How to cite using APA in the Health Sciences

The author element of a citation can be formatted differently in-text depending on the number of authors and whether it is a narrative or parenthetical citation. Only surnames are used unless there are authors with the same surname. For works with two authors, use the surnames in the order they appear in the publication information; in a narrative citation, connect them using either the word "and"; in a parenthetical citation, connect them using an ampersand (&). For works with three or more authors, include only the name of the first author followed by "et al." in both narrative and parenthetical citations.

Examples

Note the differences between formatting two authors in parenthetical and narrative citation.

If the authors of multiple works share the same surname but have different initials, include the initials-- even if the year is different-- for all in-text citations. This will provide the highest level of clarification. Do not include initials in the reference list. Do not use initials for authors with the same surname within a publication; cite normally.

Examples

Authors of Multiple Works with the Same Surname

(K. Sato & Fellows, 2014; T. L. Sato, 2023)

Authors Within a Publication with the Same Surname

(Young & Young, 2019)

Don't leave it blank! Find out how to properly indicate that information is missing from one of your reference elements by reading more about missing information.

Information on this page was adapted from "Chapter 8: Works Credited in the Text", in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), as well as the APA webpage, "In-Text Citations".