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 | (Deagan, 2004) OR (Deagen, 2004, p. 598) |
| Two Authors | (Deagen & (author last name) , 2004) |
| Three or more | (Deagen et al., 2004) |
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 different roles that men and women play in Indigenous cultures, for example in the Taino culture, when there is "contact involving armed conflict and military resistance to intrusive populations tends to involve men" (Deagan, 2004, p. 598).
2. Militarism can be a factor when examining the social interactions of Taino men. According to Deagan (2004), when there is "contact involving armed conflict and military resistance to intrusive populations tends to involve men" (p. 598).
OR
Two examples of using in-text citation when paraphrasing
According to Deagan (2004), when there are colonial powers seeking to cause military warfare, Taino men are the ones who tend to interact in this way (p. 598).
Colonial powers starting any warfare with the Taino population will usually be met with men, due to the social structures established by the Indigenous group (Deagan, 2004, 598).