APA 7th Edition - Citing Sources (Arnold Bernhard Library)

A guide to help users create citations using APA (American Psychological Association) style, 7th edition

For More Information

In-text citations are found in Chapter 8 of the 7th edition of the APA manual (pp. 253-278). 
Additional examples: 

Parenthetical Citations

Generic:

(Author, Date)
Example, paraphrase:

(Jennings, 2019)
Example, direct quote:

(Jennings, 2019, p.10)
 

Use the information appropriate to the source for a direct quotation. For example, when quoting a speaker in a video, use the timestamp instead of a page number. More direct quote information here. 
In-text:

Goats were found to have far fewer flea bites when wearing sweaters, but hats had relatively little effect (Jennings, 2019).
In-text

"Screaming was often associated with attention-seeking behavior in adult male goats" (Jennings, 2019, p.4).
One author:

(Dylan, 1965) 
Two authors:

(Hall & Oates, 1981)
Three or more authors:

(Jagger et al., 1962)
Group author 
with abbreviation:

First citation: (American Music Awards [AMA], 2020)
Subsequent citations: (AMA, 2020)
Important Points for Parenthetical In-Text Citations
  • If an author is unknown, use the title of the work or a shortened but identifiable version of the title (capitalized and in quotations) in the name position ("Rabbits Are Fluffy," 2004).
  • When citing multiple works for one point, citations appear in alphabetical order within the parenthesis separated by semicolons. (Abber, 1983; London, 1984).
    • If there are multiple works by the same author, place them in date order. Give the author's surname once, use only the year for subsequent items (Zang, 2015, 2018, 2020).

Narrative Citations

In narrative citations, the author is written in the text and the date appears after in parentheses. The number of authors that appear follow the same rules as parenthetical citations.

Example:

Reichert (2010) indicated that graphic design could be a lucrative field for those who wished to work from home. 

Same Author & Date

When multiple references have an identical author (or authors) and publication year, include a lowercase letter after the year. These letters are assigned when the references are placed in order in the reference list (alphabetically by title, because the authors and order are exactly the same). 

The same author/date rules apply only when the authors and year match exactly. If the authors are in a different order, if some are omitted, or if there is a single author versus multiple authors, these rules do not apply. 

The year–letter combination is used in both the in-text citation and the reference list entry. Use only the year with a letter in the in-text citation, even if the reference list entry contains a more specific date.

Reference list:             

Doe, J. (2025a). Sample article title: With a subtitle. Journal Title, 2(4), 5-10.

Doe, J. (2025b). Yet another article title: With a subtitle. Journal Title, 34(2), 9-21.
In text:

(Doe, 2025a)

(Doe, 2025b)

When you have no date add a hyphen before the lowercase letters. Assign the letters according to the order of the references in your reference list. List references alphabetically by the first word after the date element when the authors and the dates match. 

Reference list:             

Doe, J. (n.d.-a). Sample article title: With a subtitle. Journal Title, 2(4), 5-10.

Doe, J. (n.d.-b). Yet another article title: With a subtitle. Journal Title, 34(2), 9-21.
In text:

(Doe, n.d.-a)

(Doe, n.d.-b)

When Should I Cite?

  • Both paraphrases & direct quotations require citation. 
  • Under-citation can lead to plagiarism.
  • Over-citation is distracting and unnecessary. If you are paraphrasing in a paragraph over multiple consecutive sentences and the source and topic remain the same, cite the source in the first sentence only; BUT, make make sure the source material remains clear. An example of a long paraphrase and its citations can be found here.
  • Each work cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and each work in the reference list must be cited in text.
    • EXCEPTIONS
      • Personal communications that are unrecoverable to the reader (cited in-text only). This is audience-specific; if your professor can recover the document, then it must be cited in-text AND in the reference list. 
      • General mentions of whole websites, periodicals, software, or apps

Web Resources

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