Citing a sentence, a text, an entire paragraph… is that task that has always led students and authors of books and articles who are especially dedicated to the area of research and/or teaching. Often plagiarism is reported or scientific papers are suspended for incorrect use of format when quoting.

There are various styles and rules for quoting, but in this article we will focus exclusively on the APA format for quoting books.

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What is a quote?

A quotation is that phrase or expression that is extracted directly from another work to contextualize an idea or theme within a new book or research task. In other words, a quotation reinforces, contextualizes and supports the clarification of an idea to be presented.

There are several functions of citation and it will depend on the use that each author wants to make of them. They can serve to introduce a discussion, to expose the affinity with a certain author, to expand a text, to clarify an idea or simply to give a more consistent definition.

9 steps to APA compliance

In this article we will explain the steps to follow to quote a book correctly in APA format since, depending on the type of information you want to add to a new work, you can use one style or another within the same rules (textual or non-textual).

1. Gathering information

When preparing a new work, it is very important to extract basic and precise information about the author or book that you want to include, since this will enrich our thesis when clarifying a certain information. It is important to use the primary sources whenever possible .

2. Taking into account the work and the author

This step is of utmost importance since a poor choice of book or author can determine a misinterpretation of the subject or idea you want to convey to the reader. Above all, the author must have some recognition, be a specialist in the subject and whose ideas are reliable. If what you are trying to convey are the author’s ideas themselves (regardless of their quality), you must focus on that person’s words, not on the interpretation others have made of them.

3. Quote

In this case we must make an exact copy of the fragment to be extracted , transcribing faithfully and word for word this text. In this way the copied paragraph is put in quotation marks, and according to the APA regulations the name of the author or authors, the year of publication and the page from which the text is extracted must be put in brackets. For example:

The East was almost a European invention, and since ancient times, it had been the scene of romances, exotic beings, unforgettable memories and landscapes and extraordinary experiences (Edward Said, 1978, p.19).

4. Quote with emphasis on the author

First the author in question is mentioned, the year is put in brackets and finally the page is noted just behind the copied fragment. Example of the citation:

Edward Said (2002) wrote that "The Orient that I describe in my book as created in some way by the British and French conquerors, administrators, academics, travellers, artists, novelists and poets is always something that is <>" (p.10)

5. Extensive text citation

In this case it is a text with more than 40 words and it is written without quotes in a separate paragraph with indentation of 5 spaces on the left side , quoting the author first, putting the year in brackets and indicating the page at the end of the text. Here is an example:

For Sigmund Freud (1930):

The psychoanalysis he founded could be considered from a triple perspective: as a therapeutic method, as a psychic theory and as a study method of general application, susceptible then to be devoted to the analysis of the most varied cultural productions, giving rise to what he himself called “applied psychoanalysis”. (p.9)

6. Specific non-textual quotation

Quoting in a non-textual way refers to making a brief summary of a part of the work or source consulted, without copying the idea to be exposed textually. Example:

Sigmund Freud (1930) prefers to concentrate on the ways to achieve happiness…(p.29)

7. Generic indirect quotation

Only the author and the year should be cited, without the need to add the page. It is written without quotation marks:

Karl Marx (1848) refers to capital as…

8. Citing several authors

When it’s two authors, it’s easy. You write both surnames and the year: Marx and Engels (1855). When there are three or more authors, if they are quoted for the first time, you have to include the surnames of all the authors and the year. When they are cited for the second time, only the surname of the first author is written and an “et al” is added : Varoufakis et. al (1999).

9. Bibliography

Finally, we are in the final section when quoting authors of a book. In the last section of the new work or paper that has been prepared, all the bibliographical references of the citations used during the new text will be added alphabetically:

Karl M. and Friedrich E. (1848). The Communist Manifesto. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.

Said, E. (1978). Orientalism. Barcelona: Random House Mondadori.