In-text citations are exactly what they sound like. They are citations that appear in the text of your essay. In-text citations are important because they immediately let the reader know when you are including information that you got from somewhere else. They also let the reader know who/where the information came from.
In-text citations are short, and will direct the reader to a longer reference in your references list at the end of your paper.
Use direct quotations sparingly in an APA paper. Quotes in an APA style paper should always appear in quotation marks and their citations should always include the author, year, and page number(s).
Even when you state a piece of information in your own words, you will still need to cite it if the information is not common knowledge. This is called a paraphrase. Most of your citations in an APA paper should be for paraphrased information from academic journal articles and textbooks.
Make sure your paraphrases are not just a mashup of synonyms from the original source, but a genuine display of your understanding of the information. Paraphrases will generally refer to an entire paragraph, page, or portion of a source.
*For paraphrases, page numbers are not necessary. However, they are encouraged if you are citing information from a longer source like a book or very long journal article
APA citations have three elements: author, year, and page number. The author’s last name and the year the source was published must appear in the text of your paper. Page numbers are only required for direct quotations, but are also encouraged for paraphrases that come from longer works. There are a few different ways you can format your in-text citations:
Above: The author’s name appears in the text of the sentence, with the publication year in brackets immediately following.
The page number for the quotation is in brackets at the end.
*If a source has more than 2 authors, include the name of the first author listed in the source, followed by "et al."
Above: The author’s name, the publication year, and the page number appear in brackets at the end of the sentence.
This is also an acceptable way to provide an in-text citation.
*Note that there is a comma between each component, and page numbers are preceded by "p."
Above: If a source has 2 authors, include both authors' names linked by "&"
*There is no page number because this is a paraphrase of a short academic journal article
Above: If a source has no author, use the source's title instead. This should also be the first item in the source's full reference
which appears at the end of your paper.
*If you are citing a source that doesn't fit to these standard citation rules, consult your APA manual or another reputable source, such as Purdue University's APA Guide. They provide more in-depth details on how to create in-text citations for a variety of source types.