Guidance on how to include quotes and paraphrasing in your work can be found in Section 8 of the APA Publication Manual, 7th edition with examples for individual source types found in the relevant sections of this guide.
Links to further guidance given on the APA Blog:
Copies of the APA Publication Manual are held in the Faculty Library - Check iDiscover for availability.
For guidance on using Speeches please see the section in the Reports, Official Documents & Conference Proceedings section.
It is best to paraphrase sources rather than using direct quotes so you can demonstrate an understanding of the work you have read. However, you may wish to include a direct quote if it is particularly important to your argument and you want to emphasise that the author has something really significant to say.
When quoting from a source you must always provide a citation. The formatting of quotes depends on the length.
Direct quotations must be accurate and match the punctuation, spelling and wording of the original source (even if the original source is incorrect). If a quotation that includes errors is likely to distract or cause confusion for the reader, it is best to consider paraphrasing instead. If a quotation is still needed, see the guidance on Changes to quotes & quotes with omitted material below.
Short quotation (fewer than 40 words)
Always include a full citation (parenthetical or narrative) in the same sentence.
Incorporate your quote into your text, within double quotation marks, with an in-text citation at the end.
Short quotations are also used for direct speech and turns of phrase.
Parenthetical citation
Parenthetical citations need to be either immediately after the quotation or at the end of the sentence.
"A community built around the academic library can assist students and faculty seeking assistance in their research and information-gathering activities but who may be reluctant or unable to visit the physical library building in person" (Garofalo, 2013, p. 6).
Narrative citation
For narrative citations there are options to suit the flow of your sentence.
Include the author and year in the sentence then place the page number in round brackets after the quotation.
In 2013 Garofalo suggests that "a community built around the academic library..." (p. 6).
Include the author in the sentence followed by the year in round brackets, then place the page number in round brackets after the quotation.
Garofalo (2013) suggests that "a community built around the academic library..." (p. 6).
If the quote follows the author's named, place the year and page number in round brackets at the end.
Garofalo suggests that "a community built around the academic library..." (2013, p. 6).
Block quotations (40 words of more)
Do not use quotation marks
Start quotation on a new line and indent the block of text (0.5 in.)
For in-text citations:
Insert a Parenthetical citation directly after the quote
the technological and social changes of the twenty-first century have expanded the roles of social media and social networking and highlighted the ubiquity of these technologies. The term 'social media' denotes 'websites and applications which enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking' (OED Online, 2012). This is a democratizing technology, affording anybody the capacity to create content and disseminate information; a kind of global 'word of mouth' for the twenty-first century. (Garofalo, 2013, pp. 1-2).
Or provide a narrative citation before the quotation (not indented) and then the page number in round brackets at the end of the quote.
In 2013 Garofalo stated:
the technological and social changes of the twenty-first century have expanded the roles of social media and social networking and highlighted the ubiquity of these technologies. The term 'social media' denotes 'websites and applications which enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking' (OED Online, 2012). This is a democratizing technology, affording anybody the capacity to create content and disseminate information; a kind of global 'word of mouth' for the twenty-first century (pp. 1-2).
To cite quotes from an online source where there are no visible page numbers, use paragraph numbers, where available, with the abbreviation para and include the section heading where available, for example (project introduction, para. 3).
Where the section heading is unmanageable to cite in full, use a shortened version enclosed in quotation marks:
For example use ("Mandatory Labeling," para. 4) for the heading Mandatory labeling has targeted information gaps and social objectives.
**DO NOT use the page numbers from material that you have printed out from an online source as different printers may reflect different pagination**
Direct quotations must be accurate and match the punctuation, spelling and wording of the original source (even if the original source in incorrect). If a quotation that includes errors, is likely to distracting or cause confusion for the reader, it is best to consider paraphrasing instead.
Making changes for any incorrect spelling or grammar
If any errors might lead to confusion you can highlight this by inserting the word [sic] in italics immediately after the misspelt word etc. *Do not correct the error*
Brown (2008) claims that "everyone needs to have a locker for there [sic] bicycle" (p.12)
*Do not correct the error* The only change you can make to the grammar of a quote is to change the capitalisation of the first word to allow for the context of your sentence, you may also remove any footnote or endnote numbers.
