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APA style uses the author/date system for in-text citation. Within the text of your paper, 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.
For more detailed examples of in-text citation see the Research and Documentation Online guide.
Citing Websites: Cite websites 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.)
Example in-text citation for website with no author:
The term "Nittany Lion" was coined by Penn State football player Joe Mason in 1904 (All things Nittany, 2006).
Example reference entry for website with no author:
All things Nittany. (2006). Retrieved from http://www.psu.edu/ur/about/nittanymascot.html
Example in-text citation for section of website with no author:
The burning of tropical forests is a major cause of global warming ("Global warming 101," 2012).
Example reference entry for section of a website with no author:
Global warming 101. (2012). In Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved from www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/global_warming_101/
| Author's Name | Example of Usage |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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). |
| 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, author's name part of narrative | 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). |
| Direct quote, author's name in parentheses | 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). |
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, date, 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)
APA style has specific rules for citing works by multiple authors. Use the following chart to determine how to correctly cite works by multiple authors in text.
Type of citation |
First citation |
Subsequent citations |
First citation, |
Subsequent citations, parenthetical format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One author | Field (2005) | Field (2005) | (Field, 2005) | (Field, 2005) |
| Two authors | Gass and Varonis (1984) | Gass and Varonis (1984) | (Gass & Varonis, 1984) | (Gass & Varonis, 1984) |
| Three authors | Munro, Derwing, and Sato (2006) | Munro et al. (2006) | (Munro, Derwing, & Sato, 2006) | (Munro et al., 2006) |
| Four authors | Tremblay, Richer, Lachance, and Cote (2010) | Tremblay et al. (2010) | (Tremblay, Richer, Lachance, & Cote, 2010) | (Tremblay et al., 2010) |
| Five authors | Hay, Elias, Fielding-Barnsley, Homel, and Freiberg (2007) | Hay et al. (2007) | (Hay, Elias, Fielding-Barnsley, Homel, & Freiberg, 2007) | (Hay et al., 2007) |
| Six or more authors | Norris-Shortle et al. (2006) | Norris-Shortle et al. (2006) | (Norris-Shortle et al., 2006) | (Norris-Shortle et al., 2006) |
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.
