APA Citation Style (Quick Guide)

Printable Version: APA Citation Style (Quick Guide)

What is APA?

The American Psychological Association (APA) is a national organization that determines formatting standards for work in the sciences. If you are a student, this means the APA determines the required layout for information like in-text citations and the works cited page of many essays you will write for many of your science courses, such as Psychology or Biology. This guide provides some APA-style citation basics. You may find more detailed instructions about APA style in the MTSU EasyWriter or Research Matters.

Why does citation matter?

Whenever you refer to someone’s words or ideas, whether you are paraphrasing, summarizing, or quoting, you have a responsibility to your readers to cite your source. If you do not cite your sources’ words or information, you are committing plagiarism (academic theft). Whether intentional or accidental, it has consequences. See our resources on Writing Responsibly and Citation for more information. Understanding your citation style can go a long way toward helping you write responsibly.

What’s an in-text citation?

Writers use in-text (parenthetical) citations when they make reference to someone else’s ideas through paraphrasing, summarizing, or quoting.

In-text citations in APA format typically include:

  1. The author’s name
  2. The year of publication
  3. The page number(s) referenced

The name may appear either in the sentence itself or in the parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase/summary, but the page numbers always appear in parentheses. For example:

Although existing theories have been discredited, new theories are proposed each day (Jones, 1998, p. 29).


-or-

Jones (1998) suggests, “Particular systems regulate these environments.” (p.29).

What if the source has no author?

If the source has no author and still is reliable, use an abbreviated version of the work’s title or whatever information is at the beginning of the corresponding works cited entry.

For example:

One study once argued that Zinsser’s own theory was incomplete (“Neuropsychological