APA in-text citations follow an author-date system: you include the author’s last name and the year of publication every time you reference a source. The citation can appear inside parentheses at the end of a sentence or be woven into the sentence itself. Here’s how to format both styles correctly, handle multiple authors, cite direct quotes, and deal with missing information.
Parenthetical vs. Narrative Citations
Every APA in-text citation takes one of two forms. A parenthetical citation places the author and year in parentheses, typically at the end of the sentence before the period:
- Falsely balanced news coverage can distort the public’s perception of expert consensus on an issue (Koehler, 2016).
A narrative citation works the author’s name into the sentence as part of the grammar, with only the year in parentheses:
- Koehler (2016) noted the dangers of falsely balanced news coverage.
In rare cases, both the author and date appear naturally in the sentence. When that happens, you don’t need parentheses at all: “In 2016, Koehler noted the dangers of falsely balanced news coverage.”
Use whichever form reads more naturally in context. If the author’s identity matters to the point you’re making, a narrative citation keeps them front and center. If the idea matters more than who said it, a parenthetical citation is cleaner.
One Author, Two Authors, Three or More
For a single author, the format is straightforward: (Smith, 2020) or Smith (2020).
For two authors, include both names every time you cite the work, joined by an ampersand in parenthetical citations or the word “and” in narrative citations:
- Parenthetical: (Smith & Jones, 2020)
- Narrative: Smith and Jones (2020)
For three or more authors, list only the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” (short for the Latin “et alia,” meaning “and others”). This rule applies from the very first citation onward. You never need to list all three-plus names in the text:
- Parenthetical: (Smith et al., 2020)
- Narrative: Smith et al. (2020)
Note the period after “al.” since it’s an abbreviation, but no period after “et” since that’s a complete word.
Citing Direct Quotes
When you quote a source word for word, you must include a page number (or equivalent locator) along with the author and year. Use “p.” for a single page and “pp.” for a range. Separate a page range with an en dash, and use a comma for discontinuous pages:
- Single page: (Koehler, 2016, p. 25)
- Page range: (Koehler, 2016, pp. 34–36)
- Discontinuous pages: (Koehler, 2016, pp. 67, 72)
In a narrative citation, the page number goes in the parentheses with the year or in a separate set of parentheses after the quoted material:
- Koehler (2016) warned that “falsely balanced coverage misleads the public” (p. 25).
If the source has no page numbers, as is common with websites, provide another locator so the reader can find the passage. A paragraph number (para. 4), a section heading, or both (Introduction section, para. 2) all work.
Organizational and Group Authors
When the author is an organization rather than a person, spell out the full name in the citation. If the name is long and well known by its abbreviation (like the World Health Organization), you can introduce the abbreviation on first use and then use it for all later citations. The format for introducing the abbreviation depends on the citation type.
In a narrative first citation, put the abbreviation in parentheses with the year:
- The American Psychological Association (APA, 2017) provided information on overcoming opioid abuse.
In a parenthetical first citation, put the abbreviation in square brackets:
- (American Psychological Association [APA], 2017)
After that first mention, just use the abbreviation: (APA, 2017) or APA (2017). You’re not required to abbreviate group names. Only do it if the abbreviation is familiar, you’ll cite the source at least three times, or spelling out the full name every time would be cumbersome. One important edge case: if two different organizations share the same abbreviation and you cite both in your paper, spell out each full name every time to avoid confusion.
When Author or Date Is Missing
Not every source has a named author or a clear publication date. APA has specific substitutions for each scenario.
No author: Use the title of the work in place of the author name. Italicize the title if it’s a standalone work (like a book or report); put it in quotation marks if it’s part of a larger work (like an article or webpage). Shorten long titles to the first few words. Do not write “Anonymous” unless the work is literally signed “Anonymous.”
- (“Understanding Climate Policy,” 2021)
No date: Replace the year with “n.d.” (for “no date”).
- (Koehler, n.d.)
No author and no date: Combine both substitutions.
- (“Understanding Climate Policy,” n.d.)
Punctuation Details That Matter
A few small punctuation rules trip up even experienced writers. In a standard parenthetical citation, a comma separates the author from the year: (Smith, 2020). The period for the sentence goes after the closing parenthesis, not before it.
When additional text appears alongside a citation inside the same parentheses, place commas around the year: (see Smith, 2020, for more detail). If you need to include a citation inside parentheses that already contain other text, use a semicolon instead of nesting another set of parentheses: (e.g., falsely balanced news coverage; Koehler, 2016).
When citing multiple sources in one parenthetical reference, separate them with semicolons and list them in the same alphabetical order they appear in your reference list: (Johnson, 2019; Koehler, 2016; Smith et al., 2020).
Quick Reference Format
- 1 author: (Last Name, Year) or Last Name (Year)
- 2 authors: (Last Name & Last Name, Year) or Last Name and Last Name (Year)
- 3+ authors: (First Author et al., Year) or First Author et al. (Year)
- Direct quote: Add p. or pp. with the page number
- No author: Use the title in place of the author name
- No date: Use n.d. in place of the year
- Group author: Spell out the full name; abbreviate after first mention if appropriate