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As anyone who has ever written a paper for a college class knows, there are certain style rules and guidelines to be followed depending on which discipline you are in. Such style rules ensure consistency in formatting and publishing and address details such as comma placement, capitalization, references and in-text citations. One of the most commonly used styles is the APA style, which is the style preferred by the American Psychological Association. APA style is style that is generally used for disciplines such as the social sciences, education and psychology.

Origins of APA Style

For many college students, learning APA style can be tricky. The specifics of the style often trip up even the best writers, since it is difficult to remember whether titles should be in italics or not, how references should be alphabetized and how to cite citations, which can vary depending upon where they appear.

According to the APA, the style originated in 1929, when a group of psychologists, anthropologists, and business managers decided to establish a simple set of procedures, or style rules, to bring uniformity to the elements of scientific writing to increase the ease of reading comprehension.

Some of the procedures they decided upon can be challenging. Plus, there are various online tools and style generators out there that can help. We’ve gathered a few of them here.

Online Citation Machines

It takes just a few clicks to find any number of reliable citation machines that help writers be sure their papers conform to APA style. In general, a citation machine website helps students and professionals properly credit the information that they use. As any good student knows, proper credits are essential to presenting a strong paper, because they cite the sources used, giving credit where credit is due and not plagiarizing.

Avoid Plagiarism at All Costs

In a reference paper, article, blog post or any other published work, writers must give credit to their sources. Failing to do so, even if you have completely reworded the information or summarized the information, is considered to be plagiarism. A good rule of thumb is to cite sources extensively, because even if you think you have an original thought, you may actually be paraphrasing something you’ve read elsewhere. It is safe to say that you cannot cite too many sources.

Citation Machine Ensures APA Conformity

Citation Machine is a free online tool that students, researchers, teachers and publishers can use to see how well their paper conforms to APA style guidelines.

The site is extremely clear about the two types of APA citations and provides a good summary. The first kind of citation is called an in-text or parenthetical citation. These citations must be included when you use information from someone else’s work in your own paper. They are used in the main body of your paper and must be placed immediately after the information you have borrowed.

The second kind of citation is a reference citation and is included with all other full citations at the end of your paper on the last page. They are alphabetical and listed one after the other. They’re the full citations for the in-text citations included in the body of your paper.

BibMe Details APA Style

BibMe is another free online citation generator for APA style. Along with citation guidelines, it spells out ways in which paper elements such as publication dates and titles should be structured. For example, publication dates should place the date that the source was published in parentheses, after the author’s name. If no date is available, you should write n.d. In parentheses, which stands for no date.

Book titles should capitalize just the first letter of the first word in the title. Do the same for the subtitle. The first letter of any proper nouns should be capitalized and italicized. Each should end with a period.

Check Every Last Detail

Learning APA style on your own can be daunting. Fortunately, you can learn more about it while making sure that paper is correct and that you properly cite each and every one of your sources by using online tools developed for this exact purpose.

Penn State University Libraries

Apa quick citation guide.

In-text Citation
Citing Generative AI
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APA Style Quiz

Using In-text Citation

Include an in-text citation when you refer to, summarize, paraphrase, or quote from another source. For every in-text citation in your paper, there must be a corresponding entry in your reference list.

APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14). For sources such as websites and e-books that have no page numbers , use a paragraph number, for example: (Field, 2005, para. 1). More information on direct quotation of sources without pagination is given on the APA Style and Grammar Guidelines web page.

Example paragraph with in-text citation

A few researchers in the linguistics field have developed training programs designed to improve native speakers' ability to understand accented speech (Derwing et al., 2002; Thomas, 2004). Their training techniques are based on the research described above indicating that comprehension improves with exposure to non-native speech. Derwing et al. (2002) conducted their training with students preparing to be social workers, but note that other professionals who work with non-native speakers could benefit from a similar program.

Derwing, T. M., Rossiter, M. J., & Munro, M. J. (2002). Teaching native speakers to listen to foreign-accented speech. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development , 23 (4), 245-259.

Thomas, H. K. (2004). Training strategies for improving listeners' comprehension of foreign-accented speech (Doctoral dissertation). University of Colorado, Boulder.

Citing Web Pages In Text

Cite web pages in text as you would any other source, using the author and date if known. Keep in mind that the author may be an organization rather than a person. For sources with no author, use the title in place of an author.

For sources with no date use n.d. (for no date) in place of the year: (Smith, n.d.). For more information on citations for sources with no date or other missing information see the page on missing reference information on the APA Style and Grammar Guidelines web page.

Below are examples of using in-text citation with web pages.

Web page with author:

In-text citation

Heavy social media use can be linked to depression and other mental disorders in teens (Asmelash, 2019).

Reference entry

Asmelash, L. (2019, August 14). Social media use may harm teens' mental health by disrupting positive activities, study says . CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/13/health/social-media-mental-health-trnd/index.html

Web page with organizational author:

More than 300 million people worldwide are affected by depression (World Health Organization, 2018).

World Health Organization. (2018, March 22). Depression . https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression

Web page with no date:

Establishing regular routines, such as exercise, can help survivors of disasters recover from trauma (American Psychological Association [APA], n.d.).

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Recovering emotionally from disaste r. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/recovering-disasters.aspx

General Guidelines

In-text references should immediately follow the title, word, or phrase to which they are directly relevant, rather than appearing at the end of long clauses or sentences. In-text references should always precede punctuation marks. Below are examples of using in-text citation.

Author's name in parentheses:

One study found that the most important element in comprehending non-native speech is familiarity with the topic (Gass & Varonis, 1984).

Author's name part of narrative:

Gass and Varonis (1984) found that the most important element in comprehending non-native speech is familiarity with the topic.

Group as author: First citation: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2015) Subsequent citation: (APA, 2015)

Multiple works: (separate each work with semi-colons)

Research shows that listening to a particular accent improves comprehension of accented speech in general (Gass & Varonis, 1984; Krech Thomas, 2004).

Direct quote: (include page number and place quotation marks around the direct quote)

One study found that “the listener's familiarity with the topic of discourse greatly facilitates the interpretation of the entire message” (Gass & Varonis, 1984, p. 85).

Gass and Varonis (1984) found that “the listener’s familiarity with the topic of discourse greatly facilitates the interpretation of the entire message” (p. 85).

Note: For direct quotations of more than 40 words , display the quote as an indented block of text without quotation marks and include the authors’ names, year, and page number in parentheses at the end of the quote. For example:

This suggests that familiarity with nonnative speech in general, although it is clearly not as important a variable as topic familiarity, may indeed have some effect. That is, prior experience with nonnative speech, such as that gained by listening to the reading, facilitates comprehension. (Gass & Varonis, 1984, p. 77)

Works by Multiple Authors

APA style has specific rules for citing works by multiple authors. Use the following guidelines to determine how to correctly cite works by multiple authors in text. For more information on citing works by multiple authors see the APA Style and Grammar Guidelines page on in-text citation .

Note: When using multiple authors' names as part of your narrative, rather than in parentheses, always spell out the word and. For multiple authors' names within a parenthetic citation, use &.

One author: (Field, 2005)

Two authors: (Gass & Varonis, 1984)

Three or more authors: (Tremblay et al., 2010)

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Last Updated: Jul 19, 2023 2:50 PM
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In-Text Citations: The Basics

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APA (American Psychological Association) style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6 th edition, second printing of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page. For more information, please consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , (6 th ed., 2 nd printing).

Note: This page reflects APA 6, which is now out of date. It will remain online until 2021, but will not be updated. The equivalent APA 7 page can be found here .

Reference citations in text are covered on pages 169-179 of the Publication Manual. What follows are some general guidelines for referring to the works of others in your essay.

Note: On pages 65-66, the Publication Manual suggests that authors of research papers should use the past tense or present perfect tense for signal phrases that occur in the literature review and procedure descriptions (for example, Jones (1998) found or Jones (1998) has found ...). Contexts other than traditionally-structured research writing may permit the simple present tense (for example, Jones (1998) finds ).

APA citation basics

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, for example, (Jones, 1998), and a complete reference 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, 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. All sources that are cited in the text must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

In-text citation capitalization, quotes, and italics/underlining

Always capitalize proper nouns, including author names and initials: D. Jones.

( Note: in your References list, only the first word of a title will be capitalized: Writing new media .)

When capitalizing titles, capitalize both words in a hyphenated compound word: Natural-Born Cyborgs .
Capitalize the first word after a dash or colon: "Defining Film Rhetoric: The Case of Hitchcock's Vertigo ."
Italicize the titles of longer works such as books, edited collections, movies, television series, documentaries, or albums: The Closing of the American Mind ; The Wizard of Oz ; Friends .
Put quotation marks around the titles of shorter works such as journal articles, articles from edited collections, television series episodes, and song titles: "Multimedia Narration: Constructing Possible Worlds;" "The One Where Chandler Can't Cry."

Short quotations

If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and 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.

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?

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.

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

Long quotations

Place direct quotations that are 40 words or longer in a free-standing block of typewritten lines and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin, i.e., in the same place you would begin a new paragraph. Type the entire quotation on the new margin, and indent the first line of any subsequent paragraph within the quotation 1/2 inch from the new margin. Maintain double-spacing throughout. The parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.

Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask their teacher for help. (p. 199)

Summary or paraphrase

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).

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).

College of Business and Economics

COBE Writing Style Guide

Guidelines for Citations and References

Using external sources without citing them is considered plagiarism. Authors must provide enough information so that readers can go to the original sources and review them. This involves two things: Citations and References.

Citations briefly identify the source of borrowed information, quotes, and figures in the text. The citation must be placed at the beginning, middle or end of the borrowed information. It must be clear what information is borrowed and where it comes from, including page references whenever possible. The brief citation matches the first word(s) in an entry in the reference list; the author(s) or title serves as a main entry in the reference list.
The reference list contains the full descriptions of only those sources that are cited in the paper. It enables the reader to find any source cited in the paper. The references are placed in alphabetical order at the end of the paper.

Citing Borrowed Material

Citations include the author’s last name, the year of publication, and a page number if available. If an author is not available, use the title of the work (or a short form of the title, if it is lengthy). Titles that are italicized in the reference list are italicized in text; titles that are not italicized in the reference list appear in quotation marks. Some examples follow. This is by no means an all- inclusive list. The APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, sections 6.01–6.21, pp. 169–179, provides more examples of citation style.

References and a bibliography are not the same.

In References , you list only the items you have actually cited.
In a Bibliography , you list all of the material you have consulted in preparing your essay whether or not you have actually cited the work.

Most Boise State College of Business and Economics disciplines use the references page to list the sources within the text of the report from which information was obtained. For more details about bibliographies, see Appendix A: Bibliography on the Style Guide References and Bibliography page.

Each citation in the text must correspond to an item in the reference list.

Each entry in references must be cited in the text in the proper way to easily lead the reader to the reference in the list (see APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, Chapters 6 and 7 for an extensive discussion).

On the references page, arrange entries:

In alphabetical order by surname of first author. (If no author is given, alphabetize by first word of title.)
In order of date, with earliest first, for references by the same author.
With hanging indents, meaning the first line of each reference is set flush left and subsequent lines are indented.
In double space with the word References appearing in uppercase and lowercase letters, centered.

A reference list includes only references that document the article and provide recoverable data. Don’t include personal communications such as letters, memos, and informational electronic communications. Instead, cite those online in text (see APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, section 6.20 for format).

In all reference entries, certain pieces of information need to be included if at all possible. These include things like author(s), year of publication, title and pages. However, some specific pieces of information vary for different types of references.

Basic components and formats include the following:

Article : Author’s last name, First and Middle (if available) initials. (Publication date). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume number (Issue number), start page-end page.
Book : Author’s last name, First and Middle (if available) initials. (Copyright date). Book title. Publisher’s city: Publisher’s name.

NOTE: APA does not use the words “Volume,” “Vol.,” or “Issue” in reference list entries, just the appropriate numbers. If no publication date is available, use (n.d.) to indicate that there is no publication date.

NOTE: The paragraph format for reference entries is a “Hanging Indent” where the first line is left flush and subsequent lines are indented. In MS WORD, use the FORMAT > PARAGRAPH > INDENTS and SPACING > INDENTATION > SPECIAL > HANGING style menu.

NOTE: Place the DOI at the end of the reference. If there is no DOI, cite the home page URL.

What is a digital object identifier, or DOI?

DOI: digital object identifier (DOI) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the Internet. The publisher assigns a DOI when your article is published and made available electronically.

Sample Citations and Reference List Entries

Examples of citation placement in text.

When one author is referred to in the middle of a sentence list the citation like this, “Kessler (2003) found that among epidemiological samples . . .”

