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APA Citation Guide (7th edition) : Paraphrasing

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Paraphrasing examples.

  • In-Text Citation for More Than One Author

In-Text Citation for Group or Corporate Authors

No author and/or no date.

When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).

Note : If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.

Original Source

Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.

Source from: 

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480. 

Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing

The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005). 

Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way. 

Example: Correct Paraphrasing

Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).

Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

Number of Authors/Editors First Time Paraphrased Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased First Time Quoting Second and Subsequent Times Quoting
Two

(Case & Daristotle, 2011)

(Case & Daristotle, 2011)

(Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57) (Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57)
Three or more (Case et al., 2011) (Case et al., 2011) (Case et al., 2011, p. 57) (Case et al., 2011, p. 57)
Type of Group First Time Paraphrased Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased First Time Quoting Second and Subsequent Times Quoting
Groups readily identified through abbreviations

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2003)

(NIMH, 2003)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2003, p. 5) (NIMH, 2003, p. 5)
Groups with no abbreviations (University of Pittsburgh, 2005) (University of Pittsburgh, 2005) (University of Pittsburgh, 2005, p. 2) (University of Pittsburgh, 2005, p. 2)

No Known Author:

Note that in most cases where a personal author is not named, a group author may be cited instead (eg. Statistics Canada). However, in certain cases, such as religious ancient texts, the author is unknown. Where you'd normally put the author's last name, instead use the first one, two, or three words from the title. Don't count initial articles like "A", "An" or "The". You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your References List.

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

Capitalize the titles using title case (every major word is capitalized) even if the reference list entry uses sentence case (only first word is capitalized).

( Cell Biology , 2012, p. 157)

("Nursing," 2011, p. 9)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d., p. 200)

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paraphrasing journal article apa

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APA 7th Edition Citation Guide

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  • Paraphrase and Summary

What Are Paraphrase and Summary?

Paraphrase (narrative citation), summary (parenthetical citation).

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Paraphrase and Summary:

  • Incorporate a portion of the source into your essay by conveying its meaning in your own words.
  • Paraphrase aims to replicate all of the ideas of the source passage, while summary aims to express only its main point(s).
  • Are introduced by a signal phrase, incorporating the source passage into the flow of the essay.  Typically, the signal phrase will indicate to the reader something about the source of the paraphrase.
  • End with a citation indicating the author of the source and, in APA style, the year it was published.

When do I use Paraphrase and Summary?  

  • When you want to call attention to  what  a source says, but how it says it is not important.
  • When you only want to convey a source's main idea in a short amount of time.
  • Use paraphrase and summary frequently.  APA is designed for the social and health sciences, which typically have less need for direct quotation than the humanities.  

How Do I Paraphrase/Summarize a Source?  

  • Read and understand the source.
  • Identify the main points and supporting information of the portions you want to paraphrase/summarize.
  • Re-write those portions in your own words, being careful not to use similar phrasing of sentence structure. 
  • Does it properly convey the meaning of the original? 
  • Are the sentence structure and phrasing too similar?

The struggle to fill nursing positions is different from the effort to add to the physician workforce. One main reason: there are not enough faculty to teach incoming nursing students. Either faculty are leaving due to retirement -- like their counterparts in health-care settings, they too are aging – or they’re gaining higher salaries elsewhere in practice settings other than teaching.

Moore, M. (2015, June 5). The nursing shortage and the doctor shortage are two very different things.  The Washington Post .  https://www.washingtonpost.com

Paraphrase:

paraphrasing journal article apa

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Paraphrasing

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When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).

Note : If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.

Paraphrasing Examples

Original Source

Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.

Source from: 

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth.  The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480. 

Example:  Incorrect  Paraphrasing

The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005). 

Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way. 

Example:  Correct  Paraphrasing

Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).

Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.

No Author and/or No Date

No Known Author:

Note that in most cases where a personal author is not named, a group author may be cited instead (eg. Statistics Canada). However, in certain cases, such as religious ancient texts, the author is unknown. Where you'd normally put the author's last name, instead use the first one, two, or three words from the title. Don't count initial articles like "A", "An" or "The". You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your References List.

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

Capitalize the titles using title case (every major word is capitalized) even if the reference list entry uses sentence case (only first word is capitalized).

( Cell Biology , 2012, p. 157)

("Nursing," 2011, p. 9)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d., p. 200)

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

Number of Authors/Editors First Time Paraphrased Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased First Time Quoting Second and Subsequent Times Quoting
Two

(Case & Daristotle, 2011)

(Case & Daristotle, 2011)

(Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57) (Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57)
Three or more (Case et al., 2011) (Case et al., 2011) (Case et al., 2011, p. 57) (Case et al., 2011, p. 57)

In-Text Citation for Group or Corporate Authors

Type of Group First Time Paraphrased Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased First Time Quoting Second and Subsequent Times Quoting
Groups readily identified through abbreviations

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2003)

(NIMH, 2003)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2003, p. 5) (NIMH, 2003, p. 5)
Groups with no abbreviations (University of Pittsburgh, 2005) (University of Pittsburgh, 2005) (University of Pittsburgh, 2005, p. 2)

(University of Pittsburgh, 2005, p. 2)

 

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Paraphrasing

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Running text (Author, Date). Author (Date) running text.

Parenthetical Format . The citation can appear within or at the end of a sentence and includes the author and date separated by a comma. If at the end of a sentence a full stop is placed after the citation.  Growth occurs at every stage of life (Newman & Newman, 2017). Case study research does not employ the scientific method (Barlow et al., 2017) although it is an important tool for qualitative researchers (Travers, 2001). Narrative Format . The author is used as part of the text, the date appears directly after the author in parentheses. If the date is used as a part of the text, just separate the author and date with a comma.  As discussed by Newman and Newman (2017), growth occurs at every stage of life. In 2019, Hiscock et al. pointed out that half of Australian children and adolescents who experienced mental health issues did not receive professional treatment.

Common Examples

Author Type Parenthetical Citation Narrative Citation
One author (Hill, 2020). Hill (2020).
Two authors (Prochaska & Norcross, 2020). Prochaska and Norcross (2020).
Three or more authors (Geldard et al., 2017). Geldard et al. (2017).

Group author with abbreviation

First citation

Subsequent citations

 

(American Psychological Association [APA], 2020).

(APA, 2020).

 

American Psychological Association (APA, 2020).

APA (2020).

Group author without abbreviation (Department of Health, 2020). Department of Health (2020).

Long Paraphrases & Paragraphs

When paraphrasing or summarising using one source over several sentences or even a whole paragraph, cite the source in the first sentence. There is no need to cite the work again in this paragraph provided it is clear that this is the only source being paraphrased. The  APA Style and Grammar Guidelines provide this example:

          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. 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.

You must reintroduce the citation if the paraphrase continues across multiple paragraphs.  If the paragraph or sentence contains information from multiple sources, then cite as often as required to make sure the source is clearly acknowledged. The  APA Style and Grammar Guidelines provide this example:

           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).

Academic Writer Tutorial: Paraphrasing & Quoting

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APA Citation Guide (7th Edition): Paraphrasing

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Paraphrasing

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When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).

Note : If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.

Paraphrasing Examples

Original Source

Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.

Source from: 

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing

The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005). 

Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way. 

Example: Correct Paraphrasing

Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).

Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.

More Than One Author or Editor

Two Authors or Editors

Provide each author's last name and the year of publication each time you cite the work in-text.

Three to Five Authors or Editors

The first time you cite the work in-text, provide each author's last name and the year of publication. Every other time you cite the same work in-text, provide only the first author's last name followed by "et al." and the year of publication.

Six or More Authors or Editors

Provide the first author's last name followed by "et al." and the year of publication every time you cite the work in-text.

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

Number of Authors/Editors First Time Paraphrased Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased First Time Quoting Second and Subsequent Times Quoting
Two

(Case & Daristotle, 2011)

(Case & Daristotle, 2011)

(Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57) (Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57)
Three to Five (Case, Daristotle, Hayek, Smith, & Raash, 2011) (Case et al., 2011) (Case, Daristotle, Hayekm, Smith, & Raash, 2011, p. 57) (Case et al., 2011, p. 57)
Six or More

(Case et al., 2011)

(Case et al., 2011) (Case et al., 2011, p. 57) (Case et al., 2011, p. 57)

No Author and/or No Date

No Known Author:

Where you'd normally put the author's last name, instead use the first one, two, or three words from the title. Don't count initial articles like "A", "An" or "The". You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your References List.

