Reference
OpenAI. (2023). Gun violence in North Carolina (June 5 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
The in-text citation would be
(OpenAI, 2023).
*OpenAI is the author of the ChatGPT model.
Klymkowsky, M. (2018, September 15). Can we talk scientifically about free will? Sci-Ed. https://blogs.plos.org/scied/2018/09/15/can-we-talk-scientifically-about-free-will/
(Klymbkowsky, 2018) is the in-text citation
For direct quotes, see the information below for quoting items without page numbers.
Gleick, J. (1987). Chaos: Making a new science. Penguin.
(Gleick, 1987) is the in-text citation
An ebook would have the URL at the end of the citation.
Klaas, B. (2024). Fluke : Chance, chaos, and why everything we do matters. Scribner. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rowancabarrus/detail.action?docID=30676412
Gale, P., & Lerner, N. (2000). The Bacon guide to peer tutoring. Allyn & Bacon.
(Gale & Lerner, 2000) is the in-text citation
Clarke, A. (2019). Harper's practical genetic counselling, eighth edition. Taylor & Francis Group. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rowancabarrus/detail.action?docID=5906192#
UNCG. (2021). Information for potential UNCG students [Brochure].
In-text is (UNCG, 2021)
If an online brochure
UNCG. (n.d.) Visitor brochure [Brochure]. https://admissions.uncg.edu/visitor-brochure/
Include title and [Brochure] in the title. This brochure has no date. Do not use the webpage's copyright date.
In-text is (UNCG, n.d.)
Harris, M. (2000). Talk to me: Engaging reluctant writers. In B. Raforth (Ed.), A tutor's guide: Helping writers (pp. 24-34). Heinemann.
Here's how it looks for an ebook
Melson, G. & Fine, A. (2019). Animals in the lives of children. In A. Fine (Ed.), Handbook on animal-assisted therapy : Theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice (pp. 223-245). Elsevier Science and Technology. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rowancabarrus/reader.action?docID=629941&ppg=259
(Harris, 2000) is the in-text citation
Beaton, K. (2016). King baby (K. Beaton, Illus.). Arthur A. Levine Books.
(Beaton, 2016)
Crimi, C. (2019). Weird little robots (C. Luyken, Illus.). Candlewick Press.
(Crimi, 2019)
O’Connor, J. (2017). Nancy Clancy, late-breaking news! (R. Preiss Glasser, Illus.). HarperCollins Publishers.
Dickinson, E. (1950). Because I could not stop for death. In F.O. Matthiessen (Ed.), The Oxford Book of American Verse (p. 439). Oxford.
In-text citation would be (Dickinson, 1950)
Johnson, L. (2020). Course syllabus English 112. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. URL.
Or
Bittle, J. (2023). English 112 [Syllabus]. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. URL
In-text Citation (Johnson, 2020) or (Bittle, 2023)
*The URL is the www.rccc.edu/blackboard....... webpage address.
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/347/483/
Parenthetical: (Brown v. Board of Education, 1954)
Narrative: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
From page 359 of APA Manual 7th Edition.
US Supreme Court case, with a page number (through 2012 Supreme Court term)
U.S. is short for United States Reports.
Published in Volume 347 on page 483 in the year 1954.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi/books.9780890424496
(American Psychiatric Association, 2013)- In-text Citation
For a source with an editor.
Venes, D. (Ed.). (2021). Taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary (24th ed.). F. A. Davis Company.
If there's a URL, then add it after the publisher.
Intext is (Venes, 2021)
______________________________
If you are referring only to an article in a reference book that has a different author, then do this.
Graham, G. (2019). Behaviorism. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Summer 2019 ed.). Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/behaviorism/
Intext is (Graham, 2019) or (Graham, 2019, p. 81) for a direct quote.
___________________________
If you are looking at an entry in a dictionary or encyclopedia that has a group author, then do this.
