An APA quote citation gives author, year, and a locator for quoted words, plus a matching reference entry.
Direct quotes can save you when wording matters, but they can also trip you up on tiny details. A missing page number, the period in the wrong spot, or a quote that should’ve been a block can cost points fast. This page gives clean models you can copy, then adjust to your source quickly.
Pick your source type below, then copy the matching pattern today.
This APA Quote Citation Example set is built for APA 7 and matches what instructors grade for in papers and reports.
Quick Map Of Quote Citations By Source Type
| Source You’re Quoting | In-Text Quote Pattern | Locator To Use |
|---|---|---|
| Printed book | (Lopez, 2022, p. 61) | Page number |
| Journal article (PDF) | (Nguyen & Patel, 2020, pp. 118–119) | Page range |
| Web page (no pages) | (Kim, 2023, para. 4) | Paragraph number |
| Web page section + paragraph | (Hassan, 2024, “Results” section, para. 2) | Section heading + paragraph |
| Ebook with stable pages | (Santos, 2019, p. 203) | Page number shown in the book |
| Report with chapter/section | (World Health Organization, 2021, Chapter 2, para. 9) | Chapter/section + paragraph |
| Video or podcast | (Reed, 2022, 3:14) | Timestamp |
| Class lecture (not retrievable) | (A. Rahman, personal communication, March 3, 2025) | Date of the message |
What An APA Quote Citation Must Contain
APA in-text citations run on one simple trio: author, year, locator. For a direct quote, the locator is not optional. APA’s own guidance on quotations says quoted words should pair with a precise place in the source.
Here’s the core pattern most students use:
- Parenthetical: “Quoted words” (Author, Year, p. X).
- Narrative: Author (Year) wrote, “Quoted words” (p. X).
Put the in-text citation right next to the quote. In most cases, the closing quotation mark comes first, then the citation, then the period. That punctuation order looks picky, but it keeps your sentence readable and consistent too.
What Counts As A Locator
A locator points to the spot where your reader can find the line you borrowed. For print sources, that’s usually a page. For websites, it may be a paragraph number, a section heading, or both. APA’s page on quoting material without page numbers lists these options.
Skip location numbers from some e-readers. They shift with font size and device, so they don’t guide a reader to the same spot.
APA Quote Citation Example For Short Quotes
Short quotes stay in your paragraph and use quotation marks. In APA style, the common cutoff is under 40 words, with 40 or more treated as a block quote.
Parenthetical Model You Can Copy
Write your sentence, add the quote, then place the citation before the period:
Students often confuse summary with copying, so instructors stress that “borrowing exact wording calls for quotation marks and a locator” (Lopez, 2022, p. 61).
Narrative Model That Keeps The Author In The Sentence
Use this when you’ve already named the writer in your own sentence:
Lopez (2022) warned that “borrowing exact wording calls for quotation marks and a locator” (p. 61).
Two Authors And Three Or More Authors
For two authors, include both surnames each time. For three or more, use the first surname plus “et al.” after the first citation, then keep using that form.
Two authors, short quote:
“A clear locator helps readers verify claims fast” (Nguyen & Patel, 2020, p. 118).
Three or more authors, short quote:
“A clear locator helps readers verify claims fast” (Nguyen et al., 2020, p. 118).
Quotes With A Page Range
If the quote spans two pages, use “pp.” and an en dash for the range:
“The same claim repeated across drafts can hide accidental copying” (Nguyen & Patel, 2020, pp. 118–119).
Tip For Citations With Multiple Quotes In One Paragraph
If you quote the same source again in the same paragraph, keep the author and year consistent, then update the page number for each new quote. That makes the trail clear for a grader.
Block Quote Citation Pattern In APA
Block quotes are for longer passages (40 words or more). They don’t use quotation marks. They start on a new line, use indentation, and keep the citation after the final punctuation.
Block Quote Layout
Below is a model with the spacing and punctuation that instructors expect. In WordPress, you can use a blockquote block and apply left indentation in your editor settings:
When you lift a full passage, readers deserve a clear path back to the source. A locator that points to the exact page or paragraph keeps your writing honest and lets others check the context without guesswork. (Lopez, 2022, p. 62)
Notice the period comes before the citation. That’s one of the main differences from a short quote inside a sentence.
Block Quote With A Narrative Lead-In
Start with your own sentence, then drop the quoted block on the next line:
Lopez (2022) described why location details matter:
When you lift a full passage, readers deserve a clear path back to the source. A locator that points to the exact page or paragraph keeps your writing honest and lets others check the context without guesswork. (p. 62)
In that second model, the author and year sit in the lead-in line, so the citation after the block can shrink to the page number only.
