omit the page number.
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APA references generally include information about the author , publication date , title , and source . Depending on the type of source, you may have to include extra information that helps your reader locate the source.
It is not uncommon for certain information to be unknown or missing, especially with sources found online. In these cases, the reference is slightly adjusted.
Missing element | What to do | Reference format |
---|---|---|
Author | Start the reference entry with the source title. | Title. (Date). Source. |
Date | Write “n.d.” for “no date”. | Author. (n.d.). Title. Source. |
Title | Describe the work in square brackets. | Author. (Date). [Description]. Source. |
On the first line of the page, write the section label “References” (in bold and centered). On the second line, start listing your references in alphabetical order .
Apply these formatting guidelines to the APA reference page:
On the reference page, you only include sources that you have cited in the text (with an in-text citation ). You should not include references to personal communications that your reader can’t access (e.g. emails, phone conversations or private online material).
In addition to the APA Citation Generator, Scribbr provides many more tools and resources that help millions of students and academics every month.
When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:
Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).
Note : If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:
Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.
Original Source
Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.
Source from:
Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480.
Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing
The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005).
Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way.
Example: Correct Paraphrasing
Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).
Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.
Number of Authors/Editors | First Time Paraphrased | Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased | First Time Quoting | Second and Subsequent Times Quoting |
---|---|---|---|---|
(Case & Daristotle, 2011) | (Case & Daristotle, 2011) | (Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57) | (Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57) | |
(Case et al., 2011) | (Case et al., 2011) | (Case et al., 2011, p. 57) | (Case et al., 2011, p. 57) |
Type of Group | First Time Paraphrased | Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased | First Time Quoting | Second and Subsequent Times Quoting |
---|---|---|---|---|
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2003) | (NIMH, 2003) | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2003, p. 5) | (NIMH, 2003, p. 5) | |
(University of Pittsburgh, 2005) | (University of Pittsburgh, 2005) | (University of Pittsburgh, 2005, p. 2) | (University of Pittsburgh, 2005, p. 2) |
No Known Author:
Note that in most cases where a personal author is not named, a group author may be cited instead (eg. Statistics Canada). However, in certain cases, such as religious ancient texts, the author is unknown. Where you'd normally put the author's last name, instead use the first one, two, or three words from the title. Don't count initial articles like "A", "An" or "The". You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your References List.
If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.
If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.
Capitalize the titles using title case (every major word is capitalized) even if the reference list entry uses sentence case (only first word is capitalized).
( Cell Biology , 2012, p. 157)
("Nursing," 2011, p. 9)
No Known Date of Publication :
Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".
(Smith, n.d., p. 200)
APA style is usually used in Social Sciences and Psychology and is an author-date system. APA stands for the American Psychological Association.
Big Picture
APA style features in-text parenthetical citations , with a focus on author/date, and a corresponding Reference page.
In-Text Citations
In-Text Citations: The Basics (OWL Purdue) In-Text Citations: Author/Authors (OWL Purdue) When and How to Include Page Numbers in APA Style Citations (APA Blog) Citing References in Text (Basics of APA Style Tutorial)
Reference List ...
Reference List: Basic Rules (OWL Purdue) Reference List: Author/Authors (OWL Purdue)
NorQuest Library developed a format for Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers that is not available in formal APA style.
Note: hanging indents not included
Have you ever wondered, why can’t there be one writing style for everything? It’s a good question. We often hear this version: “Why learn APA Style if I already know MLA style?”
The short answer is that writing styles were developed within specific domains. MLA style, which comes from the Modern Language Association, is used in the humanities in subjects such as English and other modern languages. APA Style, which comes from the American Psychological Association, is used in the behavioral sciences in subjects such as psychology, education, and nursing, and even in subjects like business and engineering.
Scholars and students in these fields have different needs that are reflected in their writing styles. This post explores key similarities and differences between APA Style and MLA style and provides resources for writers learning APA Style.
APA Style and MLA style share a lot in common with not only each other but also other writing styles such as Chicago style and American Medical Association (AMA) style. Indeed, most writing styles address areas such as these:
Thus, once you have learned one writing style, learning another writing style is relatively straightforward. Although the exact details may differ, the overarching considerations are similar. This makes it easier to mentally organize your understanding of what it means to follow a writing style.