American Psychology Association. (n.d.) Positive transference. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved August 31, 2019, from https://dictionary.apa.org/positive-transference
*Note: There is an (n.d.) in the publishing date because this source is online and consistently updated. Therefore a retrieval date is preferred so your instructor can tell when you read the information.
Intext is (American Psychology Association, n.d.)
____________________________
Paulson, J. A. (2016). Neuropsychological functioning and inflammation in past and current PTSD (Order No. 3706233) [Doctoral dissertation, Alliant International University]. ProQuest Central. http://proxy154.nclive.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/neuropsychological-functioning-inflammation-past/docview/1694579970/se-2?accountid=13601
Intext citation will be
(Paulson, 2016)
Cuellar, N. G. (2016). Study abroad programs [Editorial]. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 27(3), 209. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659616638722
(Cuellar, 2016) In-text Citation
National Institute of Mental Health. (2018, November 28). Suicide affects all ages, genders, races, and ethnicities. Check out these 5 action steps for helping someone in emotional pain [Infographic]. Facebook. https://bit.ly/321 Qstq
(National Institute of Mental Health, 2018) In-text Citation
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved July 22, 2019, from https://www.facebook.com/nationalzoo
(Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, n.d.) In-text Citation
Oncological nurses. (n.d.). Ferguson's Career Guidance Center. Retrieved November 16, 2023 from https://fcg.infobase.com/recordurl/1302021?aid=99147
In-text (Oncological nurses, n.d.)
Cambridge Educational. (2018). Animal trainer-career Q&A: Professional advice and insight. Ferguson's Career Guidance. https://fcg-infobase-com.proxy154.nclive.org/video/151048
Forman, M. (Director). (1975). One flew over the cuckoo's nest [Film]. United Artists.
(Forman, 1975) In-text Citation
Goya, F. (1800). The family of Charles IV. Museo National del Prado. https://www.netmuseum.org/ /hd_goya
Office of Women's Health. (2019, March 14). Breastfeeding. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding
In-text Citation is (Office of Women's Health, 2019).
*If author and publisher are the same, you do not need to repeat name after the title of webpage. This reference/citation shows Office of Women's Health as the group author and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as the publisher.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, January 23). People at high risk of developing flu-related complications. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/high_risk.htm
Intext is (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018)
If you want to abbreviate you must connect the entire name of organization with the abbreviation on the first intext and then abbreviate after that.
First instance is: (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDD], 2018). Next intext would be (CDC, 2018)
First instance is: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2018). Next instance, (CDC, 2018).
Zeitz MOCAA [@zeitzmocaa]. (2018, November 26). Grade 6 learners from Parkfields Primary School in Hanover Park visited the museum for a a tour and workshop hosted by [Photographs]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqpHpjFBs3b/
(Zeitz MOCAA, 2018) In-text Citation
The New York Public Library [@nypl]. 9n.d.) The raven [Highlight]. Instagram. Retrieved April 16, 2019, from https://bitly.com/2FV8bu3
(The New York Public Library, n.d.) In-text Citation
Interviews or other personal communication (emails, letters, phone calls or messages that aren't able to be recovered or found) are NOT included in the reference list.
These personal communications are in-text cited as
(E. Robbins, personal communication, September 29, 2020)
Bowie, D. (2016). Blackstar [Album]. Columbia.
(Bowie, 2016) In-text Citation
Childish Gambino. (2018). This is America [Song]. mcDJ; RCA.
