Learning how do you apa cite a quote is one of the most practical skills in academic writing, because a quotation must be accurate, clearly marked, and traceable to its source. In short, how do you apa cite a quote in APA Style, seventh edition? You place short quotations inside quotation marks with an in-text citation that includes the author, year, and page or paragraph number, and you place longer quotations as a separate block without quotation marks. This guide answers how do you apa cite a quote step by step, with examples for narrative and parenthetical citations, short and long quotations, and sources without page numbers.
Quotations matter because they let readers check your evidence and distinguish your ideas from the ideas of others. A paraphrase restates a source in your own words, while a quotation reproduces the source’s exact wording, so quotations carry a higher standard of accuracy. When you ask how do you apa cite a quote, you are really asking three questions at once: how to format the quoted words, what information the citation must contain, and where that citation belongs in the sentence. This article answers all three, using APA seventh edition as the reference.
How Do You APA Cite a Quote Under 40 Words?
For a short quotation, meaning fewer than 40 words, the answer to how do you apa cite a quote is to keep the quotation inside the sentence, in double quotation marks, with the citation close by. In a parenthetical citation, the pattern is: Author (Year, p. Page) wrote, or the quoted sentence ends with the citation in parentheses before the final full stop. For example, a parenthetical form looks like this: The guide states that careful citation protects readers and writers alike (Smith, 2023, p. 42). In a narrative citation, the author and year appear in the sentence itself, and only the page number follows the quotation.
Punctuation is part of getting this right. In a parenthetical short quotation, the full stop comes after the closing parenthesis, not before it, because the citation is part of the sentence. In a narrative citation, the page number in parentheses comes immediately after the quotation, before the final full stop. If the quotation itself ends with a question mark or exclamation mark, keep that mark inside the quotation marks and still add the citation and full stop as required. These small details are what markers and editors check when they ask how do you apa cite a quote correctly.
How Do You APA Cite a Quote of 40 Words or More?
For a long quotation of 40 words or more, how do you apa cite a quote changes: you use a block quotation. Start the quotation on a new line, indent the whole block by half an inch from the left margin, double-space it like the rest of the paper, and do not use quotation marks around the block. The citation comes after the final punctuation of the block, in parentheses, for a parenthetical block, or in the introductory sentence for a narrative block. Counting words means counting every word in the quotation, including articles and short words, so count carefully before choosing the format.
Block quotations should be introduced with a sentence that explains why the passage matters, rather than dropped into the text without context. A good introduction names the author or the idea, then lets the block speak for itself, and a follow-up sentence can explain how the quotation supports your argument. Overusing long quotations can weaken an essay, because readers want your analysis as well as your evidence, so use block quotations sparingly, for passages where the exact wording is essential. When you ask how do you apa cite a quote in block form, remember the three markers: new line, indentation, and no quotation marks.
How Do You APA Cite a Quote Without a Page Number?
Many online sources have no page numbers, and APA provides alternatives for exactly that situation. When you ask how do you apa cite a quote from a webpage, an ebook without stable pages, or a video transcript, use a paragraph number, a section heading, or a timestamp instead of a page number. For a paragraph, write para. followed by the number, for a section, give the heading shortened if needed, and for audiovisual material, give the timestamp where the quoted words occur. For example, a webpage citation might read (Lee, 2024, para. 5), while a video citation might read (Garcia, 2022, 03:14).
If a source has neither page numbers nor paragraph numbers, use a clear section heading to help readers locate the passage. Keep the heading concise, and if the heading is long, shorten it while keeping the meaning clear. The goal is always locatability: a reader should be able to find the quoted words quickly, even without a printed page. That principle also applies to quotations from sources with chapter or section numbers, where the section can be given alongside the paragraph count if that helps.
APA Quote Citation Patterns at a Glance
| Quotation type | Format | Citation example |
|---|---|---|
| Short, parenthetical | Quotation marks, citation before full stop | (Smith, 2023, p. 42) |
| Short, narrative | Author and year in sentence, page after quote | Smith (2023) notes the point (p. 42). |
| Long, block | New line, indented, no quotation marks | Citation after final punctuation |
| No page, webpage | Paragraph number | (Lee, 2024, para. 5) |
| No page, video | Timestamp | (Garcia, 2022, 03:14) |
Related citation guides include in-text citations for multiple authors, citing two authors in text, and citing films in APA style. Together with this answer to how do you apa cite a quote, those guides cover the most common in-text citation patterns students and researchers need.
Common Mistakes When You APA Cite a Quote
Common mistakes include omitting the page or paragraph locator, changing the quoted wording without marking the change, and placing the citation after the full stop in a short parenthetical quotation. Another frequent error is using quotation marks around a block quotation, or failing to indent the block, which makes a long quotation look like ordinary text. Changes inside a quotation must be marked: use square brackets for added or altered words, and use an ellipsis, three spaced dots, for omitted words, while keeping the original meaning intact. If you add emphasis, note that emphasis was added, following APA guidance.
A further mistake is quoting too much and analysing too little. A quotation should support an argument, not replace it, so follow most quotations with your own explanation of what the passage shows and why it matters. Also check that every in-text citation matches a full reference-list entry, because a quotation without a reference entry cannot be traced. Finally, verify the quotation against the original source, not against a secondary summary, because copying a quotation from another author’s paper risks repeating their errors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you apa cite a quote in a sentence?
For a short quotation, put the quoted words in quotation marks and add an in-text citation with author, year, and page or paragraph number. That is the core answer to how do you apa cite a quote in APA seventh edition.
Do block quotations use quotation marks?
No, a block quotation of 40 words or more is indented on a new line and does not use quotation marks. The citation follows the final punctuation of the block.
What if the source has no page number?
Use a paragraph number, a section heading, or a timestamp for audiovisual sources, so readers can still locate the quoted passage.
Do I need a reference-list entry for a quotation?
Yes, every in-text citation for a quotation must have a matching full entry in the reference list, with the same author and year.
How Do You APA Cite a Quote with Multiple Authors?
When you ask how do you apa cite a quote from a work with more than one author, the formatting of the quotation itself stays the same, but the citation changes with the number of authors. In APA seventh edition, a work with two authors names both authors in every citation, joined by and in a narrative citation and by an ampersand in a parenthetical citation. A work with three or more authors uses the first author’s surname followed by et al. in every citation, which keeps longer author lists manageable. The page or paragraph locator still follows the year, exactly as it does for a single-author quotation.
For example, a short parenthetical quotation from a two-author work would include both surnames, the year, and the page, while a three-author work would use the first surname plus et al. before the year and locator. The reference-list entry, by contrast, lists up to twenty authors in full, so the shortened in-text form does not mean the other authors are omitted from the paper. Learning how do you apa cite a quote with multiple authors is therefore mostly about learning the et al. rule and the and versus ampersand distinction, while the quotation formatting rules remain unchanged.
Quoting a source you found in another source
Occasionally you may need to quote a source that you found quoted in another work, known as a secondary source. APA guidance is to cite the secondary source in text, naming the original work and then the work you actually read, while only the secondary source appears in the reference list. Use secondary quotations sparingly, because quoting from the original is always preferable when it is available. When you ask how do you apa cite a quote in this situation, the key point is transparency: readers should know which source you actually consulted, so they can trace the quotation accurately.
Conclusion
In conclusion, how do you apa cite a quote comes down to a few consistent rules: short quotations go in quotation marks with author, year, and locator; long quotations become indented blocks without quotation marks; and sources without pages use paragraphs, headings, or timestamps. Apply those patterns, check every quotation against its original, and match each citation to a reference-list entry, and your quotations will be accurate, traceable, and ready for academic readers.