In-text citations can be written in two ways:<\/p>\n
For example:<\/p>\n
According to Borland and Forrester (2004), white Gaussian noise in optical fibers can cause signal distortion.<\/p>\n
For example:<\/p>\n
White Gaussian noise in optical fibers can cause signal distortion (Borland & Forrester, 2004).<\/p>\n
NB: <\/strong>For narrative in-text citations for sources with two authors, you should use the word \u201cand\u201d between the authors\u2019 surnames. Conversely, use the ampersand symbol (&) to demarcate author surnames in parenthetical in-text citations. When there are more than three authors<\/a>, this rule does not apply.<\/p>\n Barring exceptional circumstances, all in-text citations, including the first citation of a source with one or two authors, must include all authors\u2019 last names.<\/p>\n For a source authored by one individual, indicate the author\u2019s last name and the source\u2019s year of publication. For example:<\/p>\n Narrative in-text citation<\/strong>: According to Guthrie (2020), a complete lockdown is necessary to reduce coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection rates across countries.<\/p>\n Parenthetical in-text citation<\/strong>: A complete lockdown is necessary to flatten the coronavirus 2019 infection curve in most countries (Guthrie, 2020).<\/p>\n For a source authored by two individuals, write the two authors\u2019 last names and the source\u2019s publication year. If you use a narrative (signal phrase) in-text citation, use the word \u2018and\u2019 instead of the ampersand character (&):<\/p>\n According to Lai and Cavanagh (1997), research into the molecular biology of coronaviruses inadvertently led to the advancement of knowledge in molecular biology, in general.<\/p>\n Research into the molecular biology of coronaviruses inadvertently led to the advancement of knowledge in molecular biology, in general (Lai & Cavanagh, 1997).<\/p>\n You should only write the last name of the first author and the Latin abbreviation \u201cet al.\u201d (without quotation marks), and the source\u2019s publication year.<\/p>\n Sometimes, you can obtain information from different authors (two or more) and need to cite it in one parenthetical in-text citation. To do so, order the sources in ascending alphabetical order<\/a> just as you would do on the references page. Separate the sources using semicolons. Below is an example:<\/p>\n (Baldwin, 1948; Sears et al., 1976)<\/p>\n In the example above, there are two sources: one authored by Baldwin and published in 1948 and another authored by Sears et al. and published in 1976.<\/p>\n When two or more sources\u2019 first authors have the same surname but have different second names<\/a> (hence different initials), use initials together with the first authors\u2019 last names in all in-text citations. Do this even when the sources have different years of publication:<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n (K. W. S\u00f6ze & Kobayashi, 2020)<\/p>\n (B. M. S\u00f6ze & Onyango, 2014)<\/p>\n However, if the first authors\u2019 surnames and initials are all the same, use the author-date citation system<\/a> when citing the sources in the text of your paper (i.e., do not include the initials of the first authors). In the above example, if K. W. S\u00f6ze and B. M. S\u00f6ze both had the initials \u201cT. M.\u201d (instead of \u201cK. W.\u201d and \u201cB. M.,\u201d respectively), the corresponding in-text citations would be formatted as follows:<\/p>\n (S\u00f6ze & Kobayashi, 2020)<\/p>\n (S\u00f6ze & Onyango, 2014)<\/p>\n If two or more authors of a single source<\/em> have the same last name, follow the author-date citation system to cite the source in the text of your paper (i.e., do not include initials of the authors):<\/p>\n (Kimani & Kimani, 2018)<\/p>\n Therefore, accord no special treatment to a single source<\/em> that contains multiple similar surnames \u2013 present the in-text citation in the standard format.<\/p>\n Unknown Author<\/strong>: When citing a work without an author<\/a>, refer to the work by its title in a narrative (signal phrase) citation. Alternatively, use the work\u2019s title\u2019s first few words in a parenthetical citation. Book and report titles should be italicized. Enclose the titles of web pages, chapters, and articles in quotation marks.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n An Atlantic hurricane, which is typical of the Atlantic Ocean, occurs anywhere between June and November (\u2018\u2018Atlantic Hurricane,\u2019\u2019 2022).<\/p>\n Below is the corresponding reference:<\/p>\n Atlantic hurricane.