APA In-Text Citations with Multiple Authors
In APA in-text citations, the way you cite a source depends on how many authors the work has.
Two authors
Cite both authors every time the source appears in the text.
Three or more authors
Cite only the first author’s surname, followed by et al., and the year, from the first citation onward.
Applies to all in-text citations
These rules apply to both parenthetical and narrative citations.
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APA In-Text Citation Rules for Multiple Authors
In-text citation formats
APA style uses two in-text citation formats: parenthetical citations and narrative citations.
In parenthetical citations, the author name and year of publication appear together in parentheses. In narrative citations, the author is integrated into the sentence, with the year shown in parentheses.
The difference between these formats affects sentence structure, not how author names are displayed.
Two authors
When a source has two authors, APA requires that both authors be cited every time the source appears in the text.
The way the authors are connected depends on the citation format. In parenthetical citations, an ampersand is used between the authors’ surnames. In narrative citations, the word “and” is used instead.
This rule applies consistently across all in-text citations of the source.
Three or more authors
For works with three or more authors, APA uses a shortened in-text citation format.
From the first citation onward, include only the first author’s surname, followed by et al., along with the year of publication.
This abbreviated form is used throughout the text and does not change after the initial citation.
Applies to all in-text citation styles
The author rules described above apply equally to both parenthetical and narrative in-text citations.
Choosing one citation format over the other affects how the sentence is written, but it does not change how many author names are included in the citation.
APA In-Text Citation Examples for Multiple Authors
Use the examples below to see how APA in-text citations look in real sentences. Each example includes both parenthetical and narrative formats.
Two authors
Examples below show how APA formats in-text citations when a work has two authors.
Parenthetical citation
The results were consistent across multiple studies (Walker & Allen, 2020).
Narrative citation
Walker and Allen (2020) found that the results were consistent across multiple studies.
Three or more authors
Examples below show how APA formats in-text citations when a work has three or more authors.
Parenthetical citation
The method was widely adopted in later research (Smith et al., 2019).
Narrative citation
Smith et al. (2019) reported that the method was widely adopted in later research.
Same source cited more than once
In APA style, the author format for a work does not change after the first mention. Use the same in-text form each time you cite the source.
Example (two authors)
The results were consistent across multiple studies (Walker & Allen, 2020). Later work reached similar conclusions (Walker & Allen, 2020).
Example (three or more authors)
The method was widely adopted in later research (Smith et al., 2019). The same pattern appears across related datasets (Smith et al., 2019).
Citing multiple sources in one set of parentheses
When you cite more than one work in the same parentheses, list the citations in alphabetical order by first author, separated by semicolons.
Parenthetical citation
Several studies support this conclusion (Allen & Chen, 2018; Smith et al., 2019; Walker & Allen, 2020).
Citing two or more works by the same first author in the same year
If the first author and year are the same for multiple works, APA uses a, b, c after the year to distinguish them. The letter also appears in the reference list.
Parenthetical citation
The approach has been replicated in follow-up work (Taylor et al., 2021a, 2021b).
Narrative citation
Taylor et al. (2021a, 2021b) compared the approach across two different samples.
Common Mistakes in APA In-Text Citations for Multiple Authors
Using et al. when a work has two authors
In APA in-text citations, et al. is only used for works with three or more authors. When a work has exactly two authors, both surnames must appear in every citation.
Wrong
✕ (Walker et al., 2020)
Correct
✓ (Walker & Allen, 2020)
Omitting the year in narrative citations
In APA in-text citations, the publication year is required even when the author is mentioned in the sentence. Narrative citations still include the year in parentheses immediately after the author name.
Wrong
✕ Walker and Allen found that the results were consistent.
Correct
✓ Walker and Allen (2020) found that the results were consistent.
Mixing parenthetical and narrative citation formats
APA requires each in-text citation to follow one format consistently. Do not mix narrative and parenthetical elements within the same citation.
Wrong
✕ Walker and Allen (found that the results were consistent, 2020).
Correct
✓ Walker and Allen (2020) found that the results were consistent.
✓ The results were consistent (Walker & Allen, 2020).
Using “and” instead of “&” in parenthetical citations
In APA style, the symbol & is used between author names in parenthetical citations. The word “and” is only used in narrative citations.
Wrong
✕ (Walker and Allen, 2020)
Correct
✓ (Walker & Allen, 2020)
Changing the author format after the first citation
In APA style, the in-text author format does not change after the first mention. Use the same author format every time you cite the source.
Wrong
✕ (Smith, Johnson, & Lee, 2019)
✕ (Smith et al., 2019)
Correct
✓ (Smith et al., 2019)
Incorrectly ordering multiple sources in one set of parentheses
When citing multiple works in one set of parentheses, APA requires them to be listed in alphabetical order by first author. Citations are separated by semicolons.
Wrong
✕ (Walker & Allen, 2020; Allen & Chen, 2018; Smith et al., 2019)
Correct
✓ (Allen & Chen, 2018; Smith et al., 2019; Walker & Allen, 2020)
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