, incorporating the source passage into the flow of the essay.  Typically, the signal phrase will indicate to the reader something about the source of the paraphrase.
• End with a citation indicating the author of the source and, in APA style, the year it was published.

When do I use Paraphrase and Summary?  

• When you want to call attention to  what  a source says, but how it says it is not important.
• When you only want to convey a source's main idea in a short amount of time.
• Use paraphrase and summary frequently.  APA is designed for the social and health sciences, which typically have less need for direct quotation than the humanities.  

How Do I Paraphrase/Summarize a Source?  

• Read and understand the source.
• Identify the main points and supporting information of the portions you want to paraphrase/summarize.
• Re-write those portions in your own words, being careful not to use similar phrasing of sentence structure. 
• Does it properly convey the meaning of the original? 
• Are the sentence structure and phrasing too similar?

The struggle to fill nursing positions is different from the effort to add to the physician workforce. One main reason: there are not enough faculty to teach incoming nursing students. Either faculty are leaving due to retirement -- like their counterparts in health-care settings, they too are aging – or they’re gaining higher salaries elsewhere in practice settings other than teaching.

Moore, M. (2015, June 5). The nursing shortage and the doctor shortage are two very different things.  The Washington Post .  https://www.washingtonpost.com

Paraphrase:

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Paraphrasing

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When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).

Note : If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.

Paraphrasing Examples

Original Source

Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.

Source from: 

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth.  The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480. 

Example:  Incorrect  Paraphrasing

The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005). 

Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way. 

Example:  Correct  Paraphrasing

Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).

Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.

No Author and/or No Date

No Known Author:

Note that in most cases where a personal author is not named, a group author may be cited instead (eg. Statistics Canada). However, in certain cases, such as religious ancient texts, the author is unknown. Where you'd normally put the author's last name, instead use the first one, two, or three words from the title. Don't count initial articles like "A", "An" or "The". You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your References List.

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

Capitalize the titles using title case (every major word is capitalized) even if the reference list entry uses sentence case (only first word is capitalized).

( Cell Biology , 2012, p. 157)

("Nursing," 2011, p. 9)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d., p. 200)

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

In-Text Citation for Group or Corporate Authors

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When do I use in-text citations?

When should you add in-text citations in your paper .

There are several rules of thumb you can follow to make sure that you are citing your paper correctly in APA 7 format. 

• Think of your paper broken up into paragraphs. When you start a paragraph, the first time you add a sentence that has been paraphrased from a reference -> that's when you need to add an in-text citation. 
• Continue writing your paragraph, you do NOT need to add another in-text citation until: 1) You are paraphrasing from a NEW source, which means you need to cite NEW information OR 2) You need to cite a DIRECT quote, which includes a page number, paragraph number or Section title. 
• Important to remember : You DO NOT need to add an in-text citation after EVERY sentence of your paragraph. 

What do in-text citations look like?

In-text citation styles: .

Let's look at these examples if they were written in text: 

An example with 1 author:

Parenthetical citation:  Following American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines will help you to cultivate your own unique academic voice as an expert in your field (Forbes, 2020). 

Narrative citation : Forbes (2020) shared that by following American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines, students would learn to find their own voice as experts in the field of nursing. 

An example with 2 authors: 

Parenthetical citation: Research on the use of progressive muscle relaxation for stress reduction has demonstrated the efficacy of the method (Bennett & Miller, 2019). 

Narrative citation: As shared by Bennett and Miller (2019), research on the use of progressive muscle relaxation for stress reduction has demonstrated the efficacy of the method. 

An example with 3 authors: 

Parenthetical citation: Guided imagery has also been shown to reduce stress, length of hospital stay, and symptoms related to medical and psychological conditions (Jones et al., 2020).

Narrative citation: Jones et al. (2020) shared that guided imagery has also been shown to reduce stress, length of hospital stay, and symptoms related to medical and psychological conditions. 

An example with a group/corporate author: 

Parenthetical citation: Dr. Philip G. Rogers, senior vice president at the American Council on Education, was recently elected as the newest chancellor of the university (East Carolina University, 2020). 

Narrative citation: Recently shared on the East Carolina University (2020) website, Dr. Philip G. Rogers, senior vice president at the American Council on Education, was elected as the newest chancellor. 

Tips on Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is recreating someone else's ideas into your own words & thoughts, without changing the original meaning (gahan, 2020).  .

