Introducing Evidence, Source Information, and Quotations in APA
Person-related lead-ins:
Person’s name followed by a past tense or present perfect tense verb. Present perfect is made by using “has” before a
past tense verb: ex. has found... The person can be the author (which is most common), a quoted professional, an
interviewee, etc., depending on who is talking and what is being quoted.
Here are just a few:
mentioned
stated
revealed
claimed
explained
believed
allowed
uttered
critiqued
asserted
demanded
urged
requested
recalled
began
remembered
explicated
declared
offered
described
posited
argued
proved
presented
articulated
held
contended
focused
noted
suggested
Example: Luke Runyon (2014) has suggested, “Cleverness in advertising and marketing is important to assuage
consumer fears" (p. # if applicable).
Time-related lead-ins:
Describe what is occurring at the time; these are words that begin introductory phrases, which means you need a comma.
When
As
During
Since
Before
Once
After
While
Example: After noting that the Food and Agriculture Organization claims that bugs have a “smaller carbon footprint than
most livestock,” Runyon (2014) then explained, “[I]nsect-rearing is [also] less capital-intensive than other animal
husbandry.”
Colon-related lead-ins (these should not be used too commonly):
Provide a complete sentence, explaining who is talking and what is being discussed, and place a colon after the sentence.
The article discusses that insect food products may sell more effectively if presented in a “cutes[y]” manner: “The thought
is, if you can make people laugh with a pun or cute graphic, it might be enough for them to let their guard down” (Runyon
2014).
Imbedded Quotations:
Integrate the central portion of the quotation with your own words.
Because consumers often have a “squeamishness about eating insects” (Runyon 2014), insect food companies try to make
the presence of insects hard to detect visually.
Words Typically Used in Interpretation
seems
proves
shows
suggests
The fact that
gives the impression
indicates
implies
illustrates
demonstrates
One can infer that
brings to mind
confirms
verifies
establishes
Verbs Used in Rhetorical Analysis
The author included ______________ to show
The author’s use of _______________ demonstrates
The author used __________________ to highlight
stresses
emphasizes
The author incorporated ____________ to illustrate
The author has employed______________ to prove
© Jalaine Weller, 2015.