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APA In-Text Citations: Complete Guide

In-text citations are brief references within the body of your paper that direct readers to the full citation on your reference page. APA format uses the author-date system, where the author's last name and the year of publication are inserted into the text.

Two Types of In-Text Citations

Parenthetical Citations

Both the author and date appear in parentheses, usually at the end of the sentence:

  • Research supports this conclusion (Smith, 2023).
  • The results were statistically significant (Johnson & Lee, 2022).
  • Several studies have confirmed these findings (Garcia et al., 2021).

Narrative Citations

The author's name is part of the sentence, with only the year in parentheses:

  • Smith (2023) argued that the findings were consistent.
  • According to Johnson and Lee (2022), the effect was significant.
  • Garcia et al. (2021) demonstrated a clear pattern.

Author Variations

One Author

Use the author's last name and year:

  • Parenthetical: (Smith, 2023)
  • Narrative: Smith (2023)

Two Authors

List both authors every time, using "&" in parenthetical citations and "and" in narrative citations:

  • Parenthetical: (Smith & Jones, 2023)
  • Narrative: Smith and Jones (2023)

Three or More Authors

Use the first author's name followed by "et al." in every citation:

  • Parenthetical: (Smith et al., 2023)
  • Narrative: Smith et al. (2023)

Group or Organization as Author

Spell out the full name the first time, then abbreviate if the abbreviation is well known:

  • First citation: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023)
  • Subsequent citations: (WHO, 2023)

No Author

Use the first few words of the title in quotation marks (for articles/chapters) or italics (for books/reports):

  • ("Title of Article," 2023)
  • (Title of Book, 2023)

Direct Quotations

When quoting directly, include the page number (or paragraph number for sources without pages):

  • Parenthetical: (Smith, 2023, p. 45)
  • Narrative: Smith (2023) stated that "direct quote here" (p. 45).
  • No page number: (Smith, 2023, para. 3)

Short Quotations (Under 40 Words)

Integrate the quote into the text and enclose it in double quotation marks.

Block Quotations (40 Words or More)

Start the quotation on a new line, indent the entire block 0.5 inches from the left margin, and do not use quotation marks. Place the citation after the closing punctuation.

Multiple Sources in One Citation

When citing multiple works in one parenthetical citation, list them alphabetically separated by semicolons:

(Garcia et al., 2021; Johnson & Lee, 2022; Smith, 2023)

Secondary Sources

When citing a source you found in another source (not the original), use "as cited in":

  • Parenthetical: (original author, year, as cited in secondary author, year)
  • Narrative: Original author (year, as cited in secondary author, year)

List only the secondary source on the reference page.

Same Author, Same Year

When you cite multiple works by the same author published in the same year, add lowercase letters after the year:

(Smith, 2023a) and (Smith, 2023b)

Common Mistakes

  1. Using "et al." with only two authors (always list both).
  2. Forgetting page numbers for direct quotations.
  3. Using "&" in narrative citations instead of "and."
  4. Not matching in-text citations to reference list entries.
  5. Including initials in in-text citations unnecessarily (only needed to distinguish authors with the same last name).