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

( Cell Biology , 2012)

("Nursing," 2011)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d.)

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / APA Journal Citation

How to Cite a Journal Article in APA

Journal articles are one of the most important sources of information for research papers. Often times, they will serve as your main source of information, as journal articles contain information that is specific to a topic. This page will show you how to cite journal articles in APA style, updated for the 7th edition.

Guides Overview

Here’s a run-through of everything this page includes:

APA Journal Article Citation

In-text apa citation for journal articles, reference page apa citation for journal articles, how to cite a journal article in apa (print), how to cite a journal article with multiple authors in apa, how to cite a journal article on a database in apa, troubleshooting.

This guide will help you create journal citations in APA format. Check out this hyperlink if you are looking to create APA books citation .

This section will help you create in-text APA citations for journal articles.

In-text citations refer to the crediting of articles within the body of a work, separate from the reference page at the end of a document. An in-text citation comes after a paraphrase or a direct quote. For any APA in-text citation in your own paper, you must include a full citation in your reference page as well.

Paraphrasing in APA

For an in-text APA journal citation that is not a direct quote, or an APA parenthetical citation , all you need to provide is the author’s last name and the year of publication.

You may provide a page number (preceded by “p.” for one page or “pp.” for multiple pages) as well if the passage or idea you are paraphrasing is on a certain page or set of pages, but this is not necessary for APA journal citations.

Narrative In-Text Citation Example:

According to Currie (2001), there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that early intervention programs can be effective.

Parenthetical In-Text  Citation Example:

Research suggests that the absence of behavior problems is just as important to future success as the development of cognitive skills (Currie, 2001, p. 215).

Short quotes in APA

A short quote in APA style must be fewer than 40 words. When using a direct short quote for APA citation of journal articles, you must list the author, the year of publication, the page number(s), and use quotation marks. You can embed this information within the sentence or cite it at the end of the sentence, or use a mixture of both as long as all the components are used in your APA journal citation.

According to Currie (2001), “the difficulty of overcoming poor endowments later in life—through job training programs for high school dropouts, for example—makes early intervention appear attractive as well” (p. 216).

Long quotes in APA

A long quote in APA citation style (also called a block quote in APA ) has 40 words or more. Like short quotes, for APA citation of journal articles, you must also cite the author, year of publication and the page number(s) for long quotes, and this information can be embedded within the sentence surrounding the quote, cited at the end of the sentence, or a mixture of both.

Unlike short quotes, long quotes in an APA citation of journal article require you to start the quote on a new line with a ½ inch indent from the left margin. Maintain double-spacing throughout the quote, and if you haven’t already embedded all the citation information in the sentence preceding the quote, include it at the end of the quote in parentheses after the closing punctuation mark. Do not use any quotation marks around a long quote for journal APA citation.

Currie’s (2001) study found the following:

Equalizing early endowments through early childhood intervention programs may be a superior approach to the problem of unequal allocations, both because it avoids many of the moral hazard problems that arise when society attempts to compensate those with poor outcomes and because early intervention to equalize allocations may be a more cost-effective way of promoting equity than compensating for unequal outcomes. (pp. 215-216)

Citing Multiple Authors in APA

  • 2 authors: Give the information for the first author followed by a comma, then use an ampersand (&) and list the information for the second author.
  • 3 to 20 authors: Separate the author names with commas and use an ampersand (&) before the final author’s name. In APA citations of journal articles, never list more than 20 authors.
  • 21+ authors: List the first 19 names separated by commas. After the 19th author, add a comma, then an ellipsis (…), followed by the final author’s name.

Citing Group/Corporate Authors in APA

For a corporate author in an APA citation of a journal, use the publishing company in place of the author’s name in the citation. Place the name of the publishing company at the beginning of the citation just as you would the author’s name with proper capitalization.

Citing a Source with No Authors in APA

If no author is given, to create the APA citation of a journal, use the title of the article in place of the author information. Then, provide the publication date and publication name without repeating the article title.

This section will help you create an APA reference page or an APA bibliography .

How author names are structured in APA

Author names, if available, will always come first in your reference page for APA citation for journal articles. Start your reference page citation with the last name of the first author followed by a comma, followed by the author’s capitalized first initial and a period. Then list the author’s middle initial, if one is provided, followed by a period.

Rowling, J. K.

  • 2 to 20 authors: Use a comma between all of the author names. Place an ampersand (&) before the final author’s name.
  • 21 or more authors: List the names of the first 19 authors and use a comma between all of the names. After the 19th name, place an ellipsis (…) and then the final author’s name.

Structuring dates in APA

  • Dates follow the author in APA citation for journal articles and should be in parentheses.
  • List the year first followed by a comma.
  • Then, list the month, fully spelled out (not abbreviated) and properly capitalized.
  • Then, without using a comma after the month, list the numerical date.
  • If any of this information is missing from the reference, simply omit it.

Structuring journal article titles in APA

  • The article title follows the date.
  • Only capitalize the first letter of the first word of the article.
  • Do not italicize or underline the title of the article.
  • Follow the article title with a period.

Structuring the journal name in APA

Follow the rules for journal article titles in APA citations.

  • The name is capitalized throughout, just as the publication capitalizes the title
  • The name should be italicized and followed by a comma.

Structuring volume and issue numbers in APA

  • The volume and issue numbers follow the publication title.
  • After the comma following the italicized title, put the volume number in italics.
  • Then, omitting the space, put the issue number in parentheses without italics.
  • Place a period after the closing parentheses, again omitting the space after the parentheses.

Structuring website addresses (URLs) and DOIs in APA

  • URLs and DOIs for a journal article come after the volume and issue number. After the period following the issue number, put a space followed by the full URL or DOI with no period at the end.
  • Since URLs can potentially change and DOIs cannot, APA journal citation style recommends using a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) instead of a website URL when possible.
  • A DOI in your reference should be formatted like this: https://doi.org/xxxx
  • If a source has a DOI, it should be included; it doesn’t matter if you viewed the print or online version.
  • In previous editions of APA, an  APA website citation always included “Retrieved from” or “Accessed from” before a URL. Since APA 7th edition, you no longer need to include this.

Yu, H., & Leadbetter, J. R. (2020, July 15). Bacterial chemolithoautotrophy via manganese oxidation.  Nature,   583 (7816), 453–458. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2468-5

Reference Page
Structure

Author’s last name, Author’s first initial. Author’s middle initial. (Year, Month Date published). Article title. (Issue), page number(s). https://doi.org/—– (if available)

Example

Jacoby, W. G. (1994). Public attitudes toward government spending. (2), 336-361. https://doi.org/10.2307/2111407

Reference Page
Structure

Author’s last name, Author’s first initial. Author’s middle initial., & Author’s last name, Author’s first initial. Author’s middle initial. (Year published). Article title. (Issue), page number(s).

Example

Fearon, J. D., & Laitin, D. D. (2003). Ethnicity, insurgency, and civil war. (01), 75. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055403000534

How to Cite an Online Journal Article in APA

The following examples show you how to format an online journal citation in APA style.

Reference Page
Structure

Author’s last name, Author’s first initial. Author’s middle initial. (Year, Month Date published). Article title. (Issue). URL

Example

Poiger, U. G. (1996). Rock ‘n’ roll, female sexuality, and the Cold War battle over German identities. (3). https://www.jstor.org/stable/2946768

Reference Page
Structure

Author’s last name, Author’s first initial. Author’s middle initial. (Year, Month Date published). Article title. (Issue). https://doi.org/—–

Example

Poiger, U. G. (1996). Rock ‘n’ roll, female sexuality, and the Cold War Battle over German Identities. (3), 577. https://doi.org/10.1086/245343

For an APA citation journal article from a database, you are not required to include the database information. This is because APA format includes a link to the website or the DOI instead, since database information can change over time. Simply follow the format for an APA citation journal from online as described above.

Here is a video that covers journal article citations in APA style:

Solution #1: What to do if you cannot find a journal article’s DOI

The DOI can typically be found on the first page of an article. For an online journal, the DOI is usually at the top of the webpage below the article’s title. It is a unique combination of numbers, letters, periods, which might appear in any of the forms below:

10.1353/shq.2012.0007

doi: 10.1353/shq.2012.0007

https://doi.org/10.1353/shq.2012.0007

Sometimes, an article does not have a DOI, particularly if it is an older resource. Articles found on JSTOR may just have a stable URL instead of a DOI. If it cannot be found, use the URL in its place.

