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Understanding APA Format
If you’re writing academically, chances are you’ve been tasked with writing a paper that follows APA style. Although there’s a learning curve involved with adhering to APA style, it’s possible to learn the basics so you can turn in your assignments.
What Is APA Style?
APA is the official academic style of the American Psychological Association. This style was created in 1929 when a group of professionals worked together to devise a set of style rules for scientific writing as a means of making these documents easier to read and understand.
If an assignment indicates APA style, you will need to adhere to these style rules. These guidelines ensure that your document is consistent and uniform with elements such as punctuation, headings and subheadings, abbreviations, numbers, tables and figures and citations.
Main Sections of a Document
APA style dictates the format of the main sections of a document.
The title page includes a running head, the author’s name and the school.
The abstract is a succinct summary of the document. APA style dictates that abstracts be no more than 250 words, although some instructors give leeway regarding the length.
The main body of the document is the text of the essay or report. Some reports are divided into separate sections.
Your reference section follows the body. It includes a list of references you cited in your document.
How to Reference APA Style
In-text citations appear within the text, identifying any information you cite. APA format for in-text citations includes the author’s name and the date of the publication.
The reference page always begins on a new page with the title “References” centered at the top. Include all entries in alphabetical order, and each entry’s first line begins at the left margin, and additional lines are indented. Place titles of newspapers, magazines, journals and books in italics, and double-space the reference section.
Double-check that all of your sources appear as both in-text citations and in the reference section.
Use an APA Sample Paper
An APA style example can be helpful if you’re learning this style and trying to apply it to a writing assignment. Many schools and universities maintain resource web pages with APA samples to show students how to follow this style.
More APA Tips
If you’re struggling with creating APA citations and references, use a citation machine to check your work. You simply fill in the citation and click a button, and the tool tells you if you made any errors.
Consider hiring an academic editor to check your work after you finish writing. The editor can find and correct errors to make sure your document adheres to APA.
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About APA Citation Online Tools
As anyone who has ever written a paper for a college class knows, there are certain style rules and guidelines to be followed depending on which discipline you are in. Such style rules ensure consistency in formatting and publishing and address details such as comma placement, capitalization, references and in-text citations. One of the most commonly used styles is the APA style, which is the style preferred by the American Psychological Association. APA style is style that is generally used for disciplines such as the social sciences, education and psychology.
Origins of APA Style
For many college students, learning APA style can be tricky. The specifics of the style often trip up even the best writers, since it is difficult to remember whether titles should be in italics or not, how references should be alphabetized and how to cite citations, which can vary depending upon where they appear.
According to the APA, the style originated in 1929, when a group of psychologists, anthropologists, and business managers decided to establish a simple set of procedures, or style rules, to bring uniformity to the elements of scientific writing to increase the ease of reading comprehension.
Some of the procedures they decided upon can be challenging. Plus, there are various online tools and style generators out there that can help. We’ve gathered a few of them here.
Online Citation Machines
It takes just a few clicks to find any number of reliable citation machines that help writers be sure their papers conform to APA style. In general, a citation machine website helps students and professionals properly credit the information that they use. As any good student knows, proper credits are essential to presenting a strong paper, because they cite the sources used, giving credit where credit is due and not plagiarizing.
Avoid Plagiarism at All Costs
In a reference paper, article, blog post or any other published work, writers must give credit to their sources. Failing to do so, even if you have completely reworded the information or summarized the information, is considered to be plagiarism. A good rule of thumb is to cite sources extensively, because even if you think you have an original thought, you may actually be paraphrasing something you’ve read elsewhere. It is safe to say that you cannot cite too many sources.
Citation Machine Ensures APA Conformity
Citation Machine is a free online tool that students, researchers, teachers and publishers can use to see how well their paper conforms to APA style guidelines.
The site is extremely clear about the two types of APA citations and provides a good summary. The first kind of citation is called an in-text or parenthetical citation. These citations must be included when you use information from someone else’s work in your own paper. They are used in the main body of your paper and must be placed immediately after the information you have borrowed.
The second kind of citation is a reference citation and is included with all other full citations at the end of your paper on the last page. They are alphabetical and listed one after the other. They’re the full citations for the in-text citations included in the body of your paper.
BibMe Details APA Style
BibMe is another free online citation generator for APA style. Along with citation guidelines, it spells out ways in which paper elements such as publication dates and titles should be structured. For example, publication dates should place the date that the source was published in parentheses, after the author’s name. If no date is available, you should write n.d. In parentheses, which stands for no date.
Book titles should capitalize just the first letter of the first word in the title. Do the same for the subtitle. The first letter of any proper nouns should be capitalized and italicized. Each should end with a period.