(Childish Gambino, 2018) In-text Citation
Magryta, C. (2015, August 30). Top ten reasons to breastfeed your infant. The Salisbury Post. https://www.salisburypost.com/2015/08/30/8-30-15-lifestyle-dr-magryta-column/
National Aeronautics and Space Administration [nasa]. (2018, September 12). I'm NASA astronaut Scott Tingle. [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/9fagqy/im_nasa_astronaut_scott_tingle_ask_me_anything/
(National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2018) In-text Citation
Nemko, M. (2020, February 6). The three principles of good parenting. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-do-life/202002/the-three-principles-good-parenting
(Nemko, 2020) In-text Citation
McCurry, S. (1985). Afghan girl [Photograph]. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/national-geographic-magazine-50-years-of-covers/#/ngm-1985-jun-714.jpg
(McCurry, 1985) In-text Citation
Vedantam, S. (Host). (2015-present). Hidden brain [Audio podcast]. NPR. https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain
(Vendantam, 2015-present) In-text Citation
Glass, I. (Host). (2011, August 12). Amusement park (No. 443) [Audio podcast episode]. In This American life. WBEZ Chicago. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/443/amusement-park
(Glass, 2011) In-text Citation
Here is for a Powerpoint or slideshow with an instructor's name.
Dasher, R. (2024). Module 6 - adulthood [Powerpoint slides]. Psychology Department, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. https://rccc.blackboard.com
(Dasher, 2024). In-text Citation
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)
(King James Bible, 1769/2017) In-text Citation
de Beauvoir, S., (1960, May 4). Simone de Beauvoir discusses the art of writing [Interview]. Studs Terkel Radio Archive; The Chicago History Museum. https://studsterkel.wfmt.com/programs/simone-de-beauvoir-discusses-art-writing
(de Beauvoir, 1960) In-text Citation
Brewer, T. (2002). Test-taking anxiety among nursing & general college students. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing, 40(11), 22-29. https://proxy154.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/220140572?accountid=13601
(Brewer, 2002) In-text Citation
or
According to Brewer (2002),
Burin, D., Kilteni, K., Rabuffetti, M., Slater, M., & Pia, L. (2019). Body ownership increases the interference between observed and executed movements. PLOS ONE, 14(1), Article e0209899. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209899
Intext citation (Burin et al., 2019)
Narrative citation Burin et al. (2019)
Direct quote (Burin et al., 2019, Introduction)
McCauley, S. M., & Christiansen, M. H. (2019). Language learning as language use: A cross-linguistic model of child language development. Psychological Review, 126(1), 1-51. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000126
(McCauley & Christiansen, 2019) In-text Citation
For more information about DOIs, see the section in the box on this page about APA Citation Guides and Templates.
Pauwels, S., Symons, L., Eva-Lynn Vanautgaerden, Ghosh, M., Duca, R. C., Bekaert, B., Freson, K., Huybrechts, I., Langie, S., Koppen, G., Devlieger, R., & Godderis, L. (2019). The influence of the duration of breastfeeding on the infant’s metabolic epigenome. Nutrients, 11(6), 1408. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu11061408
(Pauwels et al., 2019) for in-text citation when authors' names are not mentioned in sentence (Parenthetical citation)
Pauwels et al. (2019) when author is mentioned in the text (Narrative citation)
APA7 requires that you list up to 20 authors in the reference list
King, M. L., Jr. (1963, August 28). I have a dream [Speech audio recording]. American Rhetoric. https://americarhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
npatou. (2016, June 6). Malcolm X's legendary speech: "The bullet or the ballot" [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zLQLUpNGsc
Giertz, S. (2018, April). Why you should make useless things [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/why_you_should_make_useless_things
In-text Citation Format:
Berger, K. S. (2022). Invitation to the lifespan (5th ed). Worth Publishers.
Intext is (Berger, 2022).
Losco, J. & Baker, R. (2018). Am gov 2017-2018. McGraw-Hill Education.
In-text citation (Losco & Baker, 2018)
Betts, G., Young, K. A., Wise, J. A., Johnson, E., Poe, B., Kruse, D. H., Korol, O., Johnson, J. E., Womble, M., & DeSaix, P. (Eds.). (2022, September 19). Anatomy and physiology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/details/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e
Intext
(Betts et al, 2022)
*You can list up to 20 authors or editors in an APA citation.