Here are some best practices when you are paraphrasing: 

• How do I learn to paraphrase? IF you are thoroughly reading and researching articles or book chapters for a paper, you will start to take notes in your own words . Those notes are the beginning of paraphrased information.
• Read the original information, PUT IT AWAY, then rewrite the ideas in your own words . This is hard to do at first, it takes practice, but this is how you start to paraphrase. 
• It's usually better to paraphrase, than to use too many direct quotes. 
• When you start to paraphrase, cite your source. 
• Make sure not to use language that is TOO close to the original, so that you are not committing plagiarism. 
• Use theasaurus.com to help you come up with like/similar phrases if you are struggling. 
• Paraphrasing (vs. using direct quotes) is important because it shows that YOU ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND the information you are reading. 
• Paraphrasing ALLOWS YOUR VOICE to be prevalent in your writing. 
• The best time to use direct quotes is when you need to give an exact definition, provide specific evidence, or if you need to use the original writer's terminology. 
• BEST PRACTICE PER PARAGRAPH: On your 1st paraphrase of a source, CITE IT. There is no need to add another in-text citation until you use a different source, OR, until you use a direct quote. 

References : 

Gahan, C. (2020, October 15). How to paraphrase sources . Scribbr.com .   https://tinyurl.com/y7ssxc6g  

Citing Direct Quotes

When should i use a direct quote in my paper .

Direct quotes should only be used occasionally: 

• When you need to share an exact definition 
• When you want to provide specific evidence or information that cannot be paraphrased
• When you want to use the original writer's terminology

From:  https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/whaddyamean/ 

Definitions of direct quotes: 

• Western Oregon University's APA Guidelines on Direct Quotes This is an excellent quick tutorial on how to format direct quotes in APA 7th edition. Bookmark this page for future reference!

Carrie Forbes, MLS

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APA Style Quick Guide

Apa quick guide.

• APA Reference Formats
• APA Reference Examples
• In-Text Citations

It may help to know why you are required to cite sources and why you are using the APA style guide for this course.

  Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress the Power, “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.”  Those writing and discoveries are known as "intellectual property." Merriam-Webster defines "intellectual property" as, "property (such as an idea, invention, or process) that derives from the work of the mind or intellect."  The U.S. government protects intellectual property. With some limits, you can draw on the ideas and words of others for use in your own work as a student and as a teacher as long as you credit sources appropriately. 

There are many citation styles including APA, MLA, and Chicago. This class uses APA. Citation styles lend themselves to use in specific disciplines. Read this article from Yale University to learn why scholars in different academic disciplines tend to prefer certain styles over others. 

Please call or email the library anytime you need help with references and citations.  The Reference Librarians will return your email within three business days with the information that you need or will set up an in-person appointment or a zoom appointment to provide further assistance.

Contact us:   [email protected]

"References" is the correct title for your list of sources. This list is arranged alphabetically by author last name. The first line of each reference is not indented. All other lines are indented. References should be double spaced.

Online Journal Article, including articles found in databases

Author Last name, First initial. (Publication Year). Article title.  Journal Title, Vol( Issue #), Page range. DOI 

Author Last name, First initial. (Year, Month, Day).  Page   Title.  Website title.   URL

Podcast Episode

Last name of host, First initial of host. (Host). (Year).  Title  [Audio podcast]. Producer. URL

Online Newspaper Article

Author Last name, First initial. (Year, Month, Day). Title of article.  Title of newspaper . URL

Author Last name, First initial. (Year).  Title and subtitle.  Publisher.

Author Last name, First initial. (Year). Title [eBook edition]. Publisher .  URL if applicable

Print Journal Article

Author Last name, First initial. (Publication Year). Article title.  Journal Title, Vol( Issue #), Page range. 

Photographer Last name, First initial. (Year photograph was taken).  Title or short description of      

       photograph  [Photograph]. Publication or name of website where you found the photograph. URL

Personal Communications

Interviews, emails, and other personal communications that can't be retrieved by the reader aren't included in the reference list, but they should be cited in-text.

(First initial Last name, personal communication, date).

If you state the name of the author in your narrative, the author name is omitted in the in-text citation.

(personal communication, date).

Click here  for further information about APA.  Source: George Mason University Writing Center

SadatHoseini, A., Shareinia, H., Pashaeypoor, S., & Mohammadi, M. (2023). A cross-cultural concept analysis of

    healing in nursing: a hybrid model.  BMC Nursing ,  22 (1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01404-8

Example with a named author:

Gilmore, Tayler. (2023, August 5).  NASA researchers measure sinking land in American Samoa.  NASA.       

    https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/nasa-researchers-measure-sinking-land-in-american-samoa/

Example with a group author:

American Psychological Association. (n.d.)  Disaster and response.   https://www.apa.org/topics/disasters-response

Podcast Episode 

Natisse, K.M. (Host). (2022).  Freedom diving   [Audio podcast]. NPR. 

      https://www.npr.org/2022/09/29/1126052986/freedom-diving

Smith, M. (2024, March 5). Jury selected for bounty hunt homicide trial in Butte.  Butte

Standard.  https://mtstandard.com/news/local/crime-courts/jury-selected-bounty-hunt-homicide-trial-

butte/article_cb77ddde-da76-11ee-a186-57c1a7d8cb1f.html

Example with one author:

French, S. (2016). Philosophy of science: key concepts. Bloomsbury Academic. 

