Do you need a page number when paraphrasing in APA?

Not strictly. APA 7 requires a page number only for direct quotations. For a paraphrase, the live APA Style paraphrasing page and Publication Manual §8.23 say you may add a page or paragraph number when it would help a reader find the passage in a long or complex work such as a book. The official Webster-Stratton sample includes pp. 152–153 for that reason. Most instructors prefer to see one when the idea comes from a specific page.

Do you need a page number when paraphrasing in MLA?

Yes, whenever the source has page numbers and you are paraphrasing a particular passage. The MLA Style Center (1 April 2021) says that if a specific part of a work is quoted or paraphrased and the work includes a page number, that location marker must be included in parentheses. Cite the author alone only when the paraphrase covers the whole work—as in the official “Naomi Baron broke new ground on the subject”—or the source has no pages.

Does Chicago style require page numbers for paraphrases?

In notes-bibliography style the note for any specific passage, quoted or paraphrased, gives the page or pages of that passage. The live CMOS 18 Quick Guide ends Yu’s first note with 45 and Binder and Kidder’s with 117–18. In author-date style, include the page whenever you refer to a specific part of the work: (Yu 2020, 45). Omit the locator only when citing the work as a whole.

How do I cite a paraphrase that runs across several pages?

Give the range. APA writes (Webster-Stratton, 2016, pp. 152–153) with the second number in full. MLA writes (Author 117–18) with no pp. and the second number shortened. Chicago notes write 117–18 and author-date writes (Binder and Kidder 2022, 117–18). Use an en dash in every style.

If I paraphrase one source for a whole paragraph, do I cite every sentence?

No. APA 7 §8.24 says to cite the work at the first mention and not repeat the citation while the context makes clear the same source continues; reintroduce it in a new paragraph or when you switch sources. The official Velez et al. (2018) paragraph cites once at the start. MLA Handbook §6.45 and Chicago have no counting rule, but the reader must be able to tell where the borrowing starts and stops, so name the author at the start and close the paraphrase with the page reference.

What do I put instead of a page number for a website?

APA 7 §8.28 uses a paragraph number, a section heading, or both: (Author, Year, para. 4). MLA 9 cites the author alone unless the source numbers its paragraphs or sections—the official Hollmichel example is (Hollmichel) with no number. Chicago cites a chapter, a section, or a heading, or omits the locator. None of the styles wants a page number from your own printout.

Do I need a page number if I name the author in the sentence?

Naming the author replaces only the author element. APA still adds the year after the name and, for a specific passage, the page at the end: Webster-Stratton (2016) described the case (pp. 152–153). MLA puts just the page in parentheses: According to Naomi Baron, reading is only half of literacy (194). Chicago notes are unaffected, and Chicago author-date writes Yu (2020, 45).

Should I use the e-book location instead of a page?

No. Device locations change with the screen and the app. Cite the printed page if the e-book has fixed pagination; otherwise cite a chapter (MLA, Chicago) or a chapter, section, or paragraph (APA). CMOS 18’s official Roy note uses chap. 6, Kindle—not a Kindle location number. APA Style forbids Kindle locations.

Is this the same as choosing whether to quote or paraphrase?

No. Paraphrasing vs. quoting is the sentence-level choice: quote when the exact words are the evidence. This page is only the locator once you have already decided to paraphrase a paginated source. A source with no pages at all is how to cite a source with no page numbers.

Do Paraphrases Need Page Numbers in APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago 18? [2026]

Do You Need a Page Number When Paraphrasing? Quick Answer

For a paraphrase of one passage, add the page unless the style tells you not to—and none of the three forbids it. APA 7 §8.23 says the page is not required for a paraphrase but you may add it when it helps a reader find the passage in a long or complex work. MLA 9 treats the parenthetical as a pointer to a place in a work, so a paginated paraphrase of a specific part needs the page. Chicago 18 notes cite the pages of the passage you used, quoted or paraphrased; Chicago author-date adds the page whenever you refer to a particular passage. Only a paraphrase of a source’s overall argument goes without a locator in all three.