When the citation is referenced without mentioning the author in the sentence list the citation like this, “Early onset results in a more persistent and severe course (Kessler, 2003).”

Two authors

When two authors are referred to in the middle of a sentence list the citation like this, “. . . as Kurtines and Szapocznik (2003) demonstrated. . .”

When the citation is referenced without mentioning the authors in the sentence list the citation like this, “. . . as has been shown (Jeskog and Som, 2007). . .”

Three or more authors

Cite all the authors the first time the work is mentioned. After that use only the surname of the first author followed by “et al.” For example, Kisangau, Lyaruu, Hosea, and Joseph (2007) found [Use as first citation in text.] Kisangau et al. (2007) found [Use as subsequent first citation per paragraph thereafter.]

Multiple sources cited for the same piece of information

Order sources alphabetically as they are in the reference list. For example, “Kosslyn, Koenig, Barrett, Cave, Tang, and Gabrieli (996).”

Direct quotations

List the direct quote in quotation marks followed by the citation including the author, year, and page. For example, “Behavior has been referred to as “blah blah” (Bradley, 1998, p. 276).”

Secondary sources

Refer to both sources in the text, but only put the one source you used in the References list. For example, Allport’s diary (as cited in Nicholson, 2003).

In this case, if Allport’s work is cited in Nicholson and you did not read Allport’s work, list the Nicholson reference in the reference list.

Use the title of the article, or part of the title, and the year. Make sure that the title or title part corresponds to the name in the Reference list. This often occurs with daily newspaper articles. For example, “It was recently reported that a new drug appears to cut the risk of heart failure (“New Drug,” 1993).”

Citing Personal Communication and Interviews

Personal communications.

These include private letters, memos, some electronic communication (e.g., e-mails or electronic bulletin boards), personal interviews, and telephone conversation. For example, “T. K. Lutes (personal communication, April 18, 2001)” or “(V. G. Nguyen, personal communication, September 28, 1998).”

The citation of interviews depends on the nature of the interview.

Third-party interviews

If the interview is in a form that is recoverable (e.g., a recording, transcript, published Q&A), use the reference format appropriate for the source in which the interview is available.

Informational Interviews

If you have interviewed someone for information about your topic and that person has agreed to be identified as a source, cite the source as a personal communication (in text only). For example, “(G. Fink-Nottle, personal communication, April 5, 2011).”

Personal communications do not have reference list entries because they cannot be retrieved.

Interviews of research participants

No citation is needed for remarks made by participants in the research on which you’re reporting. Do not cite these as personal communications; this would breach the participants’ guarantee of confidentiality.

More information

For more information on interviews, see APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, section 1.11, pp. 16-17; section 6.20, p. 179; section 7.10, Examples 69 and 70, p. 214.

Citing Electronic Sources

Given the rich and varied online publishing environment, APA Publication Manual, sixth edition recommends including the same elements, in the same order, as a reference to a fixed-media source and add as much electronic retrieval information as needed for others to locate the sources cited.

Here are basic guidelines of the APA Publication Manual, sixth edition for citing electronic sources in the reference list.

For a passing reference to a website in text, the URL is sufficient; no reference list entry is needed. For example, “(http://gfnnfg.livejournal.com/).”

However, when you are citing a particular document or piece of information from a website, include both a reference list entry and an in-text citation. The key to creating the reference list entry is to determine the type of content on the web page. Basically, provide the following four pieces of information:

Title of document [Format description].
Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx

The in-text citation includes the author and date (Author, date), as with any other APA Style citation.

For more information see APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, section 6.32, pp. 189–192; Chapter 7, Examples 29, 30, 54, 55, and 76, pp. 198–215.

The reference list entry for an e-book includes the author, date, title, and source (URL or DOI). For a chapter in an e-book, include the chapter title and page numbers (if available). The in-text citation includes the author and date, as with any other APA Style citation.

For a whole e-book

With DOI : Author, A. (date). Title of book. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx
Without DOI : Author, A. (date). Title of book. doi:xxxxxxxxxxxx

For a chapter in an e-book

With DOI : Author, A. (date). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). doi:xxxxxxxxxx
Without DOI : Author, A. (date). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx

For more information see: APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, section 7.02, pp. 202–205.

Facebook and Twitter

Although the APA Publication Manual (sixth edition) does not include specific Facebook citation formats, you can adapt the basic reference format to fit. For more information see APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, p. 193.

Here’s the general format for creating a reference for a video found on YouTube and other video-posting websites:

If both the real name of the person who posted the video and the screen name are known: Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (year, month day). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx.

If only the screen name of the person who posted the video is known: Screen name. (year, month day). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx The in-text citations include the author name outside of brackets (whichever that may be) and the date.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

A digital object identifier (DOI) is a unique string of letters, numbers, and symbols assigned to a published work to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the Internet. The DOI is typically located on the first page of an electronic document near the copyright notice and on the database landing page for the document. When DOIs are available, include them in the reference information. Place the DOI at the end of the reference, and don’t add a period at the end of it. For example, “Author, A. (year). Title of article. Journal Title, X, xxx–xxx. doi:xxxxxx.”

How does this look in practice?

Brownlie, D. (2007). Toward effective poster presentations: An annotated bibliography. European Journal of Marketing, 41, 1245-1283. doi:10.1108/03090560710821161

Note: If there is no DOI, provide the URL for the journal homepage as the second choice. The retrieval date is not required in this type of reference

For more information see APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, sections 6.31–6.32, pp. 187–192

No page numbers

For electronic sources that do not provide page numbers, use the paragraph number, if available, proceeded by the paragraph symbol (¶) or the abbreviation para. For example, “As Myers (2000, ¶ 5) aptly phrased it, “positive emotions are both an end…”

If neither paragraph nor page numbers are visible, cite the heading and the number of the paragraph following it to direct the reader to the location of the material. For example, “The current system of managed care and the current approach to defining empirically supported treatments are shortsighted” (Beutler, 2000, Conclusion section, para 1).”

When there is no author for a web page, the text citation would then just cite a few words of the title. For example, “…are most at risk of contracting the disease (“New Child,” 2001).”

Entire website

When discussing—but not citing—an entire web site (but not a specific document on that site), it is sufficient to give the address of the site in just the text (no entry in the reference list is needed). For example, “Kidspsych, which can be found at http://www.kidspsych.org, is a wonderful interactive web site for children.”

Additional guidelines for citing electronic sources

Here are additional guidelines on citing electronic sources (APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, section 6.32):

You may need to do a quick web search to locate the website URL. Transcribe the URL correctly by copying it directly from the address window in your browser and pasting it into your working document.
Do not insert a hyphen if you need to break a URL across lines; instead, break the URL before most punctuation. Do not add a period after the URL, to prevent the impression that the period is part of the URL.
In general, it is not necessary to include database information. Journal coverage in a particular database may change over time; also, if using an aggregator such as EBSCO, OVID, or Pro Quest (each of which contain many discipline-specific databases, such as PsycINFO), it may be unclear exactly which database provided the full text of an article.
Some archival documents (e.g., discontinued journals, monographs, dissertations, or papers not formally published) can only be found in electronic databases such as ERIC or JSTOR. When the document is not easily located through its primary publishing channels, give the home or entry page URL for the online archive.
Do not include retrieval dates unless your instructor requires it and the source material may change over time (e.g., Wikis).
As with references to material in print or other fixed media, it is preferable to cite the final version (i.e., archival copy or version of record; see APA Publication Manual, sixth edition, section 6.24).

Examples of Reference List Entries

Journal article with doi, in-text citation.

The in-text citation for journal articles with a DOI is listed as authors (Year, found..). For example, “Herbst-Damm and Kulik (2005, found…”

Reference Entry

Herbst-Damm, K.L., and Kulik, J. A. (2005). Volunteer support, marital status, and the survival times of terminally ill patients. Health Psychology , 24, 225-229. doi: 10.1037/027S-6 1 33.24.2.225

Journal article with DOI more than seven authors

The in-text citation for journal articles with a DOI and more than seven authors is listed as the first author (et. al., year). For example, “… (Gilbert et al., 2004)…”

Gilbert, D.G., McClernon, J. F., Rabinovich, N.E., Sugai, C., Plath, L.C., Asgaard, G., Botros, N. (2004). Effects of quitting smoking on EEG activation and attention last for more than 31 days and are more severe with stress, dependence, DR D2 A1allele, and depressive traits. Nicotine and Tobacco Research , 6, 249-267 Doi:10.1SO/14622200410001676305

Journal article without DOI (when DOI is not available)

Note: Give the URL of the home page if no DOI is assigned. No retrieval date is needed.

The in-text citation for journal articles without DOI is listed as the aauthors (year). For example, “Sillick and Schutte (2006) described…”

Sillick, T.J., and Schutte, N. S. (2006). Emotional intelligence and self-esteem mediate between perceived early parental love and adult happiness. E-Journal of Applied Psychology, 2 (2), 38-48.

Light, M. A., and Light, I. H. (2008). The geographic expansion of Mexican immigration in the United States and its implications for local law enforcement. Law Enforcement Executive Forum Journal, 8 (1), 73-82.

Abstract as original source

The in-text citation for abstracts as original sources is listed as the abstract title (year). For example, “According to the Society for Neuroscience (1991)…”

Woolf, N. J., Young, S. L., Fanselow, M. S., and Butcher, L. L. (1991). MAP-2 expression in cholinoceptive pyramidal cells of rodent cortex and hippocampus is altered by Pavlovian conditioning [Abstract]. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts , 17, 480.

Magazine article

The in-text citation for magazine articles is listed as author (year). For example, “Novotney and Price (2008) argue that…”

Chamberlin, J., Novotney, A., Packard, E., and Price, M. (2008, May). Enhancing worker well-being: Occupational health psychologists convene to share their research on work, stress, and health. Monitor on Psychology , 39 (5), 26-2.

Online magazine article

The in-text citation for online magazine articles is listed as author (year). For example, “Clay (2008) finds…”

Clay, R. (2008, June). Science vs. ideology: Psychologists fight back about the misuse of research. Monitor on Psychology , 39 (6).

Newsletter article with no author

The in-text citation for newspaper articles with no authors is listed as the title (hyperlink). For example, “Several…met at a comprehensive anti- gang conference (http://www. ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/ne wsacglance/216684/topstory.htm)…”

Six sites meet for comprehensive anti-gang initiative conference. (2006, November/December). OJJDP News @ a Glance . Retrieved from http://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/newsac glance/216684/topstory.html

Newspaper article

The in-text citation for newspaper articles is listed as title (author, year). For example, “Obesity is found to …(Schwartz, 1993).”

Schwartz, J. (1993, September 30). Obesity affects economic, social status. The Washington Post , pp. A1, A4.

Online newspaper article

The in-text citation for online newspaper articles is listed as author (year). For example, “According to J.E. Brody (2007)…”

Brody, J. E. (2007, December 11). Mental reserves keep brain agile. The New York Times .

Entire book

Author, A. A. (1967). Title of work . Location: Publisher.
Author, A. A. (1997). Title of work . Retrieved from http://www.xxxxxxx
Author, A. A. (2006). Title of work . doi:xxxxx
Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (1986). Title of work . Location: Publisher.

Chapter in a book or entry in a reference book

Author, A. A., and Author, B. B. (1995). Title of chapter or entry. In A Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). Location: Publisher.
Author, A. A., and Author, B. B. (1993). Title of chapter or entry. In A Editor & B. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). Retrieved from http ://www.xxxxxxx
Author, A. A., and Author, B. B. (1995). Title of chapter or entry. In A Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). doi:xxxxxxxx

Entire Book, print version

The in-text citation for entire printed book is listed as author (year). For example, “Shotton (1989) asserts ….”

Shotton, M. A. (1989). Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency . London, England: Taylor and Francis.

Reference Entry Format and Components: Note carefully the use of italics and punctuation.

Author’s last name and initial(s). (Publication date). Book title in italics and using capital letters for the first word of the title and subtitle and for any proper nouns . City, state of publication: Publisher.

Electronic version of print book

The in-text citation for electronic version of a print book is listed as author (year). For example, “…as is mentioned by Shotton (1989)…”

Shotton, M. A. (1989). Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency [DX Reader Version]. Retrieved from http://www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/ html/index.asp

Schiraldi, G. R. (2001). The post-traumatic stress disorder sourcebook: A guide to healing, recovery, and growth [Adobe Digital Editions version].doi: 10.1036/0071393722

Electronic only book

The in-text citation for electronic only books is listed as author (n.d). For example, “O’Keefe (n.d.) found…”

O’Keefe, E. (n.d.). Egoism & the crisis in Western values . Retrieved from http://www.onlineoriginals.com/showitem.asp??itemID=35

Book chapter, print version

The in-text citation for a chapter in a print version of a book is listed as author (year, pp. xx-xx). For example, “Haybron (2008, pp. 17-43) found…”

Haybron, D. M. (2008). Philosophy and the science of subjective well- being . In M. Eid and R. Larsen (Eds.). The science of subjective well-being (pp. 17-43). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Corporate author, government report

The in-text citation for government reports is listed as department (year) report. For example, “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, (2003) report…”

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2003). Managing asthma: A guide for schools (NIH Publication No. 02-2650). Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/asthma/asth_sch.pdf

Issue Brief

Use this form for issue briefs, working papers, and other corporate documents, with the appropriate document number for retrieval in parentheses.