Barris, K. (Writer & Director). (2017, January 11). Lemons (Season 3, Episode 12) [TV series episode]. In K. Barris, J. Groff, A. Anderson, E. B. Dobbins, L. Fishburne, & H. Sugland (Executive producers), Black-ish. Wilmore Films; Artists First; Cinema Gypsy Productions; ABC Studios.
(Barris, 2017) In-text Citation
Simon, D., Colesberry, R. F., & Kostroff Noble, N. (Executive Producers). (2002-2008). The wire [TV series]. Blown Deadline Productions; HBO.
(Simon et al., 2002-2008) In-text Citation
Badlands National Park [@BadlandsNPS]. (2018, February 26). Biologists have identified more than 400 different plant species growing in @BadlandsNPS #DYK #biodiversity [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/BadlandsNPS/status/968196500412133379
(Badlands National Park, 2018) In-text Citation
APA Style [@APA_Style]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved November 1, 2019, from https://twitter.com/APA_Style
(APA Style, n.d.) In-text Citation
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. (n.d.). Student wellness center. https://www.rccc.edu/wellness/.
In-text is (Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, n.d.)
If the information changes frequently or regularly, a retrieval date is recommended.
U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). U.S. and world population clock. U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://www.census.gov/popclock/
In-text Citation is (U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.)
Miller, C. (n.d.). Does social media cause depression? Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/
In-text Citation is (Miller, n.d.)
or According to Miller (n.d.),
Avramova, N. (2019, January 3). The secret to a long, happy life? Think age-positive. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/03/22/health/memory-forgetting-psychology.html
In-text citation is
(Avramova, 2019)
Livio, M. (2020, May 19). When Galileo stood trial for defending science. A&E Television Networks. https://www.history.com/news/galileo-copernicus-earth-sun-heresy-church
In-text citation would be (Livio, 2020)
World Health Organization. (2018, March). Questions and answers on immunizations and vaccine safety. https://who.int.features.qu/84/en
(World Health Organization, 2018) is the in-text.
(World Health Organization [WHO], 2018) if you want to abbreviate in subsequent in-text citations. The whole name must be written out and the abbreviation indicated in the first in-text reference.
Boston Tea Party. (2019, December 12). A&E Television Networks. https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party
(Boston Tea Party, 2019) In-text Citation
*Italicize title if italicized in reference list. (APA, 2020, p. 265).
American Psychological Association. (2020, November 17). Psychologists report large increase in demand for anxiety, depression treatment [Press release]. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2020/11/anxiety-depression-treatment
Intext citation (American Psychological Association, 2020)
University of Oxford. (2018, December 6). How do geckos walk on water? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm1xGfOZJc8
In-text Citation- (University of Oxford, 2018)
Table 9.1 on page 284 in Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association Seventh Edition.
If you use direct quotes, you must include some way for the reader to find the information. In a source with page numbers, you include the page number in the in-text citation (Robb, 2021, p. 88).
Many sources from the web don't have page numbers. You should choose the approach that will best help your reader.
For people who know that they have a serious allergic reaction to some substance, it is recommended they wear a medical alert bracelet to let "others know that you have a serious allergy in case you have a reaction and you're unable to communicate" (Mayo Clinic, 2021, Prevention section).
This is the reference for the end of your paper
Mayo Clinic. (2021). Allergies. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/allergies/symptoms-causes/syc-20351497
According to an article on NPR, after the Covid-19 pandemic, many people are "rethinking what work means to them, how they are valued, and how they spend their time" (Hsu, 2021, para 4).
This is the reference for the end of your paper
Hsu, A. (2021, June 24). As the pandemic recedes, millions of workers are saying 'I quit.' NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/06/24/1007914455/as-the-pandemic-recedes-millions-of-workers-are-saying-i-quit
The destruction is even more important when one realizes that "around a third of all Australian fish spend at least some time on the Great Barrier Reef" (Films Media Group, 2018, 7:11).