Templates for a paraphrase of one passage

APA 7, minimum (whole-work or short source):

(Author, Year)

APA 7, recommended for a specific passage:

(Author, Year, p. 12) or (Author, Year, pp. 12–14)

APA 7, quotation (page required):

"Quoted words" (Author, Year, p. 12).

MLA 9, paginated passage:

(Author 12) or (Author 12–14)

Chicago 18 first note:

1. Author First Last, Title of Book (Publisher, Year), 12.

Chicago 18 shortened note:

2. Last, Short Title, 12–14.

Chicago 18 author-date:

(Author Year, 12)

Official wording (keep these English in every locale)

APA Style, “Paraphrases” (opened 6 October 2026):

Although it is not required to provide a page or paragraph number in the citation, you may include one (in addition to the author and year) when it would help interested readers locate the relevant passage within a long or complex work (e.g., a book).

APA Style, “Quotations”:

For a direct quotation, always include a full citation (parenthetical or narrative) in the same sentence as the quotation, including the page number (or other location information, e.g., paragraph number).

MLA Style Center, “In-Text Citations: An Overview” (1 April 2021):

When relevant, an in-text citation also has a second component: if a specific part of a work is quoted or paraphrased and the work includes a page number, line number, time stamp, or other way to point readers to the place in the work where the information can be found, that location marker must be included in parentheses.

When each style wants a page number.
Situation	APA 7	MLA 9	Chicago 18
Direct quotation	Required (page or other locator)	Required when the source has a locator	Required in the note or parenthetical
Paraphrase of one passage	Optional; encouraged for long or complex works (§8.23)	Expected when the source has pages	Given in the note; given in author-date for a specific passage
Paraphrase of a whole work or argument	No page: (Author, Year)	No page: (Author) — or the name in prose alone	Note without a page; (Author Year)
Source with no pages	Paragraph, section, heading, or timestamp	Author only, unless the source numbers par., sec., or ch.	Chapter, section, heading, paragraph, or omit
Several pages	pp. 4–6 (second number in full)	4–6 (no p./pp.)	4–6 (no p./pp.)

Why the styles disagree

A page number exists so a reader can find the passage. APA’s in-text citation identifies a work (author and year) and treats the page as extra help for a quotation—or for a paraphrase buried in a long book. MLA’s in-text citation identifies a place in a work (author and page). That is why the Style Center sentence above applies to paraphrases and quotations alike. A Chicago note is a full pointer to the passage; the live Notes-Bibliography guide ends each sample note with the pages of that passage, not the work’s whole range. Different jobs, different defaults.

APA 7: required for quotations, encouraged for paraphrases

The APA Style paraphrasing page (last updated July 2022) restates Publication Manual §8.23. The page or paragraph number is not required for a paraphrase. Add it when the idea sits on one or two pages of a book, a report, or a long article. Skip it when you are summarizing a study’s overall finding, when the article is short, or when the idea runs through the whole work. Instructors who mark APA papers rarely object to a page that is present; they often object to one that is missing after a quotation. Full patterns are in the APA in-text citation guide.

APA Style Center, official paraphrase with a page (Webster-Stratton)

Webster-Stratton (2016) described a case example of a 4-year-old girl who showed an insecure attachment to her mother; in working with the family dyad, the therapist focused on increasing the mother’s empathy for her child (pp. 152–153).

What the example teaches:

The sentence is a paraphrase, not a quotation, and APA still prints pp. 152–153 because the case sits on two pages of a book. That is the optional locator §8.23 describes.

APA 7, three official shapes from the same rule

Whole-work paraphrase (no page). Common Reference Examples, 3 March 2026:

Levenson, H., Jinich, S., Vaz, A., & Rousmaniere, T. (2025). Deliberate practice in emotionally focused couple therapy. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000436-000

Whole-work citation:

A summary of the book uses author and year only (Levenson et al., 2025).

Direct quotation (page required). APA Style “Quotations”:

Effective teams can be difficult to describe because “high performance along one domain does not translate to high performance along another” (Ervin et al., 2018, p. 470).

