APA In-Text Citations

What are APA In-Text Citations?

The American Psychological Association recommends an author/date style of in-text citations. These citations refer readers to a list of references at the end of the paper.

Basic Format for a Direct Quotation
Ordinarily, introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author's last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses. Put the page number (preceded by "p.") in parentheses at the end of the quotation.

According to Hart (1996), some primatologists "wondered if apes had learned Language, with a capital L" (p. 109).

When the author's name does not appear in the signal phrase, place the author's name, the date, and the page number in parentheses at the end of the quotation. Use commas between items in the parentheses: (Hart, 1996, p. 109).

Basic Format for a Summary or a Paraphrase
For a summary or a paraphrase, include the author's last name and the date either in a signal phrase or in parentheses at the end.

According to Hart (1996), researchers took Terrace's conclusions seriously, and funding for language experiments soon declined.

Researchers took Terrace's conclusions seriously, and funding for language experiments soon declined (Hart, 1996).

Note: A page number is not required, but provide one if it would help your readers find a specific page in a long work.

Unknown Author
If the author is not given, use the first word or two of the title in the signal phrase or the parenthetical citation.

Massachusetts state and mu nic ipal governments have initiated several programs to improve public safety, including community policing and after school activities ("Innovations," 1997).

If "Anonymous" is cited as the author, treat it in-text as the real name. Use the name Anonymous as author on your Works Cited list.

Corporate Author
If the author is a government agency or other corporate organization with a long and cumbersome name, spell out the name the first time you use it in a citation, followed by an abbreviation in brackets. In later citations, simply use the abbreviation.

First citation

(National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 1997)

Later citations

(NIMH, 1997)

Multiple Authors

If the work has two authors, cite both authors every time the reference is used in the text. In the parenthetical citation, join the names with an ampersand (&).

(Kilgore & Raines, 2008).

In the narrative part of the text, join the names with the word “and.”

As Kilgore and Raines (2008) demonstrated, the results were accurate.

If the work has three, four, or five authors, cite all authors the first time the reference appears in your paper.

Kilgore, Raines, & Murray (2008) discovered that the data marked a downward trend.

In all subsequent parenthetical citations for the same source, include only the last name of the first author followed by “et al.”

Kilgore et al. (2008) revealed data supporting the effectiveness of treatment.