# How to Cite a Paraphrase in APA and MLA: What to Do if I Paraphrase a Paragraph

Written by [Judith Hale](https://blurwrite.com/authors/judith-hale), Academic writing coach. Published 2026-10-03. Updated on 2026-10-04.

> **Short answer:** Cite a paraphrase in APA with the author and year; add a locator when helpful. In MLA, use the author and an available relevant locator, usually a page number. Make clear which sentences come from the source, and include its full entry.

You can cite a paraphrase clearly without adding a citation to every sentence. Start with your required style, then check the wording, attribution, and matching source entry.

## How to cite a paraphrase correctly

Follow the APA or MLA branch below, not both. Rewriting makes the wording yours, but the borrowed idea still needs attribution. Identify your required style and keep the source details beside your draft before you start.

1. Rewrite the idea accurately in your own wording and structure.
2. Add the appropriate APA author-year or MLA author-location citation.
3. Make the citation’s scope clear and include the corresponding reference-list or Works Cited entry.

## Step 1: Use APA author-year citations and decide whether to add a page number

In APA, put the author and year in your sentence or in parentheses. A narrative citation begins Jones (1998) explained the idea. A parenthetical citation places (Jones, 1998) after the borrowed material, before the sentence’s final period.

APA Style’s paraphrasing guidance makes page and paragraph numbers optional. Include one when it helps readers locate a passage in a long or complex work. Both (Jones, 1998) and (Jones, 1998, p. 199) follow that guidance.

For an unpaginated source, a paragraph or section locator can help your reader find the material. It remains optional for a paraphrase. Choose a locator for its usefulness, not simply because the source is online.

When citing a paraphrase in APA with multiple authors, use the forms in the table. Notice and in narrative citations, but & inside parentheses. For three or more authors, use the first surname followed by et al.

Use the organization’s name for a group author. APA Style’s missing-information guidance substitutes the title for a missing author and n.d. for a missing date. Check the byline, organization credit, and publication date before choosing your format.

APA author formats

| Authors | Narrative | Parenthetical |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One author | Jones (1998) | (Jones, 1998) |
| Two authors | Case and Daristotle (2011) | (Case & Daristotle, 2011) |
| Three or more | Case et al. (2011) | (Case et al., 2011) |

## Step 2: Use MLA author-page citations when page numbers exist

In MLA, use the author and relevant available locator for a specific passage. An ordinary author-page citation looks like (Jones 199), without a comma or p. If your sentence names Jones, finish the paraphrase with (199).

Unlike APA’s optional paraphrase locator, MLA uses an available relevant locator to direct readers to the passage. Referring to an entire work differs from borrowing an idea from a particular page.

To cite a paraphrase from a website in MLA, use the author when there’s no pagination. If there’s no author, use a shortened title matching the Works Cited entry. Missing pagination and missing authorship are separate issues.

Don’t invent website page numbers or count paragraphs unless the source supplies usable numbering. For two authors, use (Case and Daristotle 57); for three or more, use (Case et al. 57). Check the source for an actual locator before adding your citation.

APA and MLA locator rules

| Situation | Locator treatment |
| --- | --- |
| APA paraphrase | Optional when helpful |
| MLA specific passage | Use available locator |
| MLA unpaginated website | No invented page number |

## Step 3: Make citation placement clear across paragraphs and sources

If I paraphrase a paragraph, how should I cite it in MLA? Establish attribution early, then keep the source clear throughout. A citation at the paragraph’s end isn’t automatically enough to show which earlier sentences it covers.

Name the author near the beginning and keep subsequent sentences clearly attached to that source. Renew attribution when you switch sources. APA Style specifically says to reintroduce the citation when a paraphrase continues into a new paragraph.

A synthesis needs separate attribution for separate claims. Don’t collect unrelated references at the end and leave your reader to match them to the ideas.

In APA, combine references when every listed source supports the same claim. Alphabetize them and separate them with semicolons: (Elwood et al., 2011; Figley, 2002). Read your paragraph and identify the source behind each borrowed claim.

## What a correctly cited paraphrase looks like

Imagine this teaching example: D. Jones, *Reading Notes*, Example Press, 1998, page 199. Original passage: “Keeping source details beside reading notes helps writers distinguish borrowed ideas from their own observations.”

Paraphrase: Recording citation information alongside notes makes it easier to tell personal observations apart from borrowed ideas. The revision changes the wording and sentence structure without changing the relationship between notes and attribution. Attach the appropriate citation ending from the table before the final period.

APA reference: Jones, D. (1998). *Reading notes*. Example Press. MLA Works Cited: Jones, D. *Reading Notes*. Example Press, 1998.

This APA paraphrasing example keeps the source’s idea rather than its exact phrasing. A quotation preserves exact wording; a summary condenses broader material. To paraphrase a quote and cite it, remove quotation marks around the rewritten wording, but keep attribution. Retained distinctive wording still needs quotation treatment.

Use [Blurwrite’s paraphrasing tool](/paraphrasing-tool) to develop alternative wording, then compare it with the source for meaning and attach your citation.

Citation endings for the paraphrase below

| Format | Sentence ending |
| --- | --- |
| APA without locator | (Jones, 1998). |
| APA with helpful locator | (Jones, 1998, p. 199). |
| MLA with available page | (Jones 199). |

## Common mistakes that make paraphrase citations unclear

Don’t transfer APA’s optional page-number rule into MLA. Leave quotation marks off a genuine paraphrase, include the full source entry, and avoid repeating an author already named in an MLA sentence.

A citation doesn’t fix patchwriting, wording that follows the original with a few substitutions. Lehigh’s guide calls for expressing the idea in your own words. Set the original aside, rewrite from understanding, then compare.

To cite a paraphrase in Chicago style, first identify whether you need notes and bibliography or author-date. Chicago’s citation guide separates those systems. Follow your assigned system’s locator and full-entry rules.

Fix invented website locators and unclear paragraph attribution before proofreading. Then use the [free grammar checker](/grammar-checker) to review grammar and punctuation in your finished sentences.

## A final checklist before you submit

Keep your draft and source entries open together while you check.

- Check that the paraphrase preserves the source’s meaning.
- Rewrite wording and sentence structure genuinely.
- Use the required citation style.
- Verify author, date, and locator details.
- Add an APA locator when helpful.
- Supply MLA’s available relevant locator.
- Keep attribution clear across the paragraph.
- Match every citation to a complete source entry.

- [This article on the site](https://blurwrite.com/blog/how-to-cite-a-paraphrase)