The in-text citation for issue briefs is listed as institute name (year). For example, “The Employee Benefit Research Institute (1992) report…”

Employee Benefit Research Institute. (1992, February). Sources of health insurance and characteristics of the uninsured (Issue Brief No.123). Washington, DC: Author.

Paper presentation or poster session

The in-text citation for paper presentations or poster sessions is listed as presenters name (year) presented… For example, “A.A. Presenter (year) presented…”

Presenter, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of paper or poster . Paper or poster session presented at the meeting of Organization Name, Location.

The in-text citation for videos is listed as producer (year). For example, “According to the American Psychological Association (2000), …”

American Psychological Association (Producer). (2000). Responding therapeutically to patient expressions of sexual attraction [DVD]. Available from http://www.a pa.org/videos/

The in-text citation for podcasts is listed as date and podcast name. For example, “During a December 19, 2007 Shrink rap radio podcast, participants…”

Van Nuys, D. (Producer). (2007, December 19). Shrink rap radio [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.shrinkrapradio.com/

Single episode from a television series

The in-text citation for an episode from a television series is listed as series name (year). For example, “In an episode of Failure to communicate (2005) …”

Egan, D. (Writer). and Alexander, J. (Director). (2005). Failure to communicate [Television series episode]. In D. Shore (Executive producer). House. New York, NY: Fox Broadcasting.

Music recording

In text citations, include side and band or track numbers. For example, “ Shadow and the Frame ” (Lang, 2008, track 10).

Lang, K.D. (2008). Shadow and the frame . On Watershed [CD]. New York, N Y: Nonesuch Records.

Photographs

Photographer, F.M. (Photographer). (Year, month date of publication). Title of photograph [photograph]. City, State of publication: Publisher/museum.

Photographer, F.M. (Photographer). (Year, Month Date of Publication). Title of Photograph [digital image]. Retrieved from URL

Cartier-Bresson, H. (Photograph). (1938). Juvisy, France [photograph]. New York, NY: The Museum of Modern Art

O’Shea, P. (Photographer). (2010, August 29). Rescued hedgehog [digital image]. Retrieved from http://flickr.com/photos/peteoshea/5 476076002/

Message posted to a newsgroup, online forum, or discussion group

The in-text citation for a message posted to a newsgroup, online forum, or discussion group is listed as author (year) or (F. L, year). For example, “J.R. Drake (2014) argues that. . . . ” OR “. . . to remain competitive (J.R. Drake, 2014).”

Author. A. [or Alias.] (Year, Month day). Title of discussion thread [Online forum comment]. Message posted to Web address

Drake, J.R. (2014 May 5). Re: Incidentals of XII Technologies [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://forums.XII/archive/188815

Message posted to an electronic mailing list

The in-text citation for messages posted to an electronic mailing list is listed as author (year). For example, “Smith (2006) describes…”

Smith, S. (2006, January 5). Re: Disputed estimates of IQ [Electronic mailing list message]. Retrieved from http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ ForensicNetwork/message/670

The in-text citation for a blog post is listed as author (year). For example, “PZ Myers (2007) found…”

PZ Myers. (2007, January 22). The unfortunate prerequisites and consequences of partitioning your mind [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/ 2007/01/theunfortunateprerequisites

A blog comment would be referenced as follows:

Middle Kid. (2007, January 22). Re: The unfortunate prerequisites and consequences of partitioning your mind [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/ 2007/01/theunfortunateprerequisites.

Interview recorded and available in an archive

The in-text citation for interviews recorded and available in an archive is listed as the name and year. For example, “Smith (1989) describes…”

Smith, M.B. (1989, August 12). Interview by C. A. Kiesler [Tape recording]. President’s Oral History Project. American Psychological Association. APA Archives, Washington, DC.

The in-text citation for software is listed as software title, version number. For example, “…is calculated by… (Comprehensive Meta- Analysis, version 2).”

Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (Version 2) [Computer software]. Englewood, NJ: Biostat.

Personal communications may be private letters, memos, some electronic communications (e.g., e-mail or messages from nonarchived discussion groups or electronic bulletin boards), personal interviews, telephone conversations, and the like. Because they do not provide recoverable data, personal communications are not included in the reference list. Cite personal communications in text only. Give the initials as well as the surname of the communicator, and provide as exact a date as possible.

T. K. Lutes (personal communication, April 18, 2001)

(V.-G. Nguyen, personal communication, September 28, 1 998)

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APA Citation Style Guide (6th Ed.): In-text Citation

In-text Citation
Two Authors
3 - 5 Authors
6 or More Authors
Magazine Article
Newspaper Article
One Author or Editor
Two Authors or Editors
3-5 Authors or Editors
Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
Article in a Reference Book
Book with No Author
Book Edition
Translation
Web Pages and Blog Posts
Motion Picture
YouTube Video
Audio Podcast
Music Recording
Images and Art
Classical Work
Secondary Source
Government Publication

Using In-text Citation

APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14). For sources such as websites and e-books that have no page numbers , use a paragraph number. More information on citing sources without pagination is given on the APA Style web page .

Example paragraph with in-text citation

A few researchers in the linguistics field have developed training programs designed to improve native speakers' ability to understand accented speech (Derwing, Rossiter, & Munro, 2002; Krech Thomas, 2004). Their training techniques are based on the research described above indicating that comprehension improves with exposure to non-native speech. Derwing et al. (2002) conducted their training with students preparing to be social workers, but note that other professionals who work with non-native speakers could benefit from a similar program.

Derwing, T. M., Rossiter, M. J., & Munro, M. J. (2002). Teaching native speakers to listen to foreign-accented speech. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 23(4), 245-259.

Krech Thomas, H. (2004). Training strategies for improving listeners' comprehension of foreign-accented speech (Doctoral dissertation). University of Colorado, Boulder.

Citing Web Pages In Text

Cite web pages in text as you would any other source, using the author and date if known. If the author is not known, use the title and the date as the in-text citation (for long titles just use the first few words). Your in-text citation should lead your reader to the corresponding entry in the reference list. For sources with no date use n.d. (for no date) in place of the year: (Smith, n.d.). Below are examples of using in-text citation with web pages.

Web page with author:

In-text citation :

Role-play can help children learn techniques for coping with bullying (Kraiser, 2011).

Reference entry:

Kraizer, S. (2011). Preventing bullying. Retrieved from http://safechild.org/categoryparents/preventing-bullying/

Web page with no author:

In-text citation:

The term Nittany Lion was coined by Penn State football player Joe Mason in 1904 (All things Nittany, 2006).

All things Nittany. (2006). Retrieved from http://www.psu.edu/ur/about/nittanymascot.html

Web page with no date:

Establishing regular routines, such as exercise, can help survivors of disasters recover from trauma (American Psychological Association [APA], n.d.).

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Recovering emotionally from disaster. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/recovering-disasters.aspx

General Guidelines

Author's name in parentheses:

One study found that the most important element in comprehending non-native speech is familiarity with the topic (Gass & Varonis, 1984).

Author's name part of narrative:

Gass and Varonis (1984) found that the most important element in comprehending non-native speech is familiarity with the topic.

Group as author:

First citation: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2015) Subsequent citation: (APA, 2015)

Multiple works: (separate each work with semi-colons)

Research shows that listening to a particular accent improves comprehension of accented speech in general (Gass & Varonis, 1984; Krech Thomas, 2004).

Direct quote: (include page number)

One study found that “the listener's familiarity with the topic of discourse greatly facilitates the interpretation of the entire message” (Gass & Varonis, 1984, p. 85).

Gass and Varonis (1984) found that “the listener’s familiarity with the topic of discourse greatly facilitates the interpretation of the entire message” (p. 85).

Works by Multiple Authors

APA style has specific rules for citing works by multiple authors. Use the following guidelines to determine how to correctly cite works by multiple authors in text. See pages 174-176 of the manual.

Note: When using multiple authors' names as part of your narrative, rather than in parentheses, always spell out the word and. For multiple authors' names within a parenthetic citation, use &.

See chart on page 177 of the manual for useful information on authors.

One author: (Field, 2005)

Two authors: (Gass & Varonis, 1984)

Three to five authors:

First citation: (Tremblay, Richer, Lachance, & Cote, 2010) Subsequent citations: (Tremblay et al., 2010)

Six or more authors: (Norris-Shortle et al., 2006).

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Last Updated: Jul 6, 2020 9:13 AM
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Citation Guidelines

Janice R. Walker, Citations Editor Home Page: http://www2.gasou.edu/facstaff/jwalker/ Email: [email protected]

*Note: The examples below list the author's full name, as required by Academic.Writing. If you are citing articles that must adhere strictly to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (4th ed.), replace the author's first name with the initial only.

To cite the journal as a whole

To cite forum discussions, to cite a specific "page" of a forum or contribution by a specific participant, to cite a specific column, to cite a featured article.

List the authors name, last name first, the date of publication, and the title of the article. List the journal title in italics, followed by the URL and the date of access.

To cite the pdf version

Even though it is usually preferable to cite the location from which you retrieved the article, it is important that you reference the version you actually used--in this case, the pdf version. By moving "up" the directory tree, researchers can locate the journal online if desired, or, by entering the URL with the .pdf file name, they can access directly the same version which you cited.

To cite reviews in Academic.Writing

To cite cac connections, to cite a specific article within cac connections, to cite a specific article or section in a frame, to cite abstracts of dissertations and theses related to cac.

Give the author's name, last name first, followed by the date of the theses or dissertation and the title of the dissertation, with the word "Abstract" enclosed in square brackets and followed by a period. Next, list the University Microfilms number, if applicable, in parentheses, followed by the title of the journal, the URL from which the thesis or dissertation abstract can be accessed, and the date of access.

Dannels, Deanna Patricia. (1999). Orality in the disciplines: A study of oral practices in mechanical engineering [Abstract]. (University Microfilms No. AAT 9924003). Academic.Writing. http://wac.colostate.edu/aw/theses/index.htm (10 April 2000).

Lisst the author's name(s), the title of the article enclosed in quotation marks, the journal title in italics, and the date of publication. Next, list the URL followed by the date of access enclosed in parentheses.

To cite a specific section or section in a frame

Give the author's name, followed by the word "Abstract" and the title of the thesis and dissertation. Next give the University Microfilms file number, if applicable, and the name of the University or degree-granting institution, followed by the date of the thesis or dissertation. Finally, list the title of the journal, the date of publicaiton, the URL, and the date of access enclosed in parentheses.

Walker, J. R. (2000). Citing Academic.Writing : Guidelines for citing sources. Academic.Writing. http://wac.colostate.edu/aw/archives/style.htm (22 March 2000).

Walker, Janice R. "Citing Academic.Writing: Guidelines for Citing Sources." Academic.Writing. 2000. http://wac.colostate.edu/aw/archives/style.htm (22 March 2000).

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Research Guides

Citation Guide

Zotero Examples
BibTeX Code
BibTeX Code ≤ v2.6
Other Styles
Generative AI

INFORMS: Essential Rules

(2016 ed.)

If you do not see the rule you need, consult the additional resource.

Accessed Dates and URL Formatting

Always include date accessed for webpages.
Always include a period at the end of the URL.
Do not insert a hard or soft return within the URL string; doing so breaks the link.

Author Names: Honorifics

Do not include honorifics (Dr., Col., Professor, etc.) when citing author names. Including these titles in the body of your document is acceptable.

Identifying Authors of Official Documents

For the National Security Strategy , cite the president as the author.

For other official documents , the author is the organization immediately responsible for creating the document. In the example below, the author is the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and the publisher is the Department of the Navy.

In the example above, the author is NOT an umbrella organization, signatory, or any of the following:

Chief of Naval Operations
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations
W. F. Moran
Department of Defense
Navy Pentagon
R. P. Burke
United States of America

Do not include acronyms for organizations listed as authors in the List of References or footnotes:

YES: Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
NO: Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO or OCNO).
NO: CNO or OCNO.

Bibliography vs. List of References

What is the difference between them.