Check Every Last Detail
Learning APA style on your own can be daunting. Fortunately, you can learn more about it while making sure that paper is correct and that you properly cite each and every one of your sources by using online tools developed for this exact purpose.
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Purdue Online Writing Lab College of Liberal Arts
Reference List: Author/Authors
Welcome to the Purdue OWL
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Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.
Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style can be found here .
The following rules for handling works by a single author or multiple authors apply to all APA-style references in your reference list, regardless of the type of work (book, article, electronic resource, etc.).
Note: Because the information on this page pertains to virtually all citations, we've highlighted a few important differences between APA 6 and APA 7 with underlined notes written in red.
Single Author
Last name first, followed by author initials.
Ahmed, S. (2012). On being included: Racism and diversity in institutional life . Duke University Press.
Two Authors
List by their last names and initials. Separate author names with a comma. Use the ampersand instead of "and."
Soto, C. J., & John, O. P. (2017). The next big five inventory (BFI-2): Developing and assessing a hierarchical model with 15 facets to enhance bandwidth, fidelity, and predictive power. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 113 (1), 117-143. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000096
Three to Twenty Authors
List by last names and initials; commas separate author names, while the last author name is preceded again by ampersand. This is a departure from APA 6, which only required listing the first six authors before an ellipsis and the final author's name.
Nguyen, T., Carnevale, J. J., Scholer, A. A., Miele, D. B., & Fujita, K. (2019). Metamotivational knowledge of the role of high-level and low-level construal in goal-relevant task performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 117 (5), 879-899. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000166
More Than Twenty Authors
List by last names and initials; commas separate author names. After the first 19 authors’ names, use an ellipsis in place of the remaining author names. Then, end with the final author's name (do not place an ampersand before it). There should be no more than twenty names in the citation in total.
Pegion, K., Kirtman, B. P., Becker, E., Collins, D. C., LaJoie, E., Burgman, R., Bell, R., DelSole, R., Min, D., Zhu, Y., Li, W., Sinsky, E., Guan, H., Gottschalck, J., Metzger, E. J., Barton, N. P., Achuthavarier, D., Marshak, J., Koster, R., . . . Kim, H. (2019). The subseasonal experiment (SubX): A multimodel subseasonal prediction experiment. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society , 100 (10), 2043-2061. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0270.1
Group Author
Group authors can include corporations, government agencies, organizations, etc; and a group may publish in coordination with individuals. Here, you simply treat the publishing organization the same way you'd treat the author's name and format the rest of the citation as normal. Be sure to give the full name of the group author in your reference list, although abbreviations may be used in your text.
Entries in reference works ( e.g. dictionaries, thesauruses, and encyclopedias) without credited authors are also considered works with group authors.
Merriam-Webster. (2008). Braggadocio. In Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary . Merriam-Webster.
When a work has multiple layers of group authorship (e.g. The Office of the Historian, which is a part of the Department of State, publishes something), list the most specific agency as the author and the parent agency as the publisher.
Bureau of International Organization Affairs. (2018). U.S. contributions to international organizations, 2017 [Annual report]. U.S. Department of State. https://www.state.gov/u-s-contributions-to-international-organizations/
Unknown Author
When the work does not have an author move the title of the work to the beginning of the references and follow with the date of publication. Only use “Anonymous ” if the author is the work is signed “Anonymous.” This is a new addition to APA 7.
Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (11th ed.). (2003). Merriam-Webster.
NOTE : When your essay includes parenthetical citations of sources with no author named, use a shortened version of the source's title instead of an author's name. Use quotation marks and italics as appropriate. For example, parenthetical citations of the source above would appear as follows: ( Merriam-Webster's , 2003).
Two or More Works by the Same Author
Use the author's name for all entries and list the entries by the year (earliest comes first). List references with no dates before references with dates.
Urcuioli, P. J. (n.d.).
Urcuioli, P. J. (2011).
Urcuioli, P. J. (2015).
When an author appears both as a sole author and, in another citation, as the first author of a group, list the one-author entries first.
Agnew, C. R. (Ed.). (2014). Social influences on romantic relationships: Beyond the dyad . Cambridge University Press.
Agnew, C. R., & South, S. C. (Eds.). (2014). Interpersonal relationships and health: Social and clinical psychological mechanisms. Oxford University Press.
References that have the same first author and different second and/or third authors are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the second author, or the last name of the third if the first and second authors are the same.
Arriaga, X. B., Capezza, N. M., Reed, J. T., Wesselman, E. D., & Williams, K. D. (2014). With partners like you, who needs strangers?: Ostracism involving a romantic partner. Personal Relationships, 21(4) , 557-569.
