APA In-Text Citation Examples

• Hannah Berry (Ph.D.)
• Published on 12/30/2023

APA in-text citation comprises the author’s name and the publication date, facilitating easy retrieval of the full entry in the reference list. There are two primary formats for in-text citations: parenthetical and narrative.

• Author Date System: APA Style employs author date citations, guiding readers with concise in-text citations.
• Formats: Choose between parenthetical (author and date in parentheses) and narrative (author’s name in running text, date in parentheses).

Discover our free APA citation generator for precise citations in APA format, whether you’re citing a webpage, referencing a journal, or citing a book in APA.

ONE AUTHOR

Narrative	Lowe (2023) proposed a groundbreaking theory on human behavior.
Structure	Author Surname (Year)

Parenthetical	The study revealed significant findings (Lowe, 2023).
Structure	(Author Surname, Year)

TWO AUTHORS

Narrative	Kahn and Perry (2023) collaborated on a pioneering research project.
Structure	Author 1 Surname and Author 2 Surname (Year)

Parenthetical	The findings were consistent across multiple experiments (Kahn & Perry, 2023).
Structure	(Author 1 Surname & Author 2 Surname, Year)

THREE AUTHORS OF MORE

Narrative	Walsh et al. (2023) conducted an extensive survey on environmental sustainability.
Structure	Author 1 Surname et al. (Year)

Parenthetical	The impact of climate change was a central theme in the research (Walsh et al., 2023).
Structure	(Author 1 Surname et al., Year)

GROUP AUTHOR

Narrative	The Environmental Lobby (2023) advocated for sustainable conservation practices.
Structure	Group Author (Year)

Parenthetical	Initiatives have contributed significantly to environmental preservation (The Environmental Lobby, 2023).
Structure	(Group Author, Year)

NO AUTHOR

When citing a source without a known author, include the title in italics within the citation enclosed in parentheses or integrated into the narrative, followed by the publication date if available.

Narrative	A recent report on global economic trends Worldwide Trends (2023) indicated significant shifts in market dynamics.
Structure	Title of Source (Year)

Parenthetical	The statistics presented suggest a changing landscape in global markets (Worldwide Trends, 2023).
Structure	(Title of Source, Year)

You will need to cite your sources whenever you paraphrase or quote directly from them. Paraphrasing is when you summarize someone else’s work; quoting is when you reproduce someone else’s words verbatim. You can use either a narrative or parenthetical reference for both.  For quotations of 40 words or less, place the text between “quotation marks” (not inverted commas), place the reference at the end of the sentence. If you are citing multiple works by the same author, distinguish them by adding lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.) after the publication year. For example: (Author, 2023a) and (Author, 2023b). If you are referring to a specific part of a source, such as a chapter or a page range, include that information. For example: (Author, Year, p. 23) or (Author, Year, chap. 5).

ANONYMOUS AUTHOR

Narrative	Anonymous (2023) cybersecurity collective exposed vulnerabilities in online data protection.
Structure	Anonymous (Year)

Parenthetical	The report, released by an anonymous group, revealed critical weaknesses in cybersecurity (Anonymous, 2023).
Structure	(Anonymous, Year)

REPUBLISHED WORKS

When citing republished works, include both the original publication date and the republished date, separated by a slash.

Narrative	Martinez (1979/2023) proposed an innovative approach to urban planning.
Structure	Contributor (Original Year/Republished Year)

Parenthetical	The study findings demonstrated a new perspective on urban development (Martinez, 1979/2023).
Structure	(Contributor, Original Year/Republished Year)

NO DATE

Use no date (n.d.) when the publication date is not available.

Narrative	Tech Insights (n.d.) conducted a groundbreaking study on artificial intelligence.
Structure	Contributor (n.d.)

Parenthetical	The study on artificial intelligence lacked a specified publication date (Tech Insights, n.d.)
Structure	(Contributor, n.d.)

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