Example with multiple authors:

Jackson, J., Mehl, J.P., & Neuendorf, K.E. (2005).  Glossary of geology.  American Geological Institute.

Isermann, R. (2011). Fault-diagnosis applications: model-based condition monitoring: actuators, drives, machinery,

     plants, sensors, and fault-tolerant systems. [eBook edition]. Springer. 10.1007/978-3-642-12767-0 

Smirnov, V. (1968). The sources of ore-forming material. Economic Geology,   63( 4), 380-389. 

Staplekamp, B. (2015). Lion drinking water. [Photograph]. National 

     Geographic.  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/cecil-african-lion-anniversary-death-trophy-hunting-

     zimbabwe

(K. Carroll, personal communication, March 5, 2024).

(personal communication, March 5, 2024).

Guidance from the APA Style Team

When a prompt is entered into a text-generating tool, the results may vary each time. Predictive text can't be recreated, so the APA Style Team doesn't regard the prompt itself as a useful piece of data. The APA Style Team encourages writers to include their prompts in their narrative text and to include the full text of the generated response in an appendix. 

APA  m odels references and citations of generated text from existing guidelines for referencing and citing software found in Chapter 10 of the 7th edition of the APA Style Guidelines. 

Reference Example

OpenAI. (2023).  ChatGPT  (Sept 1 version) [Large language model].  https://chat.openai.com/chat

In-Text Citation Examples

Parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023) - or-  (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).

Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023)

In addition to a list of references at the end of a paper or presentation, APA format requires in-text citations. 

Paraphrasing:

When paraphrasing an idea from one of your references, you'll include the author and the year from the full reference entry on your reference page. APA does allow for the writer to also include page numbers when creating in-text citations in cases when the page number would be useful in helping the reader to locate the information in the source. Page numbers are generally useful when citing long works.

According to Carroll (2021), Public speaking becomes less stressful with practice.

Public speaking becomes less stressful with practice  (Carroll, 2021).

Quoting: 

When quoting directly from one of your references, you'll include the author, year, and page number (if there is a page number)  from the full reference entry on your reference page. 

According to Carroll (2021), "students often had difficulty sleeping the night before an exam" (p. 199).

Carroll (2021) found "students often had difficulty sleeping the night before an exam" (p. 199).

DOI stands for, "Digital Object Identifier." A DOI is a string of characters that is assigned to a written work or other type of object in order to identify the object.

The APA style guide calls for including a DOI in a reference entry when the DOI can be found. When searching Montana Tech's databases, many articles have a DOI posted in the bibliographic information, often alongside the author, title, and date of publication. 

A DOI is different than a URL in that a DOI is a permanent identifier. URLs can move, but DOIs will remain constant. The long-term goal of the DOI system is to be able to locate objects with one identifying piece of information. 

DOI Guidelines:

• APA reference entries should include a DOI or a URL for any digital content.
• When both the DOI and the URL can be located, use the DOI in the reference entry. Don't include both the DOI and the URL. 
• If a DOI can't be located for digital content, do include the URL in the reference entry.
• The DOI or URL belong at the end of a reference entry.
• Last Updated: Sep 16, 2024 8:26 AM
• URL: https://libguides.mtech.edu/APA

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Paraphrasing in APA

If you’re taking a class in the social sciences, such as psychology, sociology, or political science, you’re probably using APA (American Psychological Association) format. One important use of formatting guidelines is to standardize the way you incorporate and cite sources in your papers.

Sources are incorporated into papers as quotations, summaries, or paraphrases. Paraphrasing is also called “indirect discourse” because instead of directly writing what the source says, you’re putting it in your own words. The source is represented indirectly, but still with proper citation.

Some people have the misconception that if they change the wording of a source, as we do in a paraphrase, they no longer must cite the source. This isn’t true; it’s always important to let readers know when you’re using ideas from a source. This lets readers see the depth of your research.

Let’s look at how to properly incorporate paraphrases using APA format.

Letting the reader know when a paraphrase starts

In a quotation, it is easy for a reader to tell when the quote begins and ends because the quote is enclosed in quotation marks. Paraphrases lack quotation marks, but it’s still important to show the readers when you’re shifting into material from a source. You don’t want readers to be confused about whether they’re reading your idea or an idea from a source.

Narrative citation

It’s important to organize your paraphrase so it’s clear where it begins and ends, so it’s not abruptly dropped in. Narrative citation involves working some amount of the citation information into the sentence that transitions into the paraphrase.  This information is part of the signal phrase that lets the reader know that a source is coming. A narrative citations usually includes the following information:

• Last Name of the Author
• Year of Publication
• Single page — p. 1
• Page range — pp. 1-5

The first time you use the source, include the author’s full name. You may also want to include something about his or her credentials so it’s clear to the readers why this person is a relevant authority.

