How do I cite a source multiple times within the same paragraph?

If you are citing the same source multiple times in a text within the same paragraph, be sure to use the following APA guidelines:

Sentence-level in-text citation guidelines

1. The first time you use the source in the paragraph as part of the sentence, give the citation of the author’s name and year (even if you already used a parenthetical citation).

        Example: Grammer (2013) explained how practicing APA helped improve students’ writing skills.

2. The second and subsequent time you use that source in a sentence, you do not need to include the year.

        Example: Grammer also mentioned that scholarly writing fostered critical thinking skills.

Parenthetical citation guidelines

1. The first time you use the source in the paragraph, you will give the full parenthetical in-text citation (Author’s last name, year).

        Example: Writing is a learned form of communication (Grammer, 2013).

2. The second and subsequent time you use a parenthetical citation, you will still give the full in-text citation (Author’s last name, year).

        Example: Using APA allows students to have consistency with other writings in their field of study (Grammer, 2013).

Note: You will never see only the author’s last name in a parenthetical citation—the parenthetical citation must always include the year.

A few tips to remember when citing within a paragraph:

• The guidelines are different for citations that are part of the sentence and citations that are parenthetical.
• With each new author, you must follow these guidelines.
• With each new paragraph, you must follow these guidelines.

Additional Resources:

• Take a look at this blog post for more tips on how often to cite within one paragraph.

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