Citation Guide

Basic Overview of APA Style

APA APA Citation Handout: a four-page quick guide to citing in APA format

Every time you quote or paraphrase someone else’s work, you must indicate:

  • who wrote the work
  • what is it called
  • and where we (the reader) can find a copy.

You give us this information in two places:

  1. In the paragraph where you are quoting or paraphrasing. This is called a Parenthetical Citation because you will put brief information about the work in parentheses. Check out our guidelines and examples in the left-hand column.
  2. In the References page at the end of the paper. This is where you put all of the information we need to find a copy of the works you used in your paper. Check out our guidelines and examples in the left-hand column. (See the Sample Student Paper on the official APA Style Guide)