Narrative format:

Last Name of the Author (Year of Publication) other paraphrase text (Page number).

Narrative example:

Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy (2014), explained how the traditional agriculture base of the Alabaman economy had to change as a result of several factors, including the migration of African Americans to other areas of the country in the 1940s (p. 24).

After the first mention of an author, you can switch to using just their last name. You can also  use an appropriate pronoun if it would be clear to readers whom the pronoun refers to, such as if there are several paraphrases from the same author in one paragraph.

An appropriate verb is also part of the signal phrase. In the example above, that verb is “explained.” In APA format, these verbs are in simple past tense or past perfect tense.

Letting the reader know when a paraphrase ends

Just like with the beginning of a paraphrase, the end needs to be signaled to the reader in some way.

Parenthetical citation

Parenthetical citations go at the end of a quote or paraphrase. In APA format, the information in a parenthetical citation is the author’s last name, a comma, and the year of publication. If the author’s last name and the date were given at the beginning of the paraphrase, they do not have to be repeated at the end. A page number is optional for a paraphrase, but it is a good idea. Part of the reason for citations is to allow a reader to follow your research. If the source you are paraphrasing is long or complex, a page number would help the reader find the original material. Place a lowercase ‘p’ followed by a period and a space before the page number. If you’re paraphrasing material over more than one page, use two lowercase p’s followed by a period.

Parenthetical format:

Paraphrase text (Last Name of the Author, Year of Publication, Page number).

Stevenson (2014) explains that proximity allows us to see that people can’t be reduced to their worst actions (pp. 17-18).

Parenthetical example:

Proximity allows us to see that people can’t be reduced to their worst actions (Stevenson, 2014, pp. 17-18).

When there are no page numbers or listed authors

Of course, some sources, such as web pages, do not have page numbers. Sometimes a writer will cite the paragraph number. In this case, write ‘para’ followed by a period, a space and the paragraph number. If the paraphrase is over more than one paragraph, add an ‘s’. If the text is long enough that counting out the paragraphs would be unreasonable, you can include another identifying feature, like the chapter name or number.

Despite fanciful theories rarely based in fact, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2019) has maintained that the natural environment is the main cause of vessel disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle (para. 3).

The parenthetical citation goes within the sentence, so the period is to the right of the parenthesis.

The information comes from an unpaginated source, so the paragraph number was used instead.

Notice also that in this example there is no person given as the author. Rather, the information is credited to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Likewise, on the website where this information is found, no person is given as the author. The organization is considered the author. On the references page, the name of the organization will be in the author position.

Some organizations have well-known abbreviations. If that is the case, the first time you refer to an organization, use the full name in the citation but include the abbreviation immediately after in square brackets. For all further citations, you can just use the abbreviation. If you’re unsure whether an organization’s abbreviation is well-known, err on the side of clarity for the reader and use the full name.

Connection to the references page

A reader can take the information in an in-text citation and find the source on the references page. The references page provides the full citation. With this, a reader can easily find the text herself if she wants to read further. An in-text citation includes the author’s last name. This is the first piece of information on a references page citation, which makes it easy to match up the in-text citation to the right source.

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APA Citation Guide (7th edition) : Paraphrasing

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Paraphrasing

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Paraphrasing examples.

• In-Text Citation for More Than One Author

In-Text Citation for Group or Corporate Authors

No author and/or no date.

When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).

Note : If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.

Original Source

Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.

Source from: 

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480. 

Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing

The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005). 

Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way. 

Example: Correct Paraphrasing

Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).

Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

No Known Author:

Note that in most cases where a personal author is not named, a group author may be cited instead (eg. Statistics Canada). However, in certain cases, such as religious ancient texts, the author is unknown. Where you'd normally put the author's last name, instead use the first one, two, or three words from the title. Don't count initial articles like "A", "An" or "The". You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your References List.

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

Capitalize the titles using title case (every major word is capitalized) even if the reference list entry uses sentence case (only first word is capitalized).

( Cell Biology , 2012, p. 157)

("Nursing," 2011, p. 9)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d., p. 200)

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CST 110: Communicating Effectively, Balli, FA 2024: APA Citation Style

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APA 7th Edition Books at Murphy

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Citing Sources: APA  (UWL's Murphy Library guide)

APA Style Excelsior College Online Writing Lab (Excelsior University website)

From the American Psychological Association:

Quick Reference Guide, APA Style 7th Edition  (pdf)

APA Style 7th Ed: In-Text Citations  (official APA Style website)

APA Style 7th Ed: References  (official APA Style website)

Academic Writer APA Tutorial  (online modules)

Citation Generator (always check its work!):

Citation-Writing

Why are there so many different styles? Citation styles, like MLA, Chicago, and APA, were developed to meet the research needs of their specific discipline. Common elements to all citation styles are:

• Publication
• Volume number (and if applicable, Issue number)
• Page number(s)
• Publisher (and sometimes, Place of publication)
• Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

This guide is based on the 7th edition (2020) of the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association .