Simply put, APA Style is designed for writing and understanding scientific literature about people. Here are some of the ways the needs of the behavioral science community of scholars show in the style:
APA Style provides specific directions on what information to include in certain kinds of papers. Specifically, if you are conducting and reporting the results of experiments, you should follow APA’s journal article reporting standards, or APA Style JARS . JARS ensure that all researchers consistently report the same kinds of information, which allows readers to evaluate the work as well as to make comparisons between works, such as in a meta-analysis.
If you are a student writing a simpler APA Style paper, for example, a reaction or response paper, annotated bibliography, or literature review, we recommend first focusing on fulfilling the assignment requirements set by your instructor.
To learn how JARS can be relevant to you, check out this blog post about APA Style JARS for high school students .
APA provides detailed, science-backed guidelines on how to describe people with dignity and respect in the form of the bias-free language guidelines and the Inclusive Language Guide (2nd ed.) . The guidelines cover topics including age , disability , gender , race and ethnicity , sexual orientation , and socioeconomic status .
If you’re new to this topic, start with the Brief Guide to Bias-Free and Inclusive Language (PDF, 316KB) .
When writing in APA Style, paraphrase rather than quote in most cases. Whereas in literature it is often important to respond to the exact wording an author used, in science you should primarily respond to the ideas, which means restating them in your own words.
For help on learning to paraphrase, including how to cite a long paraphrase, check out our page on paraphrasing .
In-text citations of paraphrased material in APA Style consist of the author and year, whereas in MLA style they consist of the author and page number. Page numbers (or other location information for works without page numbers ) are required in APA Style citations only for direct quotations.
If you are paraphrasing in APA Style, it is optional to include a page number (although read your assignment guidelines, because your instructor may request page numbers regardless).
APA Style in-text citations include the year, whereas MLA citations do not. Each style suits its discipline. Whereas literature is evergreen, science progresses. Older science may be out of date and thus not of use to readers, so having a year in the citation allows readers to quickly understand how old the source is.
Although APA Style does not have formal requirements for how old (or rather, young) your sources have to be, instructors may require you use only sources published within the last 5–10 years or similar, so check your assignment guidelines carefully. And regardless of any requirements, try to use the most current information possible because this is best for advancing the scholarship in your field.
References in APA and MLA styles usually include information about the author, date, title, and source of a work , which allows readers to identify and locate the work. However, the information is presented in a different order and with different capitalization and punctuation depending on the style.
For a step-by-step guide to the different formats for common sources such as journal articles, books, edited book chapters, and webpages, check out the APA Style and MLA Style Reference Comparison Guide (PDF, 104KB) .
If you’re at the beginning of your APA Style journey, fear not. This website has a wealth of free and authoritative resources designed to help you. We recommend that you check out our APA Style for Beginners landing page , which curates resources appropriate for an audience new to APA Style.
We are also happy to hear your feedback, so if you have ideas or suggestions on this topic, please leave a comment below.
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Speaker 1: Hi, this is Kevin with Wordvice, and today we're going to talk about paraphrasing. What does paraphrasing mean? Paraphrasing is putting someone else's work into your own words instead of quoting directly. Paraphrasing can save space, it can truncate the information in a research paper, and it can distill the complex information that may exist in another study and make your study easier to understand. So how do quoting and paraphrasing differ exactly? Well, when you quote, you essentially copy and paste the exact words of another researcher into your own study. Every time you quote, you must use citations and quotation marks, regardless of formatting guidelines. A paraphrase, on the other hand, may use some key terms from the original text, but must use new language to express this idea. When you paraphrase, you do not need to include quotation marks, but you must still use citations. Let's look at one example to see how a quote and a paraphrase differ. First a quote. Davidson notes, in heart patient sample groups experiencing even mild tumor hypoxia, uptake of 300cc injected phenoflux was reduced by one-third for each 0.05% of increased hypoxia in the tumored organ, and the citation follows this. Now the paraphrase. Davidson concluded that the tumor hypoxia can impact the delivery and efficacy of anti-cancer drugs. Citation. This paraphrase differs significantly from the quote in length, structure, and word choice. It is shorter and gives the gist, or provides the main point of the original text. To place only very specific lines or details from another work into your study, use a combination of quotes and paraphrasing. Davidson. Citation. He concluded that tumor hypoxia poses a problem for doctors administering anti-cancer drugs, since