To cite a paraphrase in APA style, you should include an in-text citation with the author's last name and the year of publication immediately after the paraphrased information. Including a page or paragraph number is optional but recommended when it helps readers locate the original passage, especially in longer works. For example:
- Paraphrase with parenthetical citation: (Hunt, 1993)
- Paraphrase with narrative citation: Hunt (1993) found that...
If the paraphrase spans multiple sentences within one paragraph, cite the source at the first mention; subsequent sentences do not need repeated citations as long as it is clear the paraphrase continues. If the paraphrase continues into a new paragraph, reintroduce the citation at the start of that paragraph. When paraphrasing multiple sources within the same paragraph, cite each source where its information begins
. In MLA style, the in-text citation for a paraphrase includes the author's last name and the page number without a comma, placed at the end of the paraphrased sentence, for example: (Bhattacharyya and Berdahl 1081)
. In summary:
- Use author and year for APA; author and page number for MLA.
- Place the citation immediately after the paraphrased text.
- Include page numbers in APA optionally, recommended for clarity.
- Repeat citations if paraphrase spans new paragraphs or multiple sources.
This ensures proper credit to the original author and avoids plagiarism.