A Bibliography lists all works cited and consulted
A List of References includes all works cited in a text

The NPS Thesis Processing Office prefers a List of References for the following:

Capstone project report
Dissertation

Capitalization: Title Case vs. Sentence case

Note: Always format the information in your citations (titles, author names, etc.) according to the requirements of the citation style you are using, regardless of how it appears in the original source.

Every equation that is not field-specific common knowledge needs to be cited. You may weave the source into the narrative:

The next step was to apply the X method (Ochoa 2022), to describe ...
Ochoa (2022) summarizes the derivation as follows ...

Here is an example of citing properly before the equation. Note the period at the end. Equations must function grammatically as part of the text:

Adapted from Moreau P P (2022) A cost-effectiveness analysis of C-12 variant airborne ISR capabilities in the Marine Corps. Master's thesis, Naval Postgraduate School, Department of Dragon Husbandry, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA. https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/69689.

And here is an example of how to cite an equation after it is presented:

Figures / Images / Graphs

A citation is required if you did not wholly create the figure—i.e., if you used someone else's image or data. A citation is not needed when all elements of the figure are your own creation.

See Figure 1 for placement of the title and the in-text citation.

Put a period and a space after the title.
If you use the figure exactly as it appears in the source, use “Source: ___.”
If you alter the original figure or use someone else's image or data to create the figure, use “Adapted from ___.”

Figure 1. A Figure with a Citation in APA, Chicago Author-Date, or INFORMS Style. Source: Author (2017).

Figure 1. A Figure with a Citation in APA, Chicago Author-Date, or INFORMS Style. Adapted from Author (2017).

For more details see the Thesis Template .

Thesis Template

How often to cite?

Remember: one citation at the end of a string of sentences or a paragraph cannot “cover” the entire section.
Cite a source the first time it is used in each paragraph.
Note: always use a citation (even if you also use a signal phrase) every time you quote material.

In-text Citation Placement & Signal Phrases

Where in the sentence does my in-text citation go.

If you name your source(s) in a given sentence, a parenthetical citation containing only the year always follows immediately after the name(s) of the author(s). Example: In contrast to earlier work by Abbott and Costello (1999), Laurel and Hardy (2008) propose an altogether different model for optimizing hat density …
“If the sentence ends with a quotation, close the quote, then place the citation between the quotation marks and the punctuation, like this” (Woolf 1931, p. 22).
Do not insert spaces between a parenthetical citation and the punctuation that follows it.

In the paragraph below, the parenthetical in-text citations are highlighted in yellow , and the s ignal phrases are in blue . Note that the second sentence is common knowledge, whereas the final sentence is clearly the opinion of the author.

Using Signal Phrases Effectively

Missing Info

If any information is missing from a source (a journal with no volume number, for example), simply omit that information. For sources consulted in hardcopy, omit the URL and any additional verbiage that introduces it. Anything retrieved online, however, MUST have a link. The only exception is journals retrieved from a subscription database such as ProQuest.

Multiple Authors, et al.

In the reference list, include all of them
In the text, include all of them
In the text, list only the first author, followed by et al. (“and others”)
In the reference list, include only the first seven, followed by et al.
In the text, list only the first author, followed by et al. (“and others”)

Same Author, Multiple Works / Multiple Sources in One Citation

Examples given are for books; follow the appropriate style for the source type you are citing.

No Date Given

To cite an undated document, put the year you accessed the material in parentheses in both in-text citations and the list of references.

Page Numbers

For direct quotes , add page numbers to the in-text citation only.

Example: (Haynes 2009, p. 70)

For book chapters , include page-number range in List of References/Bibliography.

Example: Cordesman AH, Mausner A, Kasten D (2009) Introduction. Python MM, Monty PP, eds. Winning in Afghanistan: Creating Effective Afghan Security Forces (Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC), 15–25.

Print vs. Online Sources

When citing a source retrieved online, use the "online" format even when you or someone else printed out the material. For example, if you print out a thesis or your advisor provides you with a printed thesis, it is still categorized as an online document.

Only cite as a print source when the material has been produced by a publisher in hard copy. For example, if you obtain a print journal or book from the library stacks, it is categorized as a printed source.

Secondary / Indirect Sources

An indirect source is a source that cites some other work that you discuss in your text.

Whenever possible, consult primary sources and your sources’ sources yourself. Upon investigation of the primary source, you may find you disagree with the indirect source author’s analysis or methods.

How to Incorporate Indirect Sources

The following passage incorporates a properly credited indirect source . The indirect source information is highlighted in yellow; the primary source information is highlighted in blue.

Walker (2008) describes Miguel Roig’s 1999 experiment , which correlates inadequate paraphrasing in student writing with poor reading comprehension. Citing Roig’s data , Walker explains that “students do in fact possess skills necessary for paraphrasing but … may be impeded from applying those skills when dealing with rigorous text” (p. 387) .

Note: Include only the indirect source (the source you consulted) in your reference list.

For more information

See the TPO's " Citing Your Sources’ Sources " handout.

A citation is required if you did not wholly create the table—i.e., if you used someone else's data. A citation is not needed when all elements of the table are your own creation.

See Table 1 for placement of the title and the in-text citation.

If you use the table exactly as it appears in the source, use “Source: ___.”
If you alter the original table or if you use someone else's data to create the table, use “Adapted from ___.”

Table 1. A Table with a Citation in APA, Chicago Author-Date, or INFORMS Style. Source: Author (2017).

Table 1. A Table with a Citation in APA, Chicago Author-Date, or INFORMS Style. Adapted from Author (2017).

For more details see the Thesis Template .

Additional Resource

INFORMS Style Guide Version 1.7, Nov 2020 Example citations start on p. 35
<< Previous: Examples
Next: BibTeX Code >>
Last Updated: Oct 23, 2023 12:31 PM
URL: https://libguides.nps.edu/citation

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Citing references

Introduction
Using quotes & paraphrases
Writing citations

The top five: 1. Book

The top 5: 2. journal article, the top five: 3. chapter in an edited collection, the top five: 4. website, the top five: 5. secondary referencing, archival material, company databases, conference papers, figures (such as charts, diagrams and graphs), government or corporate body publication/report, legal and parliamentary documents, literary texts, market research report, newspaper articles, personal communications.

Radio programme

Sacred texts

Social media, teaching materials (posted on blackboard), technical standards e.g. british standards, youtube videos.

Compiling a reference list or bibliography
Different styles & systems of referencing
Which style does your School/Department use?
Avoiding unintentional plagiarism
Using Turnitin to develop your referencing
Managing your references
Getting help

Example not here? Try this guide

Citation examples

This page lists the details you will need to include when writing citations for various types of source material. The examples given are in the 'Cite Them Right' version of the Harvard style.

For each example:

Reference list refers to the way it would be cited in your reference list or bibliography when using the 'Cite Them Right' Harvard style.
In-text citation refers to the way that a work would be cited either in the body of the text or in footnotes when using 'Cite Them Right' Harvard style.
Referencing styles in use in the University Find out which style your Department uses. Please consult your course handbook for definitive guidance on which style to use.
Styles of referencing Overview of different referencing styles in use at the University.

Note that, whatever the type of source, the title of the containing volume (i.e. the book, journal, collection etc) should always be marked out, usually by being put in italics but sometimes underlined. Whichever you use, be consistent and use the same formatting throughout your citations.

If the source you want to cite is not listed here consult the following book:

Alternatively ask your Academic Liaison Librarian or a Study Adviser for guidance:

Contact your Academic Liaison Librarian
Make an appointment with a Study Adviser

Elements to include:

Authors or Editors
Year of publication (in round brackets)
Title (in italics)
Edition (if applicable)
Place published
Series and volume number (if applicable)

Authored book:

Reference list: Ashbourn, J. (2014) Biometrics in the new world: the cloud, mobile technology and pervasive identity . 2nd edn. London: Springer .

In-text citation: (Ashbourn, 2014)

Edited book:

Reference list: Nasta, S. and Stein, M.U. (eds) (2020) The Cambridge history of Black and Asian British writing . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

In-text citation: (Nasta and Stein, 2020)

Where an e-book looks like a printed book (usually PDFs) with publication information and page numbers - cite it in the same way as a printed book (above). Where specific pagination details are not available use the information you have e.g. %, loc, chapter/page/paragraph. Also add the DOI or web address to the full reference.

Reference list: Prior, H. (2020) Away with the penguins . Available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Away-Penguins-Hazel-Prior-ebook (Accessed: 20 September 2021).

In-text citation: (Prior, 2020, 74%)

Reference list: Faulkner, W. (2000) Light in August. Available at: https://www.vlebooks.com/vleweb/product/openreader?id=UniReading&isbn=9781446485521 (Accessed: 10 September 2021).

In-text citation: (Faulkner, 2000, ch. 7, p. 105)

Elements to include
Print journals or print journals now online
Online only journals
Versions in repositories

The information you include in the reference will depend on whether the journal is published in print (but uploaded for electronic access), only published online, or is a version found in an institutional repository. You can usually tell the difference by looking for page numbers. If each article in the journal begins at page 1, or has no page number at all, it is likely to be an online-only journal.

Article title (in single quotation marks)
Journal title (in italics, capitalise the first letter of each word except linking words)
Volume number
Issue number (if present, in round brackets)
Page numbers or article reference number (Include the page numbers of the whole article when writing your full citation, not just the pages you have referred to)
DOI or web link for online-only articles

See the examples in the other tabs in this box.

Examples for articles in print copies of journal articles or a print journal accessed online (e.g. on JSTOR)

Traditionally all articles were published in print format in issues which then formed part of a volume and this way of citing them (giving volume, issue and page numbers) has been retained even though most are now available online. There is no need to include the DOI or web address for articles with volume numbers and page numbers or an article reference number even if you accessed them online.

A single author:

Reference list: Gulddal, J. (2020) 'That deep underground savage instinct: narratives of sacrifice and retribution in Agatha Christie's Appointment with Death', Textual Practice, 34(11), pp. 1803-1821.

In-text citation: (Gulddal, 2020)

Two authors - include them both separated by and or &:

Reference list: Thomas, D. and Tian, L. (2021) 'Hits from the Bong: the impact of recreational marijuana dispensaries on property values', Regional Science and Urban Economics, 87, article number 103655.

In-text citation: (Thomas and Tian, 2021)

Three authors - include them all, separate the first two with a comma and use and or & before the third author:

Reference list: Abu Salem, H., Gemail, K.S. and Nosair, A.M. (2021) 'A multidisciplinary approach for delineating wastewater flow paths in shallow groundwater aquifers: A case study in the southeastern part of the Nile Delta, Egypt', Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 236, article number 103701.

In-text citation: (Abu Salem, Gemail and Nosair, 2021)

Four or more authors - include them all in the full reference, but for the in-text citation you can just state the first author, followed by et al .

Reference list: Moise, L., Gutiérrez, A.H., Khan, S., Tan, S., Ardito, M., Martin, W.D. & De Groot, A.S. (2020) 'New immunoinformatics tools for swine: designing epitope-driven vaccines, predicting vaccine efficacy, and making vaccines on demand', Frontiers in Immunology, 11, article number 563362.

In-text citation: (Moise et al. , 2020)

Examples for online-only journals

If the journal is ONLY available online, you should include the DOI or the URL in the full reference. Online-only journal articles may not have page numbers or reference numbers, or pagination for each article will begin with '1'. The rules for in-text citations are the same as for print articles.

Article with a DOI:

Reference list: Mair, A., Poirier, M. and Conway M.A. (2021) 'Age effects in autobiographical memory depend on the measure', PLoS one, 16(10), article number e0259279. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259279

Article without a DOI:

Reference list: Farrell, L.G. (2013) 'Challenging assumptions about IT skills in higher education'. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education , 6. Available at: http://www.aldinhe.ac.uk/ojs/index.php?journal=jldhe&page=article&op=view&path[]=173&path[]=138 (Accessed: 23 June 2021)

Examples for versions of articles found in repositories

Authors will often put versions of their articles into institutional repositories to comply with funding requirements to make the research Open Access. These may be pre-print versions (before peer review has taken place) or post-print versions, also known as author accepted manuscripts (the final version of the text, following peer review, to be published in the journal).

Pre-print example

Allen, R. J., Horowitz, L. W., Naik, V., Oshima, N., O'Connor, F., Turnock, S., Shim, S., Le Sager, P., Van Noije, T., Tsigaridis, K., Bauer, S. E., Sentman, L. T., John, J. G., Broderick, C., Deushi, M., Folberth, G., Fujimori, S. and Collins, B. (2021) 'Significant climate benefits from near-term climate forcer mitigation in spite of aerosol reductions'. To be published in Environmental Research Letters [Preprint]. Available at: http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/view/creators/90004988.html (Accessed: 24 June 2021)

For post-prints which are identical in content to the published version, you should cite the published version instead of citing the repository version.

