APA Style Quotes and References

Do your best to introduce each quote, and indicate its connection to your research. Avoid dropping quotes into the text as if they "dropped out of the sky." You can do this by choosing the right verb (Anderson claims, or Sanchez disagrees, or Bingham suggests, or "Other authorities support this claim," or some similar introduction. A quotation of 40 or fewer words should be enclosed in double quotation marks, and is most often followed by the author's or authors' name(s) in parentheses, the year of publication, and the page number it appeared on in the original text, separated by commas. Use the abbreviation "p." with a period, to indicate the page number.

Example: "There is no evidence to suggest a correlation between an advanced vocabulary and repeated exposure to vocabulary tests either preceding or following the subject's reading of a passage" ( Hampton, 1991, p. 57 ). Note that the period goes outside the parentheses.

The author's name may also precede the quote, embedded in the text. The year and page number may follow the quote, or be included with the author's name.

Example: Among the researchers who support this theory is Morrisey (1994, p. 71), who claimed, "When children are told they will be tested on a passage following the reading, chances are, they will approach it in a much different way than if they are not told a test will follow."

Or: Morrisey disagrees with this theory, suggesting, "When children are told they will be tested on a passage following the reading, chances are, they will approach it in a much different way than if they are not told a test will follow" (1994, p. 71).

If the quote is more than 40 words, display it in a free-standing, double- spaced block, indented five spaces from the left margin. Type all lines of the quote flush with this indent. Do not use quotation marks in a quote of over 40 words. If the quote is more than a paragraph, indent the first line of all paragraphs an additional five spaces from the left margin. For a long quotation, indicate the author and year before the quote, and follow the quote with the page number, in parentheses, with the period at the close of the quote.

Example: Shafton's (1988) study concluded the following:
A majority of the participants indicated greater reading pleasure with the absence of vocabulary exercises either preceding or following the passage; in addition, those who were asked to complete such exercises displayed no difference in word recognition when tested three weeks later, on the vocabulary featured in the passage, than those who were not tested. (p. 271)

When citing two authors, include both names, separated by an ampersand (Shafton & Wilkerson, 1989, p.18); if the studies are separate, include the year and page number for all authors, separated by a semicolon (Shafton, 1989, p. 90; Wilkerson, 1988, p. 112; Breitan and Ryerson, 1993, p. 12). If the author cites another source within a long quote, use double quotation marks. If an author cites another source within a short quotation, use single quotation marks.

Example of a quote within a long quotation:

Danielson (1991) suggests the following:
Memory for vocabulary seems to have little correlation to vocabulary drills either preceding or following the reading of a passage. In fact, Schaefer (1984, p. 87) suggests that testing students' knowledge of unfamiliar words may have an adverse effect, stating, "Testing may, in fact, inhibit the processing of unfamiliar vocabulary, as it tends to produce anxiety in the readers." Educators may well reexamine their tendency to use these drills to insure the desired increase in word recognition. (p. 145)

For a quote within a short quote:

Rachman (1987) encourages the use of book talks, claiming, "Verbalizing their reactions to a reading, in most cases, serves as a greater measure of students' understanding than vocabulary and comprehension checks, which Baker (1995, p.81) labels 'detrimental to the development of budding readers' " (p.51).

If you need to make any changes within a quote to make it fit your text, for example, the wording or the verb tense, use brackets to indicate the changes are yours.

Example: Thomason (1992) agrees, claiming, "No attempt [should be] made to discourage a reader from attempting a passage above his/her perceived reading level" (p.66).

Use italics to indicate emphasis on a word or words, and follow the sentence with the words [italics added], in brackets. Use three ellipses to indicate omitted words within a sentence -- "Every effort must be made ... to provide the students with a comfortable reading environment" -- and four ellipses to indicate omitted material between two sentences.