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APA Citation Guide (7th Edition): Personal Communications

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What Is Personal Communications?

Works that cannot be retrieved by readers are cited in the text as personal communications . Personal communications include emails, personal interviews, phone conversations, text messages, online chats, live speeches, class lecture notes, letters, etc.

In-Text Citation or Reference List?

You do not include personal communications in your reference list; instead, parenthetically cite the communicator's name, the phrase "personal communication," and the date of the communication in your main text only.

Sometimes you may find interviews with people in journals, magazines, newspapers, websites etc. In those cases, don't use the "Personal Communications" category. Instead cite them according to how you found the information. For example, an interview in a magazine would be cited like a magazine article. That way anyone reading your assignment could easily track down the interview for themselves by finding the same magazine article.

Personal Communications in the Text

Parenthetically cite the communicator's name, the phrase "personal communication," and the date of the communication in your main text.

Note : Personal communications are cited within the text of your assignment, but do not get an entry in the Reference list. Put the citation right after a quote or paraphrased content.

"Infections are often contracted while patients are recovering in the hospital" (J. D. Black, personal communication, May 30, 2013).

J.D. Black explained that "infections are often contracted while patients are recovering in the hospital" (personal communication, May 30, 2013).

Note : If the name of the communicator is mentioned in the sentence leading into the quote or paraphrased content, you do not need to repeat it in the in-text citation.

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Citation Help for APA, 7th Edition: Personal Communication (email, interviews, lectures, course materials, etc.)

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Introduction

Personal communication is any source that cannot be recovered by a reader. This type of sources includes email, text messages, interviews, phone or in-person conversations, live speeches or webinars, messages on non-archived discussion boards or online bulletin boards, personal voicemail, unrecorded or live course lectures, social media limited to "Friends" only or restricted, and other sources that are similar in nature. 

Personal communication can also be sources that have not been formally published or sources that are available only to a certain population (e.g., resources available to employees in a company's intranet, training documents, etc.). In cases like these, be sure to consider the audience. If the document will be formally published to the general public, then these items should be treated as personal communication. On the other hand, if the document will have an audience who has access to items, then these may be referenced as discussed in Section 8.8 on page 259 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Personal Communication

Examples .

Examples of personal communication include conversations, email, text messages, online chats or direct messages, personal interviews, telephone conversations, live speeches, unrecorded course lectures, memos, letters, messages from non-archived discussion groups or online bulletin boards, social media shared with "Friends" only, etc.   

Personal Communication Explanation

Because personal communication cannot be recovered, only cite personal communication within the text of the paper. Do not include a reference within the reference list. Only include references in the reference list for sources that can be found or located by the reader. To cite personal communication, list the initials and last name of the communicator, the words "personal communication," and as exact a date as possible.   

Citation Examples

Parenthetical citation example:.

(G. Christner, personal communication, January 12, 2020)

Narrative Citation Example:  

G. Christner (personal communication, January 12, 2020) stressed .....  

More Information

For more information about personal communication, see Section 8.9 on pages 260-261 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Type of Interviews

What type of interview is it, and how do I reference it?

APA recognizes that interviews can be classified into 3 broad categories. 

• Published Interviews - this type of interview is published in print (e.g., magazine, journal, newspaper), heard on radio or podcasts, or found in video (e.g., YouTube, DVD). In these cases, the source that published the interview can be easily tracked down; therefore, create a reference based on the source that published the interview using the examples in Chapter 10 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.
• Personal Interviews - this type of interview is conducted to find out specific information for a paper or project. The interview may be an email, phone conversation, or in person. In these cases, the interview cannot be recovered by the reader; therefore, the interview should be cited as personal communication.
• Research Participant Interviews - this type of interview occurs during the course of a study and is part of the methodology of the study. The interviews may be an individual interview, a focus group, or a group interview. In these cases, you will be sharing the findings in your research paper; however, do not cite the information. APA points out that you cite your own work in the paper in which it is first being shared or reported. Instead, follow the guidelines in Section 8.36 on page 278 of the APA Manual.   

Additional Resources

Quotation from Research Participants - Created by APA - provides guidance on quotes from research participants.  

For more information about interviews, see Section 8.7 on page 259 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

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Library Guide for Education Graduate Students

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APA 7th Edition

Purdue's OWL (Online Writing Lab) provides instruction on how to use APA 7th. Below are a few topics covered by the OWL.

• APA Style Introduction APA 7th
• APA Overview and Workshop APA 7th
• General Formatting APA 7th
• In-Text Citation: Authors APA 7th
• Foot Notes and Appendices APA 7th
• Changes in the 7th Edition APA 7th
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• Last Edited: Apr 5, 2024 9:55 AM
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APA (7th ed.), Citation Style: Citing Personal Communications

• Introduction to APA
• General Guidelines
• Who (Author)
• When (Publication Date)
• What (Title)
• Where (Publication Information)
• Formatting Author Information

Citing Personal Communications

• Citing Indirect Sources (secondary sources)
• Citing Sources with Missing Information (author, date, or page numbers)

Not all of your sources will come from books, journals, newspapers, etc.  Some of them will consist of personal communications, or personal conversations, emails, class lectures, performance art, or research interviews.  Cite personal communications only in the text,  give the initials as well as the surname of the communicator, and provide the exact date if possible (see APA, section 8.9, p. 260).

Personal Communication Example

Narrative Citation: According to S. Brown (personal communication, July 22, 2012), the statistics class is full.

Parenthetical Citation: The statistics class is full (S. Brown, personal communication, July 22, 2012).

If the personal communication is recoverable, then the source should be cited as an archived material and be in the reference list.

https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/personal-communications

Research Interviews (see Section 8.36, p. 278).

Though most personal communications include the communicators first initial and surname, in the case of research interviewees, the participant's identity must remain anonymous for ethical reasons.  As a result, you should not include any identifying information.  Here are some ways to keep your participants anonymous:

• Do not provide any identifying information:

Observations by one of the students interviews draws more attention to the initial problem: [Insert quote without other attributions]

• Identify the participant by age or some other type of data:

"The experience was different and exhausting (male participant, 43 years of age)."

"In retrospect, I would have spent more time with the research librarian (female psychology student)."