even in tumors with mild hypoxia, uptake of 300cc injected phenoflux was reduced by one-third for each 0.05% of increased hypoxia. Note that while in the paraphrase version key terms remain, they reserve the quotes for very specific details, which cannot be paraphrased easily and might be essential to the paper. So when do you paraphrase and when do you quote? Let's take a look at some situations where one method might be preferable to the other. You should paraphrase to show you understand the main ideas or arguments of the author, to help explain difficult concepts or terminology, to highlight original ideas that are interesting when the original language is not as interesting, to change the emphasis of information to match your own arguments, or to provide a clear voice in your paper that isn't directly connected to other works. You should use quotes when the original wording is strong and engaging on its own, if the quote is very well known or difficult to paraphrase well, where the exact words of an authority would lend support to your own ideas, or when you want to present the author's detailed methods or findings or exact stated position. Keep in mind that you should not paraphrase too often, as it can take away some of the strength of the original content. Similarly, you shouldn't quote too often as well, as it can take away the authorial voice of your own paper. What you want to do is maintain a balance by using ample quotes and paraphrases in conjunction. So here are some steps you can take to paraphrase effectively. First, read the source material until you fully understand what the author's meaning is, that is, what is he or she saying, not only in details but what is the larger picture. And it might take three or four readings at least to digest this information. Second, take some notes that include key terms of the original passage. Third, write your own paragraph without looking at the source material. Use only the key terms that you wrote down in step two. Fourth, double check to make sure that your version captures all of the important parts and especially the intent of the original. Finally, don't forget your in-text citation. You want the reader to be sure where your paraphrasing begins and where it ends. Now let's take a look at a detailed example of how to paraphrase source material. First, the original source text. The journal primarily considers empirical and theoretical investigations that enhance understanding of cognitive, motivational, affective, and behavioral psychological phenomenon in work and organizational settings, broadly defined. Those psychological phenomenon can be at one or multiple levels, individuals, groups, organizations, or cultures, in work settings such as business, education, training, health, service, government, or military institutions, and in the public or private sector, for-profit or non-profit organizations. So after you've read this a few times to determine what the gist of the content is, you need to write down some key terms. Some of the key terms I took away were empirical and theoretical investigations, enhanced understanding, psychological phenomena, settings, and levels. These are the terms you can use in your paraphrase of this content. Here's an example of an acceptable paraphrase of this source text. The Journal of Applied Psychology accepts studies that increase understanding of a broad range of psychological phenomena and that apply to a variety of settings. The studies can be set or observed from a number of levels, from the individual to larger subgroups and are not limited to institution or sector. Note that the ideas are the same as in the source text, but the language and phrasing has been changed and truncated or shortened. Also note that there is a citation at the end of the paraphrase. Next, let's look at a combination sentence, one that uses both quotes and paraphrasing. The Journal of Applied Psychology accepts studies that enhance understanding of cognitive, motivational, affective, and behavioral psychological phenomena and that apply to a variety of settings such as business, education, training, health, service, government, or military institutions. The studies can be set or observed from a number of levels and are not limited to institution or sector. In this combination example, the details from the original source are in quotes, as they are in succession and provide important information that readers might need to know. Finally, let's take a look at an example of something you might want to avoid, that is plagiarism. Here is a plagiarized version of the source text. Note that many of the key terms and even phrases are written word for word in this version. In this plagiarized version, some of the words of the original have been changed or removed, but the meanings and even the grammar structure are essentially identical to the source text. The reason this is plagiarized is that there are no quotation marks, so be very careful not to use the exact same language unless you are putting quotation marks around the content. When paraphrasing, you can show your position to the content you are discussing by choosing a verb that shows whether you are in agreement, in disagreement, or are neutral to the content being discussed. Here are some examples of verbs you can use to show your position. These verbs show that you are neutral to the content being discussed. Believe, conclude, propose, argue, observe, and write. For instance, Young, citation, believes that the cause of this problem is X. Johnson, et al., citation, proposed several solutions to this problem, including XYZ. The verbs believe and propose both merely show what the author is thinking or doing. They do not indicate any particular position that