Arriaga, X. B., Kumashiro, M., Finkel, E. J., VanderDrift, L. E., & Luchies, L. B. (2014). Filling the void: Bolstering attachment security in committed relationships. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5 (4), 398-405.
Two or More Works by the Same Author in the Same Year
If you are using more than one reference by the same author—or the same group of authors listed in the same order—published in the same year, first check to see if they have more specific dates ( this recommendation is new to APA 7) . Works with only a year should be listed before those with a more specific date. List specific dates chronologically. If two works have the same publication date, organize them in the reference list alphabetically by the title of the article or chapter. If references with the same date are identified as parts of a series (e.g. Part 1 and Part 2), list them in order of their place in the series. Then assign letter suffixes to the year. Refer to these sources in your essay as they appear in your reference list, e.g.: "Berndt (2004a) makes similar claims..."
Berndt, T. J. (2004a). Children’s friendships: Shifts over a half-century in perspectives on their development and their effects. Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 50 (3) , 206-223.
Berndt, T. J. (2004b). Friendship and three A’s (aggression, adjustment, and attachment). Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 88 (1) , 1-4.
Introductions, Prefaces, Forewords, and Afterwords
Cite the publishing information about a book as usual, but cite Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword (whatever title is applicable) as the chapter of the book.
Lang, J. M. (2018). Introduction. In Dujardin, G., Lang, J. M., & Staunton, J. A. (Eds.), Teaching the literature survey course (pp. 1-8). West Virginia University Press.
APA Citation Style Guide (6th Edition): In-text: Multiple Authors
- APA 6th Edition Home
- In-text: Multiple Authors
- In-text: First and Subsequent Citations
- In-text: Authors and Dates Matching
- APA Examples- Print
- APA Examples- Electronic
- APA Examples- Multimedia
- Step 1- Author (Names)
- Step 2- Date
- Step 3- Titles
- Step 4- Publication Info
- Step 5- Retrieval Info
- Citing Sources
How to Use This Guide
Citations are a two part system: in-text citations connected to reference list citations.
This guide will help you create in-text citations that correlate with the corresponding Reference list citations. Please see the References guide for more details on the Reference list.
In-text Basics
First and Subsequent Citations
Authors and Dates Matching
Multiple Authors
If you are citing a source that has multiple authors, follow these basic steps.
Always cite both authors' names in-text everytime you reference them. Example : Johnson and Smith (2009) found...
3-5 Authors:
Provide all the authors' last names when you first refer to a document with 3-5 authors. Only list the first author with the Latin abbreviation "et al." for any subsequent references.
Jones, Chavez, Jackson, and Chen (2010) duplicated...
Jones et al. (2010) further described...
6 or More Authors:
If a document has six or more authors, simply provide the last name of the first author with "et al." from the first citation to the last.
Thomas et al. (2007) likened abnormal psychology to...
... distractions (Thomas et al., 2007).
Important Note: If you have two or more documents that look the same when shortened, please follow the guidelines set out in the Authors and Dates Matching section.
APA Manual p.175, Section 6.12
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Citing of Six or More Multiple Authors in APA
There comes a time when you’ll be citing multiple authors in APA style. Why? Many times, researchers in a particular field write papers together. At times, multiple authors, even twenty or more, collaborate on an extensive research paper. Creating a citation in APA with multiple authors can be confusing in your reference list, but it doesn’t need to be. Learn how to cite multiple authors in APA. Get the low-down for creating an in-text citation for multiple authors in APA.
Creating Reference List Entries for Citing Multiple Authors APA 7
When APA revised their manual in 2019 for their 7th edition , they changed how you compose reference page citations with multiple authors. Now, you include up to nineteen authors in your citations. When a source has multiple authors, follow this format for your APA citation entry for up to and including a total of nineteen authors:
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., Author, C. C., Author, D. D., Author, E. E., Author, F. F., Author, G. G., Author, H. H., Author, I. I., Author, J. J., Author, K. K., Author, L. L., Author, M M., Author, N. N., Author, O. O., Author, P. P., Author, Q. Q., Author, R. R., & Author, S. S.
Continue adding authors, including the nineteenth.
2-19 Authors Citation Example
Kazzazian, H., Dowling, C. E., Boehm, C. D., Warren, T. C., Economou, E. P., Katz, J., & Antonarakiss, S. E. (1990). Gene defects in B-Thalassemias and their prenatal diseases . New York Academy of Sciences.
More Than Twenty Authors
You are wondering how to cite multiple authors in APA when you have more than 20 authors? Thankfully, APA took some pity on you. When you have more than twenty authors, include the first nineteen authors’ names. Then, insert three ellipsis points and the last author’s name.