Use letters, nicknames, or roles to identify participants

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Citations: Personal Communication

Personal communications may include private letters, memos, some electronic communications (like e-mails), personal interviews, and telephone conversations. Participant interviews in a doctoral capstone study, however, are treated differently from personal communication. For more information on citing interview transcript excerpts, see this APA blog post or the dissertation or doctoral study guidebooks on Walden’s student publications site . The defining characteristic of a personal communication is that it does not provide recoverable data. For example, when you are conducting a personal interview, the reader would never be able to access a transcript of that interview.

When you are citing a personal communication in text, APA asks that you always use the source's first initial and full last name, like this: J. Smith, K. Cho, or N. Ramachandran.

Even though this person might be a friend or someone you know personally, APA still requires you to use the person's first initial and full last name. This rule applies to every instance where you use the source's name in your paper.

Citing Your Personal Communication

In a parenthetical citation, use the words "personal communication" and the exact date that the personal communication occurred. Here is an example of a parenthetical citation of a personal communication:

Fruity candy is much better than chocolate (J. Smith, personal communication, October 10, 2010).

When referencing the source of your personal communication in text, however, you do not need to include the source's name in the parenthetical citation. Here is an example of an in text citation:

J. Smith proudly stated that fruity candy is much better than chocolate (personal communication, October 10, 2010).

Although you are required to cite personal communications whenever you are referencing information from that source, personal communications should not be included in your references list. Instead, when you cite a personal communication, the exact date of when this personal communication occurred is sufficient information for the reader.

Personal Communications Video

• Nontraditional Sources: Personal Communications (video transcript)

Related Resource

Knowledge Check: Personal Communication

Didn't find what you need? Email us at [email protected] .

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APA 7th Edition Citation Guide

• General APA Style Guidelines
• Book and eBook Examples
• Article Examples
• Multimedia Examples
• Visual Works Examples
• Social Media Examples
• Personal Communication and Interview Examples
• Artificial Intelligence
• In-Text (Parenthetical) Examples
• Annotated Bibliography
• Other Citation Styles
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• Last Updated: Mar 21, 2024 5:09 PM
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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

APA Sample Paper

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style  can be found here .

Media Files: APA Sample Student Paper  ,  APA Sample Professional Paper

This resource is enhanced by Acrobat PDF files. Download the free Acrobat Reader

Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student  and  professional  papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication). These differences mostly extend to the title page and running head. Crucially, citation practices do not differ between the two styles of paper.

However, for your convenience, we have provided two versions of our APA 7 sample paper below: one in  student style and one in  professional  style.

Note: For accessibility purposes, we have used "Track Changes" to make comments along the margins of these samples. Those authored by [AF] denote explanations of formatting and [AWC] denote directions for writing and citing in APA 7. 

APA 7 Student Paper:

Apa 7 professional paper:.

TAFT COLLEGE

APA Style Guide, 7th Edition: Personal Communication

• Updated About In-text Citations
• Updated In-Text Examples
• What to Include
• Volume/Issue
• Bracketed Descriptions
• URLs and DOIs
• Book with Editor(s)
• Book with No Author
• Book with Organization as Author
• Book with Personal Author(s)
• Chapters and Parts of Books
• Classical Works
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Multi-Volume Works
• Newspaper Article
• Patents & Laws
• Personal Communication
• Physicians' Desk Reference
• Social Media
• Unpublished Manuscripts/Informal Publications (i.e. course packets and dissertations)
• Formatting Your Paper

Formatting Your References

• Headings in APA
• Annotated Bibliography

Once you type your references on the reference page, you will need to put in a hanging indent and double-space the entire reference list. In Microsoft Word, highlight the references from A to Z, then find the paragraph function in the Word ribbon. Select Hanging under Indentation and Double under spacing. See the Formatting your References tab for instructions on doing this on a Mac or in Google Docs.

Abbas, D. D. F. (2020). Manipulating of audio-visual aids in the educational processes in Al-Hilla University College. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24 (3), 1248-1263. https://doi.org.db12.linccweb.org/10.37200/ijpr/v24i3/pr200875

The citation above may not indicate a hanging indent depending on the device you are using to view it.  The second and all subsequent lines of APA formatted references use a hanging indent.

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• Last Updated: Sep 18, 2023 10:52 AM
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Apa style 1.

Write with Might #2: APA Style 1

Dear writers,

This week's tip pertains to APA style. The SSW Writing Team highly recommends that while writing your papers you keep at your fingertips the APA cheat sheet  http://www.lib.washington.edu/help/guides/43APA.pdf and other helpful APA tools found on the SSW Writing Help page  http://socialwork.uw.edu/students/services/writing-help - resources .

Now, on to the tips (from Purdue Owl Online Writing Lab, citation below):

1. In-text short citations (three ways): If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and the page number for the reference (preceded by "p."). Introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author's last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses. If the author is not named in a signal phrase, place the author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number in parentheses after the quotation. Example:

According to Jones (1998), "Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199).

Jones (1998) found "students often had difficulty using APA style" (p. 199); what implications does this have for teachers?

She stated, "Students often had difficulty using APA style" (Jones, 1998, p. 199), but she did not offer an explanation as to why.

2. Citing personal communication: For interviews, letters, e-mails, and other person-to-person communication, cite the communicator's name, the fact that it was personal communication, and the date of the communication. Do not include personal communication in the reference list. Example:

(E. Williams, personal communication, October 7, 2012).

E. L. Williams also claimed that many social work students had difficulties with APA style (personal communication, October 7, 2012).

3. Citing online lectures: When citing online lecture notes, be sure to provide the file format in brackets after the lecture title (e.g. PowerPoint slides, Word document). Example:

Hallam, A. Duality in consumer theory [PDF document]. Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online Web site: http://www.econ.iastate.edu/classes/econ501/Hallam/index.html

Roberts, K. F. (1998). Federal regulations of chemicals in the environment [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from  http://siri.uvm.edu/ppt/40hrenv/index.htm l

4. Citing indirect sources: While it is always best to find the original source, sometimes that is impossible. If you use a source that was cited in another source, name the original source in your signal phrase. List the secondary source in your reference list and include the secondary source in the parentheses. Example:

Johnson argued that...(as cited in Smith, 2003, p. 102).

