CITATIONS
Adapted from guides by Loras College and USC Aiken Gregg-Graniteville Library
APA in-text citations
For a primer on APA in-text citations (the citations within your paper), check out OWL Purdue's page on Citation Basics and then explore their page on Author/Authors.
One of the main quirks of APA style concerns how you format in-text citations based on the number of authors for that resource (journal, book, website, etc.). The table below provides a quick summary of the main formatting variations.
In-text citations:
# of authors | First citation in paper | Subsequent citations in paper |
1-2 authors: | Smith (2016) | Smith (2016) |
3 or more authors: | Smith, et al. (2016) | Smith et al. (2016) |
Reference Examples
Note: References should be in alphabetical order by author and have hanging indents.
Youdin, R. (2016). Psychology of aging 101. Springer Publishing Company.
Banzhaf, S., Ma, L., & Timmins, C. (2019). Environmental justice: The economics of race, place, and pollution. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 33(1), 185-208. https⁚//doi.org/10.1257/jep.33.1.185
Pascual-Leone, A., Brasil-Neto, J., Valls-Solé, J., Cohen, L. G., & Hallett, M. (1992). Simple reaction time to focal transcranial magnetic stimulation. Comparison with reaction time to acoustic, visual and somatosensory stimuli. Brain: A Journal of Neurology, 115(1), 109-122.
Merrick, A. (2014, April 1). Marketing “real” bodies. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/marketing-real-bodies.
Adams, J. & Clemens, L. (2017, August). Stopping the cycle of dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. The Nature Conservancy. https:// global.nature.org/ content/stopping-the-cycle-of-dead-zones-in-the-gulf-of-mexico-and-beyond?intc=nature.hp.sp1
6. Work from a Website No Author
Big ideas for better schools: Ten ways to improve education. (2005, August 11). Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/big-ideas
In-Text Citations
1. Book with One Author
(Youdin, 2016, p. 56)
2. Journal Article with Two Authors
(Banzhaf & Timmins, 2019, p. 190)
3. Journal Article with Three or More Authors
(Pascual-Leone, et al.,1992, p. 120)
4. Work from a Website with No Author
("Big Ideas for Better Schools," 2005)
Adapted from guides by Loras College and USC Aiken Gregg-Graniteville Library
APA papers can be tricky to format.
Are you new to APA paper formatting and love videos? Check out Owl Purdue's video on formatting papers here.
*Note: not all college papers require an abstract page. Consult with your professor regarding their preference.
The core authority on APA paper formatting is the APA Style Manual. You can find a sample paper on page 41 of the Manual.
If you don't have immediate access to the Manual, check out the sample paper online here via APA Style.
OWL Purdue, also has a great sample paper with clear explanations. It can be found here.
Headings
Within the body of the paper, it is also important to pay attention to heading levels. Owl Purdue has a great page that talks about headings within your paper. You can check it out here.