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., Author, C. C., Author, D. D., Author, E. E., Author, F. F., Author, G. G., Author, H. H., Author, I. I., Author, J. J., Author, K. K., Author, L. L., Author, M M., Author, N. N., Author, O. O., Author, P. P., Author, Q. Q., Author, R. R., Author, S. S.,…Author, Z. Z.
How to Cite Multiple Authors APA – More Than Twenty Author Example
Brown, C., Smith, A. N., Bold, T. P., Fairy, N., Smith, L. J., Leland, K., Fran, J., Moore, R. B., Garrett, B. C., Gold, N. D., Witting, R. E., Dunkle, F. T., Smith, J. M., Johnson, H. H., Stevens, N., Williams, S. T., Brown, N., Jones, T. R., Miller J.,…Wirta, N. (2012). Exploring genomes . New York Publisher.
- Before the ellipsis points, make sure you put a period after the last initial of the nineteen author’s name. Then add a comma, followed by three ellipsis points.
- APA’s rules for handling authors apply to all the different types of work you might include in your reference list, including books, journals, electronic sources, etc.
In-Text Citation APA Multiple Authors
Every reference list citation you make has a corresponding in-text or parenthetical citation . When creating an in-text citation in APA for multiple authors, you’ll use a different style for two and three authors. When your source has only two authors, you separate them with an ampersand (&).
In-Text APA Citation Example for Two Authors
(Alonzo & Berk, 2016)
APA In-Text Citation for Multiple Authors – Three or More
When a book has three or more authors, cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the year for the first and subsequent citations.
In-Text Citation APA Multiple Authors Example – Three or More
Alonzo et al. (2016) discussed various aspects of their research…
Similar Authors, Multiple Sources
Sometimes you have two or more citations with the same authors. Since researchers in the same field often collaborate on research projects, this may happen frequently. If you only list the first author’s name and et al., you may not lead the reader to the correct source. To avoid that problem, follow these steps:
- Check the dates of the cited material.
- If there are different publication dates, continue to use the first author’s surname, et al., and then the date.
APA In-Text Citation Multiple Authors Example
Alonzo et al. (2018) further defined research methods…
However, if the years of publication are the same, you’ll need to list the authors’ surnames until you reach the first different author.
Citing Multiple Authors Surnames for Clarity in In-Text Citations in APA
Let’s say researchers Frederick Alonzo and Stuart Lessing collaborate on papers. In this case, they also worked with four other authors on other projects. For example:
Alonzo, Barrett, Lessing, Smith, A., Smith, B., Williams (2018)
Alonzo, Barrett, Lessing, Ramirez (2018)
List the author’s names until you find a different author to distinguish them.
Alonzo, Barrett, Lessing, Smith, et al. (2018) and Alonzo, Barrett, Lessing, and Ramirez (2018) both confirm that …
Tips for Working With Multiple Authors in Citations
While it’s essential to know how to cite multiple authors in APA, it’s also important to understand how to write the authors. Thankfully, APA has laid out a few facts when it comes to listing authors.
- List the name exactly as it appears, including special characters, hyphens, two-part last names, etc.
- Use the author’s preferred capitalization. If they spell the name in lower case, so should you.
- New to APA 7th edition, add a space between the first initial and middle initial.
- Do not include any titles in your citations like Dr., Ph.D., etc.
How to Cite Multiple Authors APA
Citing several authors within the text and in your reference list can be time-consuming and confusing; however, you must point your reader to the correct source. Since many researchers collaborate in their respective fields, you will find this scenario comes up frequently during your research.
APA Style Guidelines for Multiple Authors
Listing Multiple Works by the Same Author in APA References
FAQ Citing of Six or More Multiple Authors in APA
How do you cite multiple authors in apa.
To cite multiple authors in APA, you need to know how many you are citing. When citing 2-19 authors, you include a comma and & before the last author. When citing more than 20 authors, you write out the first 19 then use three ellipses (...) and include the final author.
How do you cite three authors in APA?
To cite three authors in APA style, you write out the first two author's last names and initials then use a comma and & before the final author. An example of three authors looks like: Garnet, B. A., Daven, U. I., & Garber, J.
How do you cite multiple authors in APA 7?
In APA 7, you cite multiple authors up to 19 by writing out there names and including a & symbol before the final author. When you have 20 or more authors, then you need to include the first 19 author and three ellipses (...) before the final author. An example of multiple authors looks like: Druben, J., & Brown, B.
Can you use et al. for 3 authors?
When you are citing three authors in-text in an APA paper, you can include et al. However, in the reference list, when citing three authors, you include the last names and initials of all three and an ampersand (&) symbol. An in-text citation in APA for three authors looks like: (Brown et al.). A reference list citation for three authors looks like: Brown, J., Barret, T., & Kelly, D.