General format for an APA citation: 

Author, A. A. (Date).  Title . Source.

Special Note on Formatting: APA requires the use of hanging indents and double spacing (this webpage does not allow for hanging indents, so these examples are flawed in that regard); however, check with your instructor, as some instructors request single spacing!

Using APA Style

• Scholarly Journal Article
• Book Chapter

General Format for a Scholarly Journal Article (with a DOI):

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article.  Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page range. https://doi.org/10.0000/0000

McCauley, S. M., & Christiansen, M. H. (2019). Language learning as language use: A cross-linguistic model of child language development.  Psychological Review, 126 (1), 1-51.  https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000126

General Format for a Webpage:

Author, A. A. or Name of Group. (Date of publication).  Title of document . Site name (if different from author). https://webaddress.com/example

If there is no author, move the title of the page to beginning of the citation. If there is no date listed, use (n.d.). Example:

Postwar gender roles and women in American politics . (n.d.). History, Art & Archives: United States House of Representatives.  https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Essays/Changing-Guard/Identity/

Book Chapter (in an Edited Book)

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of chapter. In A. A. Editor & B. B. Editor (Eds.),  Title of book  (pages of chapter). Publisher Name. DOI (if available)

O'Neil, J. M., & Egan, J. (1992). Men's and women's gender role journeys: A metaphor for healing, transition, and transformation. In B. R. Wainrib (Ed.),  Gender issues across the life cycle  (pp. 107-123). Springer.

In-Text Citations

In-text, or parenthetical, citations indicate you are quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing someone else's work or ideas. In-text citations should correspond to a source in your reference list - this helps your reader identify the original source used. 

APA uses the author/date method of in-text citation.  Therefore, include in parentheses ( ) the author's last name and the year of publication after all direct quotes and paraphrased segments of your paper. Page numbers are included for direct quotes and some paraphrased content. 

Example: (Pollan, 2005, p. 146).

Placement depends on how you incorporate a source into your writing - there is more than one correct way to cite in-text.

Oral citations are a form of in-text citations that are important to include when giving a speech. A good rule of thumb is to choose  two  of the three pieces of information for your oral citation:

1. The title of the book (or the newspaper, magazine, or journal article or webpage)

2. The date of publication

3. The author of the book (or the newspaper, magazine, or journal article or the organization that created the website)

A couple of quotes, some food for thought:

"The purpose of a research paper is to synthesize previous research and scholarship with your ideas on the subject. Therefore, you should feel free to use other persons' words, facts, and thoughts in your research paper, but the material you borrow must not be presented as if it were your own creation."

Gibaldi, J. & Modern Language Association of America (Eds.). (2009). MLA handbook for writers of research papers (7th ed). Modern Language Association of America.

"Citation is how we acknowledge our debt to those who came before; those who helped us find our way when the way was obscured because we deviated from the paths we were told to follow."

Ahmed, S. (2017). Living a feminist life . Duke University Press.

Librarians I have known will always say "a citation is like an address" - I like thinking of it this way, too, because it reminds me that we write citations to help other researchers out. A person would not be able to find their friend's house if they had the house number but not the street name. Breaking citations down into their components helps me when I'm writing them. What are the necessary components a person would need to be able to find the information you used?

Resources Concerning Plagiarism:

Purdue U. Online Writing Lab (OWL)

UW-Madison Writing Center

Harvard Guide to Citing Sources

JFK Presidential Library and Museum

Plagiarism Murphy Library Guide

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Missing information

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How to create APA citations

APA Style is widely used by students, researchers, and professionals in the social and behavioral sciences. Scribbr’s free citation generator automatically generates accurate references and in-text citations.

This citation guide outlines the most important citation guidelines from the 7th edition APA Publication Manual (2020).

• Cite a webpage
• Cite a book
• Cite a journal article
• Cite a YouTube video

APA in-text citations

APA in-text citations include the author’s last name, publication date, and, if relevant, a locator such as a page number or timestamp. For example, (Smith, 2021, p. 170) . See it as a shorter version of the entry in the reference list .

You should include in-text citations every time you’re quoting or paraphrasing someone else’s ideas or words. In doing so, you give credit to the original author and avoid plagiarism .

Parenthetical vs. narrative citation

The in-text citation can take two forms: parenthetical and narrative. Both types are generated automatically when citing a source with Scribbr’s APA Citation Generator.

• Parenthetical citation: According to new research … (Smith, 2020) .
• Narrative citation: Smith (2020) notes that …

Multiple authors and corporate authors

The in-text citation changes slightly when a source has multiple authors or an organization as an author. Pay attention to punctuation and the use of the ampersand (&) symbol.

