You can reference sources using either parenthetical or narrative citations, depending on which one works better in the sentence you’re writing.Ī parenthetical citation is when you write a normal sentence, and then include the author’s name and the year in parentheses. You should place the in-text citation immediately after the word or phrase it’s relevant to, rather than after a long paragraph or sentence. How Do You Format an APA In-Text Citation? If you’re using a direct quote, or a fact or figure from a specific page, you should also provide the page number that information is found on. What Information Do You Need to Include in an APA In-Text Citation?įor every in-text citation, you need to provide two pieces of information: the last name of the author and the publication date. Use a long text passage from someone else’s work.Mention a fact or figure that isn’t common knowledge.Paraphrase the ideas of someone else (i.e.
You should use an in-text citation every time you do the following things: When Do You Need to Use an In-Text Citation? Unlike other plagiarism checkers, ProWritingAid will not store or share your work. Plagiarizing, even by accident, can jeopardize your reputation, so make sure to use in-text citations properly.įor extra help in avoiding plagiarism, sign up for ProWritingAid’s Plagiarism Checker. If you reference other people’s work without citing the source, you run the risk of plagiarism, which is when you claim others’ work as your own. If they want to find out more about how those quotes and figures were created, they’ll be able to look up and read the original source. When you use in-text citations, readers know you’re not pulling quotes and figures out of thin air. In-text citations make your work more trustworthy by referencing other reliable sources. What’s the Purpose of APA In-Text Citations?
#Apa format paper references how to
Let’s take a look at what in-text citations are for, and how to format them correctly. When you use someone else’s work as a source in your own paper, you’ll need to include an in-text citation. How Do You Create an APA In-Text Citation? Where Can You Learn More About APA Formatting?.What Is the Difference Between MLA Formatting and APA Formatting?.How Do You Create an APA Reference Page?.How Do You Create an APA In-Text Citation?.Follow hanging indent of 0.5 inch for reference list entries. Block quotes are indented 0.5 inch from the left margin. However, the first line of the abstract is flush left. The first line of every paragraph is indented 0.5 inch. The text, including the headings, is flush left. MarginsĪlways use a 1-inch margin for the top, bottom, left, and right margins on all pages. On the title page, in addition to double-line spacing, follow double-spaced blank lines between the title and the byline (line on which the author names appear) and between the last affiliation and the author note.įor displayed equations, you can use triple- or quadruple-spaced blank lines before and after them. Use double-line spacing throughout the paper. If you want to use serif fonts, you can choose from Times New Roman (12-point) or Georgia (11-point).įor figures, use sans serif fonts (point size 8–14).įor computer code, use monospace fonts such as Courier New (10-point). If you want to follow sans serif fonts, use Calibri (11-point), Arial (11-point), or Lucida Sans Unicode (10-point). Multiple font types are allowed in APA style, but follow the same font throughout the paper. If you want to include multiple appendices, include each on a separate page. They appear as the final elements in a paper. Similar to tables, each figure takes a separate page. Each table appears on a new page.įigures follow tables. Tables, if any, are included after the footnotes. The most common designator for footnotes is superscript Arabic numerals.
It provides extra information on terms referred to in the text. If you cite footnotes, include them after the references on a new page. It includes the bibliographic information of the works cited in the text. The main work of the paper is detailed here. In the absence of an abstract, the text can follow the title page.
Start this on a new page after the abstract. It gives a brief description of the content discussed in the paper. It contains the title, the names of the authors, and the affiliations of the authors. The title page is the first page of a paper. The following sections provide details of the elements in the order they appear in a paper. Elements of a paperĪ paper has many elements, such as the title page, abstract, text, and references. If the appearance of the paper looks good, it will improve its recognition. The formatting performed on a paper is one of the deciding factors to accepting it as a complete work.