How to cite using APA in the Health Sciences

Ideas from multiple works can be paraphrased in both parenthetical and narrative citations. Avoid frivolous use of multiple works; it is best to use them only when they are needed to support your immediate point. Furthermore, long strings of multiple authors can be a difficult to parse, especially for those who use assistive technology such as a screen reader. 

For parenthetical citations, format author-date citations normally, divided by a comma. To add more references, separate the works with a semi-colon. Arrange works in alphabetical order.

For multiple works from the same author, list the author once followed by a comma and then arrange each work in chronological order separated by a comma. List no-date (n.d.) works first, and then from oldest to most recent. If there are works from the same year, add a lowercase "a" next to the first work, then a "b" to the one following, and so on. Lowercase alphabet letters must restart from "a" for each year where there are multiple works.

For narrative citations, multiple sources can be listed in any order. 

Examples

Basic Parenthetical Citation for Multiple Works

It appears certain that physical activity can decrease stress levels in adults (Bismarck, 2020; Chung et al., 2014; Lazar & O'Reilly, 2024).

There are a number of ongoing studies about the potential effects of space travel on the human body (Thistle et al., 2019; Tsu 2024).

Parenthetical Citation for Multiple Works from the Same Author

In each study, educational interventions providing cultural humility training resulted in positive patient outcomes (Macapagal et al., 2016, 2018, 2022).

Parenthetical Citation for Multiple Works from the Same Author and the Same Year

Blog posts and news articles show that Dr. Brady, a gender-affirming medical specialists, has been a vocal and long-time critic of political influence in non-binary and trans healthcare (Brady, n.d., 2016a, 2016b, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023a, 2023b).

Narrative Citation for Multiple Works

Despite the tremendous need, Nusseibeh and Feldman (2024) and Lysenko et al. (2022) agree that providing medical care in conflict zones is complicated due to damaged infrastructure, lack of supplies, and threats to healthcare workers and patients.

Nguyen et al. (2017), Mwangi and Njoroge (2020), and Carlisle et al. (2015) have suggested potential alternatives to NSAIDs for the management of mild pain.

Narrative Citation for Multiple Works from the Same Author (and the Same Year)

Pearson et al. (2018a, 2018b, 2023) have observed similar outcomes over the course of multiple trials.

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".