In-text citation generator
Parenthetical and narrative in-text citations for APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard. Enter the source once, add a page number and copy the version you need.
Create an in-text citation
Reference list entry · APA 7th edition
Your citation appears here as you type, set exactly as it will look in your paper.
In-text citation
Fill in the author and date to see the in-text version.
How author count changes an in-text citation
The rule most people get wrong is when to switch to “et al.”. Change the number of authors and watch each style respond.
One author: surname only, every time.
Parenthetical(Okafor, 2022, p. 48)
NarrativeOkafor (2022, p. 48)
Parenthetical(Okafor 48)
NarrativeOkafor (48)
Parenthetical(Okafor 2022, 48)
NarrativeOkafor (2022, 48)
Parenthetical(Okafor, 2022, p. 48)
NarrativeOkafor (2022, p. 48)
APA in-text citations
Author surname and year, separated by a comma: (Okafor, 2022). Add a page for quotes: (Okafor, 2022, p. 48), or pp. 48–49 for a range. Organisations are written in full; a well-known abbreviation can be introduced the first time: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023), then (WHO, 2023).
MLA in-text citations
Author surname and page number, no comma: (Okafor 48). No year: MLA readers find the date in Works Cited. When you cite two works by the same author, add a short title: (Okafor, Sleep and Memory 48).
Chicago and Harvard
Chicago author-date uses (Okafor 2022, 48): no comma before the year. Chicago notes-bibliography uses footnotes instead; see the Chicago generator. Harvard (Cite Them Right) uses (Okafor, 2022, p. 48).
Quoting word for word? How to cite a quote covers block quotes and quotes you’ve changed.
In-text citation questions
What is an in-text citation?
A short pointer inside your sentence (usually author and year, or author and page) that leads the reader to the full entry in your reference list or Works Cited page. Every in-text citation must match exactly one entry.
What’s the difference between parenthetical and narrative citations?
Parenthetical: the whole citation sits in brackets at the end of the idea, (Okafor, 2022). Narrative: the author is part of your sentence, Okafor (2022) found that… Both are correct; mix them for readable writing.
Do I need a page number?
For direct quotes, yes, in every style. APA also encourages page numbers for close paraphrases. For sources without pages, APA uses a paragraph number or section name (para. 4); MLA leaves the page out.
How do I cite two sources in the same brackets?
APA and Harvard: separate with semicolons, in alphabetical order, (Brandt, 2020; Okafor, 2022). MLA: (Brandt 12; Okafor 48).
How do I cite a source I found quoted in another source?
Cite the source you actually read. APA: (Freud, 1923, as cited in Okafor, 2022); MLA: (qtd. in Okafor 48). Only Okafor goes in the reference list.