How do you cite 7 authors in APA?
When you are citing 7 authors in an APA reference list, you add an ampersand (&) before the final author. An example of seven authors in a reference list looks like: Garrett, B., Brown, J., Terry, M., Gibbons, G., Howse, M., Jackson, A., & Smith, J. When citing 7 authors in-text in APA style, you include et al., after the first author. (Garrett et al.)
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Writing a Literature Review for a College Research Paper
How to cite a short story from any source, apa poster presentation, meeting, and symposia citations, apa journal citation examples.
APA Citation Style, 7th edition: Journal Article 7 or more Authors
- General Style Guidelines
- One Author or Editor
- Two Authors or Editors
- Three to Five Authors or Editors
- Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
- Article in a Reference Book
- Edition other than the First
- Translation
- Government Publication
- Journal Article with One Author
- Journal Article with 2 Authors
- Journal Article with 3-7 Authors
- Journal Article 7 or more Authors
- Magazine Article
- Newspaper Article
- Basic Web Page
- Web page from a University site
- Web Page with No Author
- Entry in a Reference Work
- Government Document
- Film and Television
- Youtube Video
- Audio Podcast
- Electronic Image
- Twitter/Instagram
- Lecture/PPT
- Conferences
- Secondary Sources
- Citation Support
- Avoiding Plagiarism
- Formatting Your Paper
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
What is a DOI? A DOI ( digital object identifier ) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the internet.
NOTE: It is regarded as the most important part of the citation because it will accurately direct users to the specific article.
Think of it as a "digital fingerprint" or an article's DNA!
The rules for DOIs have been updated in the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. They should be included as URLs, rather than just the alphanumeric string.
Correct:
- http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
Incorrect:
- doi: 10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
- Retrieved from http://doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
- FREE DOI Look-up (Cross-Ref)
- DOI System: FAQ
- Looking up a DOI
- DOI Flowchart
Journal Article with Seven or More Authors
Helpful Tips:
DOI: If a journal article has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) listed, you will always include this identifier in your reference as a URL.
Online Database: For works from databases that publish works of limited circulation (such as the ERIC database) or original, proprietary material available only in that database (such as UpToDate), include the name of the database or archive and the URL of the work. If the URL requires a login or is session specific, meaning it will not resolve for readers, provide the URL of the database or specific archive home page or login page instead of the URL for the work.
Print: If you viewed a journal article in its print format , be sure to check if it has a DOI listed. If it does not, your reference to the article would end after you provide the page range of the article.
Date: When possible, include the year, month, and date in references. If the month and date are not available, use the year of publication.
General Format
In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):
(Author Surname et al., Year)
In-Text Citation (Quotation):
(Author Surname et al., Year, page number)
References:
Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial., Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial., Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial., Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial., Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial., & Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume (issue), page range. http://doi.org/xx.xxxxxxxxxx
Surnames and initials for up to twenty authors should be provided in the reference list. For more than 20 authors, list the first 19, followed by an ellipsis, then list the final author.
(Yonkers et al., 2001, p. 1859)
Yonkers, K. A., Ramin, S. M., Rush, A. J., Navarrete, C. A., Carmody, T., March, D., Heartwell, S., Leveno, K. J. (2001). Onset and persistence of postpartum depression in an inner-city maternal health clinic system. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158 (11), 1856-1863. http://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.158.11.1856
ePub Ahead of Print
ePub Ahead of Print articles, also labeled Advanced Online Publication articles, may not have a volume number, issue number, or page numbers assigned to them. If you cannot find a fully published version of the article that includes this information, you can cite the article as an advanced online publication, noting its status where you would usually include the volume, issue, and page numbers. If possible, update your reference to the final version of the source when it becomes available.
Muldoon, K., Towse, J., Simms, V., Perra, O., & Menzies, V. (2012). A longitudinal analysis of estimation, counting skills, and mathematical ability across the first school year. Developmental Psychology . Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028240
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APA Citation Style, 6th Edition: Journal Article with Three to Six Authors
- One Author/Editor
- Two Authors/Editors
- Three to Five Authors/Editors
- Chapter in a Book
- Edition Other Than the First
- Electronic Books
- Journal Article with One Author
- Journal Article with Two Authors
- Journal Article with Three to Six Authors
- Journal Article with Seven or More Authors
- Government Publication
- Magazine Articles
- Newspaper Article
- Reference List
Journal Article- Three to Six Authors & DOI (Electronic or Print)
(this libguide is for apa 6th edition, click here to visit our new apa 7th edition libguide ).
