One author
RuleGive the author's surname and the year, separated by a comma in parentheses.
Example
- Parenthetical
- (Poropat, 2009)
- Narrative
- Poropat (2009)
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APA in-text citation
How to cite a source in the text in APA 7th edition, with examples for each case. Type the authors, year and page, or a DOI, and get the narrative and parenthetical citation. No sign-in.
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Narrative and parenthetical citations
APA in-text citations give the author's surname and the year. A parenthetical citation puts both in parentheses, usually at the end of the sentence. A narrative citation makes the author part of your sentence and puts the year in parentheses right after the name.
Every work you cite in the text needs an entry in your reference list, and every entry needs at least one citation in the text.
Rules and examples
Two authors
RuleName both authors in every citation. Join them with an ampersand (&) inside parentheses and with the word and in your sentence.
Example
- Parenthetical
- (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996)
- Narrative
- Kluger and DeNisi (1996)
Three or more authors
RuleGive the first author's surname followed by et al., from the first citation on.
Example
- Parenthetical
- (Richardson et al., 2012)
- Narrative
- Richardson et al. (2012)
Group author
RuleGive the group's full name. If the group is known by an abbreviation, you can give it in square brackets the first time, as in (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021), and use the abbreviation after that. The builder gives the full name, so add the abbreviation yourself if you use one.
Example
- Parenthetical
- (World Health Organization, 2021)
- Narrative
- World Health Organization (2021)
No date
RuleWrite n.d., for no date, in place of the year.
Example
- Parenthetical
- (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.)
- Narrative
- National Institute of Mental Health (n.d.)
Page numbers
RuleWhen you quote, or point to one passage, add the page after the year: p. for one page and pp. for a range. For a source without page numbers, give a paragraph number (para.) instead.
Example
- Parenthetical
- (Poropat, 2009, p. 330)
- Narrative
- Poropat (2009, p. 330)
Other styles
FAQ
- Is the in-text citation builder free?
- Yes. You don't need an account. If you build a lot of citations in a few minutes, the tool asks you to wait a moment before the next one.
- Do you store what I type?
- No. The details go to our server, which formats the citation and sends it back to your browser. A DOI is looked up in Crossref and OpenAlex. We don't save what you typed or the results.
- Which edition of APA does this follow?
- The 7th edition, the current one.
- When do I use et al. in APA?
- For any work with three or more authors, from the first time you cite it. With two authors, name both every time.
- Do I need a page number in every APA citation?
- Only when you quote, or when you point to one passage. When you summarise a whole work or its main finding, the author and year are enough.