Amir is writing a paragraph about energy drinks and teens. He uses a sentence from a book and includes an in-text citation:
Text in Amir's draft: According to the National Academies, "caffeine can cause sleep problems and anxiety in some children and adolescents" (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2020, p. 112).
Which statement BEST describes Amir's use of source information?
- He used a direct quote correctly with quotation marks and an APA-style in-text citation. (correct answer)
- He should paraphrase the sentence instead, because directly quoting a source counts as plagiarism even when it is cited.
- He should drop the quotation marks now that the citation is present, since the citation already signals the words are borrowed.
- He should delete the page number from the citation, because page numbers belong only in a works cited list, not in the text.
Explanation: The best answer notes that Amir did everything right: he put the source's exact words inside quotation marks and followed them with a complete APA in-text citation naming the author (National Academies), the year (2020), and the page (p. 112). That is exactly how you use a direct quote. The choice claiming he must paraphrase to avoid plagiarism is wrong—direct quoting is allowed and honest as long as you use quotation marks and cite the source, which Amir did. The choice telling him to drop the quotation marks is wrong because a citation alone is not enough; quotation marks are required to show the words are copied exactly, not reworded. The choice telling him to delete the page number is wrong because in APA a direct quote should include the page number right in the text so readers can find the exact words. Since only one option describes correct source use, that is the answer.