Ervin et al. reference (verified article; quote as printed by APA Style):

Ervin, J. N., Kahn, J. M., Cohen, T. R., & Weingart, L. R. (2018). Teamwork in the intensive care unit. American Psychologist, 73(4), 468–477. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000247

Long paraphrases: cite once, then again when the source changes

APA does not want a citation after every sentence of a paragraph that paraphrases one source. Cite the work at the first mention. As long as the context makes clear that the same source continues, do not repeat it. Reintroduce the citation when the paraphrase continues into a new paragraph, when you switch to a second source, or when a reader could think a sentence is your own claim. If the passage moves across pages inside the paragraph, one citation with a range at the first mention is enough.

APA Style, long paraphrases (§8.24)

A paraphrase may continue for several sentences. In such cases, cite the work being paraphrased on first mention. Once the work has been cited, it is not necessary to repeat the citation as long as the context of the writing makes it clear that the same work continues to be paraphrased.

If the paraphrase continues into a new paragraph, reintroduce the citation. If the paraphrase incorporates multiple sources or switches among sources, repeat the citation so the source is clear.

APA Style Center, official long paraphrase (Velez et al., 2018)

Velez et al. (2018) found that for women of color, sexism and racism in the workplace were associated with poor work and mental health outcomes, including job-related burnout, turnover intentions, and psychological distress. However, self-esteem, person–organization fit, and perceived organizational support mediated these effects. Additionally, stronger womanist attitudes—which acknowledge the unique challenges faced by women of color in a sexist and racist society—weakened the association of workplace discrimination with psychological distress. These findings underscore the importance of considering multiple forms of workplace discrimination in clinical practice and research with women of color, along with efforts to challenge and reduce such discrimination.

Velez et al. reference (PubMed 29543474):

Velez, B. L., Cox, R., Jr., Polihronakis, C. J., & Moradi, B. (2018). Discrimination, work outcomes, and mental health among women of color: The protective role of womanist attitudes. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 65(2), 178–193. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000274

What the example teaches:

Four sentences, one narrative citation at the start, no page. The article is short enough that APA’s official sample treats the finding as a whole-work paraphrase.

Paraphrasing several pages in APA

When the idea spans a range, APA writes pp. and an en dash: (Webster-Stratton, 2016, pp. 152–153). Give the second number in full; APA does not shorten 153 to 53. For scattered pages, list them with commas: (Author, Year, pp. 112, 119). A single page takes p.; a range or a list takes pp. Do not invent a page from a printout or a PDF viewer.

MLA 9: give the page whenever the source has one

MLA’s in-text citation has two jobs: send the reader to the right works-cited entry, and send them to the right place inside the source. The MLA Style Center overview (published 1 April 2021; still the current illustration) describes the parenthetical as the author’s name plus the location of the borrowed material, and it makes no exception for paraphrases. If the source is paginated and you are drawing on a particular passage, the page goes in the parentheses. The only time a paginated source is cited without a page is when the paraphrase covers the work as a whole—MLA Handbook 9 §4.14 (“Passing Mentions”). Full patterns are in the MLA in-text citation guide.

MLA Style Center, official Baron examples (1 April 2021)

Works cited:

Baron, Naomi S. “Redefining Reading: The Impact of Digital Communication Media.” PMLA, vol. 128, no. 1, Jan. 2013, pp. 193–200.

Whole-work mention (no page). Official citation in prose:

Naomi Baron broke new ground on the subject.

Whole-work mention (no page). Official parenthetical:

At least one researcher has broken new ground on the subject (Baron).

Quotation of a specific page. Official:

According to Naomi Baron, reading is “just half of literacy. The other half is writing” (194).

Same quotation, author in parentheses. Official:

Reading is “just half of literacy. The other half is writing” (Baron 194).

Paraphrase of that same official sentence (page still required):

Baron treats writing as the other half of literacy, not a leftover skill (194).

Page ranges in MLA

MLA does not write p. or pp. in the parenthetical: (Baron 194). MLA Handbook 9 §2.139 styles number ranges: shorten the second number to the changed digits when the range stays in the same hundred (118–21, 145–62) and write it in full when it crosses one (98–102). Scattered pages take commas: (Baron 194, 197). The MLA note on page ranges (11 August 2016) is about the works-cited location element—DOI first, optional pp. for a paginated article—not about the in-text form.

