I'm so used to using MLA that I'm struggling with citing in-text using APA.
"Metropolitan areas with high concentrations of employment in higher paying occupations also tend to have greater inequality.” (Cunningham, 2015).
Does that look right? Do I need to list a page number from the article that I'm using as my source, and do I put another period at the end of the parenthesis?
Thanks
-MC
You are correct here. You cite the author and year in parentheses. No period is needed after the parenthetical. Your source list begins with the author's last name, so it's easy for the reader to find the source reference that way. If you have used more than one article or book by the same author (or two with the same last name), the date identifies which has been cited. It makes perfect sense.
Thank you!
-MC
You are very welcome!
Citing in-text using APA style can be a bit different from MLA style. Let me explain how to correctly cite this source and address your specific questions.
In APA style, when citing a direct quote, you generally need to include the author's last name and the year of publication, as you have done: (Cunningham, 2015). However, if the source is a webpage or does not have page numbers, you can omit the page number from the citation.
Regarding the period at the end of the parenthesis, you do not need to include an additional period. The period at the end of the sentence is sufficient. So your citation would look like this:
"Metropolitan areas with high concentrations of employment in higher-paying occupations also tend to have greater inequality” (Cunningham, 2015).
Remember, while the period at the end of the sentence is not part of the citation, it should still be included in the regular sentence punctuation.
If you were paraphrasing or summarizing instead of directly quoting from the source, you would still include the author's last name and the year of publication, but without quotation marks.
I hope this helps clarify how to properly cite in-text using APA style. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!