Here is the reference to the film
Films Media Group. (2018). Can we save the reef? https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=99147&xtid=186717
Many of the resources in the Library have a PDF option. This is really useful when your document has charts, pictures or formatting that doesn't translate well into html. To get to the PDF, look for
Look at the bottom of your Screen if you are in Chrome 
When you double-click the pdf to open it, check the header or footer for the page number. Sometimes the page number is in the sidebar as well.
This is the page number you use for a direct quote in the in-text citation.
APA uses the (Author, Date) system UNLESS you need to cite a specific part of a source (for example, direct quotes or statistics). Here are some examples:
(Robb, 2019, p. 35)
(Shores, 2021, para. 3)
(Anderson, 2020, paras. 2-3)
(Ervin & Ervin, 2019, Table 5)
(Folck Institute for Archival Studies, 2017, 45:14) - This is a video or sound recording
(Deese, 2020, Slide 8) - Powerpoint or Slideshare type source
(King James Bible, 1769/2017, 1 Cor. 13:1)
(Aristotle, ca 350 B.C.E./1994, Part IV)
(Shakespeare, 1623/1995, 1.3.36-37)
For more information, see page 264 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed.
Reminder: Personal Interviews do NOT go into a reference list in APA style.
Interviews should be cited like this for intext citations:
(E. Robbins, personal communication, January 4, 2021)
This service is only for Rowan-Cabarrus Community College faculty, staff, and students.
Rowan-C
abarrus uses the newest version of APA (APA7) which was released in October 2019. Make sure that you are using formatting and citation style for the 7th Edition of APA.
A few things about APA formatting
Fonts
Spacing
Headings
Abstracts
APA Versions
Authors/ Publishers
DOIs vs URLs
If a book, journal, report or other publication has a DOI, it must be included in the reference.
According to Purdue Owl's page titled DOIs vs. URLs, APA allows for the use of either the modern alphanumeric string format ("doi:0000000/000000000000") or the older doi.org format ("https://doi.org/10.0000/0000"). Use whichever is provided by the source.
All hyperlinks retain the https://
There are two ways to cite your information in your paper.
If you include all the information about your source in the parenthesis at the end of the sentence, it is called a parenthetical intext citation. Page numbers are added for direct quotes.
If you include the author's name in the sentence, it is called a narrative intext citation. The date would go in the parenthesis.
Often, long paraphrases continue for multiple sentences. Usually you'll intext cite the source in the first sentence. It is not necessary to cite every single sentence IF you've made it clear in the narrative that the information discussed is from the before-mentioned source.
*Note that the bold words show where the information is coming from. Students should NOT bold any words.
Here's an example:
Tucker and Maddey (2020) found that predatory behavior in dogs is due to many different factors. One of the factors is the physical territory of the alleged threat. The research found that "dogs are more willing to attack or defend territory that is considered to be their own" (Tucker & Maddey, 2020, p. 81). Another factor they discovered is that dogs are more willing to prey on a threat if their human owners are nearby. In an experiment conducted over multiple days using cameras, Tucker and Maddey discovered that dogs were shown to be much more protective with predatory behavior when their owners were in the vicinity than when the owners were away. In conclusion, the research shows that dogs have innate predatory behavior traits which are enhanced by the dogs' desires to protect their human owners (Tucker & Maddey, 2020).
Academic articles, books, and other sources often refer to previously published articles, books and other sources. You'll usually see the author of the previous source in the sentence or in the intext citation.
You will NOT include this source as if you read the study yourself.
For example, there is a paper written by Anderson that is referred to in an article written by Robb. You read the article by Robb; NOT the paper by Anderson. This is what you write:
According to Anderson's 2013 study (as cited in Robb, 2019), learning APA "can be difficult, especially when students are focusing on content area and not writing styles" (p. 33). In addition, some elements of APA seem subjective to students (Anderson, 2013 as cited in Robb, 2019).
In the reference list, you include the article you read; not the article you read about.
