In APA style, what information should parenthetical citations include?

Question

• A. The page number of a direct quote or the paragraph numbers of a summary or paraphrase
• B. The author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number of a direct quote
• C. The author's last name and the page number where the information is found
• D. The title of the source and where you found it

Answer 1

In APA style, parenthetical citations should include the author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number for a direct quote. For paraphrases or summaries, only the author's last name and the year of publication are required. Therefore, the best answer to your question is:

B. The author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number of a direct quote.

For a paraphrase, it would typically include just the author's last name and the year of publication (e.g., Smith, 2020).