5. Citing references
In the previous step, you combined the references, using your own writing. Next, you must show where your information came from. This is called citing the reference. This page explains three rules for citing references, according to the APA format that we are using.
Indirect citations: Author, date
| Tsubaki and Yoshida (1997) explain that the law for the welfare of animals says that a person who abandons a cat must pay a fine of up to ¥30,000. |
or
| The law for the welfare of animals says that a person who abandons a cat must pay a fine of up to ¥30,000. (Tsubaki & Yoshida, 1997) |
If it is a website, you might not know the author's name. In that case, use the first word of the title. (Add the date if you know it.)
| If you are a busy person, a cat would make a better pet than a dog. This is because cats can be left alone for longer than dogs. (Behaviour) |
Direct quotations: Author, date, page
| Fogle (1999) explains that “humans are almost ideal social companions as they do not represent any kind of threat to a cat” (p.50). |
or
| “humans are almost ideal social companions as they do not represent any kind of threat to a cat” (Fogle, (1999, p.50). |
A citation within a citation
One question that often comes up is when one author is citing another author. Look at this imaginary example:
|
The
original text: |
Your
notes
|
Your
citation
|
|
Most people love cats. In fact, 53% of all Japanese homes have cats. (Yamada, 2001) So the next question is why cats are so popular.... |
More
than half of the homes in Japan have cats.
|
Cats
are popular pets in Japan. In fact, more than
half of the homes in Japan have cats. (Yamada, in Garfield, 2001) Maybe
this is because cats can stay in small apartments.
|
You only cite the source that you actually read. You list the book by Garfield (not Yamada) in your reference list.
Next, let's add the citations to the paper that we have written so far!