Background

When APA style is used for citations within the text of an article, the source is identified by an author-date citation system. The citation system serves as an identification method for readers. Its purpose is to lead the readers to the complete source information that is recorded in the article's alphabetically arranged reference list.

In-text citations appear in two types of formats: parenthetical and narrative.

• Parenthetical: The author name and publication date (or equivalent information) appear in parentheses. 
  • The citation can appear within or at the end of a sentence.  If at the end, put the ending punctuation after the closing parenthesis.  Example:  The house fell into a state of disrepair after the death of the last owner (Author, year).
  • If other text appears in the citation, use commas around the year. .  Example:  The house fell into a state of disrepair after the death of the last owner (see Author, year, for more detail).
  • When text and a citation appear together in the parentheses, separate the citation from the text with a semicolon.  Example:  The house fell into a state of disrepair after the death of the last owner (i.e., Ramsey Peabody; Author, year).
• Narrative: The author and date information is incorporated into the text as part of the sentence.
  • Usually the author is in the running text, with the date appearing in parentheses immediately after the author’s name. Author (year) reported the house fell into a state of disrepair after the death of the last owner.
  • In rare cases, both author and date are part of the narrative.  In year, Author reported the house fell into a state of disrepair after the death of the last owner.

It is essential to remember that a reference cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and a source cited in the reference list must be cited in the text of the paper.  Entries must be carefully checked to make sure a source appears in both locations and that the in-text reference and the reference list entry use identical spelling for the author's names and the year of publication.

However, APA has two exceptions to this rule. The following should be cited only in the text:

• References to major classical works:
  • This includes publications such as the Bible and the Qur'an. Identify the version of the work used in the first in-text citation for the source. Parts of classical works such as books, chapters, verses, and cantos are numbered systematically across all editions, so use these numbers instead of page numbers when referring to a specific part of the source.

Examples:

Psalms 63:10 (Revised Standard Version)

(Qur'an 5:3-4)

• References to personal communication
  • This includes email, discussion group messages, private letters, memos, personal interviews, and telephone conversations that are not recoverable data. For this reason, the in-text citation is sufficient since the reader will not be able to locate the original document.  See the Personal Communication tab in this libguide for additional information.

Examples:

Narrative citation: W. R. Markham (personal communication, August 17, 2010)

Parenthetical citation: (S. J. Hoover, personal communication, January 22, 2005)

APA in-text citation examples

One work by one author

Insert the surname of the author and the publication year in the text at the appropriate point.

Examples:

In this article, Brewer (2009) questions the process that resulted in the development of new construction materials.

It was ascertained that the process for developing the new construction materials is highly complex (Brewer, 2009).

One work by multiple authors

• Two authors: Cite both names every time the reference occurs in text.
• Three, four, or five authors: Cite all authors the first time the reference occurs; in subsequent citations, include in the parentheses only:
  • Last name of the first author
  • Space
  • “et al.”
  • Comma
  • Year in numerals

 and the year. It is necessary that the year be included in the first parenthetical citation from that source within a paragraph.

Examples: Sellman, Baker, Adamson, and Geering (2007) discovered [Use as the first citation in text.]

Sellman et al. (2007) discovered [Use as subsequent citation in a paragraph following the initial entry.]

Groups as authors

Names of groups that serve as authors such as corporations, associations, and government agencies are usually spelled out each time they appear in a text citation. To determine whether the name of a group can be abbreviated in subsequent citations, follow the standard rule that it is necessary to provide a clear enough name in the citation to make it easy for the reader to find the source in the reference list.

Example: Initial citation for a group readily identified through abbreviation -- American Medical Association (2009)

Subsequent citation -- AMA (2009) or (AMA, 2009) 

Authors with the same last name

When the reference list includes two or more primary authors with the same last name, include the first author’s initials in all in-text citations. The use of initials will aid the reader in avoiding confusion regarding identification of the author.

Reference list examples: 

Chui, D. T., & Zare, R. N. (1996). Biased diffusion, optical trapping, and manipulation of single molecules in solution.  Journal of the American Chemical Society, 118(27), 6512–6513. doi: 10.1021/ja960978p

Chui, K., Li, H., & Xie, Z. (2000). Synthesis and structural characterization of closo-exo, exo-nido, and pseudocloso group 1 carborane compounds of the C₂B₁₀ system. Organometallics, 19(25), 5447-5453. doi: 10.1021/om000547m

In-text citation examples:

Within this area of development, we reviewed D. T. Chui and Zare (1996) and K. Chi, Li, and Xie (2000).

Works with no identified author

When no author is identified, use the first few words of the reference list entry in the text. This would usually be part of the title. Follow this with the publication year. Use double quotation marks around the title of an article, a chapter, or a web page. Italicize the title of a periodical or a book.  Also, treat references to legal materials like references to works with no author.

Examples

information on free trade ("Choosing Core Industries," 2010)

The book Job Hunter's Sourcebook (2009) should be helpful.

Two or more works within the same parentheses

Order the citations for two or more works within the same parentheses alphabetically in the same order they will appear in the reference list.  For details regarding works within the same parentheses, see 8.12 of the Publication Manual.

Example

Several studies (Apfel & Slaughter, 2004; Robertson, 2006) achieved satisfactory results.

Secondary sources

Use secondary sources sparingly. For example, a secondary source can be used when the original work is out of print, is unavailable through the usual sources, or is not available in English. Use the secondary source in the reference list. In the text, name the original work, and give a citation for the secondary source.

Example

Bronson's work is cited in Abercrombie. Because you did not read Bronson's work, you will list the Abercrombie reference in the reference list because this is the source you used to find what Bronson had to say. In the text, use the information listed below for your citation:

Bronson's thesis (as cited in Abercrombie, 2008).

Classical works

When the year of publication does not apply, cite the year of the translation you used. Precede this with trans., or the year of the version you used, followed by version.

More information about classical works is included under "Background" at the top of this page.

Examples

(Plato, trans. 1988)

James (1916/1969)

Citing specific parts of a source

To cite a specific part of a source, indicate the page, chapter, figure, or table at the appropriate point in the text. Always give page numbers for quotations. Page, but not chapter, is abbreviated in this type of in-text citation.

Examples

(Ishiguro, 1990, p. 138)

(Silvertown, 2009, Chapter 4)

For information about citing electronic sources that do not show page numbers, see section 8.28 of the Publication Manual.

Personal communications

Cite personal communications within the text of the paper. This category includes private letters, memos, e-mail, messages from non-archived discussion groups or electronic bulletin boards, personal interviews, and telephone conversations. The citation should use the initials and last name of the communicator, the words personal communication, and as specific a date as possible.

Examples

A. Patchett (personal communication, December 7, 2010)

(H. T. Skinner, personal communication, August 21, 2001)

Citations in Parenthetical Material

When a citation is used in parenthetical text, use commas to set off the date.

Example

(see Appendix III of Botan and McCreadie, 2002, for complete information)

If two of more works are referenced in the same parentheses, order the citations alphabetically in the same order as they would appear in the reference list.

(Baker, 2002; Roarke, 2005)