General Format:
NOTE: If your reference has three to six authors, cite them all the first time mentioned in your paper. After that, use the first author's last name, followed by et al. and the year).
In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):
(Author's Last Name, Author's Last Name, & Author's Last name, year)
(Author's Last Name et al., year)
In-Text Citation (Direct Quote):
(Author's Last Name, Author's Last Name, & Author's Last Name, year, page number)
(Author's Last Name et al., year, page number)
References:
Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial . (repeat for all author's unless more than six). (Year). Article title: Subtitle . Journal Title , Volume (issue), page range. doi:xx.xxxxxxxxxx
In-text Citation (Paraphrase):
First time mentioned: (Bass, Enochs, & DiBrezzo, 2002)
Written all subsequent times as (Bass et al., 2002)
In-text Citation (Direct Quote):
If first time mentioned: (Bass, Enochs, & DiBrezzo, 2002, p. 52)
If referenced prior: (Bass et al., 2002, p.52)
Bass, M. A., Enochs, W. K., & DiBrezzo, R. (2002). Comparison of two exercise programs on general well-being of college students. Psychological Reports , 91 (3), 1195-1201. doi:10.2466/PR0.91.8.1195-1201
Journal Article- Three to Six Authors & No DOI ( Print Format)
NOTE: If your reference has three to six authors, cite them all the first time mentioned in your paper. After that, use the first author's last name, followed by et al. and the year).
Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial . (repeat for all author's unless more than six). (Year). Article title: Subtitle . Journal Title , Volume (issue), page range.
First time mentioned: ( Bergström , Jayatissa , Thykjær, & Wibo rg , 2007)
Written all subsequent times as ( Bergström et al. , 2007)
If first time mentioned: ( Bergström , Jayatissa , Thykjær, & Wibo rg , 2007, p. 202)
If referenced prior: ( Bergström et al., 2007, p.202)
Bergström, A., Jayatissa, M. N., Thykjær, T., & Wiborg, O. (2007). Molecular pathways associated with stress resilience and drug resistance in the chronic mild stress rat model of depression--a gene expression study. Journal of Molecular Neuroscience , 33 (2), 201-15.
Journal Article- Three to Six Authors & No DOI (Retrieved Electronically)
NOTE: If your reference has three to six authors, cite them all the first time mentioned in your paper. After that, use the first author's last name, followed by et al. and the yea r).
Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial . (repeat for all author's unless more than six). (Year). Article title: Subtitle . Journal Title , Volume (issue), page range. Retrieved from URL of homepage of journal
If first time mentioned: ( Bergström , Jayatissa , Thykjær, & Wibo rg , 2007, p. 202)
If referenced prior: ( Bergström et al., 2007, p.202)
Bergström, A., Jayatissa, M. N., Thykjær, T., & Wiborg, O. (2007). Molecular pathways associated with stress resilience and drug resistance in the chronic mild stress rat model of depression--a gene expression study. Journal of Molecular Neuroscience , 33 (2), 201-15. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/journal/12031
Carrie Forbes, MLS
Page References
Citation information has been adapted from the APA Manual (6th Edition). Please refer to pages 198-199 of the APA Manual (6th Edition) for more information.
Helpful Tips
-Include the DOI in the reference if one is assigned.
-If no DOI is assigned and you retrieved the content online, use the home page URL for the journal in the reference.
-If a reference has up to seven authors, include all the author's names in the reference list.
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- Last Updated: Jun 22, 2020 8:29 AM
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How many names to include in an APA Style reference
Question: How many authors does it take to write a journal article? Answer: 5,154 or fewer.
But how many should appear in the APA Style reference? The seventh edition guideline is as follows:
For a work with up to 20 authors, include all of the names in the reference. When the work has 21 or more authors, include only the first 19 names, an ellipsis, and the final name (see this guideline in the fifth and sixth bullets in Section 9.8 of the Publication Manual and Example 4 in Chapter 10).
Example reference for an article with more than 20 authors
Wiskunde, B., Arslan, M., Fischer, P., Nowak, L., Van den Berg, O., Coetzee, L., Juárez, U., Riyaziyyat, E., Wang, C., Zhang, I., Li, P., Yang, R., Kumar, B., Xu, A., Martinez, R., McIntosh, V., Ibáñez, L. M., Mäkinen, G., Virtanen, E., . . . Kovács, A. (2019). Indie pop rocks mathematics: Twenty One Pilots, Nicolas Bourbaki, and the empty set. Journal of Improbable Mathematics , 27 (1), 1935–1968. https://doi.org/10.0000/3mp7y-537
- Parenthetical citation: (Wiskunde et al., 2019)
- Narrative citation: Wiskunde et al. (2019)
Note that although the example above and Example 4 in the Publication Manual (Section 10.1) both show a journal article, the guideline applies to any reference that has more than 20 names in the author element.
