Human Development and Family Studies: Cite Your Sources APA Style

APA (American Psychological Association) citation style requires you to note in the text of your paper every time you borrow information from a source, whether you quote, paraphrase, or summarize. In-text citations are brief and are used in conjunction with a References list with more complete information about your sources.

For more information consult: Cite Your Sources: APA Style.

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is the ultimate source for using this citation style.

When you cite you indicate that information is borrowed from a source. You need to do this every time you borrow information.

Why do you cite?

• to give credit to the person or persons responsible for the work you are using.
• to allow your readers to check on how you have interpreted the source.
• to allow your readers to access the source themselves.
• to demonstrate the research you have done on your topic.
• to lend credence to the positions you take in your paper.
• to use information ethically and avoid committing plagiarism.

There are several online "engines" where you can enter information about your source and generate a citation. In addition, some databases offer help in generating formatted citations. Caution! While these tools may save time, they usually do not generate error-free citations. You need to check the citations carefully using the The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition, or another reputable source based on the Publication Manual.