Rules for in-text citation format vary based on the number of authors and type of borrowed information being used (i.e. directly quoted or paraphrased information).
In APA style, in-text citations may be accomplished in two formats, narrative citations and parenthetical citations. The two formats include the same information and varying the format you use can help lend variety to your writing style.
Narrative: According to Musoni and Jones (2015), “obese mice engage in less physical activity” than their fit counterparts (p. 103).
Parenthetical: While “obese mice engage in less physical activity,” fitter mice are exercising more (Musoni & Jones, 2015, p. 103).
For more guidance on how to think about citing sources as part of the writing process, see Six Steps to Proper Citation.
According to Musoni and Jones (2015), “obese mice engage in less physical activity” than their fit counterparts (p. 103).
While “obese mice engage in less physical activity,” fitter mice are exercising more (Musoni & Jones, 2015, p. 103).
“When quoting directly, always provide the author, year, and page number of the quotation in the in-text citation in either parenthetical or narrative format.” (APA, 2020, p. 270).
Note: APA doesn’t require a page number for a paraphrase but it is often helpful to include one. Consult your professor for their expectations regarding page numbers for paraphrases.
There is a correlation between obesity and physical activity in chickens (Munoz et al., 2015).
Follow these directions when citing a secondary source:
For example, if you read a work by Lyon et al. (2014) in which Rabbitt (1982) was cited, and you were unable to read Rabbitt’s work yourself, cite Rabbitt’s work as the original source, followed by Lyon et al.’s work as the secondary source. Only Lyon et al.’s work appears in the reference list.
(Rabbitt, 1982, as cited in Lyon et al., 2014)
Learn more and see examples on the APA website.
2 authors: Cite both names each time.
3 or more authors: Cite only the surname of the first author followed by “et al.” for all entries.
According to Munoz et al. (2015), “obese chickens engage in less physical activity” than their fit counterparts (p. 10).
For organizations with long names and familiar abbreviations, you may abbreviate the organization-as-author name or use an acronym in the second and subsequent citations.
First in-text citation: More than 200 million pieces of first class mail are delivered by the United Stated Postal Service on an average business day (United States Postal Service [USPS], 2014).
Subsequent citations: (USPS, 2014).