Corrigan, P.W. (2000) Mental health stigma as social attribution: Implications for research methods and attitude change. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 7 (1), 28-67. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2000-13942-004

Solution #2: How to cite another text cited within a journal article

If you wish to use a quote or information from an article that is cited as coming from another source, use the reference information provided to find the original source. Find the quote within the source and reference its original author and location. If you cannot locate it, you must still cite both sources, identifying the original author and its location within the secondary source.

Solution #3: How to find the volume and issue number of a journal

The volume and issue number can typically be found on the front cover of a journal. Within the pages of an article, they also might be listed in the top or bottom corners of the page. For an online journal, the volume and issue number are listed after the title of a journal.  

Some other formats it might be found in:

vol. 18, no. 4

vol. 18, iss. 4

Published May 9, 2019. Updated July 16, 2020.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

  • Annotated Bibliography
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  • et al Usage
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  • Reference Page
  • Sample Paper
  • APA 7 Updates
  • View APA Guide

Citation Examples

  • Book Chapter
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  • View all APA Examples

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Journal articles are the content within journals, which are a type of literature and are released periodically, are peer-reviewed, and provide some of the most up-to-date studies — basically, a great source for research. They typically focus on a particular topic and contain peer-reviewed articles written by experts in order to educate and inform other experts on the subject. Journals may contain several articles, similar to chapters in a book or articles in a magazine. Articles usually have an abstract, or a short summary of the article, at the beginning and a list of references at the end.

A “scholarly” article is an article that comes from an academic, peer-reviewed source. Because academic journals and non-academic magazines have a lot of structural similarities, the term “scholarly” differentiates this type of article from magazine articles. A scholarly article is typically written by experts for experts, and is peer-reviewed by other experts in the field.

A “peer-reviewed” article is one that has been reviewed by a board of experts in the field for quality and accuracy of the information before publishing. A “peer-reviewed” article is a more trustworthy source because it has been checked and approved by experts and is not based on opinion, low-quality research, or obsolete data.

Articles exist both in print and online and can be found at most academic libraries. Online articles can usually be found using academic databases, which contain structured sets of data or information. Many databases charge a fee to use the database and/or to access full articles. Most university library websites will provide information for accessing different academic databases.

Do not include the publisher and place of publication when citing a journal article in APA style. Publisher names are used for book-type references, reports, computer software and mobile apps, and data sets. Do not include the publisher’s location in references. Instead, the name of the journal will be included, which will provide the reader with sufficient information for locating the source.

To format a journal article in APA style, you will need the author name, publication year, title of the article, journal title, volume number, issue number, page range, and/or DOI (digital object identifier) or URL (uniform resource locator). The format for a journal article having just one author is given below:

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume (issue), page range. URL or DOI

Note that the first name and middle name, following the author’s surname, are abbreviated and separated by a space. The title of the article should be set in sentence case. The first word of the subtitle, if present, should be capitalized. The name of the journal should be set in title case. Set the journal title and the volume number in italics, including the comma that separates them. An example is given below:

Rancière, J. (2016). Un-what? Philosophy & Rhetoric, 49 (4), 589–606. https://doi:10.5325/philrhet.49.4.0589

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APA 7 Citation Style: Direct Quotes, Paraphrasing, Summarizing

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Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing

You already know that you need to use various kinds of resources when you are researching.  Now things can get a little more complicated when trying to use those resources in your assignments.

We find that most students accidentally plagiarize because they don’t know how to correctly quote, paraphrase, and/or summarize information they are trying to incorporate into their papers.  Or how and when to cite things. 

So, what's the difference?

paraphrasing journal article apa

(Venn_quote, n.d.)

Direct Quotes 

Quotes are the exact words that the author has used, word for word.  When quoting, you must use quotation marks and include an in-text citation . 

According to the MLA Handbook, quotes should be "used selectively" and should "be as brief as possible" (75). 

Rather, most professors prefer you to paraphrase or summarize information from your source because it demonstrates that you really understand what you're writing about.  

Paraphrasing 

Paraphrasing means putting the information you could have quoted into your own words, but keeping the intention of the original source.  Paraphrases do not have quotation marks because you are using your own words, yet still must include an  in-text citation  at the end of the part you are paraphrasing. 

Summarizing

When you summarize information, it's really a shorter version of the original source where you relate the overall meaning from the source.  Like when paraphrasing, when you summarize you  must still include an   in-text citation  at the end of the part you are summarizing.    

The Modern Language Association of America. (2016).   MLA handbook , 8th edition.  New York: The Modern Language Association of America.

"Venn_quote."  (n.d.).  http://dlc.dcccd.edu/embed.php?key=dcccd+1dcccd234+englishcomp1rlc-units/quoting-paraphrasing-and-summarizing.  

Additional Resources

  • When to Summarize, Paraphrase, and Quote (George Mason University's Writing Center) 
  • Paraphrasing and Quoting 101 (IRSC Libraries) 
  • Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing (Purdue University's Online Writing Lab)
  • Quoting and Paraphrasing (University of Wisconsin's Writing Center)
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APA Citation Style, 7th edition: Journal Article with 3–20 Authors

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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

What is a DOI? A DOI ( digital object identifier ) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the internet. 

NOTE: It is regarded as the most important part of the citation because it will accurately direct users to the specific article.

Think of it as a "digital fingerprint" or an article's DNA!

The rules for DOIs have been updated in the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. They should be included as URLs, rather than just the alphanumeric string.

Correct:  

  • http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
  • http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114

Incorrect:     

  • doi: 10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
  • Retrieved from http://doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
  • FREE DOI Look-up (Cross-Ref)
  • DOI System: FAQ
  • Looking up a DOI
  • DOI Flowchart

Journal Article with Three to Twenty Authors

Helpful Tips:

DOI: If a journal article has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) listed, you will always include this identifier in your reference as a URL.

Online Database: For works from databases that publish works of limited circulation (such as the ERIC database) or original, proprietary material available only in that database (such as UpToDate), include the name of the database or archive and the URL of the work. If the URL requires a login or is session specific, meaning it will not resolve for readers, provide the URL of the database or specific archive home page or login page instead of the URL for the work.

Print: If you viewed a journal article in its print format , be sure to check if it has a DOI listed. If it does not, your reference to the article would end after you provide the page range of the article.

Date: When possible, include the year, month, and date in references. If the month and date are not available, use the year of publication.

Surnames and initials for  up to twenty authors  should be provided in the reference list.  For more than 20 authors, list the first 19, followed by an ellipsis, then list the final author.

General Format

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):

(Author Surname et al., Year)

NOTE: The in-text citation for works with three or more authors is shortened to the first author's name, followed by et al. and the year.

In-Text Citation (Quotation):

(Author Surname et al., Year, page number)

References:

Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial., Author Surname, First Initial.Second Initial., & Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume (issue), page range. http://doi.org/xx.xxxxxxxxxx

(Westhues et al., 2001)

(Westhues et al., 2001, p. 40)

Westhues, A., Lafrance, J., & Schmidt, G. (2001). A SWOT analysis of social work education in Canada. Social Work Education, 20 (1), 35-56. http://doi.org/10.1080/02615470020028364

(Dietz et al., 2007)

(Dietz et al., 2007, p. 1518)

Dietz, P. M., Williams, S. B., Callaghan, W. M., Bachman, D. J., Whitlock, E. P., & Hornbrook, M. C. (2007). Clinically identified maternal depression before, during, and after pregnancies ending in live births.  American Journal of Psychiatry, 164 (10), 1515-1520. http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.061118936

ePub Ahead of Print

ePub Ahead of Print  articles, also labeled  Advanced Online Publication  articles, may not have a volume number, issue number, or page numbers assigned to them. If you cannot find a fully published version of the article that includes this information, you can cite the article as an advanced online publication, noting its status where you would usually include the volume, issue, and page numbers. If possible, update your reference to the final version of the source when it becomes available.

Muldoon, K., Towse, J., Simms, V., Perra, O., & Menzies, V. (2012). A longitudinal analysis of estimation, counting skills, and mathematical ability across the first school year.  Developmental Psychology . Advance online publication.  https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028240

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Psychology: APA 7th Ed. Citations, Paraphrasing, and More

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Get Up to Speed with NEW APA Style 7th Edition VIDEO Resources!

APA Style 7th Edition: Student Paper Formatting

An audio/visual guide to formatting student research papers by Samuel Forlenza, PhD (for Contents time stamps, link to YouTube - ad supported). This video highlights how to properly set up an APA Style paper for students, which includes setting margins and font; creating a title page; organizing the main text with section headings; and (if needed), formatting pages for references, footnotes, tables, figures, and appendices. For textual instructions, go to Handouts and Guides - Paper Format.