When the author, publication date or locator is unknown, take the steps outlined below.

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APA references

APA references generally include information about the author , publication date , title , and source . Depending on the type of source, you may have to include extra information that helps your reader locate the source.

It is not uncommon for certain information to be unknown or missing, especially with sources found online. In these cases, the reference is slightly adjusted.

Formatting the APA reference page

On the first line of the page, write the section label “References” (in bold and centered). On the second line, start listing your references in alphabetical order .

Apply these formatting guidelines to the APA reference page:

• Double spacing (within and between references)
• Hanging indent of ½ inch
• Legible font (e.g. Times New Roman 12 or Arial 11)
• Page number in the top right header

Which sources to include

On the reference page, you only include sources that you have cited in the text (with an in-text citation ). You should not include references to personal communications that your reader can’t access (e.g. emails, phone conversations or private online material).

In addition to the APA Citation Generator, Scribbr provides many more tools and resources that help millions of students and academics every month.

• Citation Generator : Generate flawless citations in APA, MLA , and Harvard style .
• Citation Checker : Upload your paper and have artificial intelligence check your citations for errors and inconsistencies.
• Free plagiarism checker : Detect plagiarism with unparalleled accuracy with Scribbr’s free plagiarism checker.
• AI Proofreader : Upload and improve unlimited documents and earn higher grades on your assignments. Try it for free!
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• Summarizer: Read more in less time. Distill lengthy and complex texts down to their key points.
• AI detector: Find out if your text was written with ChatGPT or any other AI writing tool. ChatGPT 2 & ChatGPT 3 supported.
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• Guides and videos : Explore hundreds of articles, bite-sized videos, time-saving templates, and handy checklists that guide you through the process of research, writing, and citation.

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Paraphrase: Write It in Your Own Words

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Paraphrasing is one way to use a text in your own writing without directly quoting source material. Anytime you are taking information from a source that is not your own, you need to specify where you got that information.

A paraphrase is...

• Your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a new form.
• One legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow from a source.
• A more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single main idea.

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because...

• It is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage.
• It helps you control the temptation to quote too much.
• The mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full meaning of the original.

6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing

• Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.
• Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.
• Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase.
• Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form.
• Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.
• Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.

Some examples to compare

Note that the examples in this section use MLA style for in-text citation.

The original passage:

Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers . 2nd ed., 1976, pp. 46-47.

A legitimate paraphrase:

In research papers, students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

An acceptable summary:

Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).

A plagiarized version:

Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

A note about plagiarism: This example has been classed as plagiarism, in part, because of its failure to deploy any citation. Plagiarism is a serious offense in the academic world. However, we acknowledge that plagiarism is a difficult term to define; that its definition may be contextually sensitive; and that not all instances of plagiarism are created equal—that is, there are varying “degrees of egregiousness” for different cases of plagiarism.

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FAQ: How do I cite paraphrased information in APA Style (in-text)?

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Last Updated: Aug 09, 2023 Views: 317880

When you paraphrase, you use your own words. This is usually preferable to direct quotes because the information is written in your own style, but you must be careful not to change the meaning. When paraphrasing, you must still acknowledge where you got the idea from by including a parenthetical citation.

When citing paraphrased information, APA requires you to include the author and date. It is also recommended (but not required) that you include the page number. The format of the page number depends on if the information is on a single page or range of pages.

Examples of Citing Paraphrased Information at the Beginning of a Sentence

A review  (Selby et al., 2017)  identified several laws pertaining to cancer research in the UK that might be affected because of Brexit.

Patafio et al. (2016) investigated the relationship between cancer research funding and cancer research output and found that research output is not well correlated with the public health burden of individual cancers that was measure by mortality rates.

The authors (Lindqvist & Neumann) argue that security and privacy are crucial in the Internet of Things (IoT) because if future attacks are successful they can cause widespread destruction and even cost lives.

Bernard (2011)  argues that Henry VIII's Catholicism was more than just Catholicism without the pope.

Examples of Citing Paraphrased Information in the Middle of a Sentence

Surgery is considered a last resort in the treatment of plantar fasciitis  Owens (2017) argues.

Strength training as treatment for plantar fasciitis, according to (Huffer et al. 2017) , does not contribute to the improved function and pain relief.

Many physical therapists use ultrasound therapy as treatment; however, numerous studies highlighted in the review published by Sanke and Radwan (2015) show that the therapy does not have any effect on the condition. 

Examples of Citing Paraphrased Information at the End of a Sentence

There are multiple types of cyberbullying  (El Asam & Samara, 2016) .

A significant amount of youths' social interaction takes place through technology and children as young as 10 have access to mobile devices  (Williford & DePaolis, 2016) .

