APA Style 7th Edition

Two Authors

Use “and” before the second name if writing a narrative citation.

Narrative Citation Example:

According to Smith and Jones (2019), the recent study found significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality.

Parenthetical Citation Example:

Add an “&” before the second name in a parenthetical citation.

The recent study found significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality (Smith & Jones, 2019).

Three or More Authors

If there are 3 or more authors use et al., which means "and others," comma and the year.

Narrative Citation Example:

According to Smith et al. (2019), the recent study found significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality.

Parenthetical Citation Example:

The recent study found significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality (Smith et al., 2019).

Group or Organization as Authors

When the author is an organization or a government agency, mention the organization in the full name in the citation.

For abbreviated authors, Include the full name in the first mention of the text, then include the abbreviation.

Examples: 

First time with an abbreviation:

Anyone with flu-like symptoms should normally stay home until they are better to avoid spreading the flu to others (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019).

Then all subsequent citations: (CDC, 2019)

In order to stop the spreading flu, anyone with flu-like symptoms should stay home until they are better (CDC, 2019).

No Authors

When there is no author listed or identified as specifically as Anonymous, include only the title and the year of publication in the in-text citation. If Anonymous is used, put that as author. If the title of an unknown book is not italicized in the reference list, then put double quotation marks around the title in the in-text citation. Magazine and news articles are also put in double quotes.

Examples: 

With the right support, evidence-based practices can be used to improve communications in many different teams (Interpersonal Skills, 2019). 

Haptic memory is mediated through the sensory receptors and lasts about 2 seconds ("Understanding Sensory Memory," 2018).

Directly Quoted Examples for Narrative and Parenthetical Citations

Example for sources with a page number:

According to Smith (2019), “the recent study found significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality” (p. 453).

The recent study found “significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality” (Smith, 2019, p. 453).

Example of a source that spans across multiple pages: 

The recent study found “significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality” (Smith, 2019, pp. 453-454).

For sources without a page number, include a paragraph number:

The recent study found “significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality” (Smith, 2019, para. 1).

Example of a source that spans across multiple paragraphs:

The recent study found “significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality” (Smith, 2019, paras. 1-2).

Works Without a Date

Provide the author, write “n.d.” for “no date”.

Narrative Citation Example:

According to Smith et al. (n.d.), the recent study found significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality.

Parenthetical Citation Example:

The recent study found significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality (Smith et al., n.d.).

Works Without a Page Number

To directly quote from written material that does not contain page numbers (e.g., webpages and websites, some ebooks), provide readers with another way of locating the quoted passage. For more comprehensive examples refer to the APA Style Direct Quotation of Material Without Page Numbers.

For sources without a page number, include a paragraph number:

The recent study found “significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality” (Smith, 2019, para. 1).

Example of a source that spans across multiple paragraphs:

The recent study found “significant correlations between stress levels and sleep quality” (Smith, 2019, paras. 1-2).

Works Cited in Another Source

A secondary source (also known as an indirect citation) is used when the ideas of one author are published in another author’s text but you have not read or accessed the original author’s work.

Generally, it is best to access the original source for the information and cite that source.

If you cannot access the original source, use these steps to give proper credit: 

• In the reference list, provide the details of the work in which you found the quotation or idea (this work is considered the secondary source).
• For the in-text citation, include the author and year of both the original and secondary sources. Add "as cited in" between the sources in the in-text citation. For example, (Johnson, 2015, as cited in Smith, 2019).

In-text Citation Example:

Jonhson (2015, as cited in Smith, 2019) believes that...

...(Johnson, 2015, as cited in Smith, 2019).

Reference Page Example:

Smith, J. A., Johnson, M. B., & Davis, C. R. (2020). Exploring the impact of technology on workplace productivity (2nd ed). Harvard Business Review.