APA How-To: Cite A Single Source Throughout A Single Paragraph

1. A recent case study revealed that cats are often moody (Townsend, 2017). 2. As a result, cats can sometimes make people question their choice to adopt (Townsend, 2017). 3. However, all cats need in order to be enjoyable pets is positive attention from their owners (Townsend, 2017). 4. The researcher went so far as to claim that cats may soon take the place as man’s best friend, dogs (Townsend, 2017). 5. While these claims may be considered bold by some, the study actually promoted cat adoptions at the humane society featured in the study (Townsend, 2017).

1. In a case study of families who had recently adopted cats from humane societies in a small town in Minnesota, researcher Townsend (2017) discovered that cats are often moody. 2. As a result, cats can sometimes make people question their choice to adopt (Townsend, 2017). 3. However, the researcher claimed that “while cats can be moody, their temperament is often alleviated by playtime, treats, and snuggles” (p. 29). 4. The researcher went so far as to claim that cats may soon take the place as man’s best friend, dogs. 5. While these claims may be considered bold by some, Townsend’s findings promoted cat adoption at the humane society featured in their study.

• The first time you cite a source in your paragraph, always provide a citation. I do this in sentence 1 in this paragraph. This sentence also contains a signal phrase. A signal phrase occurs when you mention an article in your text.

• In clause two of sentence 1 of this paragraph, I referred to Townsend as “researcher Townsend.” I used this language as an opportunity to refer to Townsend as “the researcher” in sentences 3 and 4. This makes it so I did not have to begin one sentence with “Townsend claimed,” followed later by sentences with structure beginning with “Townsend said” or “Townsend concluded.” Beginning too many sentences with this sentence structure can create repetition and redundancy. You can consider using similar language in your own writing by referring to the writers of your source as “the organization,” “the research team,” or something similar.

• Sentence 2 in this paragraph presents an instance that must be cited because I chose to paraphrase Townsend’s ideas. Paraphrasing is unique because your readers will not know that the ideas you are presenting are not yours unless you provide a signal phrase in your sentence, such as “the researcher.” I do not refer to “the researcher” in sentence 2, so the reader will not know that these ideas are not my own without the citation.

• In sentence 3 of this paragraph, I provide a direct quote from Townsend’s article. In a signal phrase in the sentence, I refer to “the researcher,” which the reader now knows to be Townsend. This makes it so that I do not need to include the name Townsend again, or the year of publication. However, you will always need to include a page number or paragraph number when you include a direct quote in your text.

• In sentence 4, I paraphrase another idea presented by Townsend. However, I do not need to provide a citation in this sentence because I make a signal phrase to “the researcher.”

• In sentence 5, I refer to Townsend’s findings and results from their study. However, the readers were equipped with the year of publication of Townsend’s article earlier on in sentence 1, and there is no need to provide it again here.

The above text and paragraph examples illustrate the guidelines for citing one source multiple times throughout a paragraph. By varying your sentence structure, you can create flow in paragraphs where you cite one author multiple times. You can do this by incorporating effective signal phrase strategies, using paraphrasing, and by using direct quotes.