When to use APA Citations?

I thought it might be helpful for some to have a general list of questions and answers with regard to APA citations.  Many in this class did a good job citing work during Unit 1.  However, there have been some errors that need to be worked through.  The below is focused only on in-text citations.  1.       When should citations be used?  Citations should be used anytime that you summarize, paraphrase, or quote any source.  Moreover, citations are also necessary when discussing any ideas that had an influence on your work.  Please also remember that citations should be provided at the end of each instance (quote, paraphrase) where a source was used.  Waiting until the end of the paragraph to cite a source is not acceptable APA usage.   I want to stress that quotation marks with appropriate in-text citation must be used whenever a source is copied word-for-word, regardless of how small the quote might be.  If the quote is 40 or more words, then block quotes should be used.  2.       What should be included in a citation? Authors last name, date of publication, and page number if a quote was used.  These should be in parenthesis.   For example, a paraphrased work: (Jones, 2018); for a quote:  (Jones, 2018, p.4). Another way to include a citation when paraphrasing: Jones (2018) indicated that APA style … ; Or, for a quote: Jones (2018) stated that “APA style … “ (p.14). If you quote a resource that does not contain page numbers, then include either the paragraph number or the heading (if present) with the paragraph number under the heading where the quote can be found instead.  For instance: (Jones, 2018, para. 4) or (Jones, 2018, Leadership section, para. 1). The goal here is to ensure the reader can easily locate wherein the resource the quote was taken. 3.       Citations with three to five authors: The first time you cite a particular work with three to five authors, you will name all the authors: (Jones, Smith, Brown & Anderson, 2018).  However, after the first citation, when you cite the same source again only use the first author name followed by et al: (Jones et al., 2018). If there are more than five authors, always use the name of the first author followed by et al. 4.       What if an author is not listed? In cases where the author's name is not available, cite using the first word or two of the title of the work.  This should be placed in quotation marks.  For example: (“APA Style,” 2018). 5.       What if the date is not listed? In cases where the date of the work is not provided, use: n.d. For example: (Jones, n.d.). 6.        What if I used ideas from two separate sources in the same sentence? If you paraphrased two different sources in the same sentence list the first citation, followed by a semi colon, then the next citation.  For instance: (Smith, 2018; Jones, 2017).  This covers some of the more common in-text citations we see.  If you have questions, or come across situations not covered by the above examples and need guidance, please let me know.  Purdue Owl APA is a fantastic resource; I encourage you to visit that site and review the numerous resources they have available.