Creating In-Text Citations Using APA Style

Authors & Contributors

When citing sources within the text, it is necessary to know: 1) the last name(s) of the author(s), 2) the year of publication, and, in some cases, 3) the page number(s) where the cited material may be found.

When You Are Citing an Entire Work

When you cite an entire work (rather than a part of a work), you need to document the last name of the author and the year of publication. (No page numbers are necessary when you are citing a work in its entirety.) The citation format varies according to whether or not the author's name is mentioned in the sentence being cited. Click below for examples of these two basic variations.

• When the Author's Name Is Not Mentioned in the Sentence
• When the Author's Name Is Mentioned in the Sentence

When You Are Citing a Specific Part of a Work (Particularly Quotations)

When you cite a specific part of a work (rather than the work in its entirety), you need to document the last name of the author, the year of publication, AND the page numbers (or chapter, section, or line numbers) in which the cited material may be found. The citation format varies according to whether or not the author's name is mentioned in the sentence being cited. Click below for examples of these two basic variations.

• When the Author's Name Is Not Mentioned in the Sentence
• When the Author's Name Is Mentioned in the Sentence