How to Insert a Citation in APA Style

When writing research papers, students and scholars alike often encounter the challenge of incorporating citations into their work. The American Psychological Association (APA) style is one of the most widely used citation styles, particularly in social sciences and humanities. In this article, we will explore how to insert a citation in APA style, focusing on narrative and parenthetical citations.

Narrative Citations

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In APA style, narrative citations are written within the sentence, using the author's last name followed by the year of publication. For example:

'Relatively little is known about variations in humpback whale stress physiology as compared to other parameters and life history traits, such as abundance, migratory trends, reproduction, behavior, and communication' (Cates et al., 2020).

In this example, 'Cates et al.' refers to the authors' last names and the year of publication. This type of citation is often used when discussing someone else's ideas or research.

Parenthetical Citations

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Another way to write in-text citations in APA style is by using parenthetical citations. In this method, all components of the citation are included in parentheses at the end of the sentence. Here's an example:

Understanding how marine mammals, like whales, respond to stress is critical to their health and sustainability (Cates et al., 2020).

In this case, 'Cates et al.' refers to the same authors and publication year as before. The main difference between narrative and parenthetical citations is where the citation appears in the sentence.

Key Takeaways

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When inserting a citation in APA style, remember that there are two ways to do it: narrative and parenthetical. Narrative citations appear within the sentence, while parenthetical citations appear at the end of the sentence in parentheses. Both methods require including the author's last name and publication year.

By following these guidelines, you can effectively incorporate citations into your research papers and ensure academic integrity. Remember to include page numbers for direct quotes and encourage paraphrasing by citing the original source.

In conclusion, learning how to insert a citation in APA style is an essential skill for any researcher or student. By understanding the difference between narrative and parenthetical citations, you can confidently incorporate sources into your work and produce high-quality research papers.

How to insert a citation in apa