APA in-text citation generator
An APA 7 in-text citation is the author’s surname and the year: (Okafor, 2022). Add the page for a direct quote: (Okafor, 2022, p. 48).
Quick in-text citation
Type the surnames, year and page. The citation updates as you type.
Your in-text citations for APA 7 appear here.
APA in-text citation format
Parenthetical: (Author, Year, p. #). Narrative: Author (Year) found… Use “&” between two authors inside brackets and “and” in your sentence; use “et al.” from the first citation when there are three or more authors.
(Okafor, 2022) · Okafor (2022)
(Okafor & Brandt, 2022) · Okafor and Brandt (2022)
(Okafor et al., 2022) · Okafor et al. (2022), from the very first citation
(World Health Organization [WHO], 2023) the first time, then (WHO, 2023), if the abbreviation is well known
Use the title: Stand-alone works in italics, “Articles or Pages” in quotation marks: (“Sleep Loss,” 2021)
(Okafor, n.d.)
p. 48 · pp. 48–49 · para. 4 for web pages without pages · a timestamp for videos, e.g. 3:12
(Brandt, 2020; Okafor, 2022) in alphabetical order, separated by semicolons
Add a, b, c: (Okafor, 2022a, 2022b), matching the reference list
(Freud, 1923, as cited in Okafor, 2022); only Okafor goes in the reference list
Source: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition, chapter 8.
Need the full reference too?
Every in-text citation must match an entry in your reference list. Paste a link, DOI or ISBN into the APA citation generator to get both at once, or use the all-styles in-text generator to compare the four styles side by side.
APA in-text citation questions
How do you write an APA in-text citation?
Give the author’s surname and the year of publication, separated by a comma: (Okafor, 2022). For a direct quote, add the page: (Okafor, 2022, p. 48). If the author is part of your sentence, put only the year in brackets: Okafor (2022) argues that…
How do I cite three or more authors in APA 7?
Use the first author’s surname plus “et al.” every time, including the first: (Okafor et al., 2022). This changed in the 7th edition; APA 6 listed up to five authors the first time.
Does an APA in-text citation need a page number?
Yes for direct quotes. APA also encourages one for a close paraphrase. When there are no page numbers, use a paragraph number (para. 4), a section heading, or a timestamp for audio and video.
How do I cite something with no author in APA?
Move the title into the author position. Italicise the title of a stand-alone work, such as a book or report; put the title of an article or web page in quotation marks with title-case capitals. Shorten long titles: (“Sleep Loss,” 2021).
What does n.d. mean?
“No date.” Use it when a source shows no publication date: (Okafor, n.d.). Don’t use a copyright date in a website footer as the publication date unless it clearly applies to the page.