5. Paraphrasing: If you are paraphrasing an idea from another work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference, but APA guidelines encourage you to also provide the page number (although it is not required.) If you are worried about plagiarism (as many students are), go ahead and add the page number. Example:

According to Jones (1998), APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners.

APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners (Jones, 1998, p. 199).

Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A. (2012, May 30). General format. Retrieved from  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01 /

Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A.(2012, September 14). In-Text Citations: The Basics. Retrieved from  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02 /

Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A.(2012, February 24). Other Non-Print Sources. Retrieved from  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/11 /

Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A.(2011, October, 28). In-Text Citations: Author/Authors. Retrieved from  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/03 /

As always, please feel free to contact me with any requests, questions or concerns. I look forward to working with you!

Have a wonderful, inspired week.

Communications: APA7 Citation Help

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Citing Different Sources in APA7

• AI (Artificial Intelligence like ChatGPT)
• Book, One Author
• Book, Two Authors
• Book, ebook online
• Brochure, print or online
• Chapter in an Edited Book
• Children’s book with illustrator same as author
• Children’s book with illustrator different than author
• Children’s book, part of a series
• Class Readings from Questia/Cengage
• Course Syllabus/Assignment from Instructor
• Court Cases
• Diagnostic Manual (DSM)
• Dictionary, Encyclopedia, Reference Book
• Dissertations from Library
• Facebook Post
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• Ferguson's Career Guidance Center article
• Ferguson's Career Guidance Center Video
• Film or Video
• Image from Web
• Government webpage
• Instagram Photo or Video
• Instagram Highlight
• Interview or Personal Communication
• Music Album
• Music - Single song or track
• Newspaper, magazine, or journal article without a DOI
• Online Forum Post (ie Reddit)
• Online Magazine, with an Author
• Podcast episode
• Powerpoint Slides or lecture notes
• Religious Work
• Radio interview recording in a digital archive
• Scholarly Journal Article - One author
• Scholarly article with article number
• Scholarly Journal Article (two authors) with DOI
• Scholarly Journal Article (Multiple authors)
• Speech from a website
• Speech from YouTube
• Textbook with an edition
• Textbook (eTextbook)
• Textbook, Online with Editors
• TV Series Episode
• Twitter Profile
• Webpage, no date
• Webpage on a News Website
• Webpage with an Author and Date
• Webpage on a website with a group author
• Website, Page or Article, No Author
• Website, press release
• YouTube or other Streaming Video

OpenAI. (2023). Gun violence in North Carolina  (June 5 version) [Large language model].  https://chat.openai.com/chat

The in-text citation would be

 (OpenAI, 2023).

*OpenAI is the author of the ChatGPT model.

Klymkowsky, M. (2018, September 15). Can we talk scientifically about free will? Sci-Ed. https://blogs.plos.org/scied/2018/09/15/can-we-talk-scientifically-about-free-will/

(Klymbkowsky, 2018) is the in-text citation

For direct quotes, see the information below for quoting items without page numbers.

Gleick, J. (1987). Chaos: Making a new science . Penguin. 

(Gleick, 1987) is the in-text citation

An ebook would have the URL at the end of the citation.

Klaas, B. (2024).  Fluke : Chance, chaos, and why everything we do matters . Scribner. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rowancabarrus/detail.action?docID=30676412

Gale, P., & Lerner, N. (2000). The Bacon guide to peer tutoring . Allyn & Bacon. 

(Gale & Lerner, 2000) is the in-text citation

Clarke, A. (2019).  Harper's practical genetic counselling, eighth edition . Taylor & Francis Group.  https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rowancabarrus/detail.action?docID=5906192#

UNCG. (2021).  Information for potential UNCG students  [Brochure] . 

In-text is (UNCG, 2021)

If an online brochure you must add the URL (www.website.....) to the end 

UNCG. (n.d.) Visitor brochure [Brochure]. URL

Include title and [Brochure] in the title. This brochure has no date. Do not use the webpage's copyright date.

In-text is (UNCG, n.d.)

Harris, M. (2000). Talk to me: Engaging reluctant writers. In B. Raforth (Ed.), A tutor's guide: Helping writers (pp. 24-34). Heinemann. 

Here's how it looks for an ebook 

Melson, G. & Fine, A. (2019). Animals in the lives of children. In A. Fine (Ed.), Handbook on animal-assisted therapy : Theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice  (pp. 223-245). Elsevier Science and Technology. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rowancabarrus/reader.action?docID=629941&ppg=259

(Harris, 2000)  is the in-text citation

Beaton, K. (2016).  King baby  (K. Beaton, Illus.). Arthur A. Levine Books.

(Beaton, 2016)

Crimi, C. (2019).  Weird little robots  (C. Luyken, Illus.). Candlewick Press.

(Crimi, 2019)

O’Connor, J. (2017).  Nancy Clancy, late-breaking news!  (R. Preiss Glasser, Illus.). HarperCollins Publishers.

• Parenthetical citation : (O’Connor, 2017)

Dickinson, E. (1950). Because I could not stop for death. In F.O. Matthiessen (Ed.),  The Oxford Book of American Verse  (p. 439). Oxford.

In-text citation would be (Dickinson, 1950)

Johnson, L. (2020). Course syllabus English 112 . Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. URL.

Bittle, J. (2023).  English 112  [Syllabus]. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. URL

In-text Citation (Johnson, 2020) or (Bittle, 2023)

*The URL is the www.rccc.edu/blackboard....... webpage address.

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).  https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/347/483/

Parenthetical: ( Brown v. Board of Education,  1954)

Narrative:  Brown v. Board of Education  (1954)

From page 359 of APA Manual 7th Edition.

US Supreme Court case, with a page number (through 2012 Supreme Court term)

U.S. is short for  United States Reports.

Published in Volume 347 on page 483 in the year 1954.

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi/books.9780890424496

(American Psychiatric Association, 2013)- In-text Citation

For a source with an editor.

Venes, D. (Ed.). (2021).  Taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary  (24 th  ed.). F. A. Davis Company. 

If there's a URL, then add it after the publisher. 

Intext is (Venes, 2021) 

______________________________

If you are referring only to an article in a reference book that has a different author, then do this.