APA Quote Citation Patterns By Source Type
Most students get tripped up when their source doesn’t look like a textbook page. Here are models that cover the common edge cases you’ll meet in online research and course readings.
Web Pages With No Page Numbers
Use paragraph numbers when the page is long enough that a reader would struggle to find the line. If the page has clear headings, pair a shortened heading with a paragraph number.
Paragraph only:
“Plagiarism rules vary by course, so students should read the syllabus closely” (Kim, 2023, para. 4).
Section heading + paragraph:
“Students should track source notes from day one” (Hassan, 2024, “Methods” section, para. 2).
Journal Articles In A Database
If you read the article as a PDF, cite the PDF page numbers. If you read it in HTML with no stable pages, use paragraph numbers when available. Keep your reference entry pointed at the article itself, not the library login screen.
Ebooks And Course PDFs
Some ebooks show real page numbers that match print pages. Use those when they’re present. If the ebook has no pages, use chapter and paragraph numbers. For course PDFs, page numbers are usually stable, so treat them like a journal PDF.
Videos, Podcasts, And Recorded Lectures
When the quote comes from audio or video, a timestamp works better than “page.” Use the format that matches your player, like 3:14 or 1:02:08. Keep the timestamp inside the parentheses with the author and year.
“Citation mistakes pile up when students copy notes from slides” (Reed, 2022, 3:14).
Group Authors And Organization Names
If an organization wrote the source, use the organization name as the author. The first time, write it out in full. If the name is long, you can introduce an abbreviation, then use it in later citations.
First citation:
“Clear attribution helps readers verify research claims” (World Health Organization, 2021, p. 17).
Later citations:
“Clear attribution helps readers verify research claims” (WHO, 2021, p. 19).
Changes Inside Quoted Words
Sometimes a quote needs a small tweak so it fits your sentence. APA allows a few clean moves, as long as you don’t change the meaning.
Brackets For Added Clarity
Use square brackets to add a word that clears up a pronoun or missing noun:
“They [students] often forget the page number when they quote” (Lopez, 2022, p. 70).
Ellipsis For Omitted Words
Use three spaced dots to show you removed words from the middle of a quote:
“A locator … helps readers verify claims” (Nguyen & Patel, 2020, p. 118).
Italic Or Emphasis Notes
If you add emphasis, note it right after the quote in parentheses:
“A locator helps readers verify claims fast” (Nguyen & Patel, 2020, p. 118, emphasis added).
Quoting A Source Mentioned Inside Another Source
Sometimes you find a great line quoted inside a book or article, yet you can’t access the original. APA calls this an indirect or secondary citation. Cite the original author in your sentence, then cite the source you actually read in the parentheses.
Narrative style:
Garcia (1998) described citation drift as a grading headache (as cited in Lopez, 2022, p. 88).
Keep this move rare. If you can get the original source, use it and cite it directly.
Common Quote Citation Errors And Clean Fixes
| Mistake | Fix | Model |
|---|---|---|
| No locator on a direct quote | Add p./pp., para., or timestamp | (Lopez, 2022, p. 61) |
| Period placed before the in-text citation on a short quote | Move the period after the citation | “…” (Lopez, 2022, p. 61). |
| Block quote still in quotation marks | Remove quotation marks; indent the block | Block format + (Author, Year, p. X) |
| Web page cited with “p.” | Swap to para. or heading + para. | (Kim, 2023, para. 4) |
| Database URL pasted into the reference list | Use the article’s DOI or stable public URL | DOI format in reference entry |
| Et al. used for two authors | List both surnames each time | (Nguyen & Patel, 2020, p. 118) |
| Quote edited with no mark | Add brackets or ellipsis to show changes | “They [students] …” |
Make Your Reference List Match The Quote Citation
Each quote citation in your text must point to a full reference entry. The author name and year in the in-text citation must match the author and year in the reference list. If you cite an organization, keep the spelling the same in both places.
For a journal article, the reference entry usually includes author, year, article title, journal title, volume, issue, pages, and a DOI when available. For a web page, include the author or group author, the date, the page title, and the URL.
If your quote comes from a page with no date, APA allows “n.d.” in place of the year. Keep that same “n.d.” in both the in-text citation and the reference entry so your reader can match them.
Self-Check Steps Before You Submit
Run this quick pass on each direct quote you used:
- Is it a short quote or a block quote based on word count?
- Does the in-text citation include author, year, and a locator?
- Is the punctuation placed in the right spot for that quote style?
- Does the reference list include a matching entry with the same author and year?
- If you edited the quote, did you mark the change with brackets, ellipsis, or an “emphasis added” note?
If you follow those steps, your APA Quote Citation Example work will read clean and your grader can verify each quoted line fast.