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To cite a secondary source in APA 7th edition, name the original work in your sentence, add “as cited in” and then give the work you actually read. In the reference list you include only the work you read, never the original. This guide gives the template with every element named, worked examples, the narrative and parenthetical versions, and the errors that most often appear in manuscripts and theses.
A secondary source citation is used when you cite an idea, finding or quotation that you found inside another source and could not read in the original. University library guides agree on the mechanics, and one of them adds the point that matters most in a thesis: citing through a secondary source is generally to be avoided, because you are expected to have read the works you cite.
The format
Every secondary source citation has two parts that must match each other: an in-text citation that names both works, and a reference-list entry that describes only the work you read.
- Original author and year (in text). The author, and where known the year, of the work you did not read. Example form: Okafor (2012).
- “as cited in” (in text). The linking phrase. It goes inside the parentheses, after the original author and year.
- Secondary source author and year (in text). The work you read, in the same author-date form as any other APA in-text citation.
- Reference-list entry. Only the secondary source, formatted as the type of work it is (book, journal article, report). The original work does not appear.
Template, narrative form: Original Author (Year, as cited in Secondary Author, Year) found that …
Template, parenthetical form: (Original Author, Year, as cited in Secondary Author, Year)
Template, reference list: Secondary Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the work. Publisher or Source. The reference entry follows the ordinary APA pattern for the type of work you read, for example the journal article pattern in the APA Style reference examples handout.
Examples
The Okafor, Lindqvist and Rao works below are invented for illustration and are not real publications or people. The Miller and Agrios example is the one used in the University of Queensland library guide.
Example 1: narrative citation, journal article as the secondary source
In text: Okafor (2012, as cited in Lindqvist & Rao, 2021) reported that structured feedback shortened revision cycles.
Reference list: Lindqvist, K., & Rao, S. (2021). Feedback structure and revision time. Journal of Example Studies, 14(2), 101-118.
Okafor (2012) has no entry in the reference list.
Example 2: parenthetical citation
In text: Structured feedback shortened revision cycles (Okafor, 2012, as cited in Lindqvist & Rao, 2021).
The reference list entry is the same Lindqvist and Rao entry as above.
Example 3: secondary source with three or more authors
In text: (Okafor, 2012, as cited in Lindqvist et al., 2021). APA 7th uses the first author’s surname plus “et al.” from the first citation for works with three or more authors, so the secondary source is shortened in the same way as any other citation.
Example 4: book as the secondary source
In text: Miller (1953, as cited in Agrios, 2005) found that … or (Miller, 1953, as cited in Agrios, 2005).
Reference list: Agrios, G. N. (2005). Plant pathology (5th ed.). Elsevier Academic Press.
The library guide that supplies this example states: “In the reference list, provide the details of the work in which you found the quotation or idea.”
In-text citation version
Narrative or parenthetical?
Both forms are used. In the narrative form the original author is part of your sentence and the “as cited in” phrase sits in parentheses after the year: Okafor (2012, as cited in Lindqvist & Rao, 2021). In the parenthetical form everything sits in one set of brackets: (Okafor, 2012, as cited in Lindqvist & Rao, 2021). Keep the comma before “as cited in” in the parenthetical form, as in the examples above.
Manuscripts and theses
In a thesis or journal manuscript, a secondary citation signals to the reader that you did not check the original. Because you are expected to have read the works you cite, trace the original through the secondary source’s own reference list where you can and cite it directly; keep the “as cited in” pattern for cases where you could not read the original. Our guide to citation chaining and snowballing covers how to follow a reference back to its source.
Common errors
- Listing the original in the reference list. Only the secondary source is listed. Listing the original implies you read it.
- Dropping “as cited in”. Writing (Okafor, 2012) alone credits the finding to a work you did not read and misleads anyone who goes looking for it in your references.
- Citing the secondary author as the source of the finding. If Lindqvist and Rao are reporting Okafor’s result, the sentence must name Okafor as the originator, not present it as Lindqvist and Rao’s own.
- Leaving out the secondary source’s details. The secondary source must be identifiable in the text so the reader can match it to its reference-list entry.
- Using the pattern for convenience. Citing through a secondary source is generally to be avoided. Misattributing work is a concern covered under plagiarism.
For related patterns see how to cite in APA if there is no author, how to cite a talk in APA and our broader guide to quoting and citing sources correctly.
Style-guide edition
This page follows the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (2020), the current edition as of October 2026. The reference-entry patterns come from the official APA Style reference examples handout (apastyle.apa.org, last updated March 3, 2026); the “as cited in” rules match the three university library guides listed under Sources, checked 2026-10-29. If your institution or journal publishes its own variation, follow its instructions where they differ.
FAQ
When is it acceptable to cite a secondary source?
Only when you cannot reach the original. The Lund University library guide notes that citing a work from a secondary source is generally to be avoided, since you are expected to have read the works you cite.
What goes in the reference list?
Only the work you read, the secondary source. The original work is not listed.
Should I use the narrative or the parenthetical form?
Both are accepted: Okafor (2012, as cited in Lindqvist & Rao, 2021) in narrative, and (Okafor, 2012, as cited in Lindqvist & Rao, 2021) in parenthetical.
Do I need the original year?
Include it when you know it, as in the Miller (1953, as cited in Agrios, 2005) example. The University of Portland guide’s example omits it, so check the convention your institution or journal prefers.
Sources
- American Psychological Association. Publication Manual, 7th ed. (2020). APA Style reference examples handout, https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf, last updated March 3, 2026; checked 2026-10-28.
- University of Portland, Clark Library. “Secondary Sources, APA Style (7th Edition) Citation Guide,” https://libguides.up.edu/apa/secondary; accessed 2026-10-29.
- University of Queensland Library. “APA 7 indirect cite,” https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa7/indirect-cite; accessed 2026-10-29.
- Lund University Libraries. “APA short guide: secondary sources,” https://libguides.lub.lu.se/apa_short/secondary_sources; accessed 2026-10-29.
