APA In-Text Citations
Frequently Asked Questions
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3. If I use part of a quote in my own sentence where does the citation go? After the quote or
at the end of the sentence?
When you use a quotation mid-sentence, end the quote with quotation marks and cite the
source in parentheses immediately after, and continue the sentence. If the author’s name and
the date of publication are included before the quotation, then provide only the page numbers
immediately after the quotation.
Example:
As the 6
th
Edition of the APA Manual (2010) states, it is important to, “cite the source in
parentheses immediately after the quotation marks” (p.171), even if the sentence continues.
4. How should I refer to the title of an article in my text?
Use quotation marks around the title of a shorter texts, such as an article or chapter, when
referring to it in-text.
Example:
In Potterson’s (2013) article, “Nursing in a changing society,” she argues that…
5. When should a title be italicized?
All titles of longer or complete texts, such as books, periodicals, films, videos, TV shows, and
microfilm publications are italicized in APA formatting.
Example:
Potterson’s (2011) book, Nursing in Canada, details the history of the nursing occupation in
Canadian society and how it came to be what it is today.
6. When do I use “et al.”?
There are two circumstances in APA style when you use “et al.”
1) Use “et al.” when a work has six or more authors. Include the first author’s name
followed by “et al.”
If a source listed its authors as: Bogdon, H., Halburd, R., Masterson, P., Preston, S.,
Ulwig, Z., & Bloom, O. (2012)., include only the surname of the first author followed by
“et al.”
Example: (Bogdon et al, 2012)
2) Use “et al.” when citing a work multiple times which has three, four, or five authors. In
the first citation, list all of the authors. In the following citations, list only the surname of
the first author followed by “et al.” and the date.
Example: The first study (Bogdon, Halburd, & Masterson, 2013) demonstrated findings
that differ from commonly held beliefs. The study (Bogdon et al., 2013) showed that…