APA Guide: Parenthetical and In-Text Citations

Absolute must read article at writers-house blog to help you cite the sources used in your academic research properly.

In-Text Citations

• When including in-text citations, you should write the author’s name right in the sentence, with no parentheses. For example: Smith (2002) says that most people like hamburgers.
• The year of publication must follow the author’s name. If this information is not available, just write “n.d” (“no date”) instead. For example: Smith and Brown (2012) explained the causes of the event, while Jones (n.d.) wrote about consequences.
• When including direct quotes, they must be followed by page numbers in parentheses. If page numbers are not available, specify a paragraph. For example: (para.11). Keep in mind that you don’t need to include these details when paraphrasing someone.
• Titles of books and other works must be written in italics and in title case: To Kill a Mockingbird.
• Titles of articles and parts of works must be put in quotation marks: “How to Write Citations.”

Parenthetical Citations

• Parenthetical citations are also called references and are written in parentheses.
• According to APA requirements, you should include the author’s last name, the year of publication, and either page or paragraph number, if including a direct quote. Here’s an example: (Brown, 2018); (Smith, Brown, & Jones, n.d.).
• You should also put the title of the article in parentheses if there’s no author: (“How to Write Citations,” 1990).
• You can also use shortened versions of long titles, for example: “Quotes, Paraphrasing, and References: Student’s Guide” can be shortened: “Quotes, Paraphrasing.”

Parenthetical/In-Text Citations and the References List

Your parenthetical and in-text citations should correspond to the entries in your References list. Here are some examples:

Brown (2015) notes that “cheeseburgers are more popular than hamburgers” (para. 12)
Brown, C. (2015). Cheeseburgers and Hamburgers. Retrieved from https://www.website.com/archive/brown_cheeseburgers_hamburgers

Although hamburgers are less popular, they are also tasty (“Fast Food and Soda,” n.d.)
“Fast Food and Soda.” (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.website.org/fast-food-and-soda

Formatting Parenthetical and In-Text Citations

One author in text

Include the year the work was published after the author’s name:

Smith (2002) found that cheeseburgers are more popular.

One author in reference

The name should be followed by a comma and the year:

Cheeseburgers are certainly more popular (Smith, 2002).

Two authors in text

Include the last names followed by the year of publication:

Smith and Brown (2005) studied cheeseburgers.

Two authors in reference

Use an ampersand (&) when referencing two authors, and follow the last names with a comma and the year:

The study of cheeseburgers took several years (Smith & Brown, 2011).

3-5 authors in text

Include all the last names followed by the year in parentheses. In subsequent references, include the first surname followed by “et al.” and the year:

Smith, Brown, and Jones (2003) found that…
Smith et al. (2003) then noticed that…

3-5 authors in reference

First reference:

Most people prefer cheeseburgers (Smith, Brown, Jones, McCarthy & Wilson, 2001)

Subsequent references:

The study proves the popularity of cheeseburgers (Smith et al., 2001)

Six or more authors in reference or text

If there are more than five authors, include the first surname followed by “et al.”

Two or more sources in text

Smith et al. (2002); Brown and Jones (1990); McCarthy (2011); and Wilson (1985), studied cheeseburgers and hamburgers.

Two or more sources in reference

Cheeseburgers are more popular than hamburgers (Smith et al., 2002; Brown & Jones, 1990; McCarthy, 2011; Wilson, 1985).

Same authors with the same publication date in text

If the same authors have two or more works published in the same year, use letters to identify every publication:

Several studies conducted by Brown and Jones (2001a, 2001b) indicate that cheeseburgers are more popular.

Same authors with the same publication date in reference

Several studies indicate that cheeseburgers are more popular (Brown & Jones, 2001a, 2001b).

Secondary or indirect sources in text

Sometimes, you may find sources cited in other sources. In this case, you should mention the original work and provide a parenthetical citation for your main source:

Brown stated that cheeseburgers are more popular (as cited in Smith, 2011).

In the references list, you would cite only Smith. In addition, don’t forget to paraphrase the material.

Web pages with no author

Cite the first few words of the entry from the reference list, and the year. Use title case and either quotation marks or italics, depending on the type of source:

This has been proven (“Interesting studies,” 2005).

Direct quotations in text(less than 40 words)

Put your quotation in quotation marks, followed by the author’s name, year, and page number in parentheses:

“Quote” (Smith & Brown, 2001, p. 230)

Direct quotations in text, the page number is not available

In this case, replace the page number with a paragraph number.

Direct quotations in text (more than 40 words)

Instead of using quotation marks, make a quotation block indented ½ inch from the left margin, with double spaces.

Classical religious sources (Bible, Qu’ran, etc.)

When citing classic religious works, as well as ancient Roman and Greek sources, reference list entries are not necessary. Just specify the version of the classic work in parentheses, e.g. (King James Version).