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How to Use Your Own Name in APA Format Papers

A commonly accepted practice in academia, self-referencing within a critical article is fairly easily done. The major crutch for self-referencing is that the piece being referenced must have been published in a reputable source prior to writing the new article. Often, researchers publish new material, building from previously published results. To reference yourself in your own writing, follow traditional APA (American Psychological Association) formatting rules for the publication type.

Instructions

- 1
  Write the sentence that contains the reference to your own work and "name both authors in the signal phrase." The Online Writing Center at Purdue provides an example: "Research by Wegener and Petty (1994) supports ...."
- 2
  Create the in-text self-reference "in the parentheses each time you cite the work." If using your own name within a sentence feels gauche, perhaps the parenthetical citation will feel more appropriate.
- 3
  Compile the requisite information into the works referenced page. APA requires that references for books follow the following format: Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher.

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