Taken from Rasmussen University:

rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/32328

Q. Can I use one citation at the end of a multiple sentence

paragraph, or do I have to cite for every sentence?
Answer

When you summarize or paraphrase someone else's information in several sentences or more, it
feels awkward to put in a citation at the end of each sentence you write. It is also awkward to
read! However, technically, APA demands that your reader knows exactly what information you
got from someone else and when you start using it. Thus, an end-of-paragraph citation
does not meet that requirement. 
Solution:  Use a lead-in at the beginning of your paragraph. Basically, introduce the source
you are summarizing or paraphrasing at the beginning of the paragraph. Then, refer back to the
source when needed to ensure your reader understands you are still using the same source. 
For examples of the "bad," the "ugly," and the "good," please see below:
Bad. In this paragraph, the citation occurs only at the end, and the reader does not know exactly
when/where information comes from the source. Do not do this:
Frogs are excellent indicator species to measure wetland health. They are very sensitive to
changes in pH caused by acid rain, and they are also very sensitive to different types of pollution.
When frog populations in a wetland plummet, one can be sure that something is going wrong in
the wetland. When oddities in frog morphology appear, like frogs with five legs or two heads, one
can assume something is going wrong in the wetland environment (Willemssen, 2010).
Correct, but Ugly. This paragraph is technically correct for APA, but it is difficult to read in large
part because the in-text citations are intrusive and awkward:
Frogs are excellent indicator species to measure wetland health. They are very sensitive to
changes in pH caused by acid rain, and they are also very sensitive to different types of pollution
(Willemssen, 2010). When frog populations in a wetland plummet, one can be sure that
something is going wrong in the wetland (Willemssen, 2010). When oddities in frog
morphology appear, like frogs with five legs or two heads, one can also assume something is
going wrong in the wetland environment (Willemssen, 2010).
Good. These paragraphs are "APA correct" and easy to read. Note the reader knows exactly
when/where information from the source is used:
Sample 1
Frogs are excellent indicator species to measure wetland health. According to a recent study by
Willemssen (2010), frogs are very sensitive to changes in pH caused by acid rain, and they are
also very sensitive to different types of pollution. The study notes that when frog populations in a
wetland plummet, one can be sure that something is going wrong in the wetland. When oddities
in frog morphology appear, like frogs with five legs or two heads, one can assume something is
going wrong in the wetland environment (Willemssen, 2010).
Sample 2
Frogs are excellent indicator species to measure wetland health.  Willemssen (2010) relates to
research conducted recently in Wisconsin that shows that frogs are very sensitive to changes in
pH caused by acid rain, and they are also very sensitive to different types of pollution. Her
research indicates that when frog populations in a wetland plummet, one can be sure that
 something is going wrong in the wetland. Also, she finishes by noting that when oddities in frog
morphology appear, like frogs with five legs or two heads, one can also assume something is
going wrong in the wetland environment.
Sample 3
Frogs are excellent indicator species to measure wetland health.  Willemssen (2010) recently
conducted research in Wisconsin that shows that frogs are very sensitive to changes in pH
caused by acid rain, and they are also very sensitive to different types of pollution. Willemssen's
research indicates that when frog populations in a wetland plummet, one can be sure that
something is going wrong in the wetland. One very telling quote from Willemssen's research is
that "87% of wetlands where two-headed frogs are found have high levels of environmental
contamination" (p. 341). 

Topics

 APA
 Reading and Writing

 Last UpdatedJun 08, 2021

 Views1023179
 Answered ByDennis Johnson, Criminal Justice & Paralegal Librarian

FAQ Actions
Was this helpful? Yes 225  No 45

 Print

 Tweet

 Share on Facebook

Comments (19)
1. Bravo. Its people like yourself that make the internet useful!

by Ryan on Aug 25, 2015.

2. I found this extremely helpful when writing my first APA style paper, however I do have one more
question about citations that was not answered above.

I'm currently assigned an APA paper in which I had to read a book and answer questions. After talking
with my professor, I learned that using other sources was allowed but discouraged for this specific
assignment. My question is, how can I properly cite the information in my paper when I only used the
one source? As your example above, that would work very well for one paragraph. Should I use that
format throughout the entirety of the paper? (Even though it looks terrible?)

Sara, Librarian: Sam,
Yes, we suggest that you use the same format throughout your paper - even if it looks terrible. Usually
 papers will have more than one source and thus not look quite so awkward. But for one source, we
suggest the same format and style.

by Sam on Nov 07, 2015.

3. Is it okay to start out with the author's last names with the date and at the end of the paragraph an intext
citation?

For example, Smith (2015) .... (paraphrased statements)....and at the end of the last sentence (Smith,
2015).

Sara, Librarian: Your example is providing two citations for one sentence. You could do that, but it's not
technically APA correct, nor is it necessary.

by Hussein on Nov 13, 2015.

4. THANK YOU! The Purdue site that always comes up as the top result when searching for this was no
help at all, but this was exactly what I needed. Having done mostly history in undergrad, I'm having a
rough time transitioning to APA for grad school.

by Portia on Nov 13, 2015.

5. What if I have to cite about 21-35 sources throughout my APA paper and I am only allowed to cite the
source twice, differently and not consecutively?

Sara, Librarian: Hi Kathy, APA has no minimum or maximum requirements for the citing of any one
source, nor are there any reasons why you can't cite consecutively. So I'm going to assume that these
are additional parameters set up by your instructor. 21-35 sources is a lot, but not uncommon in longer
papers. If you have multiple sources that state similar facts, you should be able to ensure that you're not
citing the same source consecutively. And varying between an in-text citation such as: "Smith (2010)
said that chickens lay eggs...." and an end-of-sentence citation like: "Chickens tend to flock together
(Smith, 2010, p. 2)" will count as a different type of citation for the same source.
Use your best judgment, and when in doubt, ask your instructor for help or clarification.

by Kathy on Apr 13, 2016.

