APA in-text citations use the author-date system: the author's surname and the year of publication, plus a page or paragraph number for direct quotations. Every citation must match an entry in the reference list.
This page sets out the 7th edition rules with examples, from the basic formats to group authors, missing information, block quotations, multiple sources, personal communications and secondary sources.
The Core APA in-Text Pattern
- Parenthetical: (Okafor, 2021)
- Narrative: Okafor (2021) found that...
- Direct quotation: (Okafor, 2021, p. 14) or Okafor (2021) wrote that "..." (p. 14).
- Three or more authors: (Okafor et al., 2021) from the first citation.
Parenthetical and Narrative Citations
A parenthetical citation places author and year in brackets, usually at the end of the clause. A narrative citation makes the author part of the sentence, with the year in brackets straight after the name.
| Use | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Paraphrase, parenthetical | (Author, Year) | (Lindqvist, 2022) |
| Paraphrase, narrative | Author (Year) | Lindqvist (2022) reported... |
| Quotation, parenthetical | (Author, Year, p. #) | (Lindqvist, 2022, p. 8) |
| Quotation, page range | (Author, Year, pp. #–#) | (Lindqvist, 2022, pp. 8–9) |
| Quotation, no page numbers | (Author, Year, para. #) | (Lindqvist, 2022, para. 4) |
Page numbers are required for quotations. For paraphrases they are optional but encouraged when they help readers find a passage in a long work. For unpaginated sources you can also give a section heading with a paragraph number, such as (Lindqvist, 2022, Discussion section, para. 2).
Number of Authors and Et Al.
| Authors | Parenthetical | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| One | (Reyes, 2020) | Reyes (2020) |
| Two | (Reyes & Chen, 2020) | Reyes and Chen (2020) |
| Three or more | (Reyes et al., 2020) | Reyes et al. (2020) |
Use an ampersand inside brackets and "and" in running text. Always cite both names for two authors. The 7th edition uses "et al." for three or more authors from the very first citation, a change from the 6th edition.
Avoiding Ambiguous Citations
Same author, same year. Add lowercase letters after the year, in both the citation and the reference list: (Braun, 2019a) and (Braun, 2019b). The letters follow the alphabetical order of titles in the reference list.
Different first authors with the same surname. Add initials in every citation, even when the years differ: (J. Patel, 2020) and (R. Patel, 2018).
Et al. forms that look identical. If two works by different author groups both shorten to (Kim et al., 2021), write out as many surnames as needed to tell them apart, then et al.: (Kim, Ortiz, et al., 2021) and (Kim, Walsh, et al., 2021).
Group and Organization Authors
Write the full name of a group author in every citation, unless it has a familiar abbreviation and you cite it several times. Then give the abbreviation at the first citation and use it afterwards.
First parenthetical citation: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023)
Later citations: (WHO, 2023)
First narrative citation: World Health Organization (WHO, 2023)
Do not abbreviate a group author you cite only once or twice, and make sure the reference list entry uses the full name.
No Author or No Date
When there is no author, move the title to the author position. Use italics for titles of standalone works, such as books and reports, and quotation marks for parts of works, such as articles, chapters and web pages. Use title case in the citation and shorten long titles.
Report with no author: (Safe Staffing Review, 2022)
Web page with no author: ("Managing Fatigue on Night Shifts," 2023)
No date: (Royal College of Nursing, n.d.)
Accepted but not yet published: (Morales, in press)
Use "Anonymous" only when a work is actually signed that way.
Short and Block Quotations
Quotations under 40 words go in double quotation marks within your sentence, followed by the citation. Quotations of 40 words or more form a block quotation.
- Start the block on a new line, indented 0.5 inch (about 1.27 cm) from the left margin.
- Use no quotation marks around the block.
- Keep double spacing, as in the rest of the paper.
- Place the parenthetical citation after the final punctuation, with no full stop after it.
Hughes (2021) described the change in practice:
Handover moved from the nurses' station to the bedside over a
single month. Staff initially worried about privacy and time,
but patients corrected errors in their own records within the
first week, and the concerns faded as the benefit became visible.
(p. 112)
Citing Several Sources at Once
Place several works in one set of brackets in alphabetical order by first author, separated by semicolons. For works by the same author, give the surname once and list years in date order, with "n.d." and "in press" last.
(Adams, 2019; Nguyen & Kaur, 2021; Walsh et al., 2018)
(Fischer, 2016, 2020, in press)
(Brennan et al., 2022; see also Osei, 2019)
Personal Communications, Secondary Sources and Classics
Personal communication. Emails, interviews you conducted informally, lectures that are not recorded: (A. Mensah, personal communication, March 4, 2025). These are cited in text only and do not appear in the reference list. Data from your own research participants are not cited as personal communications.
Secondary source. When you have read only a citing work, name the original and the source you read: (Rogers, 1961, as cited in Hall, 2020). Only Hall goes in the reference list. Use this sparingly and find the original where you can.
Republished or translated work. Give both years, original first: (Nightingale, 1859/1992).
Common in-Text Errors
- Listing all authors of a three-author work after the 6th edition rule.
- Using "and" inside brackets or "&" in running text.
- Omitting page numbers for direct quotations.
- Citing a source that is missing from the reference list, or the reverse.
- Spelling an author's name differently in text and references.
- Putting the full stop before a parenthetical citation in a short quotation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
For any work with three or more authors, from the first citation onwards.
Not required, but encouraged when they help a reader locate the passage.
Use the title in place of the author, in italics for standalone works or quotation marks for parts of works, followed by the year.
Put them in one set of brackets, alphabetically by first author, separated by semicolons.
No. Cite them in text only, with the person's initials, surname and exact date.
Only as a secondary citation, using "as cited in", and list only the source you read. Find the original if possible.