Graham, G. (2019). Behaviorism. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.),  The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy  (Summer 2019 ed.). Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/behaviorism/

Intext is (Graham, 2019) or (Graham, 2019, p. 81) for a direct quote.

___________________________

If you are looking at an entry in a dictionary or encyclopedia that has a group author, then do this.

American Psychology Association. (n.d.) Positive transference. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved August 31, 2019, from https://dictionary.apa.org/positive-transference 

*Note: There is an (n.d.)  in the publishing date because this source is online and consistently updated. Therefore a retrieval date is preferred so your instructor can tell when you read the information.

Intext is (American Psychology Association, n.d.)

____________________________

Paulson, J. A. (2016).  Neuropsychological functioning and inflammation in past and current PTSD  (Order No. 3706233) [Doctoral dissertation, Alliant International University]. ProQuest Central. http://proxy154.nclive.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/neuropsychological-functioning-inflammation-past/docview/1694579970/se-2?accountid=13601

Intext citation will be 

(Paulson, 2016)

Cuellar, N. G. (2016). Study abroad programs [Editorial]. Journal of Transcultural Nursing ,  27 (3), 209. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659616638722

(Cuellar, 2016) In-text Citation

National Institute of Mental Health. (2018, November 28). Suicide affects all ages, genders, races, and ethnicities. Check out these 5 action steps for helping someone in emotional pain [Infographic]. Facebook. https://bit.ly/321 Qstq

(National Institute of Mental Health, 2018) In-text Citation

Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved July 22, 2019, from https://www.facebook.com/nationalzoo

(Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, n.d.) In-text Citation

Oncological nurses. (n.d.). Ferguson's Career Guidance Center. Retrieved November 16, 2023 from https://fcg.infobase.com/recordurl/1302021?aid=99147

In-text (Oncological nurses, n.d.)

Cambridge Educational. (2018).  Animal trainer-career Q&A: Professional advice and insight. Ferguson's Career Guidance.  https://fcg-infobase-com.proxy154.nclive.org/video/151048

Forman, M. (Director). (1975). One flew over the cuckoo's nest [Film]. United Artists.

(Forman, 1975) In-text Citation

Goya, F. (1800). The family of Charles IV. Museo National del Prado . https://www.netmuseum.org/ /hd_goya

Office of Women's Health. (2019, March 14).  Breastfeeding.  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  https://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding

 In-text Citation is (Office of Women's Health, 2019). 

*If author and publisher are the same, you do not need to repeat name after the title of webpage. This reference/citation shows Office of Women's Health as the group author and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as the publisher. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, January 23). People at high risk of developing flu-related complications . https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/high_risk.htm

Intext is (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018)

If you want to abbreviate you must connect the entire name of organization with the abbreviation on the first intext and then abbreviate after that.

First instance is: (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDD], 2018). Next intext would be (CDC, 2018)

First instance is: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2018). Next instance, (CDC, 2018).

Zeitz MOCAA [@zeitzmocaa]. (2018, November 26). Grade 6 learners from Parkfields Primary School in Hanover Park visited the museum for a a tour and workshop hosted by [Photographs]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqpHpjFBs3b/

(Zeitz MOCAA, 2018) In-text Citation

The New York Public Library [@nypl]. 9n.d.) The raven [Highlight]. Instagram. Retrieved April 16, 2019, from https://bitly.com/2FV8bu3

(The New York Public Library, n.d.) In-text Citation

Interviews or other personal communication (emails, letters, phone calls or messages that aren't able to be recovered or found) are NOT included in the reference list.

These personal communications are in-text cited as 

(E. Robbins, personal communication, September 29, 2020)

Bowie, D. (2016). Blackstar  [Album]. Columbia. 

(Bowie, 2016) In-text Citation

Childish Gambino. (2018). This is America [Song]. mcDJ; RCA.

(Childish Gambino, 2018) In-text Citation

Magryta, C. (2015, August 30). Top ten reasons to breastfeed your infant. The Salisbury Post . https://www.salisburypost.com/2015/08/30/8-30-15-lifestyle-dr-magryta-column/

National Aeronautics and Space Administration [nasa]. (2018, September 12). I'm NASA astronaut Scott Tingle . [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/9fagqy/im_nasa_astronaut_scott_tingle_ask_me_anything/

(National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2018) In-text Citation

Nemko, M. (2020, February 6). The three principles of good parenting . Psychology Today .  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-do-life/202002/the-three-principles-good-parenting

(Nemko, 2020) In-text Citation

McCurry, S. (1985). Afghan girl [Photograph]. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/national-geographic-magazine-50-years-of-covers/#/ngm-1985-jun-714.jpg

(McCurry, 1985) In-text Citation

Vedantam, S. (Host). (2015-present). Hidden brain [Audio podcast]. NPR. https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain

(Vendantam, 2015-present) In-text Citation

Glass, I. (Host). (2011, August 12). Amusement park (No. 443) [Audio podcast episode]. In This American life . WBEZ Chicago. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/443/amusement-park

(Glass, 2011)  In-text Citation

Here is for a Powerpoint or slideshow with an instructor's name .

Dasher, R. (2024). Module 6 - adulthood  [Powerpoint slides]. Psychology Department, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. https://rccc.blackboard.com

(Dasher, 2024). In-text Citation

King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)

(King James Bible, 1769/2017)  In-text Citation

de Beauvoir, S., (1960, May 4). Simone de Beauvoir discusses the art of writing  [Interview]. Studs Terkel Radio Archive; The Chicago History Museum. https://studsterkel.wfmt.com/programs/simone-de-beauvoir-discusses-art-writing

(de Beauvoir, 1960) In-text Citation

Brewer, T. (2002). Test-taking anxiety among nursing & general college students. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing,   40 (11), 22-29. https://proxy154.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/220140572?accountid=13601

(Brewer, 2002)  In-text Citation

According to Brewer (2002), 

Burin, D., Kilteni, K., Rabuffetti, M., Slater, M., & Pia, L. (2019). Body ownership increases the interference between observed and executed movements. PLOS ONE , 14 (1), Article e0209899. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209899

Intext citation (Burin et al., 2019)

Narrative citation Burin et al. (2019) 

Direct quote (Burin et al., 2019, Introduction) 

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

(McCauley & Christiansen, 2019) In-text Citation

For more information about DOIs, see the section in the box on this page about APA Citation Guides and Templates.

