Video:How to Cite in APA Format
with Hollie HancockCitations are very important in a properly formatted APA paper. This video from About.com will give details on the proper way fo citing sources in the APA format.See Transcript
Transcript:How to Cite in APA Format
Hi, I'm Hollie Hancock, here with About.com to share with you some information regarding how to cite using the APA format.
Just a reminder, the APA format is the American Psychological Association's format for guidelines for publication and other documents and manuscripts to be accurate and current with their formatting guidelines.
Need for Citations in APA Format
The guidelines for proper in-text citation using APA formatting is crucial! Providing appropriate credit to an author is absolutely requisite to avoid plagiarism. Everything cited in the text must appear on the reference page; conversely, everything on the reference page must also appear in the text. So, let's jump in to a properly formatted APA in-text citation.
Example of a Citation in APA Format
When paraphrasing an author, the punctuation, or period, should be placed after the actual reference. For example, if I published something in 2007, the citation would look like this: open parentheses, my last name, Hancock, comma, 2007, close parentheses, and then the period. An incorrect way to do this is to end the sentence with a period, then open parentheses, Hancock, comma, 2007, end parentheses - NOT correct.
Citing a Quotation in APA Format
When citing a direct quotation that is less than 40 words, the punctuation, or period, should be placed after the actual reference. For example, a correct citation would be: open parentheses, John, comma, 2010, comma, page, period, 6, end parentheses, period. Now let's look at what is NOT correct: The period first, open parentheses, John, comma, 2010, comma, page, period, 6, end parentheses. Note, the difference is simply the period and the period should appear at the end of the closed parenthetical notation.
APA Citation for a Quote of More Than 40 Words
When citing a direct quotation 40 words or greater, the entire quotation is indented 1/2 inch and no quotation marks are required. The indentation implies that this is a direct quotation.
This has been a brief overview on how to cite using the APA format. If you have any other questions about citing for APA, visit our website at About.com for more information. Also, always a good resource is the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Thanks for watching.