Parenthetical Citations in APA Style

Study Notes

Parenthetical Citations in APA Style

Parenthetical citations are used to cite sources within the text of an essay in APA style.
Include the author's last name, year of publication, and page number (if applicable) in parentheses.
Example: (Smith, 2001, p. 163)
Each parenthetical citation should correspond to a full citation in the reference list at the end of the essay.

Multiple Authors

For two authors, use an ampersand (&).
Example: (Smith & Jones, 2004)
For three to five authors, cite all authors the first time, then use "et al." for subsequent citations.
Example: (Smith, Jones, & Wilson, 1996, p. 345)
Example: (Smith et al., 1996, p. 345)

Citations Without Authors

If there is no author, cite the title of the work.
Use the first few words of the title if it is very long.
Example: (Annual Report, 2001)
Example: ("Study finds", 2003)

Multiple Works by the Same Author in the Same Year

Distinguish works by the same author in the same year with letters (a, b, c).
Example: (Smith, 2001a, p. 45)

Citations for Web Documents

For long web documents without page numbers, include the section and paragraph number.
Example: (Jones, 2002, Introduction section, para. 2)

Multiple Citations in One Set of Parentheses

Use a semicolon to separate multiple citations with different authors.
Example: (Jones, 2002, p. 45; Smith, 1999, p. 67)
Use a comma to separate multiple citations with the same author.
Example: (Jones, 1999, 2002)

Incorporating Author's Name in the Text

You can omit the author's name from the parenthetical citation if it is mentioned in the text.
Example: Smith and Jones (2004, p. 678) argued that …
Example: It has been argued (Smith & Jones, 2004, p. 678) that …

Description

This quiz covers the rules for parenthetical citations in APA style, including how to cite works by multiple authors and citations without authors. Test your understanding of proper citation formats and ensure your academic writing adheres to APA guidelines.