As you write, you should continually credit the research and ideas from your chosen sources throughout.
These credits--In-Text Citations--appear as:
In which the source's words are directly copied into your work
In which the research and ideas of your source are rewritten in your own words
In which the source's main points are reduced into a shorter form
These In-Text Citations are meant to direct the reader to the corresponding complete citation on the References page. This saves you the time of writing a complete citation for every reference you use and the reader from skipping over dozens of full citations to understand your arguments.
An In-Text Citation includes your full citation's 1st Element (usually Author's last name) and page number or other specific Location Element.
Example:
Full Citation:
Stein, S. (2024). Universities confronting climate change: Beyond sustainable development and solutionism. Higher Education, 87(1), 165-183.
In-Text Citation:
(Stein, 2024)
In-Text Citation if you are referencing page 170:
(Stein, 2024, p. 170)
If your source has two Authors, simply omit their first initial(s) in your In-Text Citation. If there are three or more Author's, omit the first Author's initial(s) and follow with the words "et al."--meaning 'and others'.
Examples:
Two Authors:
Full Citation:
Ruzelviciute, R., & Thurridl, C. (2023). Food matters: The role of international (marketing) efforts in addressing a looming climate threat. Journal of International Marketing, 31(3), 97-100.
In-Text Citation:
(Ruzelviciute & Thurridl, 2023)
In-Text Citation if you are referencing page 99:
(Ruzelviciute & Thurridl, 2023, p. 99)
Three+ Authors:
Full Citation:
Magele, A., Wirthner, B., Schoerg, P. & Sprinzl, G. (2024). Effects of musical training in music therapy following cochlear implantation--A case study. Audiology Research, 14(2), 217-226.
In-Text Citation:
(Magele et al., 2024)
In-Text Citation if you are referencing page 225:
(Magele et al., 2024, p. 225)
If you have paraphrased a source, there are different ways to include your In-Text Citation.
1. Use a phrase at the beginning of your sentence which introduces the Author's name, and then add the date in parentheses.
Example:
Stein (2023) argued that groups of people should...
2. Add both the Author's name and date of publication in parentheses at the end of your sentence. NOTE: The period comes AFTER your In-Text Citation.
Example:
The findings were only supported by a single small study (Stein, 2023).
Using a direct quote from a source requires that you also reference a page number within your In-Text Citation.
Examples:
Stein (2023) demonstrated that everyone must "maintain constant professionalism and decorum" (p. 54).
Everyone must "maintain constant professionalism and decorum" (Stein, 2023, p. 54).
If the quote you are citing is longer than 40 words, it must be placed in a separate block apart from the rest of your text.
Example:
The tide may be turning when it comes to climate change litigation:
Indeed, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recognized for the first time the impact of litigation on climate change governance and response in its Sixth Assessment Report in 2022. Such developments suggest that climate change litigation deserves further consideration as to whether it is a viable and effective tool for advancing and enforcing climate change law. (Martin, 2024, p. 153)
If the source does not have a known author, the In-Text Citation should still use your full citation's first element (usually the Title).
Use a shortened Title, removing:
Remember to italicize the Title if it is a longer or entire work and put the Title in "quotation marks" if it is shorter or a part of a larger work.
Example:
Full Citation:
The Arabian Nights. (1963). Grosset & Dunlap.
In-Text Citation:
(Arabian Nights, 1963)
If the source does not provide a Date, use the letters "n.d." in place of the Date.
Example:
("Chinese Philosophy," n.d.)
If the resource does not list Page Numbers, such as a website, substitute a paragraph number or section title in their place.
Examples:
“The snow is stable enough to cross on 95 percent of the slopes” (Corrigan, para. 7).
People at rick of sunburn should remember "drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids" (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022, Take Additional Steps section).
If your In-Text Citation is preceded by a signal phrase to introduce a source with two Authors, use the word 'and'.
Example:
Jones and Kennard (2012) note that it will take more than twice the time to construct the foundation.
If the two Authors names appear within an In-Text Citation's parentheses, you should use '&' instead.
Example:
It may take more than twice the time to construct the foundation (Jones & Kennard, 2012).
If you would like to include more than one source in a single In-Text Citation, simply write both citations alphabetically within a single set of parentheses and separate them with a semicolon.
Example:
It can take several days for a sunburn to completely heal (Guerra & Crane, 2023; Mayo Clinic, 2024).