Long paraphrases in MLA

MLA has no “cite once per paragraph” rule. Laura Kiernan’s 20 October 2021 Style Center reply points writers to Handbook §6.45: the reader must always be able to tell where borrowed material begins and ends. Name the author at the start of the paraphrase and put the page at the end of the last borrowed sentence. If the paraphrase draws on pages far apart, give a range or a list in that closing parenthetical. A new source needs a new citation at the switch.

MLA 9, a bracketed paraphrase of the official Baron sentence

Baron treats literacy as two skills rather than one. Reading is only half the work; writing is the other half (194).

Chicago 18: notes carry the page for paraphrases too

In notes-bibliography style there is no distinction between a paraphrase and a quotation in the note. The first note for a source gives the full citation and ends with the page or pages of the passage you used; later notes give the author, a shortened title, and the page. The bibliography entry for a book has no page numbers; the entry for an article gives the article’s full range. The live Chicago Notes and Bibliography guide shows the pattern, and the Chicago in-text guide covers the note conventions. Chicago writes bare numbers in notes, without p. or pp., and prefers shortened notes to ibid.

CMOS 18 Notes-Bibliography, official book notes (live Quick Guide)

Template sentence (do not invent Yu’s plot):

[Your paraphrase of the passage.]¹

First note. Official:

1. Charles Yu, Interior Chinatown (Pantheon Books, 2020), 45.

First note, two authors, official range shortening:

2. Amy J. Binder and Jeffrey L. Kidder, The Channels of Student Activism: How the Left and Right Are Winning (and Losing) in Campus Politics Today (University of Chicago Press, 2022), 117–18.

Shortened notes. Official:

3. Yu, Interior Chinatown, 48.

Shortened note, two authors. Official:

4. Binder and Kidder, Channels of Student Activism, 125.

Bibliography. Official:

Yu, Charles. Interior Chinatown. Pantheon Books, 2020.

Bibliography. Official:

Binder, Amy J., and Jeffrey L. Kidder. The Channels of Student Activism: How the Left and Right Are Winning (and Losing) in Campus Politics Today. University of Chicago Press, 2022.

Note for the whole book (no page). Official collection example:

1. P. J. M. Marks and Stephen Parkin, eds., The Book by Design: The Remarkable Story of the World’s Greatest Invention (University of Chicago Press, 2023).

Chicago author-date

Author-date citations look like APA’s without the comma after the author and without p.: (Yu 2020, 45). Include the page whenever you refer to a specific passage, paraphrased or quoted. Cite the whole work as (Yu 2020). The Chicago Author-Date guide has the reference-list forms.

CMOS 18 author-date, official in-text forms

Specific pages. Official:

(Yu 2020, 45)

Official range (shortened second number):

(Binder and Kidder 2022, 117–18)

Journal article, official range:

(Kwon 2022, 1842–43)

Whole collection, no page. Official:

(Marks and Parkin 2023)

Kwon reference list. Official:

Kwon, Hyeyoung. 2022. “Inclusion Work: Children of Immigrants Claiming Membership in Everyday Life.” American Journal of Sociology 127 (6): 1818–59. https://doi.org/10.1086/720277.

A whole chapter or a whole argument

When the paraphrase covers a chapter rather than a passage, Chicago lets the note point to the chapter. The live Quick Guide does this for a Kindle book with no fixed pages. When the paraphrase covers the whole book, the note or parenthetical simply omits the locator. Do not pad a whole-work citation with the book’s first and last pages; a range in Chicago means “the passage runs from here to here.”

CMOS 18, official chapter locator (no invented page)

For downloadable ebook formats, name the format; if no fixed page numbers are available, cite a section title or a chapter or other number in the note (or simply omit).

Note. Official:

1. Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things (Random House, 2008), chap. 6, Kindle.

Author-date. Official:

(Roy 2008, chap. 6)

Locators when there are no page numbers

Web pages, reflowable e-books, transcripts, and most PDFs generated from HTML have no stable page to cite. The full workflow is how to cite a source with no page numbers. The short version: each style substitutes the smallest stable unit the source offers, and none of them wants a page number you invented from a printout or a PDF viewer.