Robb, L. (2019). Librarianship in community colleges. Journal of Libraries, 110(2), 31-35. https://doil.something/something/000000.
Think of the quote as a rare and precious jewel.
Quotes can be super-effective in getting your point across to the reader. Just be sure you’re not stringing a bunch of quotes together – you want your voice to be stronger than the voice of your sources. You always need to interpret, analyze, add to and explain more about the quote to your reader.
Here are some guidelines to help you decide when to use quotes:
Examples
You may choose to quote an entire passage from a source or just words or phrases. Make sure to use signal words (see below) to move between your ideas and the words of your source and avoid wordy or awkward introductions to a quote. Also, always cite your work. See examples below for ideas on how to use quotes.
Direct Quotes (APA format)
As Ali Akbar Hamemi remarked in 2005, "There is no doubt that America is a super-power in the world and we cannot ignore them" (Vick, 2017, p. 13).
Direct Quotes (MLA format)
For Charles Dickens, the eighteenth century was both "the best of times" and "the worst of times" (35).
Sometimes it may be necessary to include long direct quotes (of over 40 words) if you are unable to paraphrase or summarize. A long quote is treated differently as a block quotation with a .5 inch margin from the left but still double-spaced. Notice that there are no quotation marks around the block quotations even though these are direct quotes.
Block quotation with parenthetical citation:
Researchers found when studying gray wolves that coloring around eyes may change over the lifespan:
Facial color patterns change with growth in many American canid species, although no studies have directly examined such developmental changes. For example, all newborn gray wolves observed in the present study had dark-colored bodies and C-type faces with dark-colored irises. (Ueda et al., 2014, p. 4)
Ueda, S., Kumagai, G., Otaki, Y., Yamaguchi, S., & Kohshima, S. (2014). A comparison of facial color pattern and gazing behavior in canid species suggests gaze communication in gray wolves (canis lupus). PLoS One, 9(6) doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0098217
Block quotation with narrative citation:
Manning and Kaler (2011) describe the difficulties of using survey methods when observing owls:
Survey methods with observers outside the vehicle were 3 times more likely to displace an owl than a single vehicle stop where observers remained inside the vehicle. Owls were displaced farther distances by all survey methods compared to control trials, but distances and time displaced did not differ among survey methods. (p. 526)
Manning, J. A., & Kaler, R. S. A. (2011). Effects of survey methods on burrowing owl behaviors. Journal of Wildlife Management, 75(3), 525-530. Retrieved from https://proxy154.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/925615280?accountid=13601
For more information, see page 272 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed.
So, when using quotes:
As Thompson (2020) makes clear in his article, Youtube's algorithms "can’t distinguish between true and false data, except in the most crude way" (para. 5).
Think of Paraphrases and Summaries as your foundations
Paraphrase and summarize long passages where the main point is important to the point you are making, but the details are not. You should use paraphrasing and summarizing much more often than direct quotes. A good balance would be 75% paraphrasing and summarizing and 25% direct quotes.
Paraphrase: You are paraphrasing when you take someone else’s words and rewrite them in your own words without altering the meaning or providing interpretation. Paraphrases are about the same length as the original. Always cite your paraphrase.
Summarize: You are summarizing when you condense the author's words or ideas without altering the meaning or providing interpretation using your own words -- basically, you’re presenting the original information in a nutshell. Always cite it.
Introduce paraphrases clearly in your text, usually with a signal phrase that includes the author of the source. Here is original text and paraphrased text.
Original:
Volunteers feel more socially connected, they're less lonely, and suffer from depression less, studies show. Volunteering creates physical benefits too: Regular volunteers are less likely to develop high blood pressure and live longer, some studies show. (text is from "Dalai Lama: 5 Things to Keep in Mind for the Next Four Years" from CNN.com, written by Jen Christensen)
Paraphrased text in APA style:
Volunteering has psychological and physical benefits, according to studies. Along with being less depressed and lonely, volunteers also live longer and are less likely to have high blood pressure (Christensen, 2017).