Pauwels, S., Symons, L., Eva-Lynn Vanautgaerden, Ghosh, M., Duca, R. C., Bekaert, B., Freson, K., Huybrechts, I., Langie, S., Koppen, G., Devlieger, R., & Godderis, L. (2019). The influence of the duration of breastfeeding on the infant’s metabolic epigenome.  Nutrients,  11 (6), 1408. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu11061408

(Pauwels et al., 2019) for in-text citation when authors' names are not mentioned in sentence (Parenthetical citation)

Pauwels et al. (2019) when author is mentioned in the text (Narrative citation)

APA7 requires that you list up to 20 authors in the reference list 

King, M. L., Jr. (1963, August 28).  I have a dream  [Speech audio recording]. American Rhetoric. https://americarhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

npatou. (2016, June 6).  Malcolm X's legendary speech: "The bullet or the ballot"  [Video]. YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zLQLUpNGsc

Giertz, S. (2018, April). Why you should make useless things [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/why_you_should_make_useless_things

In-text Citation Format:

• Parenthetical citation : (Giertz, 2018)
• Narrative citation : Giertz (2018)

Berger, K. S. (2022).  Invitation to the lifespan  (5th ed). Worth Publishers. 

Intext is (Berger, 2022). 

Losco, J. & Baker, R. (2018). Am gov 2017-2018 . McGraw-Hill Education.

In-text citation (Losco & Baker, 2018)

Betts, G., Young, K. A., Wise, J. A., Johnson, E., Poe, B., Kruse, D. H., Korol, O., Johnson, J. E., Womble, M., & DeSaix, P. (Eds.). (2022, September 19).  Anatomy and physiology 2e.  OpenStax.  https://openstax.org/details/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e

Intext 

(Betts et al, 2022)

*You can list up to 20 authors or editors in an APA citation.

Barris, K. (Writer & Director). (2017, January 11). Lemons (Season 3, Episode 12) [TV series episode]. In K. Barris, J. Groff, A. Anderson, E. B. Dobbins, L. Fishburne, & H. Sugland (Executive producers), Black-ish. Wilmore Films; Artists First; Cinema Gypsy Productions; ABC Studios. 

(Barris, 2017) In-text Citation

Simon, D., Colesberry, R. F., & Kostroff Noble, N. (Executive Producers). (2002-2008). The wire [TV series]. Blown Deadline Productions; HBO. 

(Simon et al., 2002-2008) In-text Citation

Badlands National Park [@BadlandsNPS]. (2018, February 26). Biologists have identified more than 400 different plant species growing in @BadlandsNPS #DYK #biodiversity [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/BadlandsNPS/status/968196500412133379

(Badlands National Park, 2018) In-text Citation

APA Style [@APA_Style]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved November 1, 2019, from https://twitter.com/APA_Style

(APA Style, n.d.) In-text Citation

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. (n.d.). Student wellness center.  https://www.rccc.edu/wellness/ .

In-text is (Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, n.d.)

If the information changes frequently or regularly, a retrieval date is recommended.

U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). U.S. and world population clock . U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://www.census.gov/popclock/

In-text Citation is (U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.)

Miller, C. (n.d.). Does social media cause depression?  Child Mind Institute.  https://childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/

In-text  Citation is (Miller, n.d.)

or   According to Miller (n.d.), 

Avramova, N. (2019, January 3). The secret to a long, happy life? Think age-positive . CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/03/22/health/memory-forgetting-psychology.html

In-text citation is

(Avramova, 2019)

Livio, M. (2020, May 19). When Galileo stood trial for defending science. A&E Television Networks.  https://www.history.com/news/galileo-copernicus-earth-sun-heresy-church

In-text citation would be (Livio, 2020)

World Health Organization. (2018, March). Questions and answers on immunizations and vaccine safety . https://who.int.features.qu/84/en

(World Health Organization, 2018) is the in-text.

(World Health Organization [WHO], 2018) if you want to abbreviate in subsequent in-text citations. The whole name must be written out and the abbreviation indicated in the first in-text reference.

Boston Tea Party . (2019, December 12). A&E Television Networks. https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party

( Boston Tea Party , 2019) In-text Citation

*Italicize title if italicized in reference list. (APA, 2020, p. 265).

American Psychological Association. (2020, November 17).  Psychologists report large increase in demand for anxiety, depression treatment  [Press release]. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2020/11/anxiety-depression-treatment

Intext citation (American Psychological Association, 2020)

University of Oxford. (2018, December 6). How do geckos walk on water? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm1xGfOZJc8

In-text Citation-  (University of Oxford, 2018)

APA Tutorial

Apa tutorial  , apa7 sample papers.

• APA7 Career Paper ENG111 Student Use Dec2020
• APA7/MLA Annotated Bib Example for ENG112 (updated January 2020) This annotated bib has an MLA header and assignment information and APA7 citations. This meets the criteria for ENG112 and Issues in the Occupation or Discourse Community. Only Level 1 Headings are used in this paper.
• APA7/MLA Annotated Bib ENG112, title and headings (February 2020) This is another option for the ENG112 annotated bib with a title and headings. It has an MLA header and assignment information and APA7 citations. Level 1 and Level 2 headings are used in this paper. This meets the criteria for ENG112 and Issues in the Occupation or Discourse Community.

When Parts of a Citation are Missing

Table 9.1 on page 284 in  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association Seventh Edition.

Direct Quotation of Material Without Page Numbers

If you use direct quotes, you must include some way for the reader to find the information. In a source with page numbers, you include the page number in the in-text citation (Robb, 2021, p. 88). 

Many sources from the web don't have page numbers. You should choose the approach that will best help your reader.

• Provide a heading or section name: 

For people who know that they have a serious allergic reaction to some substance, it is recommended they wear a medical alert bracelet to let  "others know that you have a serious allergy in case you have a reaction and you're unable to communicate" (Mayo Clinic, 2021, Prevention section). 

