In text citations are needed when paraphrasing or pulling a direct quote from a cited work. This shows the reader of your work where you obtained your citations from in your reference list.
APA in-text citations include the author's last name and the year of publication for the source you are using. The chart below will be using the example on the citation help page to show how you would use in text citations based on the amount of authors a source has.
| Number of Authors | Citation Format |
| One Author | (Holland, 2023) OR (Holland, 2023, p. 27) |
| Two Authors | (Holland & Galardi, 2023) |
| Three or more | (Holland et al., 2023) |
Your in-text citation should always go before the period at the end of the sentence you paraphrase or the direct quote that you are using.
Here are two examples of using in-text citation when pulling a direct quote from the article on the citation help page:
1. There are even differences between the way that Malayan tigers interact with each other based on gender. As stated in the article, "While the female was more likely to initiate any observed social interactions, the male was highly receptive to those directed toward him and would respond at times" (Holland et al., 2023, p. 12).
2. Gender can be a factor when Malayan tigers interact with each other. According to Holland et al. (2023), "the female was more likely to initiate any observed social interactions, while the male was highly receptive to those directed toward him and would respond at times" (p. 12).
OR
Two examples of using in-text citation when paraphrasing
According to Holland et al.(2023), female Malayan tigers are more likely to commence social interactions whereas males are more likely to receive them and reciprocate occasionally (p. 12).
Female Malayan tigers start social interactions whereas their male counterparts receive them and occasionally respond (Holland, et al., 2023, p.12).