The authors found that undergraduate students are afraid to report cyberbullying  (Watts et al., 2017, p. 273) .

Example of how the original quotation might be paraphrased<

Original quotation:.

American commitment to self-government rested on the early experience of colonization. English common law was introduced with the first settlers, and each new colony soon had an elected assembly designed to represent and protect the interests of the settler population, acting like a local equivalent of the Westminster House of Commons.  In theory, popular participation in government was balanced by a strong executive, in the person of the governor, supported by an advisory council.  Bit in the first years of settlement, when colonies were sponsored by private companies rather than the Crown, governors and councils were often themselves elected, reinforcing the tendency towards local control (Conway, 2013, p. 33) .

The essay incorporating the paraphrasing:

The early settlers in Colonial American may have considered themselves English and loyal to the Crown.  However, the local government structure supported a system of relative self-governance  (Conway, 2013, p. 33) .

More Information

• APA guide  (Shapiro Library)

Further Help

This information is intended to be a guideline, not expert advice. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate way to cite sources in your class assignments and projects.

Campus Students

To access Academic Support, visit your Brightspace course and select “Tutoring and Mentoring” from the Academic Support pulldown menu.

Online Students

To access help with citations and more, visit the Academic Support via modules in Brightspace:

• Academic Support Overview: Getting Help with your Schoolwork This link opens in a new window

American Psychological Association. (2020).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7 th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Bernard, G. W. (2011). The dissolution of the monasteries. History , 96 (324), 390-409. 

Conway, S. (2013). A short history of the American Revolutionary War . I.B.Tauris.

El Asam, A., & Samara, M. (2016). Cyberbullying and the law: A review of psychological and legal challenges. Computers in human behavior , 65 , 127-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.08.012

Lindqvist, U., & Neumann, P. G. (2017). The future of the internet of things. Communications of the ACM , 60 (2), 26-30. https://doi.org/10.1145/3029589

Owens, J. M. (2017). Diagnosis and management of plantar fasciitis in primary care. Journal for nurse practitioners , 13 (5), 354-359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2016.12.016

Patafio, F. M., Brooks, S. C., Wei, X., Peng, Y., Biagi, J., & Booth, C. M. (2016). Research output and the public health burden of cancer: Is there any relationship? Current Oncology , 23 (2), 75-80. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.23.2935

Sanke, P. L., & Radwan, T. S. (2015). Ultrasound as an effective treatment for chronic plantar fasciitis. Journal of foot & ankle surgery , 54 (4) 481-487.

Selby, P., Lawler, M., Baird, R., Banks, I., Johnston, P., & Nurse, P. (2017). The potential consequences for cancer care and cancer research of Brexit. Ecancermedicalscience , 11 (752-769), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2017.ed63

Watts, L. K., Wagner, J., Velasquez, B., & Behrens, P. I. (2017). Cyberbullying in higher education: A literature review. Computers in human behavior , 69 , 268-274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.038

Williford, A., & Depaolis, K. J. (2016). Predictors of cyberbullying intervention among elementary school staff: The moderating effect of staff status. Psychology in the schools , 53 (10), 1032-1044. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21973

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A direct quotation reproduces words verbatim from another work or from your own previously published work. It is best to paraphrase sources rather than directly quoting them because paraphrasing allows you to fit material to the context of your paper and writing style.

Use direct quotations rather than paraphrasing:

• when reproducing an exact definition (see Section 6.22 of the Publication Manual ),
• when an author has said something memorably or succinctly, or
• when you want to respond to exact wording (e.g., something someone said).

Instructors, programs, editors, and publishers may establish limits on the use of direct quotations. Consult your instructor or editor if you are concerned that you may have too much quoted material in your paper.

This page addresses how to format short quotations and block quotations. Additional information is available about how to:

• include page numbers for quotations
• cite quotations from material without page numbers
• cite quotations that include errors
• indicate changes to quotations
• present quotations from research participants

Quotations are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Sections 8.25 to 8.35 and the Concise Guide Sections 8.25 to 8.34

Related handout

• In-Text Citation Checklist (PDF, 227KB)

Short quotations (fewer than 40 words)

For quotations of fewer than 40 words, add quotation marks around the words and incorporate the quote into your own text—there is no additional formatting needed. Do not insert an ellipsis at the beginning and/or end of a quotation unless the original source includes an ellipsis.

Effective teams can be difficult to describe because “high performance along one domain does not translate to high performance along another” (Ervin et al., 2018, p. 470).

For a direct quotation, always include a full citation ( parenthetical or narrative ) in the same sentence as the quotation, including the page number (or other location information, e.g., paragraph number).