you might have on these topics. To show agreement with the statement you are paraphrasing, use verbs such as these. Show, demonstrate, evidence, prove, point out, confirm. For instance, Brooks, citation, showed how nitrogen was essential to the development of life. Garcia demonstrates the efficiency of this method of analysis when applying it to X, citation. Both of these terms, showed and demonstrates, have fairly positive connotations and indicate that you generally agree with how the original work was performed or analyzed. To show your disagreement with the work that you are paraphrasing, use verbs such as these. Neglect, overlook, disregard, pay little attention to, fail to note. For instance, although the author of this study says that robins account for 10% of North American neighborhood birds, he neglects to include the most important method of analysis, citation. Mbeki, citation, disregards additional potential contributing factors, citing only X and Y as being instrumental. Both terms, neglects and disregards, carry fairly negative connotations and indicate that you generally disagree with how the author carried out their work or analyzed it. How you paraphrase will generally depend on the context and the specific reason for putting another author's work into your study. But there are some tools and tips you can use to help put their words into your own. One way to do this is to change the voice of the passage. If the original is written in the active voice, change it to the passive and vice versa. If the original study reads as follows, a study of infant feeding practices was carried out, you might paraphrase, like this. In her study of breastfeeding, Carnes, citation, found that only one-fifth of mothers nurse their babies. By changing the voice, you can alter the syntax of the sentence and make room for your own words to describe the original author's meaning. Another tool you can use to describe content in your own way is a thesaurus. But be careful when using a thesaurus. You want to make sure you understand the term you're using and that it makes sense in the context you're using it. The last tip is more of a reminder. You want to avoid looking at the work when you're writing your paraphrase. Instead, give yourself 10 to 20 seconds after reading the passage. Your mind needs a little bit of time to digest what the meaning of the passage is. And then go ahead and write your paraphrase. By giving yourself some time, you'll make sure not to plagiarize the text. Before we go, here are some rules for paraphrasing you should keep in mind. The paraphrase statement must always be written in your own words. Never copy the text verbatim unless you use quotation marks. Always include a citation when you paraphrase. Usually these things, parentheses. Because you're always using someone else's work even though it's in your own words. Finally, always keep your study at the focus of your writing. That means you don't want to quote too often and you don't want to paraphrase too often. So try to keep a blend of both so that you have a strong authorial voice, but that you also have external support for your own arguments. For more excellent tips on academic and research writing, subscribe to our YouTube channel or visit Wordvice's resources page where you'll find dozens of articles to help you improve your paper composition. Stay tuned and happy writing.
Citations are expected in scholarly and professional work, and required when using information and data from outside sources. In business writing, citations will help you:
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Paraphrases. A paraphrase restates another's idea (or your own previously published idea) in your own words. Paraphrasing allows you to summarize and synthesize information from one or more sources, focus on significant information, and compare and contrast relevant details. Published authors paraphrase their sources most of the time, rather ...
Activity 3: Writing a Long Paraphrase. This activity consists of three steps: Read the following published paragraphs and summarize them in your own words in two to three sentences (a long paraphrase). Do not repeat every idea. Instead, highlight important findings and accurately represent the meaning of the original.
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, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
Parenthetical citation. For an APA parenthetical citation, write your paraphrase and then add the author and year in parenthesis at the end. Use a comma between the author and the year inside the parenthesis, and put the period for the end of the sentence outside the parenthesis. Example 1: Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light.
Paraphrasing. When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows: Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993). Note: If you refer to the author's ...
Paraphrasing Guidelines (APA, 2020, p. 269) APA 7 notes that "published authors paraphrase their sources most of the time, rather than directly quoting" (p. 269). For writing in psychology, students should use direct quotations only sparingly and instead mainly synthesize and paraphrase. Webster-Stratton (2016) described a case example of a ...
Journal Articles ; Magazine and Newspaper Articles ; Reference Articles, Encyclopedia and Dictionary Entries ... Paraphrase aims to replicate all of the ideas of the source passage, ... Use paraphrase and summary frequently. APA is designed for the social and health sciences, which typically have less need for direct quotation than the ...
The Journal of Psychology, 139, 469-480. Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing. The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005).