This is the reference for the end of your paper

Mayo Clinic. (2021). Allergies.  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/allergies/symptoms-causes/syc-20351497

• Provide a paragraph number:

According to an article on NPR, after the Covid-19 pandemic, many people are "rethinking what work means to them, how they are valued, and how they spend their time" (Hsu, 2021, para 4).

Hsu, A. (2021, June 24). As the pandemic recedes, millions of workers are saying 'I quit.' NPR.  https://www.npr.org/2021/06/24/1007914455/as-the-pandemic-recedes-millions-of-workers-are-saying-i-quit 

• Provide a time stamp.

The destruction is even more important when one realizes that "around a third of all Australian fish spend at least some time on the Great Barrier Reef" (Films Media Group, 2018, 7:11). 

Here is the reference to the film

Films Media Group. (2018).  Can we save the reef?  https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=99147&xtid=186717

Many of the resources in the Library have a PDF option. This is really useful when your document has charts, pictures or formatting that doesn't translate well into html. To get to the PDF, look for 

When you double-click the pdf to open it, check the header or footer for the page number. Sometimes the page number is in the sidebar as well.

This is the page number you use for a direct quote in the in-text citation. 

Intext Citing Specific Parts of a Source

APA uses the (Author, Date) system UNLESS you need to cite a specific part of a source (for example, direct quotes or statistics). Here are some examples:

(Robb, 2019, p. 35)

(Shores, 2021, para. 3)

(Anderson, 2020, paras. 2-3)

(Ervin & Ervin, 2019, Table 5)

(Folck Institute for Archival Studies, 2017, 45:14) - This is a video or sound recording

(Deese, 2020, Slide 8)  - Powerpoint or Slideshare type source

( King James Bible , 1769/2017, 1 Cor. 13:1)

(Aristotle, ca 350 B.C.E./1994, Part IV)

(Shakespeare, 1623/1995, 1.3.36-37)

For more information, see page 264 of the   Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7 th  ed.

Personal Interviews in APA

Reminder: Personal Interviews do NOT go into a reference list in APA style. 

Interviews should be cited like this for intext citations:

(E. Robbins, personal communication, January 4, 2021)

• Students must be able to complete four classes of calculus to take 300-level engineering classes at NCSU (J. Smith, personal communication, August 15, 2018).
• According to J. Smith, an instructor at NCSU, students must complete four classes of calculus to take 300-level engineering classes (personal communication, August 15, 2018).
• Purdue Owl APA Page

Ask-A-Librarian

Rowan-cabarrus student or faculty need help  click the chat now icon.

This service is only for Rowan-Cabarrus Community College faculty, staff, and students.

APA Citations and YouTube

• Want to Watch a Video for the Presentation? click here This is an 8-minute video, created in Canva, to explain how to cite YouTube videos in APA format.
• APA Citation Help This is the page from this research guide about all things APA.
• Plagiarism and Integrating Sources This is the page from this guide for plagiarism and integrating sources.
• APA Citations and YouTube *****Open this file to view a slideshow about citing YouTube videos in APA format.*****

APA7 Citation Guides and Templates

• APA 7 Career Paper for Student Use - Sept2020
• APA7 Style Guide (updated May 2022)

A few things about APA formatting

             Fonts

• APA7 allows for fonts other than Times New Roman 12 BUT our English and ACA departments have chosen to only allow Times New Roman 12. Other allowed fonts (for classes outside of English/ACA) are 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode. 11-point Georgia or 10-point Computer Modern are also allowed (APA Publication Manual, 2019, p. 44)

            Spacing

• Double-space always

            Headings

• Rowan-Cabarrus generally doesn't use headings other than Level 1 (centered and bold) and Level 2 (left aligned and bold)
• The heading is page number, right-aligned.
• No running headers are required for student papers

        Abstracts

• Abstracts are only necessary when the instructor asks for them.

          APA Versions  

• There are two versions of APA on the web. Be careful
• Within APA7, there are two versions (professional and student). Be careful.

        Authors/ Publishers

• Three or more authors can be abbreviated to Fist author, et al. on the first in-text citation
• Up to 20 authors are spelled out in the reference list
• Publisher location is not required for books 
• No Date - If no date is provided, use the initials n.d. where you would normally put the date.

        DOIs vs URLs

 If  a book, journal, report or other publication has a DOI, it must be included in the reference .

• If no DOI is available, use the source’s URL in the citation.

According to Purdue Owl's page titled DOIs vs. URLs , APA allows for the use of either the modern alphanumeric string format ("doi:0000000/000000000000") or the older doi.org format ("https://doi.org/10.0000/0000 ").  Use whichever is provided by the source. 

All hyperlinks retain the https://

APA, Long Paraphrase and Narrative and Parenthetical Intext Citations

There are two ways to cite your information in your paper.

If you include all the information about your source in the parenthesis at the end of the sentence, it is called a parenthetical intext citation. Page numbers are added for direct quotes.

• In conclusion, the research shows that dogs have innate predatory behavior traits which are enhanced by the dogs' desires to protect their human owners (Tucker & Maddey, 2020).     
• The research found that "dogs are more willing to attack or defend territory that is considered to be their own" (Tucker & Maddey, 2020, p. 81). 

If you include the author's name in the sentence, it is called a narrative intext citation. The date would go in the parenthesis. 

• Tucker and Maddey (2020) found that predatory behavior in dogs is due to many different factors.   

Often, long paraphrases continue for multiple sentences. Usually you'll intext cite the source in the first sentence. It is not necessary to cite every single sentence  IF  you've made it clear in the narrative that the information discussed is from the before-mentioned source. 

*Note that the bold words show where the information is coming from . Students should NOT bold any words.

Here's an example:

Tucker and Maddey (2020)  found that predatory behavior in dogs is due to many different factors. One of the factors is the physical territory of the alleged threat. The research found that "dogs are more willing to attack or defend territory that is considered to be their own"  (Tucker & Maddey, 2020, p. 81) .  Another factor  they discovered is that dogs are more willing to prey on a threat if their human owners are nearby. In an experiment conducted over multiple days using cameras,  Tucker and Maddey  discovered that dogs were shown to be much more protective with predatory behavior when their owners were in the vicinity than when the owners were away. In conclusion, the research shows that dogs have innate predatory behavior traits which are enhanced by the dogs' desires to protect their human owners  (Tucker & Maddey, 2020) .   