Inserting material into a quote
Use square brackets if you need to include any additional information for explanation purposes.
Brown (2008) claims that "The provision for [children's] writing is essential" (p.12)
Omitting material
A long quotation might span multiple sentences, in which case you may wish to shorten a sentence or tie two sentences together. Use an ellipsis to indicate that you have omitted words within a quotation , however do not use an ellipsis at the beginning or end of a quote unless this is included in the original quotation..
Brown claims that "technological and social changes of the twenty-first century have expanded the roles of social media . ... This is a democratizing technology ... a kind of global 'word of mouth' for the twenty-first century" (pp. 1-2)
Including additional words within a quote for clarification
Should you need to add any words for explanation or clarification then these need to be inserted using square brackets.
"The provision for [children's] writing is essential"
Adding emphasis
If you need to emphasise a word or words in a quote, use italics and then add [emphasis added] directly afterwards
Brown (2008) claims that "A good diet is essential [emphasis added], for longevity of pets" (p.12)
Quotations that contain paraphrased summaries of another work
When using material that have citations to other sources (i.e if the source you have used has paraphrased from another source), include these citations within the quotation but do not include the works in your reference list unless you have used and cited these elsewhere in your paper. Cite the source you are using, giving the page number.
If the citation appears at the end of the end of the passage you wish to quote then it is common practice to end the quote before the citation, especially when the material you are quoting represents a new approach to the original source in cases where the author(s) have summarised the original, and you want to quote this summary.
Footnotes and endnotes are omitted from quotes, it is only in-text citations that are included.
Quotations that contain direct quotations from another work
If you would like to use a direct quotation from another work, it is best practice to read and cite this quote from the original. if the original source is not available you can cite as a secondary source.
When quoting research participants you need to obtain and respect any confidentiality and/or anonymity agreements you have made.
You may need to use pseudonyms and/or obscure identifying information (such as the name of a school etc). In the case of anonymity requirements, sources can be discussed whilst suitably disguised but they would not be cited in text or listed in your reference list, as such sources would not be retrievable and to cite them would compromise confidentiality.
Further information can be found in the Anonymous Sources section of this guide.
Paraphrasing is defined as restating into your own words, another person's ideas (or your own from previously published work). You do not need page numbers if you are paraphrasing generally from ideas presented in a work, however, you should include page numbers when it will help the reader find the relevant passage in a long or complex work or you are paraphrasing from a specific page.
A section of paraphrased text may be several sentences long, it is not necessary to repeat the citation as long as there is no confusion and it is within the same paragraph. If your paraphrasing continues into a new paragraph you will need to include another citation.
You must include the page numbers when using direct quotations
Parenthetical Citations are listed in alphabetical order separated by a semi colon
(Green, 2006; Jones, 2001; Turner, 2011)
Narrative Citations can be listed in any order
Turner (2011), Green(2006) and Jones, (2001) argue that....
If citing 2 works by the same author, write the author once and the dates in chronological order separated by a comma (earliest first):
(Garofalo, n.d., 2009, 2013, in press)
If citing 2 works by the same author published in the same year, use lower case a,b,c etc after the date:
(Garofalo, 2013a, 2013b)
To highlight one source as being the most relevant you can list them first regardless of alphabetical order and then list the remaining sources alphabetically by using 'see also' after a semi colon.
(Turner, 2011; see also Green, 2006; Jones, 2001)
Guidance covering the mechanics of style can be found in Section 6 of the APA Publication Manual, 7th edition with further guidance given on the APA Blog
Use of the possessive apostrophe
The possessive apostrophe is formed by adding 's to the end of the name, including names already ending in s:
Milner's theory
James's data
(APA Manual, Section 6.11, p.162)
Use with et al.
It is best to avoid possessive phrasing when using et al. therefore consider re wording your sentence, for example Smith et al. (2015) found that . . .” or “the theory by Smith et al. indicates that......"
Stuck with referencing? The Library Team are happy to help with all of your referencing queries!
Email: library@educ.cam.ac.uk
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Unsure which source type to use?
Sometimes the distinctions between source types can be ambiguous, in which case consistency is the most important thing. If a source could be defined as more than one source type then a judgement is needed to choose which format to use and you then need to be consistent throughout your work to make sure all other similar sources are referenced the same way.
