General guidelines for in-text citations:
     Note: In the examples, blue indicates your text; red indicates the in-text citation. Return to Guidelines for Writing APA Citations

• The basic format for an in-text citation is: (Author’s last name, date of publication), e.g.—
• (Hernon, 2001).
• If you have named the author/s in your text, use just the year of publication, e.g.—
• In their article, Hernon and Brown (2001) state ….

 
• One author:
• Use the last name of the author followed by a comma, and the year of publication and enclose in parentheses, e.g.—
• This is your text et cetera and so forth (Hernon, 2001).

 
• Two authors:
• Use both names in every reference, e.g.—
• More of your text (Hernon & Brown, 2001) and more text if your citation is put in the middle of a sentence.

 
• Three to 5 authors:
• Use all the authors in the first citation. In any additional citations use the last name of the first author, followed by “et al.,” e.g.—
• First in-text citation: Lots more of your text (Hernon, Brown, & Young, 2001).
• Second, 3rd, etc. in text citations: And still more of your text (Hernon, et al., 2001).

 
• Six or more authors:
• Use only the last name of the first author followed by “et al.” for all in text citations, e.g.—
• Text, text, and more text (Hernon, et al., 2001) and more text if your citation is put in the middle of a sentence.

 
• Groups or institutions as authors:
• Names of groups used as authors—like the American Psychological Association—are usually spelled out each time they appear in a text citation, e.g.—
•  …text of your paper (American Psychological Association, 2001).

 
• Anonymous author or no author:
• Use the first few words of your reference list entry (usually the title) and the date of publication as your in-text citation. Put quotation marks around the title of a chapter or article. Italicize the title of a book, periodical journal, magazine, or report--e.g.
• …text of your paper (“Ode to Trees,” 1806).
• …text of your paper (Untitled Poetry, 1904).
• When the author of the work is listed as “Anonymous,” use the word "Anonymous" followed by a comma and the date of publication, e.g.—
• …text of your paper (Anonymous, 1853).

 
• Using only a part or a section of a source:
• Paper format: Include the page, chapter, figure, table, or equation number in your in-text citation. Always give page numbers for direct quotations--e.g.--
• …text of your paper (Hernon, 2001, p. 460) and more text if your citation is put in the middle of a sentence .
• …text of your paper (Hernon & Brown, 2001, chap. 23).
• …text of your paper (Hernon, Brown, & Young, 2001, figure 12).
• …text of your paper (Hernon, et al., 2001, table 6).
• Electronic formats often do not provide page numbers.
• If a paragraph number is given, use it preceded by the symbol for a paragraph-- or the abbreviation “para.,” e.g.—
• …text of your paper (Hernon, 2001, para 6).
• …text of your paper (Hernon, 2001, para. 6).
• If you cannot find a page number or a paragraph number, go to the nearest heading preceding the information you want to quote, count the number of paragraphs from the heading. Use that number as your paragraph number and combine it with the heading title, e.g.—
• …text of your paper (Hernon, 2001, Introduction to Lord of the Rings, para. 3).

Return to Guidelines for Writing APA Citations

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