In APA style, if one if presenting an idea of an author's work, in the text of your paper, you need to include the author's last name and the date of publication. One way to cite an author is by providing citation information in the body of your paper, with the author's last name and the date of publication proceeding the summary or quote, followed by the page number after the summary or quote.
Example of short quotation from Purdue OWL, with citation in the body of the paper:
According to Jones (1998), "Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199).
Parenthetical in-text citations following a quotation or paraphrase is formatted with the author's last name appearing first, followed by the date of publication in parentheses. It is not necessary to add page numbers in APA style, but you may do so if you wish.
Example of a paraphrase from Purdue OWL, with an parenthetical citation:
APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners (Jones, 1998, p. 199).
Remember that all sources that are cited in the text of your paper must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper. For more in-depth help with citations, consult with your instructor or a writing tutor at the Academic Support Center.