APA Style 7th Edition: Professional Publication Paper Formatting

An audio/visual guide to formatting student research papers by Samuel Forlenza, PhD (for Contents time stamps, link to YouTube - ad supported). This video highlights how to properly set up an APA Style paper for Professional Publication. For textual instructions, go to Handouts and Guides - Paper Format.

APA Style 7th Edition: In-Text Citations, Quotations, and Plagiarism

An audio/visual guide to formatting your in-text citations by Samuel Forlenza, PhD (for Contents time stamps, link to YouTube - ad supported).This video will go through what plagiarism is and how to avoid it; how to cite sources using both parenthetical and narrative in-text citations; how to cite organizations, multiple sources at once, and avoid duplicate citations; and how to quote shorter and longer passages.

APA Style 7th Ed.: Reference Lists (Journal Articles, Books, Reports, Theses, Websites, more!)

An audio/visual guide to formatting your Reference List by Samuel Forlenza, PhD (for Contents time stamps, link to YouTube - ad supported). This video demonstrates how to format a reference list page and use a hanging indent; the four different elements of a reference list entry; and how to reference journal articles, books, chapters, reports, presentations, theses, and websites, plus numerous variations. For a textual resource, go to Reference Quick Guide.

Creating References Using Seventh Edition APA Style

The APA Style team, in cooperation with the American Library Association, provides an in-depth look at the simplified 7th ed. reference system. This video describes the rationale behind it, how to format references using it, and the ways in which references are easier to create because of it. Most importantly, it demonstrates how to cite a work found online. The APA Style experts use real-life examples to walk through the process of creating references for a variety of common webpages and websites, including ones with missing or hard-to-locate information, found via a database, and needing electronic source information (DOIs, URLs, and retrieval dates).

What’s New in APA Style—Inside the Seventh Edition of the Publication Manual of the APA

This What's New video is by the editors of the 7th edition style guide produced in cooperation with the American Library Association. It provides a comprehensive narrative of significant changes in the new edition. For a chapter-by-chapter textual guide to changes, see What’s New in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (PDF, 1MB) .

APA Style Official Guide, 7th ed. TEXTUAL Resources

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APA citation style refers to the rules and conventions established by the American Psychological Association for documenting sources used in a research paper. The APA Citation Style is often used for courses in psychology, education, business and other social sciences.

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Examples of APA Style for a Variety of Resources

  • Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) These OWL resources will help you learn how to use the American Psychological Association (APA) citation and format style. Authoritative resources on in-text citation and the References page, as well as APA sample papers, slide presentations, and the APA classroom poster.

Why You Need to Cite Sources

Quick Guide to Paraphrasing

Plagiarism, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

  • What is Plagiarism? Tutorial By the University of Southern Mississippi libraries.
  • How to Avoid Plagiarism: Paraphrasing and Summarizing By the University of Southern Mississippi libraries.
  • Avoiding Plagiarism - Safe Practices From Purdue's Online Writing Center (OWL), includes sections on Best Practices for Research and Drafting as well as Revising, proofreading, and finalizing your paper.

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Paraphrasing

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In-text basics (paraphrasing).

When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

If you are referring to an idea from another work but  NOT  directly quoting the material (i.e. paraphrasing ), or making reference to an entire book, article or other work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication and not the page number in your in-text reference. APA guidelines, however, do encourage including a page range for a summary or paraphrase when it will help the reader find the information in a longer work.

Regardless of how they are referenced, all sources that are cited in the text must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

Source: Purdue OWL

When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).  

If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.

Paraphrasing Examples

Original Source

Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.

Source from: 

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing

The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005). 

Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way. 

Example: Correct Paraphrasing

Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).

Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.

Three or More Authors/Editors (In-text citations)

(First Author's Last Name et al., Year of Publication)

Example: (FitzGerald et al., 2020)

(First Author's Last Name et al., Year of Publication, p. Page number of quotation)

Example (FitzGerald et al., 2020, p. 405)

No Author and/or No Date

No Known Author:

Where you'd normally put the author's last name, instead use the first one, two, or three words from the title. Don't count initial articles like "A", "An" or "The". You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your References List.

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

( Cell Biology , 2012)

("Nursing," 2011)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d.)

More Than One Author/Editor

Two Authors or Editors

Provide each author's last name and the year of publication each time you cite the work in-text.

Three or More Authors or Editors

Provide the first author's last name followed by "et al.," and the year of publication every time you cite the work in-text.

Have a question about paraphrasing or in-text citations that isn't answered on this page? Check out these sites for more detailed information:

  • Paraphrasing (American Psychological Association)
  • In-Text Citations (American Psychological Association)
  • APA In-Text Citations (Excelsior OWL)
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FAQ: How do I cite paraphrased information in APA Style (in-text)?

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When you paraphrase, you use your own words. This is usually preferable to direct quotes because the information is written in your own style, but you must be careful not to change the meaning. When paraphrasing, you must still acknowledge where you got the idea from by including a parenthetical citation.

When citing paraphrased information, APA requires you to include the author and date. It is also recommended (but not required) that you include the page number. The format of the page number depends on if the information is on a single page or range of pages.

Page Number Format
Number of Pages Format Narrative Citation Example Parenthetical Citation Example
Single page number p. 43 Thompson (2014) believes that..... (p. 23). (Thompson, 2014, p. 25)
Page range pp. 29-32 Thompson (2014) believes that..... (pp. 11-17). (Thompson, 2014, pp. 19-21)

Examples of Citing Paraphrased Information at the Beginning of a Sentence

A review  (Selby et al., 2017)  identified several laws pertaining to cancer research in the UK that might be affected because of Brexit.

Patafio et al. (2016) investigated the relationship between cancer research funding and cancer research output and found that research output is not well correlated with the public health burden of individual cancers that was measure by mortality rates.

The authors (Lindqvist & Neumann) argue that security and privacy are crucial in the Internet of Things (IoT) because if future attacks are successful they can cause widespread destruction and even cost lives.

Bernard (2011)  argues that Henry VIII's Catholicism was more than just Catholicism without the pope.

Examples of Citing Paraphrased Information in the Middle of a Sentence

Surgery is considered a last resort in the treatment of plantar fasciitis  Owens (2017) argues.

Strength training as treatment for plantar fasciitis, according to (Huffer et al. 2017) , does not contribute to the improved function and pain relief.

Many physical therapists use ultrasound therapy as treatment; however, numerous studies highlighted in the review published by Sanke and Radwan (2015) show that the therapy does not have any effect on the condition. 

Examples of Citing Paraphrased Information at the End of a Sentence

There are multiple types of cyberbullying  (El Asam & Samara, 2016) .

A significant amount of youths' social interaction takes place through technology and children as young as 10 have access to mobile devices  (Williford & DePaolis, 2016) .

The authors found that undergraduate students are afraid to report cyberbullying  (Watts et al., 2017, p. 273) .

Example of how the original quotation might be paraphrased<

Original quotation:.

American commitment to self-government rested on the early experience of colonization. English common law was introduced with the first settlers, and each new colony soon had an elected assembly designed to represent and protect the interests of the settler population, acting like a local equivalent of the Westminster House of Commons.  In theory, popular participation in government was balanced by a strong executive, in the person of the governor, supported by an advisory council.  Bit in the first years of settlement, when colonies were sponsored by private companies rather than the Crown, governors and councils were often themselves elected, reinforcing the tendency towards local control (Conway, 2013, p. 33) .

The essay incorporating the paraphrasing:

The early settlers in Colonial American may have considered themselves English and loyal to the Crown.  However, the local government structure supported a system of relative self-governance  (Conway, 2013, p. 33) .

More Information

  • APA guide  (Shapiro Library)

Further Help

This information is intended to be a guideline, not expert advice. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate way to cite sources in your class assignments and projects.

Campus Students

To access Academic Support, visit your Brightspace course and select “Tutoring and Mentoring” from the Academic Support pulldown menu.

Online Students

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American Psychological Association. (2020).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7 th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Bernard, G. W. (2011). The dissolution of the monasteries. History , 96 (324), 390-409. 

Conway, S. (2013). A short history of the American Revolutionary War . I.B.Tauris.

