journal quotes ENG 121

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IN-TEXT CITATION GUIDE

What are in-text citations?

An in-text citation is a citation within your writing to show where you found your information, facts, quotes,

and research. APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for

example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005,

p. 14). For sources such as websites and e-books that have no page numbers, use a paragraph number

instead, for example: (Fields, 2015, para.3).

In-text citations follow any sentence in your writing that contains a direct quote, or paraphrased or

summarized information from an outside source.

Each in-text citation in your writing must also have a corresponding entry in your References list. There

are two exceptions to this rule: personal communications, like interviews, emails, or classroom discussion

posts, and classic religious texts, like the Bible or the Koran. These types of sources should be cited by

in-text citations only.

Always include in-text citations for:

 direct quotes

 paraphrased information

 summarized information

All in-text citations require the same basic information:

 Author

 Date of publication (or “n.d.” if there is “no date”)

 Page or paragraph number (for direct quotes only)

Basic Examples of In-Text Citations

For a quote: “The systematic development of literacy and schooling meant a new division in

society, between the educated and the uneducated” (Cook-Gumperz, 1986, p. 27).

For paraphrased material: Some educational theorists suggest that schooling and a focus on

teaching literacy divided society into educated and uneducated classes (Cook-Gumperz, 1986).

For summarized material: Schooling and literacy contributed to educational divisions in society

(Cook-Gumperz, 1986).

NOTE: If you mention the author and the year in your writing to introduce the quote or paraphrased

material, then you need only include the page or paragraph number in the in-text citation.

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For example:

According to Jenny Cook-Gumperz (1986), “The systematic development of literacy and

schooling meant a new division in society, between the educated and the uneducated” (p. 27).

Additional In-Text Citation Models

For online sources:

For a web page: The USDA is “taking steps to help farmers, ranchers, and small businesses

wrestling with persistent drought” (United States Department of Agriculture, 2015, “USDA Drought

Programs and Assistance,” para. 1).

Format: (Website Author, Year, “Web Page Title,” paragraph number).

For an online article: The F.B.I. “warned the families not to talk publicly” about the hostages

(Wright, 2015, para. 2).

Format: (Author’s Last Name, Year, paragraph number).

For an email communication: According to Dr. Edwards, “The coming El Niño won’t do much to

alleviate California’s current drought” (personal communication, April 26, 2015).

NOTE: Because most online sources do not contain page numbers, use the paragraph number. While

many online sources may include numbers beside the paragraphs, others may not, and you might have to

count them yourself. In the case of an extremely long article or an online book, you may include the

section/chapter number and title and then the paragraph number, like this:

(Smith, 2012, Chapter #, “Section Title,” para. 12).

Citing from a Secondary Source

Sometimes the quote you want to use is quoted by someone else in another source, like your textbook.

You can still use that quote inside the textbook – this is called citing from a secondary source. In this

case, the secondary source is your textbook and its author; the primary source is the quote and its author.

So, in your writing, introduce the original author and the year of publication, and then in the in-text citation

you’ll include the secondary source information. For instance, you might want to include a quote by Sarah

Vowell that is cited in your textbook by Ryan Smith. You would write this:

According to Sarah Vowell (2008), “The only thing more dangerous than an idea is a belief” (as quoted in

Smith, 2012, Section #, “Section Title,” para. #).

NOTE: When citing from a secondary source, only the secondary source information appears in the

references list. The primary source author and original date of publication only appears in your writing.

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Moving the Citation Information Around

In-text citations contain three pieces of information: author, publication date, and page/paragraph

location. However, if in your writing you place this information elsewhere, like in the introductory phrase

before the quote, you do not need to repeat it in the citation. Use the citation to “catch” anything you

haven’t already included.

Here are three examples where the citation information is placed in different locations around the quote:

“The systematic development of literacy and schooling meant a new division in society, between

the educated and the uneducated” (Cook-Gumperz, 1986, p. 27).

According to Jenny Cook-Gumperz (1986), “The systematic development of literacy and

schooling meant a new division in society, between the educated and the uneducated” (p. 27).

According to Cook-Gumperz, “The systematic development of literacy and schooling meant a

new division in society, between the educated and the uneducated” (1986, p. 27).

NOTE: Parentheses that contain citation information come after the closing quote mark but before the

punctuation ending the entire sentence. Block quotes are the exception, where the parenthetical citation

comes after the period at the end of the quote.

For a comprehensive overview of crediting sources, consult Chapter 6 of the Publication Manual of the

American Psychological Association.