APA In-Text Citations | Format & Examples
APA is one of the most commonly used citation styles for texts in the social sciences, and it requires specific formatting of your paper and all in-text citations. APA Style in-text citations include the author name and publication year in parentheses (Name, Year).
In-text citations are necessary any time you quote, paraphrase, or summarize another author’s work in your text. The information in the in-text citation must correspond with the relevant entry on your APA reference page.
Table of contents
- Basic APA in-text citations
- APA in-text citations for multiple authors
- APA in-text citations for group authors
- Sources with overlapping information
- APA in-text citations when missing information
- How to cite personal communication
- How to cite websites and software
- How to cite a podcast, video, or lecture
- How to cite indirect sources
- Frequently asked questions about APA in-text citations
Basic APA in-text citations
The most basic type of APA in-text citation includes the author name followed by a comma and the resource publication date. If you are citing a specific part of the text (e.g., a quotation), include the page number (“p.”) or page range (“pp.”). When citing a page range, an en dash (–) should be used (e.g., “pp. 14–19).
When citing works with two authors, list both author names using an ampersand (“&”). For works with three or more authors, include the first author name followed by “et al.”
(Flouet, 2007, p. 4)
(Bande & Vrastek, 2024)
(Poole, 2019, pp. 36–39)
(Oppo et al., 2017)
Parenthetical citations
Parenthetical citations can be placed in the middle of a sentence or at the end of the sentence. The citation precedes any form of punctuation.
The information in the parenthetical citation should correspond to the appropriate reference entry on your reference page.
Cats have been observed to climb trees (Yuley et al., 1999, p. 26).
Historians determined that the intervention was “unnecessary” (Pandit & Putri, 2022, p. 44).
Narrative citations
Narrative citations can be used to integrate information about the source into the sentence itself. Narrative citations usually consist of the author name and should still include the publication date in parentheses if this is not mentioned in the sentence.
Do not use ampersands when citing two authors in the sentence itself; instead, use “and” to connect the author’s names.
Yuley et al. (1999) conducted a study involving over 300 cats.
Pandit and Putri (2022) criticized the government’s actions, describing them as “extreme” and “bullying” (p. 44).
APA in-text citations for multiple authors
Multiple citations can be included within a single set of parentheses when using the work of multiple authors.
- Each citation should be separated by a semicolon.
- There is no limit to the number of sources in a single set of parentheses.
- Sources must be listed in alphabetical order.
- Multiple sources from the same author should include the author name and each publication year in chronological order, separated by a comma (e.g., Num, 2021, 2023).
APA in-text citations for group authors
Sources with “group” authors, meaning authors that are organizations, should be cited using the organization name in lieu of the author name.
Groups with long names or that are known by an abbreviation should be cited using the full organization name in the first citation. After this, an abbreviated name can be used in subsequent citations.
Regional spread is predicted for the next quarter (World Health Organization, 2024). The anticipated figures far outstrip those of a decade earlier (WHO, 2024), but it remains unclear why this is.
Sources with overlapping information
Sometimes sources have the same author names, or you may need to cite multiple publications from the same author published in the same year. To avoid ambiguous citations, APA recommends specific solutions for each issue.
| Issue | Recommendation | Parenthetical citation example |
| Multiple works by the same author published in the same year | Include a lowercase letter after the publication year | (Blinco, 2022a)
(Blinco, 2022b) |
| Works by authors with the same last name | Include the authors’ first initial | (S. Jaya, 2019)
(J. Jaya, 2019) |
| Works with 3+ authors that have the same first author name and publication date | Include additional names to ensure different citations | (Clee, Watabi, et al., 2020)
(Clee, Jenkins, et al., 2020) |
APA in-text citations when missing information
Resources sometimes may not include the usual information required for in-text APA citations. Sources that lack an author, page numbers, or a publication date can be cited using a few simple fixes.
- Sources without an author: Use the organization name or publication title. With the exception of court cases (which are italicized in-text but not in the reference entry), publication titles should be italicized or in quotation marks to match their formatting in the references list.
- Sources without page numbers: Use other information that directs readers to the place the cited information can be found (e.g., timestamps for a video, headings, and/or paragraph numbers for a webpage). Citations with this degree of specificity are only needed when direct quotations are used.
- Sources without a publication date: Use “n.d.” in lieu of the publication year.
All in-text citations should clearly correlate with the relevant reference list entry. Include information in the citation that indicates which reference entry the reader should consult.
| Issue | Parenthetical citation examples |
| No author | (“How to Build a Desk,” 2024)
(Quillbot, 2024) |
| No page number | (Wurtz, 2016, 2:10)
(Pinter, 1961, para. 3) |
| No date | (“The Truth About Ovens,” n.d.)
(Findlay, n.d.) |
How to cite personal communication
APA calls sources that readers cannot access “personal communications.” These include emails, text messages, phone calls, classroom lectures, online chats, and so on.
Personal communications do not have reference entries. Information should only be cited as a personal communication if it is not possible to find the material in any recorded source.
In-text citations for personal communications should include the author’s first initial and last name, the phrase “personal communication,” and the most precise date possible (including day and month).
(P. Diaz, personal communication, August 22, 2023)
How to cite websites and software
An in-text citation isn’t needed when mentioning a website or the use of specific software. In these cases, the information can be integrated into the sentence.
Quillbot (quillbot.com) offers writing support tools.
How to cite a podcast, video, or lecture
To cite audiovisual resources such as videos, podcasts, or recorded lectures, include the first element of the reference entry (usually the author/creator name or title) and the publication date. Include timestamps if materials are quoted directly.
(Eldridge, 2019, 10:09)
(Ward, n.d., 3:07)
How to cite indirect sources
Indirect sources are sources that are cited within another source. It is best to track down the original source to make a direct citation and include a corresponding reference entry.If this isn’t possible, include “as cited in” and the author name and publication date of the secondary source you used. If the publication date of the original source is unavailable, it can be omitted.
Tandry (as cited in Pollo, 2015) argued that chicken is an unhealthy protein source.
Frequently asked questions about APA in-text citations
- When should I include a page number in an APA in-text citation?
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Page numbers are only necessary in APA in-text citations when material is directly quoted. Include the page number after the publication date (Author, date, p. 1).
To cite a page range, include “pp.” and use an en dash (Author, date, pp. 1–10).
- How do I cite an indirect source in APA Style? (“as cited in”)
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To cite an indirect source in APA in-text citations, include the author name and date where available, followed by “as cited in” and the author name and date of the secondary source you are using.
Parenthetical: (Weber, 2010, as cited in Baqqa, 2016)
Narrative: Weber (2010, as cited in Baqqa, 2016) claims that …QuillBot’s writing pad online can help you keep track of all relevant source information.
- Should I place the in-text citation before or after the period?
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In-text citations should always come before punctuation, including periods, commas, semicolons, and dashes. You can include a citation mid-sentence or at the end of the sentence.
QuillBot’s free Citation Generator can automatically create citations for you in any style.