6. This is so helpful. What about when reading material for your paper? There are so many research
papers written in such a manner that one can't tell what part is the author's words/ideas and what part is
paraphrased. How can one tell from the other. If am reading material and i find an idea/sentence in
between two citations that i may want to paraphrase for in my work for example;

According to Linda (2015) blah blah.......blah blah. Groups blah blah blah........blah blah. Peters (2009)
noted that blah blah blah....blah.

If i want to use the middle sentence "Groups blah blah blah.....blah blah" how can i know that's the
authors words and not part of paraphrased work from the two cited sources?

Sara, Librarian: Hi Nancy, this is a great example of a time when critical thinking skills come into play.
It's not always easy to tell when an author is paraphrasing another author's work or if they are stating
something in their own words. Use your best judgment in these cases. The whole idea of citing a source
is to be able to point your readers to the work you used when you did your research.

by Nancy on Jun 05, 2016.

7. When paraphrasing information from a textbook, are you required to include the textbook name as well
as the author in the paragraph or just the author?

Kate, Librarian: When paraphrasing and creating an in-text citation, you will use the author's name(s)
and the date only. For example, (Smith, 2016). The textbook or book's title will be included in the
reference page, and not in the in-text citation.

by Brittany Keen on Aug 07, 2016.

8. That is really helpful. Thank you for taking the time to articulate this. :)

by Kevin on Aug 16, 2016.

9. Thank you. This is the first site I have seen anywhere that outlines this clearly with the bad, correct but
ugly, good examples. May I ask, is this the same for MLA? Obviously you don't need to put in the year
for MLA--but I mean as far as how you handle successive citations for the same source in a paragraph of
paraphrase?

Sara, Librarian Reply: For MLA style, Seneca Libraries actually has a great example of what the
repeated use of one source in a paragraph could look like See the Seneca Libraries guide - box in the
lower right corner of the page.

by George--English Teacher on Dec 19, 2016.

10. So another question--I read on your cite as I have on the OWL that successive parenthetical citations
from a print source should initially be listed as (Lastname 323). And for each parenthetical citation
thereafter without changing to a new source, you can leave out the author's last name and simply put in
the page number (323). Well for sources where you have no page number, can you simply leave out a
citation entirely because it's understood, use a signal phrase, or just include the citation again? So...
(Lastname)...(Lastname)? I'm assuming signal phrase or repeatedly citing it unlike a print source is the
answer. Thank you!

Sara, Librarian Reply Hi George, since Rasmussen College uses only APA for references and citations,
we are not the best people to ask about MLA citations. We recommend you check out the MLA Style
Center for help with citations - they have an FAQ center that may have the answers you're looking for.

by George on Dec 20, 2016.

11. YES! This was incredibly helpful. As I was writing a focused summary for sociology, I was becoming
incredibly bogged down with all the in text citations, trying to figure out if there was anyway to make it
less unwieldy and awkward. This is perfect! Thanks s'much!

by Weston on Jan 30, 2017.

12. Can I make my in-text citation possessive? Can I write, "Willemssen's (2010) study suggests ..."?

Sara, Librarian Reply: Hi Kevin, yes, you can make your in-text citation possessive. Your example is
spot on!

by Kevin Wallace on Feb 12, 2017.

13. This is an excellent explanation with examples, but is specific for APA. Could it also be used for Harvard
style?

Sara, Librarian Reply: Yes, this could also be used for Harvard Style. Check out the University of
Western Australia's example here.

by Val on Mar 15, 2017.

14. If I am paraphrasing different aspects of one article in a single paragraph, can I introduce the introduce
the author/date initially, then write the different page numbers throughout?
Ex: According to Source (2017), blah blah blah............... (p. 1268). Personal commentary. Paraphrasing
again, blah, blah........... (p. 1272).

Sara, Librarian Reply: The short answer is no. First, paraphrased citations in APA do not require page
numbers, only quotations do. Second, if you include a page number at the end of a sentence (per your
example) you also need to have the Author and Date in that same citation - either at the beginning of
your sentence or in the parenthesis with your page number.

by Jessica on Apr 19, 2017.

15. I understand how to use a lead-in for a more "neat" appearance when writing a paragraph in APA style
with the same source. However, must I always refer to "the study," or "the author" in each sentence?
Would the following example be correct according to APA?

[Name of book] is a critical review of the fashion industry (Author, 2013). The book reflects the
experiences of those working in fashion design. The industry is described in a negative light throughout
the text. Pay cuts and layoffs were a common occurrence in many of the companies mentioned (Author,
2013).

I hope this example illustrates my question... I would like to know if I must start every sentence in the
paragraph with "The author" or "She" or "The study/book/article," etc.

Sara, Librarian Reply: Hi Kat, You don't need to start every sentence in the paragraph with "The
author" or "She," your example (as long as it is formatted correctly in APA) would be just fine.

by Kat on Sep 05, 2017.

16. Thank you. This site is very helpful as a faculty to help answer some of my questions and to refer
students for individual and group help.

by Dianne Johnson on Mar 12, 2018.

17. Thank you for this excellent explanation. I regularly send my students here whenever they ask about this
topic. I couldn't say it any better myself. Thanks!

by Emily Thornton on Oct 14, 2019.

18. Thank you clarifying this topic for me. This is, by far, the most informative site on APA in-text citations.

by Smith, V on Dec 05, 2019.

19. This is the most valuable info on this issue that's I've found. Muchas Gracias!

by CH on Sep 26, 2020.