Chapter author(s)
Chapter title in single quotation marks
'in' followed by book author(s)/editor(s)
Book title (in italics)
Publisher's name
Chapter pagination

Include the page extent of the whole chapter when writing your full citation. Put just the pages you have referred to in the in-text citation.

Reference list: Singh, H., Khurana, L.K. and Singh, R. (2018) 'Pharmaceutical development', in Vohora, D. and Singh, G. (eds) Pharmaceutical medicine and translational clinical research , London: Academic Press, pp.33-46.

In-text citation: (Singh, Khurana and Singh, 2018, p.35)

You can find many different types of information on the Internet. Check that the item you are referencing isn't a journal article, book chapter, or another type of publication which you should be citing in a different way.

Author (person or company that created the webpage)
Year of publication or last update (in round brackets). Scroll to the bottom of the page but if there is no date put (no date)
Page title (in italics)
Available at: URL (Accessed: date)

Webpage created by a person

Reference list: Bologna, C. (2018) What happens to your mind and body when you feel homesick? Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/what-happens-mindbody-homesick_us_5b201ebde4b09d7a3d77eee1 (Accessed: 24 June 2021)

In-text citation: (Bologna, 2018)

Webpage created by an organisation

Reference list: World Health Organization (2020) Salt reduction . Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/salt-reduction (Accessed: 24 June 2021)

In-text citation: (World Health Organization, 2020)

Further guidance on referencing websites

Have a look at this Study Advice video tutorial (note that the format of the examples may not match the guidance given above):

Referencing websites (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
Referencing websites (transcript) Read along while watching the video tutorial.

A secondary reference is used when you are referring to a source which you have not read yourself, but have seen quoted or read about in another source. Where possible, you should always try to read the original of anything you wish to refer to ; otherwise you are relying on the author who cited the reference to have interpreted it correctly and not taken it out of context. Use the reference list at the end of the source you are reading to find details of the reference and search for it using the search boxes below.

Find books using the Enterprise catalogue

Just type in the first author's surname and a few words from the title.

Find journal articles using Summon

Just type in the first author's surname and first part of the article title.

If you can't get hold of the original source you'll need to do a secondary reference and you should make clear that you are not using the original source. Only include the source you have used in your list of references following the guidance for citing that type of publication.

Different Schools/Departments might have different preferred ways of doing this, so do check any advice you are given or ask your course tutor if you are not sure. Otherwise, this is general guidance.

If the author quotes another source:

F rance (2003, quoted in Weingart et al ., 2018, p. 24) provides evidence that hospitals use internal reporting procedures to identify...

If the author summarises another source

In-text citation: According to France (2003, cited in Weingart et al. , 2018, p. 24) , hospitals use internal reporting procedures to identify...

In both examples only the full reference for the article by Weingart et al . would be included in the reference list.

Author, initials.
Year (in round brackets)
Title of document.
Date (if avaialble)
Collection name
Document number.
Name of archive
Location of archive

In-text citation: ( Author , Year)

Reference list: Becket, S. (1974) Letter from Samuel Beckett to Vera Beckett. 1 January 1974. Letters from Samuel Beckett to Vera Beckett series BC MS 5411 B, University of Reading Special Collections, Reading .

In-text citation: (Beckett, 1974)

Cite the item you have seen - if you have seen an artwork in a book or catalogue, reference that book or catalogue (use our Images examples .) If you have seen the painting or exhibition, cite that as follows;

Exhibitions

Title of exhibition (in italics)
[Exhibition]
Location. Date(s) of exhibition

If it's an online exhibition, use [Online exhibition] and add;

In-text citation: ( Title of exhibition , Year)

Example:

Reference list: Yayoi Kusama: Infinity mirror rooms (2021) [Exhibition]. Tate Modern, London. 18 May 2021-12 June 2022.

Reference list: Vida Americana: Mexican muralists remake American art, 1925 - 1945 (2020) [Online exhibition] Whitney Museum of American Art. 17 February 2020 - 31 January 2021. Available at: https://whitney.org/exhibitions/vida-americana (Accessed: 23 January 2021.)

In-text citation: ( Yayoi Kusama: Infinity mirror rooms , 2021)

In-text citation: ( Vida Americana: Mexican muralists remake American art, 1925 - 1945 , 2020)

Works of art (paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations.)

Title of artwork (in italics)
Medium (e.g. Sculpture, Mixed-media, Video installation, Oil on canvas, etc) in square brackets
(Viewed: date)

OR if you accessed it online, use the URL as the location

Available at: URL
(Accessed: date)

In-text citation: ( Artist , Year)

Reference list: Bacon, F. (1943-4) Three studies for figures at the base of a crucifixion [Oil and pastel on board]. Tate Britain, London (Viewed: 30 August 2022).

In-text citation: (Bacon , 1943-4)

OR if accessed online;

Reference list: Bacon, F. (1943-4) Three studies for figures at the base of a crucifixion [Oil and pastel on board]. Available at: www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/bacon-three-studies-for-figures-at-the-base-of-a-crucifixion-n06171 (Accessed: 1 July 2021).

Publishing organisation
Year of publication/last updated (in round brackets)
Title of report (in italics)
Available at: URL or DOI (Accessed: date)

Reference list: Bureau van Dijk (2020) Tesco plc company report . Available at: http://fame.bvdep.com (Accessed: 27 May 2021).

In-text citation: (Bureau van Dijk, 2020)

Author of paper
Year of publication (in round brackets)
Title of paper (in single quotation marks)
Title of conference proceedings: subtitle (in italics)
Location and date of conference
Place of publication: Publisher
Page references for the paper

Reference list: Jones, L. (2018) 'Polymer blends based on compact disc scrap', Proceedings of the Annual Technical Conference - Society of Plastics Engineers. San Francisco, May 6-9. Brookfield, CT: Society of Plastics Engineers. pp.236-254.

In-text citation: (Jones, 2018)

Film from streaming service

You should include the following elements:

Title of film (in italics)
Year of distribution (in round brackets)
Directed by
[Feature film]
Place of distribution: Distributor

In-text citation: ( Title of film , Year)

Reference list: Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) Directed by M. Moore. [Feature film]. Santa Monica, CA: Lions Gate Films.

In-text citation: ( Fahrenheit 9/11 , 2004)

For examples of how to cite Films in different formats, please see the examples in the Cite them right e-book in the Harvard Referencing chapter, under "Audiovisual recordings...";

Available at: DOI or Name of service or URL

Reference list: Fatherhood (2021) Directed by P. Weitz. Available at: Netflix (Accessed: 28 June 2021).

In-text citation: ( Fatherhood , 2021)

For examples of how to cite Films in different formats like Blu-ray, DVD, Video Cassette, broadcast and TV series, please see the examples in the Cite them right e-book in the Harvard Referencing chapter, under "Audiovisual recordings...";

See our section on YouTube videos:

Citing YouTube videos

Figures such as graphs, charts and diagrams that you have used from other sources should be referenced in the same way that you would any other material.

Each one should have a caption below it labelled as 'Figure', sequentially numbered, and given a title. When you refer to it in your writing, use the figure number. Give a full citation in the reference list for the source of the image. See the following example:

Example of citing a diagram with the Figure number and legend below.

Example of referring to a figure in a sentence:

The prebiotics can induce direct or indirect effect on the gut-associated epithelial and immune cells (Figure 3).

Full details for reference list:

Pujari, R. and Banerjee, G. (2021) 'Impact of prebiotics on immune response: from the bench to the clinic'. Immunology and Cell Biology , 99(3), pp. 255-273.

Name of issuing body
Place of publication (if in print)
Publisher (if in print)
Series (in round brackets) - if applicable

If accessed online:

DOI or Available at: URL (Accessed: date)

Print publication:

Reference list: Environment Agency (2020) The flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy action plan 2021. Bristol: Environment Agency.

In-text citation: (Environment Agency, 2020)

Publication accessed online:

Reference list: Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (2016) Vitamin D and health. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/537616/SACN_Vitamin_D_and_Health_report.pdf (Accessed: 25 August 2021)

In-text citation: (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, 2016)

Image from a book
Image from an internet collection / social media
Image you created yourself
Image used purely for decoration

Images and photographs that you have seen in books, articles and other published material should be cited in the same way you would cite the source of the image. Add the page number and figure / illustration number if there is one from the source item to your in-text citation (use the same terminology they do to number their illustrations, eg. illus., fig., diagram, table, plate etc.)

Year of publication
Page number and illustration / figure / plate number from the source book or article if they use one.)

You may wish to use the title / subject matter of the image in your sentence or caption for the image;

Reference list: Glaser, M. and Ilić, M. (2017) The design of dissent . Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers.

In-text citation: The We Are Bullet Proof poster by Jon Key created a narrative of strength during Black Lives Matter (Glaser and Ilić, 2017, p. 261)

Any image or photograph from a social media site, online image collection or website can be referenced in this way.

Photographer (if available)
(Year of publication) in round brackets
Title of photograph or collection in italics
Available at: DOI or URL

Reference list: stanitsa_dance (2021) Cossack dance ensemble . Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/COI_slphWJ_/ (Accessed: 13 June 2021).

In-text citation: (stanitsa_dance, 2021)

If the image is one you have created yourself, give it a figure number and title in the caption and add (Source: the author) to show that it is your own work. The image below shows how you would do this;

You do not need to include it in the reference list.

If you have reproduced an image in your work and it is purely decorative you should still acknowledge the creator and source but there is no need to include a full reference.

Underneath the image add the caption:

'Image: [creator] via [website image captured from]'.

For example: Image: Steve Buissine via Piaxabay

If it is a picture you have taken use this format:

'Image by author'.

General guidance
Command papers
Law reports
Official records published in Hansard
Papers (House of Commons/House of Lords)
Statutes (Acts of Parliament)
Statutory Instruments

Students studying Law

If you are studying Law, you will be expected to use the OSCOLA system of referencing . You will have advice on this from your School, and can find support on the Law guide:

Referencing guidance for Law students

Students studying other subjects

If you are not studying Law, but need to refer to legal or Parliamentary documents, the examples in this box give acceptable citation formats for commonly used materials in the Harvard style. We have concentrated on key UK legislative sources here. For guidance on citing other materials, and those from other jurisdictions, see the Cite Them Right guide:

For Bills from the House of Commons and House of Lords you should include the following elements:

Publication year (in round brackets)
Parliament: House of Commons or Lords
Place of publication
If viewed online replace 5 & 6 with Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Reference list:

Agriculture Bill (2019) Parliament: House of Commons, Bill no. 2292. London: The Stationery Office.

Agriculture Bill (2019) Parliament: House of Commons, Bill no. 2292. Available at: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2292 (Accessed: 12 July 2022)

In-text citation:

Mr Gove introduced the Agriculture Bill (2019)...

For Command Papers (including Green and White papers) you should include the following elements:

Title of report of consultation paper (in italics)
Command Paper number (in round brackets) preceeded by Cmnd:
If accessed online replace 5 & 6 with DOI or Available at: URL (Accessed: date)

Papers accessed online

Department for Work and Pensions (2021) Shaping Future Support: the Health and Disability Green Paper (Cmnd. 470). Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/shaping-future-support-the-health-and-disability-green-paper (Accessed: 30 July 2021)

(Department for Work and Pensions, 2021)

Papers accessed in print

Department of Social Security (2000) The Pension Credit: Consultation Paper (Cmnd. 4900). London: HMSO.

(Department of Social Security, 2000)

Law reports (cases) before 2002

Include the following elements:

Name of case (in single quotation marks)
Title of law report (in italics)
Page numbers

'Bibby Cheshire v. Golden Wonder Ltd' (1972) Weekly Law Reports , 1, pp. 1487-1492.

('Bibby Cheshire v. Golden Wonder Ltd', 1972)

Law reports (cases) from 2002

From 2002 cases have been given a neutral citation. This means that it isn't necessary to include details of the printed law report series in which it was published. When using this type of citation you must give details of the publication in which the case was reported or the database/website you used.

Name of the parties involved in the case (in single quotation marks)
Court and case number
Name of database or website (in italics)
DOI or Available at: URL (Accessed: date)

'Rees v. Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis' (2021) Court of Appeal (Civil Division), case 49. BAILII . Available at: https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2021/49.html (Accessed: 30 July 2021)

('Rees v. Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis', 2021)

Hansard is the official record of the business of the Houses of the UK Parliament. This includes databases, speeches, answers and statements. References to Hansard follow a similar pattern to journal articles. Include the following:

Name of speaker/author
Subject of debate or speech (in single quotation marks)
Hansard: Name of House of Parliament (in italics)
Debates/written statement/Westminster Hall or petitions (in italics)
Day and month
Volume number, column number or page number

Bonnar, S. (2021) ' Ethics and human rights: climate change ', Hansard: House of Commons debates , 14 July, 699, c. 355. Available at: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-07-14/debates/FED21B9A-F4C2-4437-8CFD-3A08E5929C48/EthicsAndHumanRightsClimateChange (Accessed: 30 July 2021)

Steve Bonnar MP (2021) asked if the UK Government would create a climate justice fund.