Citing a Source Within a Source (Secondhand or Secondary Source)

Academic articles, books, and other sources often refer to previously published articles, books and other sources. You'll usually see the author of the previous source in the sentence or in the intext citation.

You will NOT include this source as if you read the study yourself.

For example, there is a paper written by Anderson that is referred to in an article written by Robb. You read the article by Robb; NOT the paper by Anderson. This is what you write:

According to Anderson's 2013 study (as cited in Robb, 2019), learning APA "can be difficult, especially when students are focusing on content area and not writing styles" (p. 33). In addition, some elements of APA seem subjective to students (Anderson, 2013 as cited in Robb, 2019).

In the reference list, you include the article you read; not the article you read about.

Robb, L. (2019). Librarianship in community colleges. Journal of Libraries , 110(2), 31-35. https://doil.something/something/000000. 

Direct Quotes

• Examples - APA Block, Long Direct Quotes

Guidelines for Direct Quotes

A direct quote uses the exact words of a source. .

Think of the quote as a rare and precious jewel. 

Quotes can be super-effective in getting your point across to the reader. Just be sure you’re not stringing a bunch of quotes together – you want your voice to be stronger than the voice of your sources. You always need to interpret, analyze, add to and explain more about the quote to your reader.  

Here are some guidelines to help you decide when to use quotes:

• Wording that is so memorable, unforgettable or powerful, or expresses a point so perfectly, that you cannot change it without weakening the meaning.
• An important passage is so dense or rich that it requires you to analyze it closely. This requires that the passage be quoted so the reader can follow your analysis.
• A claim you are making is such that the doubting reader will want to hear exactly what the source said. This is mostly when you criticize or disagree with a source. You want your reader to know you aren't misrepresenting the source.
• Your attempts to paraphrase or summarize are awkward or much longer than the source material.

You may choose to quote an entire passage from a source or just words or phrases. Make sure to use signal words (see below) to move between your ideas and the words of your source and avoid wordy or awkward introductions to a quote. Also, always cite your work. See examples below for ideas on how to use quotes.

Direct Quotes (APA format)

As Ali Akbar Hamemi remarked in 2005, "There is no doubt that America is a super-power in the world and we cannot ignore them" (Vick, 2017, p. 13). 

Direct Quotes (MLA format)

For Charles Dickens, the eighteenth century was both "the best of times" and "the worst of times" (35).

Sometimes it may be necessary to include long direct quotes ( of over 40 words) if you are unable to paraphrase or summarize. A long quote is treated differently as a block quotation with a .5 inch margin from the left but still double-spaced.  Notice that there are no quotation marks around the block quotations even though these are direct quotes.  

Block quotation with parenthetical citation:

Researchers found when studying gray wolves that coloring around eyes may change over the lifespan:

Facial color patterns change with growth in many American  canid  species, although no studies have directly examined such developmental changes. For example, all newborn gray wolves observed in the present study had dark-colored bodies and C-type faces with dark-colored irises. (Ueda et al., 2014, p. 4)

Ueda, S., Kumagai, G., Otaki, Y., Yamaguchi, S., & Kohshima, S. (2014). A comparison of facial color pattern and gazing behavior in canid species suggests gaze communication in gray wolves (canis lupus).  PLoS One,  9 (6) doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0098217

Block quotation with narrative citation:

Manning and Kaler (2011) describe the difficulties of using survey methods when observing owls:

Survey  methods with observers outside the vehicle were 3 times more likely to displace an owl than a single vehicle stop where observers remained inside the vehicle. Owls were displaced farther distances by all survey methods compared to control trials, but distances and time displaced did not differ among survey methods. (p. 526)

Manning, J. A., & Kaler, R. S. A. (2011). Effects of survey methods on burrowing owl behaviors.  Journal of Wildlife Management,  75 (3), 525-530. Retrieved from https://proxy154.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/925615280?accountid=13601

For more information, see page 272 of the   Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7 th  ed.

So, when using quotes:

• Always have a good reason  for using a direct quote. Otherwise, paraphrase or summarize.
• Do not allow quotes to speak for themselves . Your research paper is about communicating YOUR IDEAS.  Your research simply helps prove or support those ideas.
• Always make sure you  provide an analysis of the quote .  Show your readers that you understand how the quote relates to your ideas by analyzing its significance.
• Do not use quotes as padding . If quotes do not have adequate analysis, readers will feel that you don’t have a grasp on what that quote means, and they also might feel that you are using quotes as “filler” to take up space.
• Use no more than 2 direct quotes per paragraph .
• Carefully integrate quotations into your text so that they flow smoothly and clearly into the surrounding sentences. Use a signal phrase or signal verb, such as those in the following example:

As Thompson (2020) makes clear in his article, Youtube's  algorithms "can’t distinguish between true and false data,  except in the most crude way" (para. 5).  

Paraphrasing/Summarizing

• APA Long Paraphrase
• MLA Long Paraphrase

Guidelines for Paraphrasing and Summarizing

Think of Paraphrases and Summaries as your foundations

Paraphrase and summarize long passages where the main point is important to the point you are making, but the details are not . You should use paraphrasing and summarizing much more often than direct quotes. A good balance would be 75% paraphrasing and summarizing and 25% direct quotes.

Paraphrase:  You are paraphrasing when you take someone else’s words and rewrite them in your own words without altering the meaning or providing interpretation. Paraphrases are about the same length as the original. Always cite your paraphrase. Summarize: You are summarizing  when you condense the author's words or ideas without altering the meaning or providing interpretation using your own words -- basically, you’re presenting the original information in a nutshell. Always cite it.

Examples of Paraphrases

Introduce paraphrases clearly in your text, usually with a signal phrase that includes the author of the source. Here is original text and paraphrased text.

Volunteers feel more socially connected, they're less lonely, and suffer from depression less, studies show. Volunteering creates physical benefits too: Regular volunteers are less likely to develop  high blood pressure  and live longer, some studies show. (text is from "Dalai Lama: 5 Things to Keep in Mind for the Next Four Years" from CNN.com, written by Jen Christensen)

Paraphrased text in APA style:

Volunteering has psychological and physical benefits, according to studies. Along with being less depressed and lonely, volunteers also live longer and are less likely to have high blood pressure (Christensen, 2017).

