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In-Text Citations

21 What is an In-Text Citation?

If you want to include information from a source you consulted in your paper, you need to create an in-text citation. As mentioned before, in-text citations use only a few details of the source, enough to locate its matching reference citation in the reference list.

In APA style you need to include the following elements for all in-text citations, whether you are citing a book, a journal or trade article, a website or any other item:

  • the author’s last name(s) or the group name
  • the year
  • and if you are quoting word for word, also the page number or other locator*

*Instructors may prefer location information for all in-text citations.

 

Where do I place citations in my writing?

Because in-text citations tell your reader which ideas belong to you and which ideas belong to someone else, it is crucial that you place them correctly. There are two different ways that you can include in-text citations into your assignments:

  • as a parenthetical citation at the end of your sentence
  • as a narrative citation as part of the sentence

Infographic with green background showing the two types of in-text citations: parenthetical and narrative, with details and examples below each. Parenthetical citations include the author's family name, year in parentheses at the end of a sentence. A narrative citation includes the author's family name as part of the sentence followed by the year in parenthese or as part of the narrative.

In-text citation  

Click on the symbol to learn about them.

Connection between the reference citation and in-text citation

Image on a grey background with a white box at the top containing a reference citation with the author names and publication date highlighted with a blue border (Berkman, L. F., & Glass, T. A. (2000).) The box has an arrow pointing down to another white box below containing an example of a sentence with a narrative in-text citation with the same author names and publication date highlighted with a blue border.

Tip: It is easiest to create the reference citation first and then its matching in-text citation(s).

 

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