Which statement about APA in-text citations is true?

Take the Information Literacy Test to excel in assessing, evaluating, and applying information effectively. Use flashcards and multiple-choice questions with comprehensive explanations. Prepare for success!

Multiple Choice

Which statement about APA in-text citations is true?

Explanation:
In APA, the way you credit a source inside the text is by including the author and the year, and you can weave this into the sentence with a signal phrase. Using a signal phrase with the year in parentheses is a common and correct form: for example, “Brown (2019) found that…” Here, the author is part of the sentence and the year sits in parentheses, linking the claim right to the source without interrupting the flow. This approach is one of the standard in-text citation styles in APA, complementing the full reference list at the end. If you prefer not to use a signal phrase, you can also place a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence, like “... as shown (Brown, 2019).” For direct quotes, you would add a page number or other locator, such as (Brown, 2019, p. 15). Page numbers are used for quotes and are encouraged when you’re pointing to a specific part of the source. Footnotes aren’t the typical way APA handles citations in the text; they’re more for notes or explanations, while APA relies on in-text author–year citations and a reference list. Titles of shorter works aren’t written in italics in the body of the text; italics in APA are used in the reference list for longer works (like journal names or book titles) rather than inside the running text.

In APA, the way you credit a source inside the text is by including the author and the year, and you can weave this into the sentence with a signal phrase. Using a signal phrase with the year in parentheses is a common and correct form: for example, “Brown (2019) found that…” Here, the author is part of the sentence and the year sits in parentheses, linking the claim right to the source without interrupting the flow. This approach is one of the standard in-text citation styles in APA, complementing the full reference list at the end.

If you prefer not to use a signal phrase, you can also place a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence, like “... as shown (Brown, 2019).” For direct quotes, you would add a page number or other locator, such as (Brown, 2019, p. 15). Page numbers are used for quotes and are encouraged when you’re pointing to a specific part of the source.

Footnotes aren’t the typical way APA handles citations in the text; they’re more for notes or explanations, while APA relies on in-text author–year citations and a reference list. Titles of shorter works aren’t written in italics in the body of the text; italics in APA are used in the reference list for longer works (like journal names or book titles) rather than inside the running text.

More practice questions