If “Anonymous” is the identified author of a work (versus there being no stated author),
cite “Anonymous” in the citation instead of the author's last name
(American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 177). For example, (Anonymous, 2005, p. 42).
If the work does not have an author,
cite the source by its title in the signal phrase
or use the first word or two in the parentheses. Titles of books and reports are italicized; titles of articles, chapters, and web pages are in quotation marks.
How do you quote someone you don't know?
Use double quotation marks (“”) around a
direct quote
. A direct quote is a word- for-word report of what someone else said or wrote. You use the exact words and punctuation of the original.
How do you cite when you don't know the source?
If a source is missing both the author or publication date, the citation will include the title,
“n.d.” for “no date,” and the source
. Make sure that there is no identifiable author. Sometimes the author is a company or other group rather than an individual.
Should anonymous be capitalized?
Only use the capitalized word “Anonymous” in place of the author's name when it's overtly designated
, not as a general substitute for a reference with an unknown author.
How do you properly quote someone?
Use quotation marks only
when quoting someone's exact words
, either spoken or written. This is called a direct quotation. “I prefer my cherries chocolate covered,” joked Alyssa. Jackie kept repeating, “Good dog, good dog!”
How do you properly quote a quote?
- Double quotation marks are used for the first quotation.
- Single quotation marks are used for a quotation within a quotation.
- Double marks are used for a further quotation inside that, etc.
Can you reference something you haven't read?
Always cite the source you use or read
. However, you need to make it clear that a secondary source is being cited, e.g. … In this example you cite the original source (the one you haven't seen), then add the words ‘quoted in' or ‘reported in' then add details of the source you have seen.
Do I cite the original source or secondary?
Citing a source that you found in another source is known as using a secondary source. You should
always try to read and cite the original work
(the primary source). If it is not possible to do this, you have to cite the original as contained in the secondary source.
What if there is no date for APA in-text citation?
If there is definitely no date posted or date updated, APA uses the
abbreviation n.d.
(short for “no date”) in the parenthesis where the date would normally go in your citation: (n.d.)
When a source has no known author,
use a shortened title of the work instead of an author name
. Place the title in quotation marks if it's a short work (such as an article) or italicize it if it's a longer work (e.g. plays, books, television shows, entire Web sites) and provide a page number if it is available.
When a web page has no identifiable author, cite
in the text the first few words of the reference list entry
, usually the title and the year, note the title of the web page is italicised. References: Title of web page or document Year, Publisher (if applicable), viewed Day Month Year,
How do you cite a confidential document?
If you have permission, cite a confidential document as
a “Personal Communication”
since it is not retrievable by anyone else. Since the information isn't retrievable, the resource is cited within the text but not on the References page, according to the APA guidelines
How do you cite a famous quote from someone?
How do you cite a quote from a person in APA? Using In-text Citation APA in-text citation style uses
the author's last name and the year of publication
, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14).
How do you quote someone famous?
All well-known quotations that are attributable to an individual or to a text require citations. You should quote a famous saying
as it appears in a primary or secondary source and then cite that source
.
