APA Style Guide - 6th

In-Text Citation Basic Format

When you quote, summarize or paraphrase information you found in a source (book, article, etc.), you use in-text citations to give credit to the creator of the information. The purpose of the in-text citation is to give the reader the information needed to find the source in your references list. The parenthetical in-text citation goes directly after the piece of information you included.

Format

(Author’s Last Name, year of publication)

Example

In 1861, a large number of settlers made the trek West (Highman, 2013).


If you write the author’s name in the sentence, you do not need to repeat in the parentheses at the end.

Example

Highman (2013) notes that in 1861, a large number of settlers made the trek to California.


For direct quotations, or if your professor requires page numbers, include p. number in parentheses.

Example

They noted that “a flexible mind is a healthy mind” (Palladino & Wade, 2010, p. 147).

Common Exceptions

If there are 2 authors, include both names.

Example

(Highman & Smith, 2013)


If there are 3 to 5 authors, use all authors’ names the first time you cite them, and the first author’s last name followed by et al. for any following citations of the same source.

Example

(Highman, Smith, Heart, Jones, & Williams, 2013)

Example subsequent citation

(Highman et al., 2013)


If there are 6 or more authors, use the first author’s last name followed by et al.

Example

(Highman et al., 2013)


If you mention the author’s name in the sentence, you do not need to repeat it in the in-text citation at the end.

Example

Highman (2013) notes that settlers migrated West.


For some websites, you will not have an author. Instead, use the first piece of information you have from the citation on your References page. For information from an organization’s website, use the organization’s name.

Example

(American Diabetes Association, 2014)


For news and magazine articles with no author, use the first few words of the article’s title in quotation marks.

Example

(“All 33 Chile miners,” 2010)


If you have two or more authors in your References list have the same last name, include the first initials in the in-text citations to distinguish between the two.

Example

(C. Highman, 2013)


For magazines, add the page number.

Example

(Tremoglie, 2003, 52)


Personal communications should include person, type of communication and date.

Example

(G. Thompson, personal communication, September 9, 2014).