Paraphrased text in MLA style:
Volunteering has psychological and physical benefits, according to studies. Along with being less depressed and lonely, volunteers also live longer and are less likely to have high blood pressure (Christensen).
Examples of Summaries
Summaries, too, need to be carefully integrated into your text. Make sure to signal the reader that you are summarizing and include the correct citation.
Here is an example of a summary in APA format:
In Christensen's article, she explores Dalai Lama's advice to people who want to find happiness in an uncertain world. His Holiness believes that people should focus on developing compassion, letting go of anger, self-reflecting, helping others, and being playful like children (Christensen, 2017).
Here's the summary in MLA format:
In Christensen's article, she explores Dalai Lama's advice to people who want to find happiness in an uncertain world. His Holiness believes that people should focus on developing compassion, letting go of anger, self-reflecting, helping others, and being playful like children (Christensen).
Whenever you include summaries, paraphrases, or quotations in your own writing, it is important that you identify the sources of the material; even unintentional failure to cite material is plagiarism. Be especially careful with paraphrases and summaries, where there are no quotation marks to remind you that the material is not your own.
Often, long paraphrases continue for multiple sentences. Usually you'll intext cite the source in the first sentence. It is not necessary to cite every single sentence IF you've made it clear in the narrative that the information discussed is from the before-mentioned source.
*Note that the bold words show where the information is coming from. Students should NOT bold the words.
Here's an example:
Tucker and Maddey (2020) found that predatory behavior in dogs is due to many different factors. One of the factors is the physical territory of the alleged threat. The research found that "dogs are more willing to attack or defend territory that is considered to be their own" (Tucker & Maddey, 2020, p. 81). Another factor they discovered is that dogs are more willing to prey on a threat if their human owners are nearby. In an experiment conducted over multiple days using cameras, Tucker and Maddey discovered that dogs were shown to be much more protective with predatory behavior when their owners were in the vicinity they when the owners were away. In conclusion, the research shows that dogs have innate predatory behavior traits which are enhanced by the dogs' desires to protect their human owners (Tucker & Maddey, 2020).
If you're using information from a source more than once in a row (with no other sources referred to in between), you can use a simplified in-text citation. The first time you use information from the source, use a full in-text citation. The second time, you only need to give the page number.
Example:
Cell biology is an area of science that focuses on the structure and function of cells (Smith 15). It revolves around the idea that the cell is a "fundamental unit of life" (17). Many important scientists have contributed to the evolution of cell biology. Mattias Jakob Schleiden and Theodor Schwann, for example, were scientists who formulated cell theory in 1838 (20).
*Thank you to the Library at Columbia College for this example.
Reasons why you would want to paraphrase from a source:
Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because:
Tips on Summarizing:
A summary is a condensed version of someone else’s writing. Like paraphrasing, summarizing involves using your own words and writing style to express another author’s ideas. Unlike the paraphrase, which presents important details, the summary presents only the most important ideas of the passage. For example, you could summarize a book in a sentence, or in several paragraphs, depending on your writing situation and audience. You may use the summary often for the following reasons:
When you decide to summarize or paraphrase, avoid the following:
Whenever you have a reference at the end of your paper, you need at least one intext citation to go with it. Every intext citation should point to a reference at the end of your paper.
References and Intext Citations Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Jelly.
Your intext citation contains the first word(s) of your reference and the date so the reader can find it easily. For example:
You write this in your paper: For optimal decomposition, experts believe you should aim for a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 30:1 (Johnson, 2001).
This is in your Reference List:
Johnson, L. (2001, February). Compost Happens: The Secret to Making Quick Gardener's Gold Instead of a Slow, Stinking Mess Requires, Like Everything Else, Balance. Canadian Gardening, 12(1), 28-33.
Please also note that in PubMed they show the AMA Approved Abbreviations for journal names instead of the full journal name sometimes. Make sure you are using the full journal name.