Elements of Citation
NOTE: This page reflects the old version of the APA Publication Manual (6th ed). If you require the current version, please see APA Style (7th ed)
Parts of an APA Style Citation
Every citation in APA style must include two parts:
- In-text citations: found in the body of your paper; consist of three key pieces of information:
AUTHOR
Who is responsible
for the work?DATE
When was the work created?PAGE
Where was the quote found? - References: listed on a separate page; consist of four key pieces of information:
AUTHOR
Who is responsible
for the work?DATE
When was the work created?TITLE
What is the
work called?LOCATION
Where was the work
published?
By matching the author and date, your in-text citations point to the corresponding entry in your references list.
APA Style provides strict guidelines on when, where, and how to include these key pieces of information in in-text citations and reference lists. Capitalization and punctuation are very important! Follow the examples provided in this guide very carefully.