• Place a parenthetical citation either immediately after the quotation or at the end of the sentence.
• For a narrative citation, include the author and year in the sentence and then place the page number or other location information in parentheses after the quotation.
• If the quotation precedes the narrative citation, put the page number or location information after the year and a comma.
• If the citation appears at the end of a sentence, put the end punctuation after the closing parenthesis for the citation.
• If the quotation includes citations, see Section 8.32 of the Publication Manual .
• If the quotation includes material already in quotation marks, see Section 8.33 of the Publication Manual .
• Place periods and commas within closing single or double quotation marks. Place other punctuation marks inside quotation marks only when they are part of the quoted material.

Block quotations (40 words or more)

Format quotations of 40 words or more as block quotations:

• Do not use quotation marks to enclose a block quotation.
• Start a block quotation on a new line and indent the whole block 0.5 in. from the left margin.
• Double-space the entire block quotation.
• Do not add extra space before or after it.
• If there are additional paragraphs within the quotation, indent the first line of each subsequent paragraph an additional 0.5 in. See an example in Section 8.27 of the Publication Manual .
• Either (a) cite the source in parentheses after the quotation’s final punctuation or (b) cite the author and year in the narrative before the quotation and place only the page number in parentheses after the quotation’s final punctuation.
• Do not add a period after the closing parenthesis in either case.

Block quotation with parenthetical citation:

Researchers have studied how people talk to themselves:

Inner speech is a paradoxical phenomenon. It is an experience that is central to many people’s everyday lives, and yet it presents considerable challenges to any effort to study it scientifically. Nevertheless, a wide range of methodologies and approaches have combined to shed light on the subjective experience of inner speech and its cognitive and neural underpinnings. (Alderson-Day & Fernyhough, 2015, p. 957)

Block quotation with narrative citation:

Flores et al. (2018) described how they addressed potential researcher bias when working with an intersectional community of transgender people of color:

Everyone on the research team belonged to a stigmatized group but also held privileged identities. Throughout the research process, we attended to the ways in which our privileged and oppressed identities may have influenced the research process, findings, and presentation of results. (p. 311)

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Paraphrase with Multiple Authors: A Guide to APA Citations

Table of Contents

Sometimes, you may paraphrase by combining a range of views and perspectives from multiple authors that discuss the same idea or concept. Regardless of how well you paraphrase, you must credit all the authors through in-text citations. How to paraphrase with multiple authors ? This article is all you need to get started.

Paraphrasing and Citations: An Overview

Paraphrasing is the process of rewriting the original to produce another version that is accurate. The ability to paraphrase effectively is vital for writers, students, and researchers.

An in-text citation is a way of giving credit to sources or authors whose work you have used. Most used APA in-text citations are parenthetical and narrative citations.

The parenthetical citation provides information on the source by placing the author’s name and date in a parenthesis, at the end of the paraphrase. The narrative form of citation includes the author’s name as a part of the paraphrase, while the Year of Publication comes in a bracket. This form of citation is common at the beginning or the middle of the statement.

How to Paraphrase with Multiple Authors

In cases where you paraphrase from a source written by multiple authors, it is crucial to cite all the authors. It is not enough to mention one author and disregard the others. You’re stealing an author’s work if you don’t acknowledge them. Plagiarism comes with severe consequences, and you wouldn’t want to be guilty of such an unethical act. The tips below will guide you on acknowledging multiple authors.  

1. Two Authors

In citing two authors in a parenthetical citation, the authors’ last names should be separated by the ampersand symbol (&), followed by year of publication. For example:

… overreliance on detailed rules (Pierre & Frank, 2007).

For the narrative citation, the last names of the two authors should be separated by ‘and.’ The year of publication should follow in a bracket. For instance:

McCarthy and Nash (2004) describe outsourcing as using external suppliers to achieve efficiency.

2. Three to Five Authors

First in-text citation.

When citing 3-5 authors in a parenthetical citation, include the last names of the authors, separated by the symbol (&) and year of publication.

… specified locations (Sharma, Saldana, & Katherine, 2012).

For narrative citation, the last names of the authors, separated by ‘and,’ should come first, followed by the year of publication in a bracket.

Sharma, Saldana, and Katherine (2012) described franchising as…

Subsequent citations

When citing various sources subsequently, include only the first author’s last name, followed by the abbreviation ‘et al.,’ and the year of publication.

James et al. (2012) view education as…

… society they live in (James et al., 2012).

3. Six or More Authors.

To cite six or more authors, provide the last name of the first author with “et al.,” and the year of publication. This should be done for the first and subsequent citations.

Raphael et al. (2007) described the effect…

… as harmful (Raphael et al., 2007).

When you paraphrase from a work written by multiple authors, it is vital to adequately and appropriately cite all the authors. This article is a guide on how to paraphrase with multiple authors successfully, so your piece doesn’t pass off as plagiarized work.

Pam is an expert grammarian with years of experience teaching English, writing and ESL Grammar courses at the university level. She is enamored with all things language and fascinated with how we use words to shape our world.

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