APA 7 §8.28

Paragraph number: (Author, Year, para. 4). Count the paragraphs yourself if they are not numbered.
Section heading: (Author, Year, Methods section) or a shortened heading in quotation marks.
Heading plus paragraph: (Author, Year, Discussion section, para. 2).
Chapter: (Author, Year, Chapter 3).
Timestamp for audio or video: (Author, Year, 4:32).
APA Style: do not include Kindle location numbers. A whole unpaginated work needs only (Author, Year).

MLA 9

Official unpaginated rule: “When a source has no page numbers or any other kind of part number, no number should be given in a parenthetical citation.”
No numbered parts: cite the author alone, (Hollmichel), and do not count unnumbered paragraphs.
Numbered paragraphs, sections, or chapters: (Author, par. 4), (Author, sec. 2), (Author, ch. 3). A comma separates the author from any locator that is not a page.
Time-based media: (Author 00:04:32–00:05:10).
See the MLA note on citing unpaginated works (29 January 2018).

Chicago 18 §§14.58–14.62

Chapter or section: 1. Roy, The God of Small Things, chap. 6, Kindle.
Heading: under “The Fleet.”
Author-date: (Roy 2008, chap. 6) or (Cowan 2022, at 6:09–17).
Official audiovisual locator: (Cowan 2022, at 6:09–17).
Avoid e-reader locations unless you name the format.

Page ranges compared

How each style writes the locator. Numbers below are official examples, not invented pages.
Case	APA 7	MLA 9	Chicago 18 note	Chicago 18 author-date
One page	(Ervin et al., 2018, p. 470)	(Baron 194)	45.	(Yu 2020, 45)
Consecutive pages	(Webster-Stratton, 2016, pp. 152–153)	(Author 117–18)	117–18.	(Binder and Kidder 2022, 117–18)
Range in the thousands	(Kwon, 2022, pp. 1842–1843)	(Kwon 1842–43)	1842–43.	(Kwon 2022, 1842–43)
Scattered pages (template)	(Author, Year, pp. 4, 9)	(Author 4, 9)	4, 9.	(Author Year, 4, 9)
Whole chapter	(Author, Year, Chapter 3)	(Author, ch. 3)	chap. 6.	(Roy 2008, chap. 6)

Use an en dash (–), not a hyphen, for every range. APA gives the second number in full; MLA Handbook §2.139 and CMOS 18 shorten it to the changed digits when the range stays within the same hundred (117–18, 1842–43).

E-books, PDFs, and which page to trust

Cite the page printed on the page, not the counter in your reader. A publisher PDF of a journal article keeps the journal’s pagination, so Baron’s page 194 is page 194 in every copy. A PDF you printed from a web page has page numbers that depend on your font size and margins; treat it as unpaginated. Fixed-layout e-books (most academic PDFs and many EPUBs from university presses) carry the print pages and can be cited by them; reflowable e-books do not, and MLA and Chicago both prefer a chapter over a device location. APA Style forbids Kindle location numbers. If two editions have different pagination, the reference or bibliography entry must name the edition you actually read, so the page you cite exists in it.

Common mistakes

Leaving the page off a quotation in APA because “it’s only a paraphrase rule.” Quotations always need the locator.
Writing (Baron 2013, p. 194) in MLA. MLA has no year and no p.; the form is (Baron 194).
Writing (Ervin et al., 2018, 470) in APA. APA needs p. before a single page.
Writing (Yu, 2020, 45) in Chicago author-date. Chicago drops the comma after the author: (Yu 2020, 45).
Using a hyphen for a range. Every style wants an en dash: 152–153 or 117–18.
Shortening 152–153 to 152–53 in APA, or expanding 117–18 to 117–118 in MLA and Chicago.
Citing a whole book with its first and last page. A whole-work citation has no page at all.
Counting paragraphs in MLA when the source does not number them. MLA cites the author alone; APA is the style that counts.
Giving a Kindle location as if it were a page.
Repeating the same citation after every sentence of an APA paragraph, or leaving the last three sentences of a paraphrase uncited so the reader cannot tell where the borrowing stopped.

