An indirect quote is when you quote a source that is cited and/or quoted in another source. APA calls these ‘secondary sources.’ As a general rule, you should try to avoid using secondary sources. If there is a quote in a source from another book or article that you want to use, find the original source of that quote and cite it. Only quote a secondary source when absolutely necessary, for instance, when the original work is out of print or unavailable, or not available in English or a language you speak.
If you do use a secondary source in your paper, name the original source in your text and include the secondary source in your parenthetical citation, preceded by the words “as cited in.” You must also list the secondary source in your reference page.
In the following example, Bolling is the original source, and Jeremiah is the secondary source, given in the reference page:
In his book on Greek language, Bolling discusses why reflexive constructions are rare in the language of Homer, “[the rarity] is due partly to the competition offered by the middle voice, partly to the psychological beliefs then current.” (as cited in Jeremiah, 2012, p. 46).