El Asam, A., & Samara, M. (2016). Cyberbullying and the law: A review of psychological and legal challenges. Computers in human behavior , 65 , 127-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.08.012

Lindqvist, U., & Neumann, P. G. (2017). The future of the internet of things. Communications of the ACM , 60 (2), 26-30. https://doi.org/10.1145/3029589

Owens, J. M. (2017). Diagnosis and management of plantar fasciitis in primary care. Journal for nurse practitioners , 13 (5), 354-359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2016.12.016

Patafio, F. M., Brooks, S. C., Wei, X., Peng, Y., Biagi, J., & Booth, C. M. (2016). Research output and the public health burden of cancer: Is there any relationship? Current Oncology , 23 (2), 75-80. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.23.2935

Sanke, P. L., & Radwan, T. S. (2015). Ultrasound as an effective treatment for chronic plantar fasciitis. Journal of foot & ankle surgery , 54 (4) 481-487.

Selby, P., Lawler, M., Baird, R., Banks, I., Johnston, P., & Nurse, P. (2017). The potential consequences for cancer care and cancer research of Brexit. Ecancermedicalscience , 11 (752-769), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2017.ed63

Watts, L. K., Wagner, J., Velasquez, B., & Behrens, P. I. (2017). Cyberbullying in higher education: A literature review. Computers in human behavior , 69 , 268-274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.038

Williford, A., & Depaolis, K. J. (2016). Predictors of cyberbullying intervention among elementary school staff: The moderating effect of staff status. Psychology in the schools , 53 (10), 1032-1044. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21973

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APA Citation Guide (7th edition): Quotes vs Paraphrases

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  • Quotes vs Paraphrases
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What's the Difference?

Quoting vs paraphrasing: what's the difference.

There are two ways to integrate sources into your assignment: quoting directly or paraphrasing.

Quoting  is copying a selection from someone else's work, phrasing it exactly as it was originally written. When quoting place quotation marks (" ") around the selected passage to show where the quote begins and where it ends. Make sure to include an in-text citation. 

Paraphrasing  is used to show that you understand what the author wrote. You must reword the passage, expressing the ideas in your own words, and not just change a few words here and there. Make sure to also include an in-text citation. 

Quoting Example

There are two basic formats that can be used:

Parenthetical Style:

Narrative Style:

Quoting Tips

  • Long Quotes
  • Changing Quotes

What Is a Long Quotation?

A quotation of more than 40 words. 

Rules for Long Quotations

There are 4 rules that apply to long quotations that are different from regular quotations:

  • The line before your long quotation, when you're introducing the quote, usually ends with a colon.
  • The long quotation is indented half an inch from the rest of the text, so it looks like a block of text.
  • There are no quotation marks around the quotation.
  • The period at the end of the quotation comes before your in-text citation as opposed to after, as it does with regular quotations.

Example of a Long Quotation

At the end of Lord of the Flies the boys are struck with the realization of their behaviour:

The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. (Golding, 1960, p.186)

Changing Quotations

Sometimes you may want to make some modifications to the quote to fit your writing. Here are some APA rules when changing quotes:

Incorrect spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Add the word [sic] after the error in the quotation to let your reader know the error was in the original source and is not your error.

Omitting parts of a quotation

If you would like to exclude some words from a quotation, replace the words you are not including with an ellipsis - ...

Adding words to a quote

If you are adding words that are not part of the original quote, enclose the additional words in square brackets - [XYZ]

Secondary Source Quotes

What is a secondary source.

In scholarly work, a primary source reports original content; a secondary source refers to content first reported in another source.

  • Cite secondary sources sparingly—for instance, when the original work is out of print, unavailable, or available only in a language that you do not understand.
  • If possible, as a matter of good scholarly practice, find the primary source, read it, and cite it directly rather than citing a secondary source.

Rules for Secondary Source Citations

  • In the reference list, provide an entry only for the secondary source that you used.
  • In the text, identify the primary source and write “as cited in” the secondary source that you used. 
  • If the year of publication of the primary source is known, also include it in the in-text citation.

Example of a Secondary Source Use

Quote & In-Text Citation

Reference List Entry

Paraphrases

Paraphrasing example.

When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

NOTE : Although not required, APA encourages including the page number when paraphrasing if it will help the reader locate the information in a long text and distinguish between the information that is coming from you and the source.

Paraphrasing Tips

  • Long Paraphrases

Original Source

Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.

Source from: 

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology, 139, 469-480. 

Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing

Example: correct paraphrasing.

If your paraphrase is longer than one sentence, provide an in-text citation for the source at the beginning of the paraphrase. As long as it's clear that the paraphrase continues to the following sentences, you don't have to include in-text citations for the following sentences.

If your paraphrase continues to another paragraph and/or you include paraphrases from other sources within the paragraph, repeat the in-text citations for each.

Additional Resource

  • Paraphrasing (The Learning Portal)

Tip sheet on paraphrasing information

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Missing information

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APA 7th edition publication manual

How to create APA citations

APA Style is widely used by students, researchers, and professionals in the social and behavioral sciences. Scribbr’s free citation generator automatically generates accurate references and in-text citations.

This citation guide outlines the most important citation guidelines from the 7th edition APA Publication Manual (2020).

  • Cite a webpage
  • Cite a book
  • Cite a journal article
  • Cite a YouTube video

APA in-text citations

APA in-text citations include the author’s last name, publication date, and, if relevant, a locator such as a page number or timestamp. For example, (Smith, 2021, p. 170) . See it as a shorter version of the entry in the reference list .

You should include in-text citations every time you’re quoting or paraphrasing someone else’s ideas or words. In doing so, you give credit to the original author and avoid plagiarism .

Parenthetical vs. narrative citation

The in-text citation can take two forms: parenthetical and narrative. Both types are generated automatically when citing a source with Scribbr’s APA Citation Generator.

  • Parenthetical citation: According to new research … (Smith, 2020) .
  • Narrative citation: Smith (2020) notes that …

Multiple authors and corporate authors

The in-text citation changes slightly when a source has multiple authors or an organization as an author. Pay attention to punctuation and the use of the ampersand (&) symbol.

Author typeParenthetical citationNarrative citation
One author(Smith, 2020)Smith (2020)
Two authors(Smith & Jones, 2020)Smith and Jones (2020)
Three or more authors(Smith et al., 2020)Smith et al. (2020)
Organization(Scribbr, 2020)Scribbr (2020)

When the author, publication date or locator is unknown, take the steps outlined below.

Missing elementWhat to doParenthetical citation
AuthorUse the source title.*( , 2020)
DateWrite “n.d.” for “no date.”(Smith, n.d.)
Page numberEither use an or
omit the page number.
(Smith, 2020, Chapter 3) or
(Smith, 2020)

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APA references

APA references generally include information about the author , publication date , title , and source . Depending on the type of source, you may have to include extra information that helps your reader locate the source.

It is not uncommon for certain information to be unknown or missing, especially with sources found online. In these cases, the reference is slightly adjusted.

Missing elementWhat to doReference format
AuthorStart the reference entry with the source title.Title. (Date). Source.
DateWrite “n.d.” for “no date”.Author. (n.d.). Title. Source.
TitleDescribe the work in square brackets.Author. (Date). [Description]. Source.

Formatting the APA reference page

APA reference page (7th edition)

On the first line of the page, write the section label “References” (in bold and centered). On the second line, start listing your references in alphabetical order .

Apply these formatting guidelines to the APA reference page:

  • Double spacing (within and between references)
  • Hanging indent of ½ inch
  • Legible font (e.g. Times New Roman 12 or Arial 11)
  • Page number in the top right header

Which sources to include

On the reference page, you only include sources that you have cited in the text (with an in-text citation ). You should not include references to personal communications that your reader can’t access (e.g. emails, phone conversations or private online material).

In addition to the APA Citation Generator, Scribbr provides many more tools and resources that help millions of students and academics every month.

  • Citation Generator : Generate flawless citations in APA, MLA , and Harvard style .
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  • Paraphrasing tool: Avoid accidental plagiarism and make your text sound better.
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  • Proofreading services : Have a professional editor (or team of editors) improve your writing so you can submit your paper with pride and confidence. Scribbr offers admission essay editing , paper editing , and academic editing .
  • Guides and videos : Explore hundreds of articles, bite-sized videos, time-saving templates, and handy checklists that guide you through the process of research, writing, and citation.

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APA Style 7th Edition

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Paraphrasing

  • Paper Formatting
  • Citation Basics
  • Reference List and Sample Papers
  • Annotated Bibliography
  • Academic Writer
  • Plagiarism & Citations

When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).

Note : If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.

Paraphrasing Examples

Original Source

Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.