Paraphrased text in MLA style:

Volunteering has psychological and physical benefits, according to studies. Along with being less depressed and lonely, volunteers also live longer and are less likely to have high blood pressure (Christensen).

Examples of Summaries

Summaries, too, need to be carefully integrated into your text.   Make sure to signal the reader that you are summarizing and include the correct citation.

Here is an example of a summary in APA format:

In Christensen's article, she explores Dalai Lama's advice to people who want to find happiness in an uncertain world. His Holiness believes that people should focus on developing compassion, letting go of anger, self-reflecting, helping others, and being playful like children (Christensen, 2017). 

Here's the summary in MLA format:

In Christensen's article, she explores Dalai Lama's advice to people who want to find happiness in an uncertain world. His Holiness believes that people should focus on developing compassion, letting go of anger, self-reflecting, helping others, and being playful like children (Christensen). 

Whenever you include summaries, paraphrases, or quotations in your own writing, it is important that you identify the sources of the material; even unintentional failure to cite material is plagiarism. Be especially careful with paraphrases and summaries, where there are no quotation marks to remind you that the material is not your own.

Often, long paraphrases continue for multiple sentences. Usually you'll intext cite the source in the first sentence. It is not necessary to cite every single sentence IF you've made it clear in the narrative that the information discussed is from the before-mentioned source.

*Note that the bold words show where the information is coming from . Students should NOT bold the words.

Tucker and Maddey (2020) found that predatory behavior in dogs is due to many different factors. One of the factors is the physical territory of the alleged threat. The research found that "dogs are more willing to attack or defend territory that is considered to be their own" (Tucker & Maddey, 2020, p. 81) . Another factor they discovered is that dogs are more willing to prey on a threat if their human owners are nearby. In an experiment conducted over multiple days using cameras, Tucker and Maddey  discovered that dogs were shown to be much more protective with predatory behavior when their owners were in the vicinity they when the owners were away. In conclusion, the research shows that dogs have innate predatory behavior traits which are enhanced by the dogs' desires to protect their human owners (Tucker & Maddey, 2020) .   

If you're using information from a source more than once in a row (with no other sources referred to in between), you can use a simplified in-text citation. The first time you use information from the source, use a full in-text citation. The second time, you only need to give the page number.

Cell biology is an area of science that focuses on the structure and function of cells (Smith 15). It revolves around the idea that the cell is a "fundamental unit of life" (17). Many important scientists have contributed to the evolution of cell biology. Mattias Jakob Schleiden and Theodor Schwann, for example, were scientists who formulated cell theory in 1838 (20). 

*Thank you to the Library at Columbia College for this example.

Reasons why you would want to paraphrase from a source:

• To change the organization of ideas for emphasis.  You may have to change the organization of ideas in the passages you pull from your sources so that you can emphasize the points  most related to your paper.  Be sure to restate in your own words, but don’t change the meaning.
• To simplify the material.  You may have to simplify complex arguments, sentences, or vocabulary.
• To clarify the material.  You may have rewrite to clarify technical passages or put specialized information into language your audience will be better able to understand.

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because:

• It is better than quoting information from a passage that doesn't have memorable or important words or phrases
• It helps you control the temptation to quote too much
• It allows the writer to put the idea of a source into their own voice (but always cite it to show it is someone else's idea).

Tips on Summarizing:

A summary is a  condensed  version of someone else’s writing. Like paraphrasing, summarizing involves using your own words and writing style to express another author’s ideas. Unlike the paraphrase, which presents important details, the summary presents only the most important ideas of the passage. For example, you could summarize a book in a sentence, or in several paragraphs, depending on your writing situation and audience. You may use the summary often for the following reasons:

• To condense the material. You may have to condense or reduce the source material to pull out the  points that relate to your paper.
• To omit extras from the material. You may have to leave out extra information from the source material so you can focus on the author’s main points.
• To simplify the material.  You may have to simply the most important complex arguments, sentences or vocabulary in the source material.

When you decide to  summarize or paraphrase, avoid the following:

• keeping the same structure of ideas and/or sentence structure
• just changing some of the words
• adding your ideas into the summary - be faithful to the meaning of the source material.
• forgetting to cite your sources and use signal words.

Peanut Butter and Jelly - APA Style

Whenever you have a reference at the end of your paper, you need at least one intext citation to go with it. Every intext citation should point to a reference at the end of your paper.

References and Intext Citations Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Jelly.

Your intext citation contains the first word(s) of your reference and the date so the reader can find it easily . For example:

You write this in your paper: For optimal decomposition, experts believe you should aim for a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 30:1 ( Johnson, 2001 ).

This is in your Reference List:

  Johnson , L. (2001, February). Compost Happens: The Secret to Making Quick Gardener's Gold Instead of a Slow, Stinking Mess Requires, Like Everything Else, Balance.  Canadian Gardening , 12 (1), 28-33.

APA Reminders and Tips

• Few Pointers
• APA Reminders
• How to Find Journal Title and Date
• Additional APA Information
• Video about formatting, hanging indent, double-space
• APA font should be Times New Roman, 12 point font.
• References should be double-spaced.
• The title of your article is in title case (only first word and proper nouns capitalized). 
• Make sure your URL leads to the correct document. Copy and paste it into a tab to double-check. 
• Don't forget your hanging indents.

Please also note that in PubMed they show the AMA Approved Abbreviations for journal names instead of the full journal name sometimes. Make sure you are using the full journal name. 

Check out the APA 7 Page to learn more about APA and see example citations. 

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APA Style: Interviews, Presentations, Emails, and Other Personal Communication

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• APA Style: How do you cite e-mail communications from individuals?
• Purdue OWL: Other Non-Print Source

Emails, text messages, and social media messages are not included in your reference list; instead, in parenthesis cite the author's name , the phrase " personal communication ", and the date of the communication in your main body of your paper only.

Basic Format: (First Initial. Last Name, personal communication, Month Day, Year)

Example: (A. Librarian, personal communication, September 28, 2018)

A. Librarian also claimed that APA style is fun to use (personal communication, September 28, 2018).

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