How to Work on Direct Quotes in APA Style
A text from the source that you copy word-by-word in your paper is called a direct quote. It can be a single word, sentence, or even a long passage.
To quote in APA style, you need to observe some important rules:
- Quotes containing under 40 words have double quotation marks.
- Quotes over 40 words use block quoting.
- In-text citations in APA need the author’s name, year, and number of the page(s).
According to recent research, “obesity is associated with and potentially causes a number of adverse health, social and economic outcomes” (Griffith, 2022, p. 14).
How to Cite a Direct Quote
You need to include an author’s last name when you cite a direct quote, as well as the year of publication and the page where you have found this quote. Use ‘p.’ with a page number or ‘pp.’ if there several pages are included in the search.
You can use either parenthetical or narrative citations in APA. In the former case, you place the quote’s data in parentheses right after the end of the quote, for example:
A recent study has proven that a language is “truly a trait of the species, not of a certain ‘civilized’ subset of species” (McWhorter, 2011, p. 6).
The latter case features the author’s name as a part of the sentence, with the year placed after the last name and the page number in parentheses after the citation, for example:
In his recent study, McWhorter (2011) argues that a language is “truly a trait of the species, not of a certain ‘civilized’ subset of species” (p. 6).
Don’t forget to place a complete APA reference to the source at the end of your paper, and all the data provided there should coincide with your in-text quote.
How to Quote a Source Lacking Page Numbers
Some sources, for example, web pages, do not have page numbers. In this case, you need to include an alternative locator. It can be a heading of a section or chapter. You can abbreviate it if it is too long. That may also be numbers of paragraphs. You can also use both options simultaneously. If it is a movie, a podcast, or YouTube video, use a timestamp as a locator. Let’s consider the following examples:
- A section heading: According to historical data, “in 1897, Chinese elites began to set up their own modern banks” (Chen et al., 2022, Introduction section).
- A paragraph number: Historical data indicate that “in 1897, Chinese elites began to set up their own modern banks” (Chen et al., 2022, para 3).
- A heading and paragraph number together: According to historical data, “in 1897, Chinese elites began to set up their own modern banks” (Chen et al., 2022, Introduction section, para 5).
- A timestamp: Historical data indicate that “in 1897, Chinese elites began to set up their own modern banks” (Chen et al., 2022, 02:32).
How to Cite More Than 40 Words in Block Quotes
If the citation includes 40 plus words, format it as a block quote. There are certain requirements for it in APA:
- The quote starts with a new line.
- There are no quotation marks.
- The indent of 0.5 inches is necessary.
- The quote should be double-spaced.
Block quotes can also use a parenthetical or narrative format.
Nevertheless, there is a period at the end of the quote, and the citation follows the period.
Example of the parenthetical citation
There are common causes of obesity that no one has to underestimate:
Obesity arises due to a caloric imbalance (too many calories consumed relative to expended) leading to excess weight. It is also associated with, and might be an indicator of, a potentially unhealthy balance of nutrients, for example, a diet with too many sugars and carbohydrates. Obesity can also be associated with food insecurity (the inability to regularly access a healthy diet) if, when people do have the resources and ability to obtain food, they choose low-cost calorie-dense foods with low nutritional value.” (Griffith, 2022, p. 123)
Example of the narrative citation
Griffith (2022) considers the causes of obesity like the following:
Obesity arises due to a caloric imbalance (too many calories consumed relative to expended) leading to excess weight. It is also associated with, and might be an indicator of, a potentially unhealthy balance of nutrients, for example, a diet with too many sugars and carbohydrates. Obesity can also be associated with food insecurity (the inability to regularly access a healthy diet) if, when people do have the resources and ability to obtain food, they choose low-cost calorie-dense foods with low nutritional value.” (p. 123)
Multiple Paragraphs in Block Quotes
If there are several paragraphs in a block quote, use indents for every next paragraph but for the first.
There are various causes of obesity to take into account: Obesity arises due to a caloric imbalance (too many calories consumed relative to expended) leading to excess weight. It is also associated with, and might be an indicator of, a potentially unhealthy balance of nutrients, for example, a diet with too many sugars and carbohydrates.
Obesity can also be associated with food insecurity (the inability to regularly access a healthy diet) if, when people do have the resources and ability to obtain food, they choose low-cost calorie-dense foods with low nutritional value.” (Griffith, 2022, p. 123)
Nevertheless, you should not overuse long quotes because your work will lose its uniqueness.
How to Change Direct Quotes in APA
A direct quote is an exact copy of the initial passage created by an author. However, you can make some changes if you need. For instance, you may alter the capitalized letters at the beginning and punctuation marks at the end to make the quote perfectly fit your sentence. You can also make some other minor changes.
How to Make a Quote Shorter
You may need to skip some words or ideas for saving space and meeting the word count. An ellipsis (...) is a perfect way out. Use it with leaving space before and after it. You may need to add a period before the ellipsis if the phrase you want to remove contains a sentence break.
- The use of the ellipsis: According to Willey (2012), “knowledge of language also includes … our knowledge of words” (pp.32-33).
- The use of the ellipsis together with a period: According to Willey (2012), “Through language use we constantly learn new words … So far, when we discussed ‘knowledge of language’, we were mostly concerned with the rules of how to form sentences, words, and speech sounds” (pp.32-33).
How to Make a Quote Clearer
You may need to add several words or phrases to make the overall content clearer. For instance, if the quote has a pronoun and we cannot understand who or what it is related to. Enclose the added part of the text in square brackets as a sign that it is not original.
As Chen (2022) sees it, “Modern banks were introduced by the British and other Europeans after [China] was forced to open in 1842” (p. 137).
How to Add Emphasis to the Quote
You can place the focus on some word or phrase in a quote by italicizing it and indicating that “emphasis added” with the help of square brackets, for example:
Willey (2012) argues that “adult language users have at their disposal an enormous vocabulary of, on average, an estimated 60,000 words [emphasis added]” (p. 33).
How to Indicate Errors in Quotes
The quote may contain a grammar or spelling mistake, so you should indicate it properly. Use the Latin word ‘sic’ in square brackets and italicized. It should stand right after the mistake, for example:
As Chen (2022) sees it, “Modern banks were introduced by the British and other Europeans after the country has [sic] forced to open in 1842” (p. 137).
Final Thoughts
You can see now that dealing with direct quotes in APA is easier than you may have thought. However, to quote sources correctly, you need to know certain rules and requirements that the APA citation style has. By accurately following all of them, you can make your academic paper perfect.
You may also use our reliable ‘Citation Generator’ if you experience difficulties.