When paraphrasing or summarising using one source over several sentences or even a whole paragraph, cite the source in the first sentence. There is no need to cite the work again in this paragraph provided it is clear that this is the only source being paraphrased. The APA Style and Grammar Guidelines provide this example: Velez et al. (2018 ...
Three to Five Authors or Editors. The first time you cite the work in-text, provide each author's last name and the year of publication. Every other time you cite the same work in-text, provide only the first author's last name followed by "et al." and the year of publication. Six or More Authors or Editors. Provide the first author's last name ...
In-Text APA Citation for Journal Articles. This section will help you create in-text APA citations for journal articles. In-text citations refer to the crediting of articles within the body of a work, separate from the reference page at the end of a document. An in-text citation comes after a paraphrase or a direct quote.
There are many ways to paraphrase material; here are more examples and some advice. How to Cite Material Without Page Numbers. If the cited material does not have page numbers (such as may occur with some e-books) and you need them for an in-text citation, use any of the following location information instead:. a paragraph number, if provided; alternatively, you can count paragraphs down from ...
Journal Article (Print) Journal Article (Online) Newspaper Articles (Print) ... Direct Quotes, Paraphrasing, Summarizing; APA 6 vs. APA 7; The Basics. Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing. You already know that you need to use various kinds of resources when you are researching. Now things can get a little more complicated when trying to use ...
If you want to cite a special issue of a journal rather than a regular article, the name (s) of the editor (s) and the title of the issue appear in place of the author's name and article title: APA format. Last name, Initials. (Ed. or Eds.). (Year). Title of issue [Special issue]. Journal Name, Volume (Issue).
Helpful Tips: DOI: If a journal article has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) listed, you will always include this identifier in your reference as a URL. Online Database: For works from databases that publish works of limited circulation (such as the ERIC database) or original, proprietary material available only in that database (such as UpToDate), include the name of the database or archive ...
APA Style Official Guide, 7th ed. TEXTUAL Resources. APA citation style refers to the rules and conventions established by the American Psychological Association for documenting sources used in a research paper. The APA Citation Style is often used for courses in psychology, education, business and other social sciences.
Resources on writing an APA style reference list, including citation formats. Basic Rules Basic guidelines for formatting the reference list at the end of a standard APA research paper Author/Authors Rules for handling works by a single author or multiple authors that apply to all APA-style references in your reference list, regardless of the ...
The Journal of Psychology, 139, 469-480. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing. The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005).
When you paraphrase, you use your own words. This is usually preferable to direct quotes because the information is written in your own style, but you must be careful not to change the meaning. ... APA requires you to include the author and date. It is also recommended (but not required) that you include the page number. The format of the page ...
Quoting is copying a selection from someone else's work, phrasing it exactly as it was originally written. When quoting place quotation marks (" ") around the selected passage to show where the quote begins and where it ends. Make sure to include an in-text citation. Paraphrasing is used to show that you understand what the author wrote.
APA Style is widely used by students, researchers, and professionals in the social and behavioral sciences. Scribbr's free citation generator automatically generates accurate references and in-text citations. This citation guide outlines the most important citation guidelines from the 7th edition APA Publication Manual (2020).
The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology, 139, 469-480. Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing. The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005).
Big Picture. APA style features in-text parenthetical citations, with a focus on author/date, and a corresponding Reference page.. In-Text Citations . elements include author's last name, year of publication and page number(s) elements in are separated by commas - Example: (Arnold, 2015, p. 378) a direct quote requires a page number preceded by p.
Journal article reporting standards. APA Style provides specific directions on what information to include in certain kinds of papers. Specifically, if you are conducting and reporting the results of experiments, ... When writing in APA Style, paraphrase rather than quote in most cases. Whereas in literature it is often important to respond to ...
How to Paraphrase in Research Papers (APA, AMA) Added on 09/02/2024. Speakers. ... one that uses both quotes and paraphrasing. The Journal of Applied Psychology accepts studies that enhance understanding of cognitive, motivational, affective, and behavioral psychological phenomena and that apply to a variety of settings such as business ...
Citations are expected in scholarly and professional work, and required when using information and data from outside sources.In business writing, citations will help you: Avoid plagiarism and give credit to the ideas and work of others; Demonstrate credibility by backing up your claims with research and data; Create a path to information that supports your arguments and engage in professional ...