To cite papers from the House of Parliament or House of Lords include the following elements:

Parliament, House of...
Title (in italics) including the Session dates if appropriate.
Session dates and Paper number (in round brackets) preceeded by HC or HL as appropriate. Note that to distinguish House of Lords papers from the House of Commons paper with the same number the Paper number is enclosed in an extra set of round brackets e.g. (HL 2002-2003, (254))
Place of publication:

Parliament, House of Commons (2004) The English national stadium project at Wembley, Session 2003-2004. (HC 2003-2004, 254). London: The Stationery Office.

(Parliament, House of Commons, 2004)

When referencing Acts of Parliament you should use the short title of the Act and year it was enacted. It is not necessary to include the year in brackets as it would duplicate the year in the title. Include the following elements:

Title of Act - including year and chapter (in italics)
Country/Jurisdiction (only required if referencing legislation from more than one country)

Food Safety Act 1990, c. 16 . Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/16/contents (Accessed: 20 July 2021)

As stipulated in the Food Safety Act 1990...

When citing Statutory Instruments (SIs) include the following information:

Name/Title and year (in italics)
SI year and number (in round brackets)

Children (Performances and Activities) (Wales) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/1757). Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2015/1757/contents/made (Accessed: 23 July 2021)

Referring to the Children (Performances and Activities) (Wales) Regulations 2015...

Lines within plays
Line of a poem within an anthology

These examples use Harvard style. If you are studying in English Literature , you will have separate guidance from your department on using MHRA style for referencing. See the link below for more information:

English Literature citing references guidance Guidance on using the MHRA style for students studying English literature.

To cite a novel use the same format as for an authored book

Citing an authored book
Title (in italics)
Edition information

Reference list: Shakespeare, W. (2008) Twelth night or what you will. Edited by K. Elam. London: Cengage.

In-text citation: (Shakespeare, 2008, 1.3: 13).

Author of the poem
Title of poem in single quotation marks
'in' followed by book author(s)/editor(s)/compiler(s)
Book title (in italics)
Poem pagination

Include the page extent of the whole poem when writing your full citation. Put just the pages you have referred to in the in-text citation.

Reference list: Orr, J. (2002) 'The dying African', in Basker, J. (ed.) Amazing grace: an anthology of poems about slavery, 1660-1810 . New Haven: Yale University Press, pp. 533-535.

In-text citation: (Orr, 2002, p. 533)

Name of author or issuing body
Title of map (in italics)
Sheet number or tile (if applicable)
Scale (if available)
Series or section in Digimap if appropriate (in round brackets)

Available at DOI or URL (Accessed: date)

Reference list: Ordnance Survey (2012) Reading & Windsor: Henley-on-Thames & Bracknell , sheet 175, 1:50 000. Southampton: Ordnance Survey (Landranger series).

In-text citation: (Ordnance Survey, 2012)

Reference list: Dower, J. (1832) A map shewing the parliamentary representation of England & Wales, according as the same are settled by the Reform Act passed 7th June 1832, 1 inch to 35 miles. London: J. Gardner.

In-text citation: (Dower, 1832)

Reference list: Ordnance Survey (2020) Whiteknights , Reading, 1:10 000. (Digimap Ordnance Survey) Available at http://edina.ac.uk/digimap/ (Accessed: 20 June 2021)

In-text citation: (Ordnance Survey, 2020)

If you have any queries about citing maps, contact your Academic Liaison Librarian

Organisation / author.
Title of report (in italics)
Available at: URL (if you have to login with a username and password to access the report, then use the homepage of the database or a permalink) (Accessed: date)

Reference list: Mintel (2019) Sports and energy drinks - UK. Available at: http://www.academic.mintel.com (Accessed: 5th July 2021).

In-text citation: (Mintel, 2019)

Articles with an author (byline)
Articles without an author
Author’(s) surname and initials
Title of article (in single quotation marks)
Title of newspaper (in italics - capitalize first word of each word in title except for linking words such as and, of, the, for)
Edition if required (in round brackets)
Section and Page reference if available

If accessed online: DOI or Available at: URL (Accessed: date)

Printed article:

Reference list: Graham, K. (2020) 'The biggest tree and the smallest axe', The Guardian , 31 August, pp.21-22.

In-text citation: (Graham, 2020)

Online article:

Reference list: Pinkstone, J. (2021) 'Mountains set the pace of evolution, not climate change, say scientists', The Daily Telegraph , 2 September. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/09/02/mountains-set-pace-evolution-not-climate-change-say-scientists/ (Accessed: 3 September 2021)

In-text citation: (Pinkstone, 2021)

Title of newspaper (in italics - capitalize first word of each word in title except for linking words such as and, of, the, for)
Page reference if available

Note: if you are using the online version of a newspaper, which often varies from the print edition, you would omit page reference and instead include Available at: URL (Accessed: date)

Reference list: The Daily Telegraph (2021) 'Walking on wooden floors could help to generate power', 2 September, p. 12.

In-text citation: ( The Daily Telegraph , 2021, p. 12)

Reference list: The Guardian (2021) 'We cannot allow inequality to increase within the education system', 2 September. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/editorials/inequality-education-exams-schools-private-b1900252.html (Accessed: 4 September 2021)

In-text citation: ( The Guardian , 2021)

Inventor(s)
Authorising organisation e.g. UK Intellectual Property Office, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Patent number
If online - Available at: URL (Accessed: date)

Online patent

Reference list: Cox, A. and Lee, J. (2021) Water remediation system. UK Intellectual Property Office Patent no. GB2591282A. Available at: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/ (Accessed: 2 September 2021)

In-text citation: (Cox and Lee, 2021)

Printed patent

Reference list: Kruger, L.H. (1989) Degradation of granular starch. US Patent no.: US4838944.

In-text citation: (Kruger, 1989)

If you have obtained information which is not publically accessible you should cite it as a personal communication. This can include conversations taking place in person, by phone or by online means (such as Zoom, Teams, Skype). It can also be written communications such as letters, email, text messages, WhatsApp messages, SnapChat messages etc.

Include the following information:

Sender / speaker / author
Year of communication (in round brackets)
Medium of communication.
Receiver of communication.
Day / month of communication.

Reference list: Chen , B. (2022) Conversation with Lucy Atkins, 30 July

In-text citation: (Chen, 2022)

Reference list: Garcia, C. (2022) WhatsApp message to Anna Jaworska, 12 July

In-text citation: (Garcia, 2022)

Radio programme online
Title of programme (in italics)
Year of broadcast (in round brackets)
Radio station
Date of transmission (DD Month) and time

In-text citation: ( Programme title , Year)

Reference list: Kermode and Mayo's Film Review (2021) BBC Radio 5 Live, 25 June, 14:30.

In-text citation: Presenters and Wittertainees say hello to Jason Isaacs ( Kermode and Mayo's Film Review , 2021)

Year of original broadcast (in round brackets)
Day and month of original transmission (if available)
Available at: DOI or URL (Accessed: date)

Bibliography: Elvenquest (2011) BBC Radio 4, 7 November. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016vn8f (Accessed: 2 July 2021).

In-text citation: ( Elvenquest, 2011)

Title (not in italics)
Translator and edition, if required (in round brackets)
publisher (if in print)

Reference list: The Holy Bible: new international version (1981) London: Hodder and Stoughton,

In-text citation: (The Holy Bible, 1981, John 14: 27)

Reference list: The Qur'an: a new translation (2015) (Translated by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem.) Oxford: Oxford University Press

In-text citation: (The Qur'an, 2015, 20: 26)

Reference list: The Torah: the five books of Moses (1962) Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America.

In-text citation: (The Torah,1962, Devarim 4: 2)

General guidance: posts
General guidance: pages

There are many different forms of social media. Here is some general guidance for citing specific social media posts.

Author of post

Year posted (in round brackets)

Title or description of post (in single quotation marks)

[Name of platform]

Day/month posted

Available at: URL (Accessed: date)

Reference list: Financial Times (2021) ‘The London luxury property market was slowed down by the pandemic, but it is likely to bounce back soon’. [Facebook] 2 July. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/financialtimes/posts/10159435194305750 (Accessed: 6 July 2021).

In-text citation: (Financial Times, 2021)

There are many different forms of social media. Here is some general guidance for citing a social media page, rather than an individual post.

Author (if available; if not use title)

Year site was last updated (in round brackets)

Title of site (in italics)

Reference list: University of Reading Library (2022) [Facebook]. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/universityofreadinglibrary (Accessed: 20 July 2022).

In text: (University of Reading Library, 2022)

Year tweet posted (in round brackets)
Title or description of Tweet
Day/month tweet posted

Reference list: Harvard Business Review (2021) ‘In this large-scale study of military performance measures, negative words — like selfish, passive, and scattered — were much more frequently applied to women’. [Twitter] 4 July. Available at: https://twitter.com/HarvardBiz/status/1411692276888317952 (Accessed: 6 July 2021).

In-text citation: (Harvard Business Review, 2021)

When citing an Instagram Post, please use the guidance below. When citing a photograph or image specifically, please see our citing an image from social media guidance .

Author (Instagram account/poster)
Year posted (in round brackets)
Title of post in single quotation marks
[Instagram]
Day/month of posted message

Reference list: University of Reading (2022) 'Say hello to Reading's Climate Stripes bus!' [Instagram] 27 July. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CghAmV4Mre-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link (Accessed: 2 August 2022).

In-text citation: (University of Reading, 2022)

Table taken directly from another source

Tables should be sequentially numbered in your work with the title above the table - as in the following example in the Harvard referencing style. When referring to the table in your writing use the table number.

A citation should be included at the end of the table title and a full citation added to your reference list for the source.

Example of citing a table showing the table legend containing a citation

Example of referring to a table in a sentence:

The macronutrient content of the diets used in the study is shown in Table 2.

Mitchell, N.S. and Ard, J.D. (2021) 'Weight loss, lifestyle, and dietary factors in cardiovascular diseases in African Americans and Hispanics', in Ferdinand, K.C., Taylor, H.A. and Rodriguez, C.J. (eds) Cardiovascular disease in racial and ethnic minority populations . Cham: Humana Press, pp. 167-182.

Table you have compiled yourself from multiple sources

If you are taking information from multiple sources and compiling your own table you still need to acknowledge those sources.

Once again your table will need to be numbered in sequence with other tables in your work and have a title. For example:

Table 1: Turnover of Tesco PLC 2017-2021

You can then add a, b, c etc next to the statistics in the table (or the columns depending on how your data is arranged, see the example linked below) and then add a matching lettered list of citations for the sources at the bottom of the table:

Sources: a Tesco PLC (2017); b Tesco PLC (2018) etc

Then in your reference list the end of your work, you would add the full reference for each source. For example:

Tesco PLC (2017) Annual report and financial statement . Available at: https://www.tescoplc.com/investors/reports-results-and-presentations/reports-archive/ (Accessed: 10 November 2022).

Tesco PLC (2018) Annual report and financial statement . Available at: https://www.tescoplc.com/investors/reports-results-and-presentations/reports-archive/ (Accessed: 10 November 2022).

See the following example where a & b has been added to the columns, as everything in that column has come from the same source:

Example of citing multiple sources used in a table

The other option is to arrange it with the brief citations in the table. See Table 1 in the following example. The full references would go into your reference list at the end of the work in the same way as Method 1.

How to cite sources in a table (Method 2) This example is in the APA referencing style but the same approach would work with Harvard.

It is strongly recommended that you use published sources such as books and journal articles in your assignments instead of materials posted by academics on Blackboard. Always check with the academic who has set the assignment whether you are allowed to include citations for their materials in your work.

PowerPoint presentations

Author or lecturer
Title of presentation (in single quotation marks)
[Presentation slides]
Module code: module title (in italics)
Institution name
Available at: https://bb.reading.ac.uk (Accessed: date)

Reference list: Hartl, F. (2022) 'Advanced electrochemical and electroanalytical methods' [Presentation slides]. CH4AN1: Advanced analytical techniques for the molecular sciences . University of Reading. Available at: https://bb.reading.ac.uk (Accessed: 6 July 2022)

In-text citation: (Hartl, 2022)

Recorded lecture

Year (in round brackets)
Title of lecture (in single quotation marks)
Medium [in square brackets]
Institution

Reference list: Bull, S. (2021) 'Anatomy of taste' [Recorded lecture]. FB3QSF: Advanced food quality and sensory . University of Reading. 21 February. Available at: https://bb.reading.ac.uk (Accessed: 1 July 2021)

In-text citation: (Bull, 2021)

Name of authorising organisation
Number and title of standard (in italics)
Available at: URL (if online)
Accessed: date (if online)

Print standard:

Reference list: British Standards Institution (2020) BS ISO 21543:2020: Milk and milk products - guidelines for the application of near infrared spectroscopy. London: British Standards Institution.

