Referencing: Quoting

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In-text referencing/In-text citations

In-text referencing (also known as in-text citations) help you to acknowledge the original author/s of the sources you are using within the body or text of your work.  The in-text reference/in-text citation provides just enough information to allow the reader to identify the full source details which you have included in your reference list.
 

In the APA system of referencing, the in-text reference/citation must include the author’s surname or organization name and the year the source was produced.  For example:

• Smith, 2017

• Mission Australia, 2019  

There are two ways of using in-text referencing/citations in your work: Paraphrasing/indirect citations and using direct quotes.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing means putting the work of others into your own words.  You must still acknowledge the author/s of the original work and the date of the source’s production within the sentence you are paraphrasing or in brackets at the end of the sentence.

Paraphrasing is often encouraged instead of using direct quotes because it demonstrates that you understand the main ideas/arguments of the author/s you are citing and helps you to form a clear ‘voice’ within your work because your words are not directly connected to the original work.  

Paraphrasing can be tricky to master.  Remember, you must always avoid plagiarism.  

TOP TIPS

• If you are still learning to paraphrase, avoid simply replacing words with synonyms or simply re-arranging the structure of the original sentence.  
• Allow time between note taking and constructing your assignment so you can distance your ideas from the original work and avoid plagiarism.  
• If you are still struggling, ask your teacher or a librarian for help.  
• If at times, you still cannot do it, it is better to use a direct quote than to plagiarise.

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Direct Quotes

Direct quotes allow you to use quotation marks to acknowledge the exact words of the author/s work.  This method can be preferred over paraphrasing/indirect citations when the original wording is strong and engaging, from a person of authority on the topic or when the quote is difficult to paraphrase. 

You should acknowledge the author/s of the work in brackets at the end of the sentence (e.g. Smith, 2017) or if the quote comes from a particularly authoritative source, you can introduce the author/s and their credentials at the start of the sentence then introduce the quote (see Example B below).

No quote should ever be an island.  That is, no sentence should include only a direct quote (see Example A below).

Example A: “Resilience is not static and may be impacted by changing risk and protective factors at different ages and developmental stages” (Hunter, 2012).

Instead, the sentence would be better if the author was introduced.

Example B: According to Cathryn Hunter (2012), a research officer from the Australian Institute of Family Studies, “resilience is not static and may be impacted by changing risk and protective factors at different ages and developmental stages.”

By giving some context to the quoted words and information about the author's credentials, the argument is given greater credibility and demonstrates that information has been gathered from reliable, authoritative sources.

Integrating Evidence from Sources into your writing

Secondary Sources (as cited in)

See here for how to reference source/s cited within a primary source (using 'as cited in').