APA In-Text Citations: Author/Authors

How do I cite a source with multiple authors in APA style?

By Saul McLeod, published June 11, 2020

Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019.

If you are citing a source that has multiple authors, follow these basic steps.

One Author

Parenthetical (citation at the end of a sentence)

General Format: (Author, Publication Date)

For Example: (Jones, 2018)

Narrative (incorporated into the text as part of the sentence)

General Format: Author (Publication Date)

For Example: Jones (2018)

Two Authors

Parenthetical (citation at the end of a sentence)

General Format: (Author & Author, Publication Date)

For Example: (Williams & Milner, 2016)

Narrative (incorporated into the text as part of the sentence)

General Format: Author and Author (Publication Date)

For Example: Williams and Milner (2016)

Three or More Authors

For any source with more than two authors, APA (7th) in-text citation is shortened by using “et al.” (meaning “and others”) after the first author's name.

Parenthetical (citation at the end of a sentence)

General Format: (Author et al., Publication Date)

For Example: (Smith et al., 2013)

Narrative (incorporated into the text as part of the sentence)

General Format: Author et al. (Publication Date)

For Example: Smith et al. (2013)

Note: For APA Style 6th Edition, only use et al. when citing 6 or more authors.

In-text citations are covered in Chapter 8 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition

References

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

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