Citing Online Business Resources using APA Style (7th Edition)

An in-text citation is needed when you refer to, summarize, paraphrase, or quote from another source. For every in-text citation in your paper, there must be a corresponding entry in the reference list of the paper. (The only exception to this is personal communications, which are cited in-text but are not included on the references list.)

• APA format uses the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the last name of the author(s) or the name of the group author and the year of publication should appear in the text. 
• In-text references can be either parenthetical or narrative. 

Parenthetical

Successful engagement in the flipped classroom is dependent upon early buy-in from students (Gilboy et al., 2015).

Narrative

A study conducted by Gilboy et al. (2015) showed that successful engagement in the flipped classroom is dependent upon early buy-in from students. 
  

In 2015, Gilboy et al. conducted a study of flipped classrooms and concluded that successful engagement was dependent upon early buy-in from students. 

Number of authors and abbreviations:

• For a work with one or two authors, include the name(s) in every citation:
  • (Smith, 2018)
  • (Gonzalez & Ferreira, 2010)
• For a work with three or more authors, include the name of the first author plus “et al.” in every citation, unless doing so would create ambiguity:
  • (Johnson et al., 2019)
• The name of a group author can sometimes be abbreviated. Use the full name in the first citation and use the abbreviation in subsequent citations:
  • First citation: (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020)
  • Subsequent citations: (CDC, 2020)

Dates in Citations:

• The year in the in-text citation should match the year in the reference list entry.
• Use only the year in the in-text citation, even if the reference list entry contains a more specific date (e.g., year, month, and day).
  • (Shah, 2021)
• For works with no date, use “n.d.” in the in-text citation.
  • (Deloitte, n.d.)

Citations with same author and date:

• When multiple works cited in a paper have the same author and date you must differentiate between them to avoid ambiguity in the corresponding in-text citation. Add a lower case letter, starting with ‘a’ and continuing sequentially, after the year in both the reference list entry and the in-text citation
  • The format for references with years is 2020a, 2020b, 2020c
    • (Smith, 2020a), (Smith, 2020b)
  • The format for references with no date is n.d.-a, n.d.-b, n.d.-c
    • (Deloitte, n.d.-a)  (Deloitte, n.d.-b)

Quotations:

• In-text citations for quotations should also include a page number. If there isn't a page number, use a paragraph number, section heading or time stamp (for audiovisual material). For example:
  • (Yu et al., 2019, p. 25)
  • (ExxonMobil, n.d., Protecting the Environment section)
• Short quotations (fewer than 40 words) appear in the text of the sentence surrounded by double quotations.
• Use block quotation style for long quotations (40 words or more).

Short quotations (fewer than 40 words) appear in the text of the sentence surrounded by double quotations.

Parenthetical

A recent study on sustainable fashion consumption shows "there is a clear matching of the associated costs of sustainable fashion with increased perceptions of value" (Lundblad & Davies, 2015, p. 159).

Narrative

In their study on sustainable fashion consumption, Lundblad and Davies (2015) found that "there is a clear matching of the associated costs of sustainable fashion with increased perceptions of value" (p. 159). 

Use block quotation style for long quotations (40 words or more).

Parenthetical

To be an anti-racist is to actively fight against the system of racism:

The opposite of racist isn't 'not racist.' It is 'anti-racist.' What's the difference? One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist, or racial equality as an anti-racist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an anti-racist. One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an anti-racist. There is no in-between safe space of 'not racist. (Kendi, 2019, p. 9)

Narrative

Kendi (2019) explains what it means to be anti-racist:

The opposite of racist isn't 'not racist.' It is 'anti-racist.' What's the difference? One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist, or racial equality as an anti-racist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an anti-racist. One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an anti-racist. There is no in-between safe space of 'not racist. (p. 9)