APA in-text citations use the author's surname and the year of publication, such as (Garcia, 2021), with a page number added for direct quotations. Every in-text citation must match an entry in your reference list.
This guide covers the APA 7th edition rules for every common situation, with examples you can copy: number of authors, group authors, quotations, missing information, secondary sources, personal communications and citing several works together.
The APA 7th in-Text Formula
Parenthetical: (Author, Year) or (Author, Year, p. X) for a quotation. Narrative: Author (Year) in the sentence, with (p. X) after a quotation.
Use "&" between two authors in brackets and "and" in running text. Use "et al." for three or more authors from the first citation.
The Basic Formula
APA uses an author-date system. You can cite parenthetically, with everything in brackets, or narratively, with the author named in your sentence.
Parenthetical: Mindfulness training reduced reported stress in nursing students (Garcia, 2021).
Narrative: Garcia (2021) found that mindfulness training reduced reported stress.
Narrative with year in the text: In 2021, Garcia found that...
In a narrative citation, place the year straight after the name. Within one paragraph, you may leave the year out of later narrative citations of the same work, as long as it is not confused with another source; parenthetical citations always include the year.
Number of Authors
| Authors | Parenthetical | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| One | (Garcia, 2021) | Garcia (2021) |
| Two | (Garcia & Mensah, 2021) | Garcia and Mensah (2021) |
| Three or more | (Garcia et al., 2021) | Garcia et al. (2021) |
For two authors, always name both, every time. For three or more, use the first author's surname plus "et al." from the very first citation. This replaced the older 6th edition rule of listing up to five authors the first time.
If two different works would both shorten to the same "et al." form, write out as many surnames as needed to tell them apart, followed by "et al.".
Group Authors
When an organization is the author, use its name. If it has a familiar abbreviation, give the full name with the abbreviation the first time, then use the abbreviation.
First citation: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023) or World Health Organization (WHO, 2023)
Later citations: (WHO, 2023) or WHO (2023)
Only abbreviate if you will use the name at least three times and the abbreviation is well known. In the reference list, always write the full name.
Quotations and Page Numbers
Direct quotations need a location. Use "p." for one page and "pp." for a range.
Garcia (2021) described mindfulness as "a habit, not a cure" (p. 47).
Mindfulness is "a habit, not a cure" (Garcia, 2021, p. 47).
(Garcia, 2021, pp. 47–48)
For sources without page numbers, such as web pages, use a paragraph number (para. 4), a section heading, or a heading plus paragraph, such as (Garcia, 2021, Discussion section, para. 2). For audiovisual works, use a timestamp.
Block Quotations
Quotations of 40 words or more go in a block: a new line, indented 0.5 inch, with no quotation marks. The citation goes after the final punctuation.
Paraphrases do not require a page number, but APA encourages one when it helps the reader find the passage in a long work.
No Author, No Date and Other Missing Details
| Situation | In-text format |
|---|---|
| No author | Use the title (shortened if long): ("Sleep and Study Habits," 2022) for an article or page; (Student Wellbeing Report, 2022) for a standalone work |
| No date | (Garcia, n.d.) |
| Anonymous credited as author | (Anonymous, 2020) |
| Same author, same year | (Garcia, 2021a, 2021b), with matching letters in the reference list |
| Different authors, same surname | Add initials: (A. Garcia, 2019; L. Garcia, 2022) |
Republished and Translated Works
For a work republished or translated later, give the original year and the year of the version you read, separated by a slash: (Freud, 1900/1953) or Freud (1900/1953).
Multiple Works in One Citation
When several works support the same point, put them in one set of brackets, ordered alphabetically by first author as they appear in the reference list, separated by semicolons.
(Adeyemi, 2020; Garcia et al., 2021; Lin & Patel, 2019)
Same author, different years: (Garcia, 2018, 2021), oldest first, with undated works first and in-press works last.
Secondary Sources
A secondary source is one you read about in another work. APA prefers you to find and cite the original, but if you cannot, name the original in your text and cite the source you read.
(Bandura, 1977, as cited in Okafor, 2022)
Bandura's (1977) concept of self-efficacy (as cited in Okafor, 2022)...
Only Okafor (2022), the work you actually read, goes in your reference list.
Personal Communications
Emails, interviews you conducted informally, private messages and lectures that are not recorded are cited in the text only. They do not go in the reference list, because readers cannot retrieve them.
(R. Mensah, personal communication, March 3, 2025)
R. Mensah (personal communication, March 3, 2025) suggested...
Give the person's initials and surname and as exact a date as possible. Interviews collected as research data are reported as part of your method instead.
Common APA in-Text Mistakes
| Mistake | Correct |
|---|---|
| (Garcia and Mensah, 2021) | (Garcia & Mensah, 2021) |
| (Garcia, Mensah, and Lee, 2021) | (Garcia et al., 2021) |
| (Garcia 2021) | (Garcia, 2021) |
| Quotation with no page number | (Garcia, 2021, p. 47) |
| First names or initials in routine citations | Surnames only, unless two authors share a surname |
| Personal communication in the reference list | In-text only |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Give the author's surname and year: (Garcia, 2021) or Garcia (2021). Add a page number for direct quotations: (Garcia, 2021, p. 47).
For any work with three or more authors, from the first citation: (Garcia et al., 2021).
Not required, but APA encourages them when they would help a reader find the passage, especially in long works.
Use "n.d." in place of the year: (Garcia, n.d.).
No. Cite them in the text only, with initials, surname and exact date.
Put both in one set of brackets, alphabetically, separated by a semicolon: (Adeyemi, 2020; Garcia, 2021).
After the final punctuation of the block, unlike short quotations where it comes before the full stop.