How to Cite Secondary Sources in APA 7 (As Cited In Format): Step-by-Step Guide & Reference Examples

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed., Section 8.6) establishes an unequivocal methodological boundary: secondary sources ('as cited in') must be treated as a rare scholarly exception, not a convenient shortcut for literature review. The foundational ethos of scientific inquiry mandates that researchers physically inspect every empirical claim, statistical calculation, and theoretical argument they cite.

A secondary citation is legitimate only under four restrictive circumstances: (1) the primary manuscript is out of print and unobtainable through global interlibrary loan networks, (2) the physical archival record has been destroyed or restricted, (3) the original work is published in a language the author cannot read and no authenticated translation exists, or (4) the original findings appear in rare historical ephemera. Relying on secondary citations for recently published, open-access journal articles signals superficial research and triggers rigorous scrutiny from journal referees and dissertation committees.

In APA 7, secondary citations follow a consistent syntactic order: you must always credit the originator of the concept first, followed by the phrase 'as cited in' and the complete citation marker of the secondary source actually examined.

In parenthetical citations, the entire attribution is enclosed within parentheses: '(Allport, 1954, as cited in Nicholson, 2003, p. 88)'. In narrative citations, the original author is woven into the sentence grammar: 'In Allport's 1954 study (as cited in Nicholson, 2003, p. 88), prejudice was conceptualized as...'. If the publication year of the original work is unknown or omitted by the secondary author, omit the year entirely: '(Freud, as cited in Korkmaz, 2019)'.

The most catastrophic mistake in APA 7 formatting is listing both the primary author and the secondary author in the terminal References list. Section 8.6 states authoritatively: provide a reference list entry ONLY for the secondary source that you personally inspected. Do not provide an entry for the primary work if you read it only through a secondary treatise.

The terminal References list is an empirical audit trail of documents physically handled or digitally viewed by the investigator. If you did not inspect Allport (1954), entering Allport into your reference list constitutes bibliographic deception—falsely attesting to primary source verification. In peer review and doctoral vivas, this error frequently leads to formal accusations of citation padding or academic misconduct.

The first pitfall is 'Bibliographic Padding': listing the unseen primary source to artificially inflate the breadth of your literature review. The solution is absolute adherence to the 1:1 inspection rule.

The second pitfall is 'Ghost Direct Citation': removing the secondary author's name from the body text and pretending you read the historical primary work directly. Experienced peer reviewers detect this immediately when authors reproduce unique secondary typos or out-of-context misinterpretations. The third pitfall is chain-citing (Source A citing Source B citing Source C). Always trace the citation backward to the earliest available text.

The fourth pitfall is omitting the secondary page number. When citing a 600-page secondary handbook, failing to provide the exact page leaves readers unable to verify your claim. The fifth pitfall is misrepresenting a translated edition as an unread original; if you read an English translation, cite the translation directly with original date brackets.

Reference management software such as Zotero and Mendeley does not feature a dedicated 'Secondary Source' item type. Authors who create separate items for both works inevitably produce corrupted bibliographies containing two terminal entries.

The correct, automated workflow requires five simple steps: (1) Add ONLY the consulted secondary work (e.g., Nicholson 2003) to your reference library. (2) In Microsoft Word or LibreOffice, click 'Add/Edit Citation'. (3) Search and select the Nicholson record. (4) Click the selected citation bubble to open the field properties editor. (5) In the 'Prefix' box, type the primary author and year followed by 'as cited in ' with a trailing space: 'Allport, 1954, as cited in '. Hit Enter. Your body text renders '(Allport, 1954, as cited in Nicholson, 2003)', while your automated bibliography contains strictly Nicholson (2003).

To ensure zero ambiguity during pre-submission manuscript audits, review these three concrete models representing empirical journals, classic treatises, and foreign-language translations.

Model 1 (Classic Book in Modern Article): Text: '(Piaget, 1932, as cited in Smith, 2017, p. 45)'. Reference list: Smith, J. A. (2017). Cognitive development paradigms. Journal of Child Psychology, 42(3), 112–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2017.01.004.

Model 2 (Archival Manuscript in Book Chapter): Text: 'According to Lord Acton (1887, as cited in Green, 2020)...'. Reference list: Green, R. T. (2020). Power and political ethics. In M. Vance (Ed.), Foundations of political philosophy (pp. 55–78). Oxford University Press.

Model 3 (Foreign-Language Original): Text: '(Vygotsky, 1934, as cited in Wertsch, 1985, p. 18)'. Reference list: Wertsch, J. V. (1985). Vygotsky and the social formation of mind. Harvard University Press.