APA Citation
When and Why to Cite
When you directly quote, paraphrase, or reference another source that has influenced your own work, you need to provide a proper citation. You should also provide documentation for any statistics or facts that are not considered common knowledge.
Citation is necessary to:
- Avoid charges of plagiarism
- Give credit to the original author or creator
- Provide context for your audience
- Allow readers to find and consult the source themselves
Basics of APA 7th ed.
The APA has established an editorial style, commonly used in the social and behavioral sciences, that combines in-text citations with a corresponding list of references for documenting sources.
- References are formatted based on the category and reference type (e.g., book chapter, journal article, movie), not by how they were accessed or in what format you obtained them.
- Examples below show reference list entries for the most common reference types cited by students. (See the manual for additional examples of more unusual situations.)
- Both parenthetical and narrative styles of in-text citations are also provided for each reference list example.
What is a DOI?
A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string that provides a persistent link to content online.
Citation Resources
Publication Manual of the APACopies are available at the Research Help and Circulation desks at Thomas Cooper Library.
- American Psychological Association (APA) 7th ed.USC Library's citation guide for APA 7th edition
- APA Style BlogThe official companion to the Publication Manual run by the APA Style team