In-text citation: (British Standards Institution, 2020)

Online standard

Reference list: British Standards Institution (2020) BS ISO 21543:2020: Milk and milk products - guidelines for the application of near infrared spectroscopy. Available at: https://bsol.bsigroup.com (Accessed: 6 July 2021)

In-text citation: (British Standards Institution, 2020)

Name of author
Year of submission (in round brackets)
Title of thesis (in Italics)
Degree statement (eg PhD thesis, MSc thesis, MA thesis)
Name of the University or degree awarding body
If accessed online: DOI or Available at: URL (Accessed: date)

Print thesis

Reference list: Lalani, B. (201 7) Economics and adoption of conservation agriculture in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. PhD thesis. Reading University.

In-text citation: (Lalani, 2017)

Online thesis

Reference list: Alarifi, S.N.M. (2017) In vitro studies on gum acacia and its potential as a prebiotic in an elderly population. PhD thesis. University of Reading. Available at: https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/76135/ (Accessed: 11 July 2022)

In-text citation: (Alarifi, 2017)

Author (name or person/organisation posting the video)
Year video posted (in round brackets)
Title of film or programme (in italics)
Date uploaded (if available)

If you need to refer to a specific point in a video, use the format minutes:seconds in your in-text citation to note the time code e.g. (TEDx Talks, 2018, 2:34).

Reference list: TEDx Talks (2018) The Power of an entrepreneurial mindset: Bill Roche. 20 March. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihs4VFZWwn4 (Accessed: 5 July 2021).

In-text citation: (TEDx Talks, 2018)

<< Previous: Writing citations
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Last Updated: Nov 2, 2023 10:28 AM
URL: https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/citing-references

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Knowledge Base
Citing sources

How to Cite Sources | Citation Generator & Quick Guide

Citing your sources is essential in academic writing . Whenever you quote or paraphrase a source (such as a book, article, or webpage), you have to include a citation crediting the original author.

Failing to properly cite your sources counts as plagiarism , since you’re presenting someone else’s ideas as if they were your own.

The most commonly used citation styles are APA and MLA. The free Scribbr Citation Generator is the quickest way to cite sources in these styles. Simply enter the URL, DOI, or title, and we’ll generate an accurate, correctly formatted citation.

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Table of contents, when do you need to cite sources, which citation style should you use, in-text citations, reference lists and bibliographies.

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Citation examples and full guides, frequently asked questions about citing sources.

Citations are required in all types of academic texts. They are needed for several reasons:

To avoid plagiarism by indicating when you’re taking information from another source
To give proper credit to the author of that source
To allow the reader to consult your sources for themselves

A citation is needed whenever you integrate a source into your writing. This usually means quoting or paraphrasing:

To quote a source , copy a short piece of text word for word and put it inside quotation marks .
To paraphrase a source , put the text into your own words. It’s important that the paraphrase is not too close to the original wording. You can use the paraphrasing tool if you don’t want to do this manually.

Citations are needed whether you quote or paraphrase, and whatever type of source you use. As well as citing scholarly sources like books and journal articles, don’t forget to include citations for any other sources you use for ideas, examples, or evidence. That includes websites, YouTube videos , and lectures .

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Usually, your institution (or the journal you’re submitting to) will require you to follow a specific citation style, so check your guidelines or ask your instructor.

In some cases, you may have to choose a citation style for yourself. Make sure to pick one style and use it consistently:

APA Style is widely used in the social sciences and beyond.
MLA style is common in the humanities.
Chicago notes and bibliography , common in the humanities
Chicago author-date , used in the (social) sciences
There are many other citation styles for different disciplines.

If in doubt, check with your instructor or read other papers from your field of study to see what style they follow.

In most styles, your citations consist of:

Brief in-text citations at the relevant points in the text
A reference list or bibliography containing full information on all the sources you’ve cited

In-text citations most commonly take the form of parenthetical citations featuring the last name of the source’s author and its year of publication (aka author-date citations).

An alternative to this type of in-text citation is the system used in numerical citation styles , where a number is inserted into the text, corresponding to an entry in a numbered reference list.

There are also note citation styles , where you place your citations in either footnotes or endnotes . Since they’re not embedded in the text itself, these citations can provide more detail and sometimes aren’t accompanied by a full reference list or bibliography.

A reference list (aka “Bibliography” or “Works Cited,” depending on the style) is where you provide full information on each of the sources you’ve cited in the text. It appears at the end of your paper, usually with a hanging indent applied to each entry.

The information included in reference entries is broadly similar, whatever citation style you’re using. For each source, you’ll typically include the:

Author name
Publication date
Container (e.g., the book an essay was published in, the journal an article appeared in)
Location (e.g., a URL or DOI , or sometimes a physical location)

The exact information included varies depending on the source type and the citation style. The order in which the information appears, and how you format it (e.g., capitalization, use of italics) also varies.

Most commonly, the entries in your reference list are alphabetized by author name. This allows the reader to easily find the relevant entry based on the author name in your in-text citation.

In numerical citation styles, the entries in your reference list are numbered, usually based on the order in which you cite them. The reader finds the right entry based on the number that appears in the text.

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Because each style has many small differences regarding things like italicization, capitalization , and punctuation , it can be difficult to get every detail right. Using a citation generator can save you a lot of time and effort.

Scribbr offers citation generators for both APA and MLA style. Both are quick, easy to use, and 100% free, with no ads and no registration required.

Just input a URL or DOI or add the source details manually, and the generator will automatically produce an in-text citation and reference entry in the correct format. You can save your reference list as you go and download it when you’re done, and even add annotations for an annotated bibliography .

Once you’ve prepared your citations, you might still be unsure if they’re correct and if you’ve used them appropriately in your text. This is where Scribbr’s other citation tools and services may come in handy:

Plagiarism Checker

Citation Checker

Citation Editing

Plagiarism means passing off someone else’s words or ideas as your own. It’s a serious offense in academia. Universities use plagiarism checking software to scan your paper and identify any similarities to other texts.

When you’re dealing with a lot of sources, it’s easy to make mistakes that could constitute accidental plagiarism. For example, you might forget to add a citation after a quote, or paraphrase a source in a way that’s too close to the original text.

Using a plagiarism checker yourself before you submit your work can help you spot these mistakes before they get you in trouble. Based on the results, you can add any missing citations and rephrase your text where necessary.

Try out the Scribbr Plagiarism Checker for free, or check out our detailed comparison of the best plagiarism checkers available online.

Scribbr Plagiarism Checker

Scribbr’s Citation Checker is a unique AI-powered tool that automatically detects stylistic errors and inconsistencies in your in-text citations. It also suggests a correction for every mistake.

Currently available for APA Style, this is the fastest and easiest way to make sure you’ve formatted your citations correctly. You can try out the tool for free below.

If you need extra help with your reference list, we also offer a more in-depth Citation Editing Service.

Our experts cross-check your in-text citations and reference entries, make sure you’ve included the correct information for each source, and improve the formatting of your reference page.

If you want to handle your citations yourself, Scribbr’s free Knowledge Base provides clear, accurate guidance on every aspect of citation. You can see citation examples for a variety of common source types below:

And you can check out our comprehensive guides to the most popular citation styles:

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

The abbreviation “ et al. ” (Latin for “and others”) is used to shorten citations of sources with multiple authors.

“Et al.” is used in APA in-text citations of sources with 3+ authors, e.g. (Smith et al., 2019). It is not used in APA reference entries .

Use “et al.” for 3+ authors in MLA in-text citations and Works Cited entries.

Use “et al.” for 4+ authors in a Chicago in-text citation , and for 10+ authors in a Chicago bibliography entry.

The Scribbr Citation Generator is developed using the open-source Citation Style Language (CSL) project and Frank Bennett’s citeproc-js . It’s the same technology used by dozens of other popular citation tools, including Mendeley and Zotero.

You can find all the citation styles and locales used in the Scribbr Citation Generator in our publicly accessible repository on Github .

APA format is widely used by professionals, researchers, and students in the social and behavioral sciences, including fields like education, psychology, and business.

Be sure to check the guidelines of your university or the journal you want to be published in to double-check which style you should be using.

MLA Style is the second most used citation style (after APA ). It is mainly used by students and researchers in humanities fields such as literature, languages, and philosophy.

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APA (American Psychological Association) style is most frequently used within the social sciences, in order to cite various sources. This APA Citation Guide provides the general format for in-text citations and the reference page. For more information, please consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th ed.

In APA style, two citations are used to cite a source:

A short citation used in the text (called the in-text citation ).
A full citation (called the reference ) in the reference list at the end of a paper.

The in-text citation is a short citation that is placed next to the text being cited. The in-text citation lets the reader know that the information came from the cited source. The reference list entry provides complete details of a source and is shown at the end of a document.

In order to properly cite a source in APA style, you must have both citation types in your paper. Every in-text citation has a reference list entry. Every reference list entry has at least one (maybe more) corresponding in-text citation.

In-text citations

The basic elements needed for an in-text citation are the author’s surname and the publication year . Sometimes, page numbers are also included, especially when quotes are mentioned in the text. In-text citations are mentioned in the text in two ways: as a narrative citation or a parenthetical citation.

Narrative citations are incorporated into the text and act as a part of the sentence. Usually, narrative citations use the author’s name in the text and the publication year is enclosed in parenthesis after the name. An example of a narrative citation for one author is given below:

Barbarin (2013) examined socioemotional learning in African boys.

Parenthetical

Parenthetical citations add the author’s name and the publication year at the end of the sentence in parenthesis. An example of a parenthetical citation is given below:

Inhibition and working memory in young children were studied extensively (Aase, 2014).

When are page numbers are included?

Page numbers are referred to within in-text citations when quotes are used. Examples of both narrative citations and parenthetical citations are given below.

Ahmed (2004, p. 44)

Ahmed (2004, pp. 53–56)

Parenthetical:

(Ahmed, 2004, p. 44)

(Ahmed, 2004, pp. 53–56)

Examples of in-text citations

Here are a few examples of in-text citations for a different number of authors:

Use the surname of the author in in-text citations. Use a comma before the publication year in parenthetical citations.

Narrative:

Bucher (2018)

Parenthetical:

(Bucher, 2018)

Two authors

Separate the author surnames with an “and” in narrative citations. Use an ampersand symbol (&) in parenthetical citations.

Popescu and Pennacchiotti (2010)

(Popescu & Pennacchiotti, 2010)

Three or more authors

Use the first author surname name followed by et al.

van Dijck et al. (2018)

(van Dijck et al., 2018)

Group author

Treat the group author similar to how you would treat author names.

Auger Collaboration (2003)

(Auger Collaboration, 2018)

If there is no author for the source, use the source title in place of the author’s name. In general, sources with no author appear as parenthetical citations.

When you add such in-text citations, you will either italicize the text or place it in quotations. If the source title is italicized in the reference list entry, italicize the title in the in-text citation. If the title is not italicized, place it in quotation marks.

Parenthetical, book:

( Nothing here , 1997)

Parenthetical, journal article:

(“Examination of parrotfish impact on coral reefs,” 2018)

Reference list entries

Reference list entries are also called full citations. There are four main details that most reference list entries have:

The author field.
The publication year.
The title of the work ( italicized or in “quotation marks”).
The source from where the reference can be obtained (e.g., URL, DOI, etc.).

Depending on the source type, you will also need additional details like volume number, publication title, contributors, medium, etc.

Examples of reference list entries

Below are a few examples of different types of reference entries along with their templates. The examples given are for one author. Note that “F” and “M” in the templates denote the first and the middle initials of an author’s name.

The title of the book is set in italics and sentence case.

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the book . Publisher.

Ahmed, S. (2014). The cultural politics of emotion . Edinburgh University Press.

Journal article

The title of the article is in sentence case. The first word of a subtitle is capitalized. The journal title and the volume number are set in italics. If an article has a DOI it should always be included. Use “https://doi.org/” before the DOI. If there is no DOI for an online journal, include the URL instead. Do not use a period after the DOI or URL.

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume (issue), page range. URL or DOI

Collins, R. (2004). Rituals of solidarity and security in the wake of terrorist attack. Sociological Theory, 22 (1), 53–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9558.2004.00204.x

Newspaper or magazine article

Newspaper and magazine articles take the same style. The title of the article is in plain text and sentence case; the title of the newspaper or the magazine is set in italics. Follow the format given in the template and example for setting the date, month, and year.

