In MLA, “et al.” is used both for in-text citations and the Works Cited page when a source has three or more authors.
Example: Some critics agree that the symbolism is difficult to decipher (Ruiz et al. 190).
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When to use et al. in APA in-text citations depends on which edition of the APA Publication Manual you are using.
In APA 6th edition, works with three to five authors are listed using “et al.” after the first citation.
Example: “Freeman, Taylor, and Werg (2024) reject this hypothesis. Instead, their data indicates that the opposite is true (Freeman et al., 2024).”
In APA 7th edition, works with three or more authors are listed using “et al.” after the first author’s name from the first citation.
Example: “Freeman et al. (2024) reject this hypothesis.”
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Continue reading: When should I use et al. in APA in-text citations?
How you use “et al.” in citations depends on the style guide you are using.
In MLA, “et al.” is used both for in-text citations and the Works Cited page when a source has three or more authors.
In APA 6th edition, works with three to five authors are listed using “et al.” after the first citation. In APA 7th edition, works with three or more authors are listed using “et al.” from the first in-text citation.
In Chicago style, works with four or more authors are listed using “et al.” from the first citation.
Continue reading: When should I use et al. in citations?
APA Style uses sentence-style capitalization for article titles in the reference list, which means only the first word and any proper nouns are capitalized (e.g., “Language production and serial order”).
Sentence-style capitalization is also used for book and webpage titles.
However, for the titles of journals, headline-style capitalization is used. This means all words except prepositions, conjunctions, and articles are capitalized (e.g., Journal of Communications Technology and Electronics).
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Continue reading: What do you capitalize in article titles in APA references?
In APA references, the titles of books, webpages, and reports are italicized, as are the titles and volume numbers of journals and other periodicals.
The titles of articles or book chapters are not italicized.
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Continue reading: What should be italicized in APA 7th edition references?
In an APA reference list, page numbers are typically included for journal articles and chapters in edited works. APA book citations and APA website citations typically do not include page numbers.
| Journal article | Ferrand, C. (2002, December). Harmonics-to-noise ratio. Journal of Voice, 16(4), 480–487. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0892-1997(02)00123-6 |
| Chapter in an edited book | Dillard, J. P. (2020). Currents in the study of persuasion. In M. B. Oliver, A. A. Raney, & J. Bryant (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (4th ed., pp. 115–129). Routledge. |
The two numbers in a page range are connected using an en dash (–) rather than a hyphen (-).
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Continue reading: How do you cite page numbers in an APA reference list?
Access dates are not normally required in APA Style in-text citations or references. They are never needed for online journal articles or ebooks.
But, if you create an APA citation for a website that is likely to be updated in the future, you should include an access date. For example:
The University of Texas at Arlington. (n.d.) Our alumni make history. Retrieved May 9, 2024, from www.uta.edu/about/alumni
Continue reading: When should I include an access date in an APA citation?
Often, when there is no individual author listed, the source can be attributed to an organization or agency (e.g., a report, a press release, a company’s website). In these cases, the organization name can be used in place of the author in both the APA in-text citation and APA reference page.
If there is no individual or organizational author (as is the case with some website sources), the title can be used instead. In the in-text citation, long titles can be shortened, and they can be formatted as in the reference list (i.e., either in italics or in quotation marks).
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Continue reading: How do I cite a source with no author in APA Style?
APA in-text citations for quotations of specific text must include a locator. When no page numbers are available (e.g., when citing a website), you can use paragraph numbers or heading names (or a combination) instead: (Cordero, 2021, Key Facts section, para. 3).
When you paraphrase or summarize a source in APA writing, you do not need to include any locator information.
You can keep track of source information with QuillBot’s free notepad online to ensure your citations are accurate.
Continue reading: How do I cite a source with no page numbers in APA Style?
APA in-text citations for online articles or websites include the author’s last name and publication year: (Patel, 2020). Often, the author is an organization: (National Institutes of Health, 2022).
When citing a quotation, you should include some type of locator. This could be a paragraph number (Patel, 2020, para. 10) or section title (Patel, 2020, Future Plans section).
For further information, read our guide on APA website citations.
Continue reading: What does an APA in-text citation for a website look like?
