Final answer:
The correct way to cite a reference in-text in APA style is to include the author's last name and the publication year, either narratively as part of the sentence or parenthetically. Applying this standard is key for academic integrity and crediting sources in scholarly work.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement given by the student does exemplify a correct way to cite a reference in-text following the APA (American Psychological Association) style. When citing sources in APA format within the text of an academic paper, the author's last name and the year of publication should be included. This citation method allows readers to locate the source in the reference list easily.
For in-text citation, APA style can be used in two ways: narratively, where the author's name is part of the text (as in the given example), or parenthetically, where both the author's name and publication year are enclosed in parentheses. Extended citations, evidence presentation, and synthesizing facts from various sources are critical components of scholarly writing and must follow the established documentation style to credit original authors and avoid plagiarism.
The student's example could be part of a larger discussion presenting statistics as evidence, where accurate citation is paramount for academic integrity and intellectual property considerations. Additionally, it provides a framework for readers to review the original sources if they wish to validate or explore the evidence further.
Finally, using APA style correctly affects the credibility of the work. Thus, mastering the correct use of in-text citations, as demonstrated in the student's example, is essential for any research-based academic writing. For the final answer in a two-line explanation in 300 words, proper APA style in-text citation consists of the author's last name and the publication year, and can appear either narratively or parenthetically within the text.