APA 7 in-text citations give the author's surname and the year of publication, with a page number when you quote. Every citation must point to an entry in your reference list.
This guide covers both citation formats and every common case, with examples you can copy. All rules follow the APA Publication Manual, 7th edition.
The Core Pattern for APA 7 in-Text Citations
Use author and year: (Nguyen, 2021) in parentheses, or Nguyen (2021) in your sentence. For two authors, cite both every time. For three or more, use the first author plus "et al." from the first citation.
Add a page or paragraph number for direct quotations, for example (Nguyen, 2021, p. 14).
Parenthetical and Narrative Citations
APA 7 has two ways to cite. Both contain the same information; the difference is where the author's name sits.
| Format | Example | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Parenthetical | Sleep loss impairs memory (Walker, 2017). | When the finding matters more than who found it |
| Narrative | Walker (2017) found that sleep loss impairs memory. | When the author is part of your point |
| Narrative, year in text | In 2017, Walker found that sleep loss impairs memory. | Occasional variation; no parentheses needed |
Mix the two formats so your writing does not sound repetitive. Narrative citations work well when you compare authors or describe a debate.
Where to Place the Citation
Put a parenthetical citation right after the claim it supports, usually at the end of the clause or sentence and before the full stop. If a sentence draws on two sources for different points, cite each one next to its own point.
You do not need to repeat a citation after every sentence of a paraphrase. Cite on first mention, then keep it clear through your wording that the following sentences come from the same source.
Number of Authors
The number of authors changes the citation. APA 7 simplified this: there is no longer a different rule for the first and later citations of works with three to five authors.
| Authors | Parenthetical | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| One | (Patel, 2020) | Patel (2020) |
| Two | (Patel & Moreno, 2020) | Patel and Moreno (2020) |
| Three or more | (Patel et al., 2020) | Patel et al. (2020) |
Note the ampersand in parenthetical citations and the word "and" in narrative ones. "Et al." takes a full stop after "al" only, and no italics.
When "Et Al." Creates Confusion
If two works shorten to the same form, for example two 2020 papers both led by Patel with different co-authors, write out as many names as needed to tell them apart, followed by "et al.".
Group and Organization Authors
Organizations such as government agencies and associations can be authors. Spell the name out in full each time, unless it has a well-known abbreviation you want to use.
First citation: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2022) or World Health Organization (WHO, 2022)
Later citations: (WHO, 2022) or WHO (2022)
Only introduce an abbreviation if you will use it at least three times. In the reference list, always write the full name.
No Author, No Date and Other Gaps
Missing details do not stop you citing a source. APA 7 has a set substitute for each gap.
| Missing | What to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Author | The title (italic for stand-alone works, quotation marks for parts) | (Guide to Safe Lifting, 2019) or ("Rising Rents," 2023) |
| Date | n.d. | (Lopez, n.d.) |
| Author and date | Title and n.d. | ("Campus Recycling," n.d.) |
| Page numbers | Paragraph, section or timestamp | (Lopez, 2021, para. 4) |
Authors with the Same Surname
If two first authors share a surname but are different people, add their initials in every citation, for example (J. Moreno, 2019) and (L. Moreno, 2021). This applies even when the years differ.
Republished and Translated Works
For a work republished or translated later, give both years with a slash, original first: (Freud, 1900/1953). In a narrative citation, write Freud (1900/1953).
Use "Anonymous" only when the work is actually signed "Anonymous". Shorten long titles in the citation to the first few words.
Direct Quotations and Page Numbers
Every direct quotation needs a location. Use "p." for one page and "pp." for a range. For sources without pages, use a paragraph number, a section heading or a timestamp.
Ahmed (2019) argued that "feedback loses its value when it arrives after the work is graded" (p. 52).
Feedback "loses its value when it arrives after the work is graded" (Ahmed, 2019, p. 52).
The narrator calls the policy "a quiet failure" (Kim, 2022, 12:45).
APA encourages, but does not require, page numbers for paraphrases. Adding them helps readers find the idea in long works.
Block Quotations of 40 Words or More
A quotation of 40 words or more becomes a block quotation. Start it on a new line, indent the whole block 0.5 inch from the left margin and keep double spacing.
- Do not use quotation marks around the block.
- Place the citation after the final punctuation mark.
- Do not add a full stop after the closing parenthesis.
Martin (2020) described the shift in clinical training:
Students no longer move through placements as observers. They are expected to contribute from the first week, which changes how supervisors teach, how errors are handled and how confidence develops over the course of a program. (p. 88)
Citing Several Works at Once
To support one point with several sources, put them in one set of parentheses. Order them alphabetically, as they appear in the reference list, and separate them with semicolons.
(Adams, 2018; Chen & Ruiz, 2021; Okoye et al., 2019)
Same author, different years: (Brennan, 2015, 2019)
Same author, same year: (Brennan, 2020a, 2020b)
Letters after the year come from alphabetical order of the titles in the reference list. Use the same letters in both places.
Secondary Sources
A secondary source is one you read about in another work. APA asks you to cite the original only if you have read it; otherwise name it and cite the work you actually read.
Piaget's stage theory (Piaget, 1952, as cited in Santrock, 2021) ...
Only Santrock (2021) appears in the reference list. If you do not know the original's date, omit it.
Use secondary citations sparingly. Markers prefer that you find and read the original where you can.
Personal Communications
Emails, private interviews, lectures that were not recorded and similar unrecoverable sources are personal communications. Cite them in the text only; they do not go in the reference list.
(R. Diallo, personal communication, March 4, 2024)
R. Diallo (personal communication, March 4, 2024) explained ...
Give the person's initials and surname and an exact date. Interviews you conducted as research data are not cited this way; describe them in your method section instead.
Common APA 7 in-Text Citation Mistakes
| Mistake | Correct form |
|---|---|
| (Smith, Jones, & Lee, 2020) on first citation | (Smith et al., 2020) |
| Smith & Jones (2020) in a sentence | Smith and Jones (2020) |
| (Smith 2020) with no comma | (Smith, 2020) |
| (Smith, 2020, page 4) | (Smith, 2020, p. 4) |
| Including first names or initials | Surname only, except personal communications |
| Different years in text and list | Make both match the source |
Most of these errors spread through a paper when one wrong citation is copied. A final check of every citation against the list catches them.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. From the first citation, a work with three or more authors is cited with the first author's surname and "et al.", for example (Garcia et al., 2021).
For normal quotations and paraphrases, the full stop goes after the closing parenthesis. For block quotations, the citation follows the final full stop.
Not required, but recommended, especially when you paraphrase a specific passage from a long work.
Use the title in place of the author, shortened if long, with the year, for example ("Rising Rents," 2023).
Add lowercase letters after the year, such as 2020a and 2020b, in both the citation and the reference list.
No. They appear only in the text, with the person's initials, surname and the exact date.
In a narrative citation, you can drop the year for later narrative citations in the same paragraph, as long as the source stays clear. Parenthetical citations always include the year.
No. Use "and" when names are part of your sentence and "&" only inside parentheses.