Research Guides: Citing Guide for Business (APA 7th ed.): APA Style 7th ed.

In-Text Citations

In APA 7th edition, there are two ways to cite your sources in your text: narrative citations and parenthetical citations. The choice between narrative and parenthetical citations depends on your preference, sentence structure, and how smoothly the citation can be integrated into the text.

Narrative Citations

A narrative citation weaves the author's name(s) into the sentence itself, with the publication year appearing in parentheses immediately after the author's last name. The author's name becomes part of the sentence, and the citation appears more like a natural part of the text. For example:

Smith (2021) argues that exercise has numerous benefits for mental health.

In this case, the author's last name, Smith, is integrated into the sentence, making it a narrative citation.

Parenthetical Citations

A parenthetical citation places both the author's last name and the publication year in parentheses at the end of the sentence just before the closing punctuation. For example:

Exercise has numerous benefits for mental health (Smith, 2021).

Here, the author's last name and publication year are enclosed in parentheses followed by a period, making it a parenthetical citation. Notice that there is only a period after the citation, not after the last word of the sentence.

Paraphrasing

You can choose between using a narrative or a parenthetical in-text citation style when you paraphrase a source in your paper.

Narrative citation of a paraphrased source:

According to Smith (2021), regular exercise significantly improves mental health and overall well-being.

Parenthetical citation of a paraphrased source:

Regular exercise significantly improves mental health and overall well-being (Smith, 2021).

Note: It is not required to provide a page or paragraph number in the citation when you are paraphrasing.

Long Paraphrases

If you have a long paraphrase, cite the work being paraphrased on first mention. Once the work has been cited, it is not necessary to repeat the citation if the same work continues to be paraphrased:

Velez et al. (2018) found that for women of color, sexism and racism in the workplace were associated with poor work and mental health outcomes, including job-related burnout, turnover intentions, and psychological distress. However, self-esteem, person–organization fit, and perceived organizational support mediated these effects. Additionally, stronger womanist attitudes—which acknowledge the unique challenges faced by women of color in a sexist and racist society—weakened the association of workplace discrimination with psychological distress. These findings underscore the importance of considering multiple forms of workplace discrimination in clinical practice and research with women of color, along with efforts to challenge and reduce such discrimination.

Note: If the paraphrase continues into a new paragraph, reintroduce the citation.

Paraphrasing Multiple Sources in One Sentence

When paraphrasing multiple sources in one sentence, include in-text citations for each source. The citations should be placed in parentheses, separated by a semicolon, and ordered alphabetically by the authors' last names:

(Author A, Publication year A; Author B, Publication year B)

Suppose you want to include paraphrased information from two sources, one by John Smith published in 2021 and another by Jane Brown published in 2020. The in-text citation would be formatted as follows:

Regular exercise has been shown to improve mental health (Brown, 2020; Smith, 2021)

In this example, the ideas from both sources are combined into a single sentence, and the in-text citations for each source are included in parentheses, separated by a semicolon. Note that the sources are listed alphabetically by the authors' last names.

Here is a more complex example of paraphrasing multiple sources in one sentence:

Play therapists can experience many symptoms of impaired wellness, including emotional exhaustion or reduced ability to empathize with others (Elwood et al., 2011; Figley, 2002), disruption in personal relationships (Elwood et al., 2011; Robinson-Keilig, 2014), decreased satisfaction with work (Elwood et al., 2011), avoidance of particular situations (Figley, 2002; O’Halloran & Linton, 2000), and feelings or thoughts of helplessness (Elwood et al., 2011; Figley, 2002; O’Halloran & Linton, 2000).

In this example, the in-text citation includes multiple sources to support distinct aspects of the statement. The parenthetical citations are placed next to the specific aspect of the sentence they support, separated by semicolons.

Quoting

You can choose between using a narrative or a parenthetical in-text citation style when you quote a source in your paper.

Narrative citation of a quoted source:

Smith (2021) argues that exercise has numerous benefits for mental health because it "decreases sensitivity to the body's reaction to anxiety" (p. 42).

Parenthetical citation of a quoted source:

Exercise can improve mental health because it "decreases sensitivity to the body's reaction to anxiety" (Smith, 2021, p. 42).

Quoting text found on multiple pages

Narrative citation:

Smith (2021) argues that exercise has numerous benefits for mental health because it "decreases sensitivity to the body's reaction to anxiety, releases mood improving chemicals like endorphins and serotonin, and provides a sense of accomplishment" (pp. 42-43).

Parenthetical citation:

Exercise can improve mental health because it "decreases sensitivity to the body's reaction to anxiety, releases mood improving chemicals like endorphins and serotonin, and provides a sense of accomplishment" (Smith, 2021, pp. 42-43).

Quoting text with no page numbers

Some sources like webpages and eBooks might not have page numbers. In these cases, use a page number alternative that will easily tell the reader where the quote is located.

Paragraph numbers

Add the paragraph number(s) where the quote can be found. Abbreviate to para. for text found in a single paragraph and to paras. for text found in multiple paragraphs:

Exercise can improve mental health because it "decreases sensitivity to the body's reaction to anxiety" (Smith, 2021, para. 2).

Section names or headings

Add the heading or section name where the quote can be found. You can use the full section name without quotation marks, or you can abbreviate a long section name in quotation marks.

Here is an example for citing a quote in-text that is found in an article section titled 'Methodology':

Exercise can improve mental health because it "decreases sensitivity to the body's reaction to anxiety" (Smith, 2021, Methodology section).

Here is an example for a citing a quote in-text that is found in an article section titled 'Exercise and Mental Health in Teenagers':

Reference List Citations

The reference list is a list of all the sources cited in your paper. It appears at the end of your work and provides detailed information about each source so that readers can locate the original material.

A reference entry typically includes the author(s), publication date, title, source, and, if applicable, the DOI or URL. The format for each reference entry may vary depending on the type of source (e.g., journal article, book, website, etc.). These are the elements of a reference list entry for a journal article:

Author's last name, First initials. (Publication year). Title of the article. Title of the Journal, volume(issue), page range. DOI or URL

Here is an example of a reference list entry for a journal article:

Zak, P. (2020). Empathy enhancing antidotes for interpersonally toxic leaders. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 72(2), 119–133. https://doi.org/10.1037/cpb0000164

Citing Guide for Business (APA 7th ed.): APA Style 7th ed.

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