<\/em> (2022, September 30). In Wikipedia<\/em>. https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.phptitle=Atlantic_hurricane&oldid=1113174692<\/a><\/p>\n If the source lists the author as Anonymous, treat the word \u2018Anonymous\u2019 as the source\u2019s author\u2019s surname. As such, use the word \u2018Anonymous\u2019 in the in-text citation and reference list entry corresponding to the source.<\/p>\n For example (made up book reference):<\/p>\n Anonymous. (2022).\u00a0The boy who made a spaceship<\/em>. Hits Publishers.<\/p>\n Parenthetical in-text citation:\u00a0The 16-year-old boy was born to Spanish parents (Anonymous, 2022).<\/p>\n Narrative in-text citation:\u00a0Anonymous (2022) concluded that\u2026<\/p>\n Please note that sources with anonymous or unnamed authors are considered unauthoritative. Avoid them whenever possible.<\/p>\n Sometimes, references can have the same authors and same publication dates<\/a>, which can be confusing for a reader. A lowercase letter is added immediately after the year to enable a reader to tell the sources apart. Before assigning these letters in the in-text citations, first, arrange your references in ascending alphabetical order. Next, assign the letters in the order in which the references appear. Thereafter, assign the in-text citations corresponding letters.<\/p>\n NB:<\/strong> In case the reference entry has a specific date, only use the year and the assigned letter (i.e., leave out the date and month).<\/p>\n A primary source of information contains original material (e.g., a journal article written by scientists reporting the results of a scientific experiment they conducted). A secondary source<\/a> of information contains material obtained from another source (e.g., a book that cites the journal article\u2019s experiment\u2019s results).<\/p>\n APA 7 recommends using original or primary sources of information wherever possible. Use secondary sources of information only under extenuating circumstances. For instance, when a primary source is unavailable (e.g., when it is out of print), or when the author wrote it in a language you cannot comprehend, you can use a secondary source. Therefore, instead of citing a secondary source, always attempt to obtain the primary source and cite it.<\/p>\n However, if you cannot cite an original source for a reason, cite the secondary source as in the example below.<\/p>\n Bush (2010) argued that… (as cited in Obama, 2017).<\/p>\n Please note that the original source is mentioned in the signal phrase, while the secondary source is presented in the parenthetical citation.<\/p>\n Alternatively, you can include both the primary and secondary sources in a parenthetical citation:<\/p>\n (Bush, 2010, as cited in Obama, 2017)<\/p>\n List the secondary source and not the original source in the corresponding reference list entry.<\/p>\n Sometimes, students make the mistake of using an author\u2019s first name when writing in-text citations. The right thing to do is indicate the author\u2019s last name (surname) AND NOT his\/her first name.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n In-text citation<\/strong>: (Friederici, 2017) or Friederici (2017)<\/p>\n Reference entry:<\/strong><\/p>\n Friederici,\u00a0A.\u00a0D. (2017).\u00a0Language in our brain: The origins of a uniquely human capacity<\/em>. MIT Press.<\/p>\n You do not need to provide page numbers for work you have not copied word for word. Instead, write the author\u2019s last name and the work\u2019s publication year. Although the APA 7th edition manual encourages writers to provide page numbers where possible, it only mandates writers to provide page numbers when presenting direct quotations<\/a>. However, a writer can add a page number to the citation of a paraphrased idea when such a page number would aid readers in quickly identifying the segment, especially in a lengthy, complicated work that is the source of the paraphrased statement.<\/p>\nIn-Text Citations for One or Two Authors<\/h2>\n
Citing Multiple Sources in One Parenthetical Citation<\/h2>\n
Sources’ First Authors Share Surnames but not Initials<\/h2>\n
Source Authored by Multiple Authors With Similar Surnames<\/h2>\n
In-Text Citations for Sources With Unnamed Authors<\/h2>\n
Sources Whose Authors and Publication Dates Are Similar<\/h2>\n
In-Text Citations for Indirect Sources<\/h2>\n
Key Rules for In-text Citations<\/h2>\n
Use Last Names and not First Names<\/h3>\n
Page Numbers Are Unnecessary in a Paraphrased Text<\/h2>\n
Do not Cite One Source Multiple Times in a Paragraph<\/h2>\n