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How to Cite in APA Style (7th Edition)

Basic Rules

  • "Use the author-date citation system to cite references in the text" (Section 8.10), which is to provide the author's surname and the year of publication, e.g. (Adams, 2012).
  • In-text citations have two formats: parenthetical and narrative: 
    • Parenthetical: the author name and publication date ... appear in parentheses. e.g. (Adams, 2012).
    • Narrative: citation is incorporated into the text as part of the sentence. e.g. Adams (2012) found that...
  • More details: Parenthetical Versus Narrative In-Text Citations. (Section 8.11)
  • Cite only works that you have read and ideas that you have incorporated in your writing.
  • "Each work cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and each work in the reference list must be cited in the text". (Section 8.4)
  • More details: Works Included in a Reference List
  • In scholarly work, a primary source reports original content; a secondary source refers to the content first reported in another source (e.g. instructor's notes, textbook).
  • Rather than citing a secondary source, try your best to find and cite the primary source when possible. (Section 8.6)
  • If primary source cannot be located, use a secondary source citation instead. See Secondary Source.

Authors

One author (Section 8.17)

  • Include the author name in every citation. 
  • In parenthetical citations: write the author's surname and publication year in parentheses. 
It was found that ... (Adams, 2012).
  • In narrative citations: cite only the publication year in parentheses. 
Adams (2012) found that ...
  • End-of-paper Reference
Adams, J. L. (2012). Good products, bad products: Essential elements to achieving superior quality. McGraw-Hill.

Two authors (Section 8.17)

  • Cite both names every time the reference occurs in text. 
  • In parenthetical citations: use an ampersand (&) between the authors' names.
It was found that ... (Anderson & Bratos-Anderson, 1987).
  • In narrative citations: spell out the word "and".
Anderson and Bratos-Anderson (1987) found that ...
  • End-of-paper Reference
Anderson, J. S., & Bratos-Anderson, M. (1987). Solving problems in vibrations. Longman Scientific & Technical.

Three or more authors

  • Cite only the surname of the first author followed by "et al." in every citation, including the first, unless doing so would create ambiguity. (Section 8.18)
  • In parenthetical citations: 

It was found that ... (Reynar et al., 2010). 

  • In narrative citations:

Reynar et al. (2010) found that ...

  • End-of-paper references: 
    List authors up to 20. For 21 or more authors, include the first 19 authors' names, insert an ellipsis (. . .), but no ampersand (&), and then add the final author's name (Section 9.8, Section 10 - Example 4).

Reynar, A., Phillips, J., & Heumann, S. (2010). New technologies drive CPG media mix optimization. Journal of Advertising Research, 50(4), 416-427. https://doi.org/10.2501/S0021849910091567

Group / Organization as author (Section 8.21)

Group name can be abbreviated: 

  • In parenthetical citations:
It was estimated that ... (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants [ACCA], 2019).
  • In narrative citations: 
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA, 2019) estimated that ...
  • You can use the abbreviated group name in the second and subsequent citations if the group name is long and the abbreviation is well-known.
ACCA (2019) also pointed out that ...
  • End-of-paper Reference: Do not abbreviate group name
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. (2019, April 9). Machine learning: More science than fiction. https://www.accaglobal.com/hk/en/professional-insights/technology/machine-learning.html
  • See Section 6.25 for details about abbreviations.

Group name cannot be abbreviated:

  • In parenthetical citations:
It was found that ... (Standford University, 2020).
  • In narrative citations: 
Standford University (2020) found that ...

Unknown or Anonymous author (Section 8.14)

  • For works with an unknown author, write the title and the year. If the title is long, shorten it for in-text citation.
  • Use double quotation marks around the title of a webpage, a chapter, or an article; italicize the title if it is a book.  Capitalize these titles in the text using title case, even though sentence case is used in the end-of-paper reference.
  • If the work, however, is signed "Anonymous," use "Anonymous" as the author (Section 9.12). Begin the end-of-paper reference with the word "Anonymous," and alphabetize the entry as if Anonymous were a true name (Section 9.49).
  • In parenthetical citations: 
It was found that ... ("Splash Opens a New World," 2021).    - Web page with no author
It was reported that ... (Interpersonal Skills, 2019).    - Book with no author
It was noted that ... (Anonymous, 2020).    - Anonymous author

Direct Quotation of Sources

In general: 

  • When reproducing word-for-word material directly from another source, always provide the author, year, and page number in the in-text citation.
  • If page number is not available, provide chapter numbers, headings, and/or paragraph numbers if available. (Sections 8.25, 8.26, & 8.27)

For short quotations (under 40 words):

  • Incorporate it into the text and enclose it within double quotation marks.

"critical management scholars have pointed to the ways in which seemingly objective criteria such as those of rationality and efficiency are to some extent socially and politically determined. What counts as rationality, for example, can be contested" (Hendry, 2013, p. 105).

In general: 

  • When reproducing word-for-word material directly from another source, always provide the author, year, and page number in the in-text citation.
  • If page number is not available, provide chapter numbers, headings, and/or paragraph numbers if available. (Sections 8.25, 8.26, & 8.27)

For long quotations (40 words or more):

  • Display it in a standing block of text and omit the quotation marks. Start a block quotation on a new line, indent the whole block 0.5 inch from the left margin, and double-space the entire quotation.
  • Parenthetical citation

The following observation has been discussed among the researchers:

A particular focus is on Habermas’s distinction (drawn from Weber) between instructional means-oriented rationality and practical ends-oriented rationality. In the modern corporation, as in modern society more generally, it is argued, means-oriented reasoning lays claim to the whole space for reason, excluding morality, judgement, and the give and take of reasonable dialogue. (Hendry, 2013, pp. 104-105)

  • Narrative citation

Hendry (2013) noticed the following:

A particular focus is on Habermas’s distinction (drawn from Weber) between instructional means-oriented rationality and practical ends-oriented rationality. In the modern corporation, as in modern society more generally, it is argued, means-oriented reasoning lays claim to the whole space for reason, excluding morality, judgement, and the give and take of reasonable dialogue. (pp. 104-105)

  • End-of-paper reference

Hendry, J. (2013). Management: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.

Secondary Sources

Try your best to locate and use the original sources when possible. If not, you can cite secondary source citation this way: 

  • In-text citation: name the original work and give a citation for the secondary source

According to Smith (1980, as cited in Chen, 1981), the survey ... 

or omit the year if the year of primary source is unknown:

According to Smith (as cited in Chen, 1981), the survey ...

  • End-of-paper reference: give the secondary source.

Chen, C. H. (1981). Understanding humans. ABC Publishing.


More details: Secondary Sources Section 8.6

Personal Communications

  • Works that cannot be recovered by readers are cited in the text as personal communications. Personal communications include emails, text messages, online chats, personal interviews, unrecorded classroom lectures, etc.
  • In parenthetical citations: 
When preparing ... (C. Dwyer, personal communication, June 30, 2020).
  • In narrative citations: 
According to C. Dwyer (personal communication, June 30, 2020), when preparing ...
  • Give the initial(s) and surname of the communicator, and the date of the communication.
  • Do not include personal communications in the reference list; they are cited in the text only.
  • More details: Personal Communications Section 8.9
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