Before you submit

Every direct quotation has a page or another locator in all three styles.
Every MLA paraphrase from a paginated source has a page.
Every Chicago note for a specific passage ends with that passage’s pages, not the work’s range.
APA paraphrases of specific passages in long works carry a page; whole-work paraphrases do not.
Ranges use en dashes and the correct shortening rule for the style.
Unpaginated sources use the locator the style allows, not a page from a printout.
A long paraphrase is cited at its start and again wherever the source changes.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a page number when paraphrasing in APA?: Not strictly. APA 7 requires a page number only for direct quotations. For a paraphrase, the live APA Style paraphrasing page and Publication Manual §8.23 say you may add a page or paragraph number when it would help a reader find the passage in a long or complex work such as a book. The official Webster-Stratton sample includes pp. 152–153 for that reason. Most instructors prefer to see one when the idea comes from a specific page.
Do you need a page number when paraphrasing in MLA?: Yes, whenever the source has page numbers and you are paraphrasing a particular passage. The MLA Style Center (1 April 2021) says that if a specific part of a work is quoted or paraphrased and the work includes a page number, that location marker must be included in parentheses. Cite the author alone only when the paraphrase covers the whole work—as in the official “Naomi Baron broke new ground on the subject”—or the source has no pages.
Does Chicago style require page numbers for paraphrases?: In notes-bibliography style the note for any specific passage, quoted or paraphrased, gives the page or pages of that passage. The live CMOS 18 Quick Guide ends Yu’s first note with 45 and Binder and Kidder’s with 117–18. In author-date style, include the page whenever you refer to a specific part of the work: (Yu 2020, 45). Omit the locator only when citing the work as a whole.
How do I cite a paraphrase that runs across several pages?: Give the range. APA writes (Webster-Stratton, 2016, pp. 152–153) with the second number in full. MLA writes (Author 117–18) with no pp. and the second number shortened. Chicago notes write 117–18 and author-date writes (Binder and Kidder 2022, 117–18). Use an en dash in every style.
If I paraphrase one source for a whole paragraph, do I cite every sentence?: No. APA 7 §8.24 says to cite the work at the first mention and not repeat the citation while the context makes clear the same source continues; reintroduce it in a new paragraph or when you switch sources. The official Velez et al. (2018) paragraph cites once at the start. MLA Handbook §6.45 and Chicago have no counting rule, but the reader must be able to tell where the borrowing starts and stops, so name the author at the start and close the paraphrase with the page reference.
What do I put instead of a page number for a website?: APA 7 §8.28 uses a paragraph number, a section heading, or both: (Author, Year, para. 4). MLA 9 cites the author alone unless the source numbers its paragraphs or sections—the official Hollmichel example is (Hollmichel) with no number. Chicago cites a chapter, a section, or a heading, or omits the locator. None of the styles wants a page number from your own printout.
Do I need a page number if I name the author in the sentence?: Naming the author replaces only the author element. APA still adds the year after the name and, for a specific passage, the page at the end: Webster-Stratton (2016) described the case (pp. 152–153). MLA puts just the page in parentheses: According to Naomi Baron, reading is only half of literacy (194). Chicago notes are unaffected, and Chicago author-date writes Yu (2020, 45).
Should I use the e-book location instead of a page?: No. Device locations change with the screen and the app. Cite the printed page if the e-book has fixed pagination; otherwise cite a chapter (MLA, Chicago) or a chapter, section, or paragraph (APA). CMOS 18’s official Roy note uses chap. 6, Kindle—not a Kindle location number. APA Style forbids Kindle locations.
Is this the same as choosing whether to quote or paraphrase?: No. Paraphrasing vs. quoting is the sentence-level choice: quote when the exact words are the evidence. This page is only the locator once you have already decided to paraphrase a paginated source. A source with no pages at all is how to cite a source with no page numbers.

Build the in-text citation with the right locator

Enter the author, year, and page or range once and get the APA, MLA, or Chicago form with the correct p., comma, and en dash. Run a close paraphrase through the checker if you are not sure it has moved far enough from the source.

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