APA Format – Guidelines for Citing Authors

In-text citations acknowledge the sources you’ve consulted and used in your paper. They briefly indicate the author(s) and publication year within the body of your text, allowing readers to locate the full reference list for further exploration.

General Rules for Citing Authors

In-text citations consist of the author’s last name(s) and the publication year, enclosed in parentheses. The specific placement of this information depends on whether you’re paraphrasing or directly quoting a source. Follow the general guidelines here for citing authors or scroll below for citing specific numbers or types of authors.

Placement

• Paraphrasing: Place the author’s last name(s) and publication year in parentheses after your paraphrased sentence but before the end punctuation.
• Direct Quotations: Include the author’s last name(s), publication year, and the specific page number(s) where the quotation appears, all enclosed in parentheses after the quotation but before the end punctuation.

Additional Considerations

• Multiple Citations: When referencing two sources within the same citation, separate them with a semicolon
  • Example: (Miller, 2023; Johnson, 2022)
    
• Same Last Name: If citing two authors with the same last name, include their initials to differentiate them
  • Example: (A. Brown, 2018; J. Brown, 2021)
    
• Indirect Sources: If referencing information from a source you haven’t directly read (cited in another source), use “cited in” followed by the author and publication year of the source you consulted
  • Example: (Green, 2015, as cited in Miller, 2023)

Citing Different Number of Authors

• One Author: Include the author’s last name and the publication year.
  • Example: (Miller, 2023)
    
• Two Authors: List both last names separated by a comma
  • Example: (Smith & Jones, 2019)
    
• Three to Seven Authors: Include all last names separated by commas on the first citation and use “et al.” (without italics) in subsequent citations
  • Example: (Garcia et al., 2020)
    
• Eight or More Authors: Use the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” in all citations
  • Example: (Johnson et al., 2017)

Citing Organizational Author

If a source has an organization (such as a business, university, government entity, and so forth) as the author, use the full name of the organization in the body of the text with the year in parentheses or at the end of a sentence with the organization’s name in the parentheses.

Examples:

• The American Psychological Association (2020) published the seventh edition of the Publication Manual.
• Regular physical activity has been cited as essential for maintaining good health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023).

Citing Two Sources in the Same Citation

When referencing two sources within the same sentence, either separate them inside the parentheses with a semicolon or separate them within the sentence as separate references.

Examples:

• Studies have shown that social support networks play a vital role in coping with stress (Miller, 2023; Johnson, 2022).
• Research suggests that both mindfulness practices (Miller, 2023) and regular exercise (Johnson, 2022) can be effective stress management techniques.

Citing Two Authors with the Same Last Name

When citing two authors with the same last name, include their initials to differentiate them in the in-text citation.

• Examples:
  • A. Brown (2018) emphasizes the importance of early childhood education. However, research by J. Brown (2021) suggests that effective learning strategies can be implemented at any age.
  • Early intervention can significantly improve learning outcomes (A. Brown, 2018), and effective strategies can be employed throughout life (J. Brown, 2021).

Citing an Indirect Source

If you’re referencing information from a source that you haven’t directly read but is cited in another source, use “cited in” followed by the author, publication year of the source you actually consulted.

• Example:
  • Green (2015) found a link between social media use and depression (as cited in Miller, 2023)

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