Source from: 

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth.  The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480. 

Example:  Incorrect  Paraphrasing

The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005). 

Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way. 

Example:  Correct  Paraphrasing

Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).

Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

Number of Authors/Editors First Time Paraphrased Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased First Time Quoting Second and Subsequent Times Quoting

(Case & Daristotle, 2011)

(Case & Daristotle, 2011)

(Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57) (Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57)
(Case et al., 2011) (Case et al., 2011) (Case et al., 2011, p. 57) (Case et al., 2011, p. 57)

In-Text Citation for Group or Corporate Authors

Type of Group First Time Paraphrased Second and Subsequent Times Paraphrased First Time Quoting Second and Subsequent Times Quoting

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2003)

(NIMH, 2003)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2003, p. 5) (NIMH, 2003, p. 5)
(University of Pittsburgh, 2005) (University of Pittsburgh, 2005) (University of Pittsburgh, 2005, p. 2) (University of Pittsburgh, 2005, p. 2)

No Author and/or No Date

No Known Author:

Note that in most cases where a personal author is not named, a group author may be cited instead (eg. Statistics Canada). However, in certain cases, such as religious ancient texts, the author is unknown. Where you'd normally put the author's last name, instead use the first one, two, or three words from the title. Don't count initial articles like "A", "An" or "The". You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your References List.

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

Capitalize the titles using title case (every major word is capitalized) even if the reference list entry uses sentence case (only first word is capitalized).

( Cell Biology , 2012, p. 157)

("Nursing," 2011, p. 9)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d., p. 200)

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paraphrasing journal article apa

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Style by Discipline

APA style is usually used in Social Sciences and Psychology and is an author-date system. APA stands for the American Psychological Association.

Key Characteristics

Big Picture

APA style features in-text parenthetical citations , with a focus on author/date, and a corresponding Reference page.

In-Text Citations

  • elements include author's last name, year of publication and page number(s)
  • elements in are separated by commas - Example:   (Arnold, 2015, p. 378)
  • a direct quote requires a page number preceded by p. - Example: ... as the "individuals pronounced vocally and fearlessly" (Smith, 2016, p. 201)
  • page numbers are still encouraged for summary and paraphrase though not necessary - Example: (Goriava & Woodland, 2017)
  • author's name may be excluded if found in the introductory text - Example: Patel (2013) found that .... " " (p. 67)
  • p. used for page; pp. used for multiple pages - Example: (Ramble, 2014, pp. 45-49)
  • works by two authors use the ampersand in the parentheses - Example: (Goriava & Woodland, 2017)

In-Text Citations: The Basics (OWL Purdue) In-Text Citations: Author/Authors (OWL Purdue) When and How to Include Page Numbers in APA Style Citations (APA Blog) Citing References in Text (Basics of APA Style Tutorial)

Reference List ...

  • has the title of References, centered at top
  • includes hanging indents after the first line for each entry
  • is organized alphabetically by the last name of the first author
  • gives initials to first names of authors
  • italicizes book and journal titles
  • capitalizes the first word and the first word after a semi-colon of a journal article title
  • capitalizes all major words in journal titles
  • common elements & order of citation elements:

Reference List: Basic Rules (OWL Purdue) Reference List: Author/Authors (OWL Purdue)

Citing Indigenous Knowledge

NorQuest Library developed a format for Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers that is not available in formal APA style.

  • APA 7th edition > Style > "How to Cite Indigenous Elders & Knowledge Keepers"

APA Formatting Guides & Examples

  • Purdue Owl APA General Format Guidelines
  • APA Style Blog
  • The Basics of APA Style - Tutorial (from APA)
  • APA Documentation Guide (University of Wisconsin, Madison) includes PDF Handout

APA Template

  • Pre-Formatted Word Document in APA This is a pre-formatted Word document in APA style. Your course instructor may have additional instructions for how the paper should be formatted.

APA Examples

Note: hanging indents not included

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American Psychological Association

Why learn APA Style if you already know MLA style?

Chelsea Lee

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Why learn APA Style if you already know MLA Style?

Have you ever wondered, why can’t there be one writing style for everything? It’s a good question. We often hear this version: “Why learn APA Style if I already know MLA style?”

The short answer is that writing styles were developed within specific domains. MLA style, which comes from the Modern Language Association, is used in the humanities in subjects such as English and other modern languages. APA Style, which comes from the American Psychological Association, is used in the behavioral sciences in subjects such as psychology, education, and nursing, and even in subjects like business and engineering.

Scholars and students in these fields have different needs that are reflected in their writing styles. This post explores key similarities and differences between APA Style and MLA style and provides resources for writers learning APA Style.

Writing styles: More the same than different

APA Style and MLA style share a lot in common with not only each other but also other writing styles such as Chicago style and American Medical Association (AMA) style. Indeed, most writing styles address areas such as these:

  • how to format your paper so it looks professional and is easy to read
  • what information to include in your paper so that readers understand your work and can evaluate its credibility
  • what language to use to describe other people with dignity and respect
  • how to present information contained in other sources through quotations and paraphrases
  • how to credit those sources through in-text citations and references to avoid plagiarism
  • how to attend to the smaller details, such as how to spell and capitalize words; use punctuation , italics and quotation marks , and abbreviations ; and present numbers and statistics so that readers are not distracted by inconsistencies within a paper and among different papers in the field

Thus, once you have learned one writing style, learning another writing style is relatively straightforward. Although the exact details may differ, the overarching considerations are similar. This makes it easier to mentally organize your understanding of what it means to follow a writing style.

But why APA Style?

Simply put, APA Style is designed for writing and understanding scientific literature about people. Here are some of the ways the needs of the behavioral science community of scholars show in the style:

Journal article reporting standards

APA Style provides specific directions on what information to include in certain kinds of papers. Specifically, if you are conducting and reporting the results of experiments, you should follow APA’s journal article reporting standards, or APA Style JARS . JARS ensure that all researchers consistently report the same kinds of information, which allows readers to evaluate the work as well as to make comparisons between works, such as in a meta-analysis.

If you are a student writing a simpler APA Style paper, for example, a reaction or response paper, annotated bibliography, or literature review, we recommend first focusing on fulfilling the assignment requirements set by your instructor.

To learn how JARS can be relevant to you, check out this blog post about APA Style JARS for high school students .

Bias-free and inclusive language

APA provides detailed, science-backed guidelines on how to describe people with dignity and respect in the form of the bias-free language guidelines and the Inclusive Language Guide (2nd ed.) . The guidelines cover topics including age , disability , gender , race and ethnicity , sexual orientation , and socioeconomic status .

If you’re new to this topic, start with the Brief Guide to Bias-Free and Inclusive Language (PDF, 316KB) .

Emphasis on paraphrasing rather than quotation

When writing in APA Style, paraphrase rather than quote in most cases. Whereas in literature it is often important to respond to the exact wording an author used, in science you should primarily respond to the ideas, which means restating them in your own words.

For help on learning to paraphrase, including how to cite a long paraphrase, check out our page on paraphrasing .

Page numbers not in every in-text citation

In-text citations of paraphrased material in APA Style consist of the author and year, whereas in MLA style they consist of the author and page number. Page numbers (or other location information for works without page numbers ) are required in APA Style citations only for direct quotations.

If you are paraphrasing in APA Style, it is optional to include a page number (although read your assignment guidelines, because your instructor may request page numbers regardless).

In-text citations include the year

APA Style in-text citations include the year, whereas MLA citations do not. Each style suits its discipline. Whereas literature is evergreen, science progresses. Older science may be out of date and thus not of use to readers, so having a year in the citation allows readers to quickly understand how old the source is.

Although APA Style does not have formal requirements for how old (or rather, young) your sources have to be, instructors may require you use only sources published within the last 5–10 years or similar, so check your assignment guidelines carefully. And regardless of any requirements, try to use the most current information possible because this is best for advancing the scholarship in your field.

References contain similar information, presented differently

References in APA and MLA styles usually include information about the author, date, title, and source of a work , which allows readers to identify and locate the work. However, the information is presented in a different order and with different capitalization and punctuation depending on the style.

For a step-by-step guide to the different formats for common sources such as journal articles, books, edited book chapters, and webpages, check out the APA Style and MLA Style Reference Comparison Guide (PDF, 104KB) .

How to learn more about APA Style

If you’re at the beginning of your APA Style journey, fear not. This website has a wealth of free and authoritative resources designed to help you. We recommend that you check out our APA Style for Beginners landing page , which curates resources appropriate for an audience new to APA Style.