Surname, F. M. (Date of publication). Title of the article. Title of the Newspaper or Magazine . URL

TNN. (2021, July 18). Parents have a habit of comparing kids to others but you don’t need to. The Times of India . https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//home/sunday-times/parents-have-a-habit-of-comparing-kids-to-others-but-you-dont-need-to/articleshow/84507857.cms

The webpage title is in plain text, while the Website name is set in italics. Follow the format given in the template and example for setting the date, month, year, and URL.

Author or Organization Name. (Year, Month Day of Publication ). Webpage title. Title of the Website. URL

Lamberth, H. (2021, August 12). Binge drinking is problem drinking: How to get back in control. PSYCOM . https://www.psycom.net/binge-drinking-problem-drinking

YouTube video

The video title is set in sentence case and italicized. The first word after a colon is capitalized. The word “Video” is enclosed in brackets after the video title. This is followed followed by the word “YouTube.” Finally, the link is given. Note that a period is not given after the URL.

Uploader’s name, F. (Year, Month Day Published). Video title [Video]. YouTube. URL

Ananta, P. (2021, February 21). APJ Abdul Kalam inspirational quotes [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjfL51RFL2k

Reference entries for different number of authors

The number of authors in the source decides how the author name(s) will be set in the references list. Here, you will see many journal references with different numbers of authors.

List the author name followed by the publication year.

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume (issue), page range.

Spitka, T. (2017). Mediating among mediators: Building a consensus in multilateral interventions. International Negotiation, 23 , 1–30.

Separate the author names by an ampersand. Use a comma between the first author’s initial and the ampersand symbol.

Author Surname, F. M., & Author Surname, F. (Publication Year). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume (issue), page range. DOI or URL

Bernstein, B., & Solomon, J. (1999). Pedagogy, identity and the construction of a theory of symbolic control: Basil Bernstein questioned by Joseph Solomon. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 20 (2), 265–279. https://doi:10.1080/01425699995443

When you add two organizations in the author field, do not use a comma before the ampersand.

Organization 1 & Organization 2. (Publication Year). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume (issue), page range. DOI or URL

American Psychological Association & American Psychological Society. (2020). Psychology of children. Journal of Child Psychology, 34 (23), 1–12.

3–20 authors

List all author names. Do not forget to insert an “ampersand” before the last author. The example given below is for three authors.

Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., & Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume (issue), page range. DOI or URL

Pyysiäinen, J., Halpin, D., & Guilfoyle, A. (2017). Neoliberal governance and ‘responsibilization’ of agents: Reassessing the mechanisms of responsibility-shift in neoliberal discursive environments. Distinktion: Journal of Social Theory, 18 (2), 215–235. https://doi:10.1080/1600910X.2017.1331858

More than 20 authors

List the names of the first 19 authors followed by an ellipsis. Add the final author name after the ellipsis but without the ampersand symbol before the last author name.

Author Surname1, F. M., Author Surname2, F. M., Author Surname3, F. M., Author Surname4, F. M., Author Surname5, F. M., Author Surname6, F. M., Author Surname7, F. M., Author Surname8, F. M., Author Surname9, F. M., Author Surname10, F. M., Author Surname11, F. M., Author Surname12, F. M., Author Surname13, F. M., Author Surname14, F. M., Author Surname15, F. M., Author Surname16, F. M., Author Surname17, F. M., Author Surname18, F. M., Author Surname19, F. M,¼ Last Author name, F. M. (Publication Year). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume (issue), page range. DOI or URL

Fox, J., Harper, D., Bird, A., Kindler, F. A., Feng, H.-G., Seng, A. L., Sevel, K., Ed, E., Nell, A., Ten, T., Elin, K. J., Thomas, A., Thendy, S., Fall, W., Fint, E., Gurdy, A. K., Dondy, D., Egert, E., Nanda, A. L., ¼ Long, G. (2015). Pedagogising knowledge: Bernstein’s theory of the pedagogic device. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 23 (4), 571–582.

For additional information on APA format, select from one of the source types below. For help creating APA citations, check out the BibMe APA citation generator.

Source Types:

How to cite a Book in APA
How to cite a Magazine in APA
How to cite a Newspaper in APA
How to cite a Website in APA
How to cite a Journal Article in APA
How to cite a Film in APA
How to cite an Interview in APA
How to cite a Lecture in APA
How to cite a TV Show / Radio Broadcast in APA
How to cite an Encyclopedia in APA
How to cite a Photograph in APA
APA 7 Updates

APA Format:

In-Text Citation Basics
Reference Page

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As per Section 8.17 from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , for any work that has three or more authors, the name of the first author and “et al.” should be used as in-text citation. The Latin phrase “et al” means “and others” and is used to reduce the citation length.

Example In-Text Citation Entry:

No stretch of reason can categorize cultural appropriation as imaginary (Rahim et al., 2020).

Sometimes, the same set of initial authors and the same publication year appear in a paper. In such rare circumstances, as per Section 8.18 of the APA manual, write out as many names as needed to differentiate between these similar references.

Example In-Text Citation Entries:

Miller, John, Reighstag et al. (2018)

Miller, John, Amudsen, et al. (2018)

As per Section 8.21 and Table 8.1 of the APA Publication Manual , a citation for a group author may be abbreviated in in-text citations. It is not compulsory to do so; however, if the group author is well known or if it appears at least thrice in the paper, then the name of the group may be abbreviated.

Parenthetical in-text citation template and example:

(Full Name of the Group [Abbreviation], year)

(National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2018)

Whether it is a narrative or parenthetical in-text citation, the full name of the group should be mentioned in the first instance, along with the abbreviation.

Narrative in-text citation examples:

The American Psychological Association (APA, 2017) argues that… (first instance)

As per the APA (2017), it is standard practice that… (subsequent instances)

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

8-How to Cite Sources

2. Steps for Citing

To write a proper citation we recommend following these steps, which will help you maintain accuracy and clarity in acknowledging sources.

Step 1: Choose Your Citation Style

Find out the name of the citation style you must use from your instructor, the directions for an assignment, or what you know your audience or publisher expects. Then search for your style at the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) or use Google or Bing to find your style’s stylebook/handbook and then purchase it or ask for it at a library.

Step 2: Create In-Text Citations

Find and read your style’s rules about in-text citations, which are usually very thorough. Luckily, there are usually examples provided that make it a lot easier to learn the rules.

EXAMPLE: Style Guides Are Usually Very Thorough

For instance, your style guide may have different rules for when you are citing:

Quotations rather than summaries rather than paraphrases
Long, as opposed to short, quotations.
Sources with one or multiple authors.
Books, journal articles, interviews and email, or electronic sources.

Step 3: Determine the Kind of Source

After creating your in-text citation, now begin creating the full bibliographic citation that will appear on the References or Bibliography page by deciding what kind of source you have to cite (book, film, journal article, webpage, etc.).

EXAMPLE: Using a Style Guide to Create an In-Text Citation

Imagine that you’re using APA style and have the APA style guide rules for in-text citations open in OWL . In your psychogeography paper, you want to quote the authors of the book The Experience of Nature, Rachel Kaplan and Stephen Kaplan, which was published in 1989. What you want to quote is from page 38 of the book.

Here’s what you want to quote:

“The way space is organized provides information about what one might want to do in that space. A relatively brief glance at a scene communicates whether there is room to roam, whether one’s path is clear or blocked.”

According to the Kaplans (1989) , “The way space is organized provides information about what one might want to do in that space. A relatively brief glance at a scene communicates whether there is room to roam, whether one’s path is clear or blocked.”

According to the Kaplans (1989), “The way space is organized provides information about what one might want to do in that space. A relatively brief glance at a scene communicates whether there is room to roam, whether one’s path is clear or blocked” (p.38) .

According to Kaplan and Kaplan (1989), “The way space is organized provides information about what one might want to do in that space. A relatively brief glance at a scene communicates whether there is room to roam, whether one’s path is clear or blocked” (p.38).

So you have your first in-text citation for your final product:

Step 4: Study Your Style’s Rules for Bibliographic Citations

Next, you’ll need a full bibliographic citation for the same source. This citation will appear on the References page or Bibliography page or Works Cited page. (APA style, which we’re using here, requires a page called References.) Bibliographic citations usually contain more publication facts than you used for your in-text citation, and the formatting for all of them is very specific.

EXAMPLE: Bibliographic Citation Rules Are Very Specific

Rules vary for sources, depending, for instance, on whether they are books, journal articles, or online sources.
Sometimes lines of the citation must be indented.
Authors’ names usually appear last name first.
Authors’ first names may be initials instead.
Names of sources may or may not have to be in full.
Names of some kinds of sources may have to be italicized.
Names of some sources may have to be in quotes.
Dates of publication appear in different places, depending on the style.
Some styles require Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs ) in the citations for online sources.

Step 5: Identify Citation Elements

Figure out which bibliographic citation rules apply to the source you’ve just created an in-text citation for. Then apply them to create your first bibliographic citation.

Example: Using a Style Guide to Create a Bibliographic Citation

Imagine that you’re using APA style and have the APA style guide rules for bibliographic citations open in OWL . Your citation will be for the book called The Experience of Nature, written by Rachel Kaplan and Stephen Kaplan and published in 1989.

You start by trying to apply OWL’s basic rules of APA style, which tell you your citation will start with the last name of your author followed by his or her first initial, and that the second line of the citation will be indented. So you write: Kaplan, R. and Kaplan, S . and remind yourself to indent the second line when you get there.
Since you have two authors, you look for a rule regarding that situation, which requires a comma between the authors and an ampersand between the names. So you write:Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S.
Because you know your source is a book, you look for style guide rules and examples about books. For instance, the rules for APA style say that the publication date goes in parentheses, followed by a period after the last author’s name. And that the title of the book is italicized. You apply the rules and examples and write the publication information you know about your source:Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The Experience of Nature.
Next, you look at the rules and examples of book citations and notice that they show the city where the book was published and the publisher. So you find that information about your source (in a book, usually on the title page or its back) and write:Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The Experience of Nature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Congratulations, especially about remembering to indent that line! You have created the first bibliographic citation for your final product.

Step 6: Repeat the steps for creating an in-text citation and a bibliographic citation for each of your sources.

Create your bibliographic citation by arranging publication information to match the example you chose in Step 4. Pay particular attention to what is and is not capitalized and to what punctuation and spaces separate each part that the example illustrates.

Movie: Finding the Information You Need: PDF and HTML Journal Articles

Movie: Finding the Information You Need: Citing Information for Web and Online Multimedia Sources

Tip: Citation Software

If you like, you can use citation generator software to arrange the information needed for your citation according to the style guide you chose. Learn more later in this section.

ACTIVITY: Deciphering Citations

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Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research Copyright © 2015 by Teaching & Learning, Ohio State University Libraries is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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About APA Citation Online Tools
As anyone who has ever written a paper for a college class knows, there are certain style rules and guidelines to be followed depending on which discipline you are in. For many college students, learning APA style can be tricky.
Why Is Plagiarism an Ethical Issue?
Plagiarism is an ethical issue because it results in someone claiming another person’s work as their own without proper citation. It violates the author and his or her right for publication of their work.
What Is Academic Writing?
Academic writing is a style of writing governed by rules and practices such as a formal structure and order, citations for research to support ideas, and the use of correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. A formal tone is also necessary.
In-text Citation
APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include
In-Text Citations: The Basics
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
Guidelines for Citations and References
Citations include the author's last name, the year of publication, and a page number if available. If an author is not available, use the title of the work (or
APA Citation Style Guide (6th Ed.): In-text Citation
APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include
Citation Guidelines for Academic.Writing
Citation Guidelines. Janice R. Walker, Citations Editor Home Page: http ... To cite electronic sources, follow guidelines for scientific style
Rules
Remember: one citation at the end of a string of sentences or a paragraph cannot “cover” the entire section. · Cite a source the first time it is
Citation examples (Harvard style)
Reference list refers to the way it would be cited in your reference list or bibliography when using the 'Cite Them Right' Harvard style. In-text citation
How to Cite Sources
Which citation style should you use? · Brief in-text citations at the relevant points in the text · A reference list or bibliography containing full information
Appropriate level of citation
The number of sources you cite in your paper depends on the purpose of your work. For most papers, cite one or two of the most representative sources for
APA Citation Examples: How to cite anything in APA format
Reference list entries · The author field. · The publication year. · The title of the work (italicized or in “quotation marks”). · The source from where the
2. Steps for Citing
Figure out which bibliographic citation rules apply to the source you've just