Why did the number increase?
One factor we considered for all potential updates to the seventh edition was whether a change would simplify the research and writing process. We wanted to eliminate as many obstacles or “hoops” one needs to jump through as possible when writing references. We also needed to ensure that researchers properly credited their sources.
For references, one thing we heard was that remembering when to apply “the ellipsis rule” and getting the format right was difficult (and annoying). This was partly because writers had to apply the guideline in too many references: It is not uncommon for a source to have seven, or eight, or 12 authors, for example.
One proposed solution to that problem was to include all author names. However, we know that it is also not uncommon for journal articles in medical and other fields to have dozens or even hundreds of authors (or as many as 5,154, as noted at the beginning of this post!). Clearly, asking writers to list every author for every reference was not a workable solution.
Instead, we compromised on the number 20. This has several benefits to you as an author and researcher:
First, this means you’ll need to include the ellipsis in far fewer references. Because the threshold is higher, for most of your references (those with one to as many as 20 authors), you have a simple guideline: Just include every author.
Second, this creates fewer exceptions in your reference list that you need to double-check the punctuation for (when doing your final review of the reference list formatting).
Third, increasing the number of authors shown in the references gives more authors credit for their contributions. For a database like PsycINFO, the more names that are provided in the reference list, the easier it is to show the relationships among authors, publications, and topics, and the easier it is to link the cited works and properly attribute each author. This also balances the fact that the new guideline for in-text citations ( use “et al.” even the first time when citing a work with three or more authors) reduces the number of times a researcher’s name may appear in a paper. Additionally, this helps alleviate cases where authors who use APA Style references on their curriculum vitae have their own name omitted from a reference to a paper that they coauthored.
Although this guideline will clearly make some references longer than they used to be, in most cases the impact on the reference list as a whole is not extreme. The references won’t become so long that they make reference lists unmanageable. We recognize that if a reference list happens to be full of references with more than 20 authors, it will end up being somewhat longer than before. However, in many cases, this change merely means that for some references in the list a few of those “middle” author names will now be included.
In a printed article, for example, the reference above, which has the maximum number of author names included, is about 1.5 lines longer than it would be in sixth edition style. Furthermore, because the in-text citations for works with three or more authors now shorten to “et al.” immediately, the effect of a longer reference list is somewhat mitigated.
For authors who use a reference manager, this probably won’t result in any more typing, as the software automates the process regardless of how many authors are in the reference. In choosing the number 20, we weighed the needs of journal authors and journal editors, who have article lengths and page ceilings to consider but who also want authors to be properly acknowledged in articles and in research databases.
Have you ever been a seventh (or eighth or ninth) author? It’s time to celebrate: Your name will now appear in APA Style references! Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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APA Style Guidelines
Browse APA Style writing guidelines by category
- Abbreviations
- Bias-Free Language
- Capitalization
- In-Text Citations
- Italics and Quotation Marks
- Paper Format
- Punctuation
- Research and Publication
- Spelling and Hyphenation
- Tables and Figures
Full index of topics »
APA Citation Style Guide (6th Ed.): 3 - 5 Authors
- In-text Citation
- Two Authors
- 3 - 5 Authors
- 6 or More Authors
- Magazine Article
- Newspaper Article
- One Author or Editor
- Two Authors or Editors
- 3-5 Authors or Editors
- Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
- Article in a Reference Book
- Book with No Author
- Book Edition
- Translation
- Web Pages and Blog Posts
- Motion Picture
- YouTube Video
- Audio Podcast
- Music Recording
- Images and Art
- Classical Work
- Secondary Source
- Government Publication
Article with 3-5 Authors
General Format
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- Next: 6 or More Authors >>
- Last Updated: Jul 6, 2020 9:13 AM
- URL: https://uscmed.sc.libguides.com/APAStyle
APA 6th referencing style
- About APA 6th
- In-text references
- Direct quotations
- Indirect citation or secondary source
Reference list
One work by one author, one work with two authors, one work with three to five authors, one work with six or more authors, authors with same last name, different authors with same last name and first initial, work with groups as authors (with known abbreviation), work with groups as authors (no abbreviation), work with no author(s) or editor(s), work with anonymous designated as author, abbreviating groups as authors, one work with multiple authors with same last name & same year.
- Additional referencing information
- Using headings
- Book chapter
- ChatGPT and other generative AI tools
- Journal article
- Other Internet sources
- Social media
- Dictionary or encyclopaedia
- Conferences
- Newspaper or magazine article
- Lecture notes and slides
- Video or DVD
- Television program
- Government legislation
- Legal sources
- Patents and standards
- Personal communication
- Specialised health information
- Press (media) release
- Works in non-English languages
- Works in non-English scripts, such as Arabic or Chinese
- Printing this guide
In-text reference
In-text reference:
Six or seven authors
Eight or more authors.