We are also happy to hear your feedback, so if you have ideas or suggestions on this topic, please leave a comment below.

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APA Style Guidelines

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Speaker 1: Hi, this is Kevin with Wordvice, and today we're going to talk about paraphrasing. What does paraphrasing mean? Paraphrasing is putting someone else's work into your own words instead of quoting directly. Paraphrasing can save space, it can truncate the information in a research paper, and it can distill the complex information that may exist in another study and make your study easier to understand. So how do quoting and paraphrasing differ exactly? Well, when you quote, you essentially copy and paste the exact words of another researcher into your own study. Every time you quote, you must use citations and quotation marks, regardless of formatting guidelines. A paraphrase, on the other hand, may use some key terms from the original text, but must use new language to express this idea. When you paraphrase, you do not need to include quotation marks, but you must still use citations. Let's look at one example to see how a quote and a paraphrase differ. First a quote. Davidson notes, in heart patient sample groups experiencing even mild tumor hypoxia, uptake of 300cc injected phenoflux was reduced by one-third for each 0.05% of increased hypoxia in the tumored organ, and the citation follows this. Now the paraphrase. Davidson concluded that the tumor hypoxia can impact the delivery and efficacy of anti-cancer drugs. Citation. This paraphrase differs significantly from the quote in length, structure, and word choice. It is shorter and gives the gist, or provides the main point of the original text. To place only very specific lines or details from another work into your study, use a combination of quotes and paraphrasing. Davidson. Citation. He concluded that tumor hypoxia poses a problem for doctors administering anti-cancer drugs, since even in tumors with mild hypoxia, uptake of 300cc injected phenoflux was reduced by one-third for each 0.05% of increased hypoxia. Note that while in the paraphrase version key terms remain, they reserve the quotes for very specific details, which cannot be paraphrased easily and might be essential to the paper. So when do you paraphrase and when do you quote? Let's take a look at some situations where one method might be preferable to the other. You should paraphrase to show you understand the main ideas or arguments of the author, to help explain difficult concepts or terminology, to highlight original ideas that are interesting when the original language is not as interesting, to change the emphasis of information to match your own arguments, or to provide a clear voice in your paper that isn't directly connected to other works. You should use quotes when the original wording is strong and engaging on its own, if the quote is very well known or difficult to paraphrase well, where the exact words of an authority would lend support to your own ideas, or when you want to present the author's detailed methods or findings or exact stated position. Keep in mind that you should not paraphrase too often, as it can take away some of the strength of the original content. Similarly, you shouldn't quote too often as well, as it can take away the authorial voice of your own paper. What you want to do is maintain a balance by using ample quotes and paraphrases in conjunction. So here are some steps you can take to paraphrase effectively. First, read the source material until you fully understand what the author's meaning is, that is, what is he or she saying, not only in details but what is the larger picture. And it might take three or four readings at least to digest this information. Second, take some notes that include key terms of the original passage. Third, write your own paragraph without looking at the source material. Use only the key terms that you wrote down in step two. Fourth, double check to make sure that your version captures all of the important parts and especially the intent of the original. Finally, don't forget your in-text citation. You want the reader to be sure where your paraphrasing begins and where it ends. Now let's take a look at a detailed example of how to paraphrase source material. First, the original source text. The journal primarily considers empirical and theoretical investigations that enhance understanding of cognitive, motivational, affective, and behavioral psychological phenomenon in work and organizational settings, broadly defined. Those psychological phenomenon can be at one or multiple levels, individuals, groups, organizations, or cultures, in work settings such as business, education, training, health, service, government, or military institutions, and in the public or private sector, for-profit or non-profit organizations. So after you've read this a few times to determine what the gist of the content is, you need to write down some key terms. Some of the key terms I took away were empirical and theoretical investigations, enhanced understanding, psychological phenomena, settings, and levels. These are the terms you can use in your paraphrase of this content. Here's an example of an acceptable paraphrase of this source text. The Journal of Applied Psychology accepts studies that increase understanding of a broad range of psychological phenomena and that apply to a variety of settings. The studies can be set or observed from a number of levels, from the individual to larger subgroups and are not limited to institution or sector. Note that the ideas are the same as in the source text, but the language and phrasing has been changed and truncated or shortened. Also note that there is a citation at the end of the paraphrase. Next, let's look at a combination sentence, one that uses both quotes and paraphrasing. The Journal of Applied Psychology accepts studies that enhance understanding of cognitive, motivational, affective, and behavioral psychological phenomena and that apply to a variety of settings such as business, education, training, health, service, government, or military institutions. The studies can be set or observed from a number of levels and are not limited to institution or sector. In this combination example, the details from the original source are in quotes, as they are in succession and provide important information that readers might need to know. Finally, let's take a look at an example of something you might want to avoid, that is plagiarism. Here is a plagiarized version of the source text. Note that many of the key terms and even phrases are written word for word in this version. In this plagiarized version, some of the words of the original have been changed or removed, but the meanings and even the grammar structure are essentially identical to the source text. The reason this is plagiarized is that there are no quotation marks, so be very careful not to use the exact same language unless you are putting quotation marks around the content. When paraphrasing, you can show your position to the content you are discussing by choosing a verb that shows whether you are in agreement, in disagreement, or are neutral to the content being discussed. Here are some examples of verbs you can use to show your position. These verbs show that you are neutral to the content being discussed. Believe, conclude, propose, argue, observe, and write. For instance, Young, citation, believes that the cause of this problem is X. Johnson, et al., citation, proposed several solutions to this problem, including XYZ. The verbs believe and propose both merely show what the author is thinking or doing. They do not indicate any particular position that you might have on these topics. To show agreement with the statement you are paraphrasing, use verbs such as these. Show, demonstrate, evidence, prove, point out, confirm. For instance, Brooks, citation, showed how nitrogen was essential to the development of life. Garcia demonstrates the efficiency of this method of analysis when applying it to X, citation. Both of these terms, showed and demonstrates, have fairly positive connotations and indicate that you generally agree with how the original work was performed or analyzed. To show your disagreement with the work that you are paraphrasing, use verbs such as these. Neglect, overlook, disregard, pay little attention to, fail to note. For instance, although the author of this study says that robins account for 10% of North American neighborhood birds, he neglects to include the most important method of analysis, citation. Mbeki, citation, disregards additional potential contributing factors, citing only X and Y as being instrumental. Both terms, neglects and disregards, carry fairly negative connotations and indicate that you generally disagree with how the author carried out their work or analyzed it. How you paraphrase will generally depend on the context and the specific reason for putting another author's work into your study. But there are some tools and tips you can use to help put their words into your own. One way to do this is to change the voice of the passage. If the original is written in the active voice, change it to the passive and vice versa. If the original study reads as follows, a study of infant feeding practices was carried out, you might paraphrase, like this. In her study of breastfeeding, Carnes, citation, found that only one-fifth of mothers nurse their babies. By changing the voice, you can alter the syntax of the sentence and make room for your own words to describe the original author's meaning. Another tool you can use to describe content in your own way is a thesaurus. But be careful when using a thesaurus. You want to make sure you understand the term you're using and that it makes sense in the context you're using it. The last tip is more of a reminder. You want to avoid looking at the work when you're writing your paraphrase. Instead, give yourself 10 to 20 seconds after reading the passage. Your mind needs a little bit of time to digest what the meaning of the passage is. And then go ahead and write your paraphrase. By giving yourself some time, you'll make sure not to plagiarize the text. Before we go, here are some rules for paraphrasing you should keep in mind. The paraphrase statement must always be written in your own words. Never copy the text verbatim unless you use quotation marks. Always include a citation when you paraphrase. Usually these things, parentheses. Because you're always using someone else's work even though it's in your own words. Finally, always keep your study at the focus of your writing. That means you don't want to quote too often and you don't want to paraphrase too often. So try to keep a blend of both so that you have a strong authorial voice, but that you also have external support for your own arguments. For more excellent tips on academic and research writing, subscribe to our YouTube channel or visit Wordvice's resources page where you'll find dozens of articles to help you improve your paper composition. Stay tuned and happy writing.

