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APA 7th Edition Guide

This guide provides an overview of the APA citation style and provides students with basic information to begin learning and applying this style in their academic writing.

Special Situations

What is a "personal communication" and how is one cited in an APA-style paper?

Whenever a resource is not published and cannot be retrieved (in other words, does not have information needed for the source element) it is treated as a "personal communication."  Examples of "personal communications" include:

  • Personal interviews
  • Emails
  • Text messages
  • Online chats or direct messages
  • Telephone conversations
  • Live speeches
  • Memos
  • Letters

Because the reader cannot retrieve the resource, an entry for the resource is not included in the References list. However, the resource is cited in the text of the paper following this format:

  • Narrative citation:  A. B. Author (personal communication, September 30, 2020) 
  • Parenthentical Citation:  (A. B. Author, personal communication, September 30, 2020).

Note: The date provided in the in-text citation is the date that the communication took place.

Secondary Sources

A Source Found within a Source

Reference In-Text Citation

*If you are unable to track down the original source, then you will cite only the secondary source (the source that you retrieved your information from).

eBook

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year). Book title: Subtitle. Publisher. https://URL

Gilmore, B. (2009). Plagiarism: A how-not-to guide for students. Heinemann. http://www.heinemann.com

Print Book

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year). Book title: Subtitle. Publisher.

Gilmore, B. (2009). Plagiarism: A how-not-to guide for students. Heinemann.

*Your sentence will contain the name of the original work (the source that you did not use) and your in-text citation will contain the secondary source (the source that you retrieved your information from).

 

 

(Campbell, as cited in Gilmore, 2009).

OR

Campbell writes that many students plagiarize accidentally (as cited in Gilmore, 2009).