Do I need to cite a movie if I'm not quoting it?
I'm writing a research paper on the hero's journey. I used the movie, Shrek. I don't quote the movie, just give examples of each step in the Hero's Journey. I summarize each part of the movie in my own words, but I'm not quoting the characters.
Answer
Yes, cite a source whenever you use ideas or themes from that source.
- So, even if you did not use any quotes from a movie, cite it.
- To cite a movie, see the APA Help Guide for examples:
- Click on References and In-text Citation Examples.
- Click on Other and then click on Film/TV.
Example:
Film / Motion Picture
Richter, J. (Producer), & Hausmann, J. (Director). (1985). Cezanne: The man and the mountain [Motion picture]. United States: Home Vision.
In-text
Paraphrase: (Richter & Hausmann, 1985). Quotation: (Richter & Hausmann, 1985, <DVD track title>)
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