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Business Writing and Citing: The Basics

Citations are expected in scholarly and professional work, and  required  when using information and data from outside sources. In business writing, citations will help you:

  • Avoid plagiarism  and give credit to the ideas and work of others
  • Demonstrate credibility  by backing up your claims with research and data
  • Create a path  to information that supports your arguments and engage in professional dialogue
  • Avoiding Plagiarism Guide A simple two-page guide to avoiding word and idea plagiarism.
  • UD's APA 7 Citation Style Guide for Business Sources This guide provides formatting and examples for commonly cited business information, including statistics and data from UD-provided databases, scholarly information, business news, and more.
  • Citing Sources Guide to common citation formats, including APA, MLA, and Chicago Styles.
  • Purdue OWL: Professional, Technical Writing A collection of resources for writing in business settings, including examples of common documents and communication formats.

Business Writing Guidelines and Tools

  • APA Style & Grammar Guidelines Simple overviews and examples of APA guidelines for style and grammar, including paper and citation formats, rules about abbreviations and other mechanics, and proper grammar.
  • Business Writing Tips and Tools Overview of business writing principles that apply to many situations and contexts.
  • The Write Place Peer writing support for UD students at any stage of the writing process--including assistance with editing, paraphrasing, clarifying ideas, and citations.
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  • Last Updated: Sep 4, 2024 10:53 AM
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  1. How to Paraphrase in APA and MLA: Full Guide to Scoring High

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  3. How to Paraphrase in APA: A Guide to Effective Paraphrasing

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  4. How to paraphrase correctly (APA, 7th ed.)

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COMMENTS

  1. Paraphrases

    Paraphrases. A paraphrase restates another's idea (or your own previously published idea) in your own words. Paraphrasing allows you to summarize and synthesize information from one or more sources, focus on significant information, and compare and contrast relevant details. Published authors paraphrase their sources most of the time, rather ...

  2. PDF Paraphrasing and Citation Activities, APA Style 7th Edition

    Activity 3: Writing a Long Paraphrase. This activity consists of three steps: Read the following published paragraphs and summarize them in your own words in two to three sentences (a long paraphrase). Do not repeat every idea. Instead, highlight important findings and accurately represent the meaning of the original.

  3. In-Text Citations: The Basics

    APA Citation Basics. When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

  4. Paraphrasing in APA

    Parenthetical citation. For an APA parenthetical citation, write your paraphrase and then add the author and year in parenthesis at the end. Use a comma between the author and the year inside the parenthesis, and put the period for the end of the sentence outside the parenthesis. Example 1: Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light.

  5. LibGuides: APA Citation Guide (7th edition) : Paraphrasing

    Paraphrasing. When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows: Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993). Note: If you refer to the author's ...

  6. PDF Paraphrasing Guidelines (APA, 2020, p. 269)

    Paraphrasing Guidelines (APA, 2020, p. 269) APA 7 notes that "published authors paraphrase their sources most of the time, rather than directly quoting" (p. 269). For writing in psychology, students should use direct quotations only sparingly and instead mainly synthesize and paraphrase. Webster-Stratton (2016) described a case example of a ...

  7. LibGuides: APA 7th Edition Citation Guide: Paraphrase and Summary

    Journal Articles ; Magazine and Newspaper Articles ; Reference Articles, Encyclopedia and Dictionary Entries ... Paraphrase aims to replicate all of the ideas of the source passage, ... Use paraphrase and summary frequently. APA is designed for the social and health sciences, which typically have less need for direct quotation than the ...

  8. Paraphrasing

    The Journal of Psychology, 139, 469-480. Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing. The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005).

  9. ACAP Learning Resources: Reference in APA 7: Paraphrasing

    When paraphrasing or summarising using one source over several sentences or even a whole paragraph, cite the source in the first sentence. There is no need to cite the work again in this paragraph provided it is clear that this is the only source being paraphrased. The APA Style and Grammar Guidelines provide this example: Velez et al. (2018 ...

  10. APA Citation Guide (7th Edition): Paraphrasing

    Three to Five Authors or Editors. The first time you cite the work in-text, provide each author's last name and the year of publication. Every other time you cite the same work in-text, provide only the first author's last name followed by "et al." and the year of publication. Six or More Authors or Editors. Provide the first author's last name ...

  11. How to Cite a Journal Article in APA

    In-Text APA Citation for Journal Articles. This section will help you create in-text APA citations for journal articles. In-text citations refer to the crediting of articles within the body of a work, separate from the reference page at the end of a document. An in-text citation comes after a paraphrase or a direct quote.

  12. APA Style 6th Edition Blog: Paraphrasing

    There are many ways to paraphrase material; here are more examples and some advice. How to Cite Material Without Page Numbers. If the cited material does not have page numbers (such as may occur with some e-books) and you need them for an in-text citation, use any of the following location information instead:. a paragraph number, if provided; alternatively, you can count paragraphs down from ...

  13. APA 7 Citation Style: Direct Quotes, Paraphrasing, Summarizing

    Journal Article (Print) Journal Article (Online) Newspaper Articles (Print) ... Direct Quotes, Paraphrasing, Summarizing; APA 6 vs. APA 7; The Basics. Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing. You already know that you need to use various kinds of resources when you are researching. Now things can get a little more complicated when trying to use ...

  14. How to Cite a Journal Article in APA Style

    If you want to cite a special issue of a journal rather than a regular article, the name (s) of the editor (s) and the title of the issue appear in place of the author's name and article title: APA format. Last name, Initials. (Ed. or Eds.). (Year). Title of issue [Special issue]. Journal Name, Volume (Issue).

  15. APA Citation Style, 7th edition: Journal Article with 3-20 Authors

    Helpful Tips: DOI: If a journal article has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) listed, you will always include this identifier in your reference as a URL. Online Database: For works from databases that publish works of limited circulation (such as the ERIC database) or original, proprietary material available only in that database (such as UpToDate), include the name of the database or archive ...

  16. Psychology: APA 7th Ed. Citations, Paraphrasing, and More

    APA Style Official Guide, 7th ed. TEXTUAL Resources. APA citation style refers to the rules and conventions established by the American Psychological Association for documenting sources used in a research paper. The APA Citation Style is often used for courses in psychology, education, business and other social sciences.

  17. APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition)

    Resources on writing an APA style reference list, including citation formats. Basic Rules Basic guidelines for formatting the reference list at the end of a standard APA research paper Author/Authors Rules for handling works by a single author or multiple authors that apply to all APA-style references in your reference list, regardless of the ...

  18. Paraphrasing

    The Journal of Psychology, 139, 469-480. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing. The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005).

  19. FAQ: How do I cite paraphrased information in APA Style (in-text)?

    When you paraphrase, you use your own words. This is usually preferable to direct quotes because the information is written in your own style, but you must be careful not to change the meaning. ... APA requires you to include the author and date. It is also recommended (but not required) that you include the page number. The format of the page ...

  20. APA Citation Guide (7th edition): Quotes vs Paraphrases

    Quoting is copying a selection from someone else's work, phrasing it exactly as it was originally written. When quoting place quotation marks (" ") around the selected passage to show where the quote begins and where it ends. Make sure to include an in-text citation. Paraphrasing is used to show that you understand what the author wrote.

  21. Free APA Citation Generator

    APA Style is widely used by students, researchers, and professionals in the social and behavioral sciences. Scribbr's free citation generator automatically generates accurate references and in-text citations. This citation guide outlines the most important citation guidelines from the 7th edition APA Publication Manual (2020).

  22. Paraphrasing

    The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology, 139, 469-480. Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing. The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005).

  23. APA

    Big Picture. APA style features in-text parenthetical citations, with a focus on author/date, and a corresponding Reference page.. In-Text Citations . elements include author's last name, year of publication and page number(s) elements in are separated by commas - Example: (Arnold, 2015, p. 378) a direct quote requires a page number preceded by p.

  24. Why learn APA Style if you already know MLA style?

    Journal article reporting standards. APA Style provides specific directions on what information to include in certain kinds of papers. Specifically, if you are conducting and reporting the results of experiments, ... When writing in APA Style, paraphrase rather than quote in most cases. Whereas in literature it is often important to respond to ...

  25. Mastering Paraphrasing: Techniques to Enhance Your ...

    How to Paraphrase in Research Papers (APA, AMA) Added on 09/02/2024. Speakers. ... one that uses both quotes and paraphrasing. The Journal of Applied Psychology accepts studies that enhance understanding of cognitive, motivational, affective, and behavioral psychological phenomena and that apply to a variety of settings such as business ...

  26. Library Guides: MGT 490: Citing Business Sources

    Citations are expected in scholarly and professional work, and required when using information and data from outside sources.In business writing, citations will help you: Avoid plagiarism and give credit to the ideas and work of others; Demonstrate credibility by backing up your claims with research and data; Create a path to information that supports your arguments and engage in professional ...