Include each first author’s initials in all citations. Do this for the first author only when there are multiple authors in a single reference.
Initials are included even if year of publication differs.
For more than two authors, use as format as required by APA 6th (see above examples)
Reference List
- Use author(s) full first name in square brackets if there are different authors with the same last name and first initial
- Place the first name after the first name initial eg. Lewis, J. [Jessica]
Also known as corporate authors
Groups as authors include government departments, professional associations, company names, organisations
For title of article, chapter or web page with no author, use double quotation marks ".....".
For the title of a journal, book, brochure or report with no author, italicise the title .
Only ever use Anonymous when it is the listed author. If no author is listed, use the title. See "Work with no author(s) or editor(s)".
“The names of groups that serve as authors (eg. corporations, associations, government agencies…) are usually spelled out each time they appear in a text citation. The names of some groups are spelled out in the first citation and abbreviated thereafter . In deciding whether to abbreviate the name of a group author, use the general rule that you need to give enough information in the text citation for the reader to locate the entry in the reference list without difficulty. If the name is long… and the abbreviation is familiar…, you may abbreviate the name in the second and subsequent citations . If the name is short or if the abbreviation would not be readily understandable, write out the same each time it occurs”. (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 176)
Group author - organisation, association, company, government department
United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
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- Last Updated: Mar 3, 2023 12:32 PM
- URL: https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa6
APA Citation Style 6th Edition: D. Journal Article with 6 or more Authors
- Quotes & Paraphrasing
- References Guidelines
- A. One Author or Editor
- B. Two Authors or Editors
- C. Three to Five Authors or Editors
- D. Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
- E. Article in a Reference Book
- F. No Author
- H. Edition other than the First
- I. Translation
- J. Government Publication
- A. Journal Article with One Author
- B. Journal Article with 2 Authors
- C. Journal Article with 3-5 Authors
- D. Journal Article with 6 or more Authors
- E. Magazine Article
- F. Newspaper Article
- A. Basic Web Page
- B. Web page from a University site
- C. No Author
- D. Blog post
- E. Entry in a Reference Work
- F. Government Document
- A. Motion Picture
- B. YouTube Video
- C. Audio Podcast
- A. Electronic Image
- A. Interview
- D. Classical Works
- E. Secondary Sources
- F. Twitter Moment
Journal Article with Six or More Authors (pp. 177 & 198)
Printable APA Handouts
- APA 6th Edition Guidelines A handout which provides simple guidelines for using APA style.
- APA References Page Sample What your APA References Page should look like.
- APA In-Text Citation Tips for creating in-text citations in APA style.
- Creating a Hanging Indent How to create hanging indents using MS Word 2010.
- Inserting a Running Head How to insert a running head using MS Word.
- APA Electronic Resources Tips for creating a reference list in APA style from electronic resources.
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- Last Updated: Dec 2, 2019 10:55 AM
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IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
If you’re writing academically, chances are you’ve been tasked with writing a paper that follows APA style. Although there’s a learning curve involved with adhering to APA style, it’s possible to learn the basics so you can turn in your ass...
Writing an outline in APA style involves formatting the lines properly, using 12-point Times New Roman font and creating detailed headings. Each point of the outline starts with a header, which is marked by a Roman numeral.
As anyone who has ever written a paper for a college class knows, there are certain style rules and guidelines to be followed depending on which discipline you are in. For many college students, learning APA style can be tricky.
List by last names and initials; commas separate author names. After the sixth author's name, use an ellipsis in place of the author
List by last names and initials; commas separate author names, while the last author name is preceded again by ampersand. This is a departure from APA 6, which
If a document has six or more authors, simply provide the last name of the first author with "et al." from the first citation to the last.
When a book has three or more authors, cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al.
Surnames and initials for up to twenty authors should be provided in the reference list. For more than 20 authors, list the first 19, followed
NOTE: If your reference has three to six authors, cite them all the first time mentioned in your paper. After that, use the first author's
For a work with up to 20 authors, include all of the names in the reference. When the work has 21 or more authors, include only the first 19
authors/editors includes all of the names of the authors/editors,. subsequent citations include only the first author's/editor's surname,. followed by et al.
Cite the last names & initials of the first six authors then follow with a comma and three spaced ellipsis points (. . .), then the last author's name.
NOTE: If an article has eight or more authors, list the names of the first six authors followed by ... and then the last author's name in the
This video is based on the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. It explains what do with works