APA Parenthetical Citations

Parenthetical (or in-text) citations direct readers to a reference list at the end of a research paper or accompanying a research project. The parenthetical citation usually includes an author's last name and the year the source was published. A page number is also provided for direct quotes. 

How to Do Parenthetical Citations

The purpose of parenthetical citations is to give credit to sources that you use.

• Cite direct quotations, paraphrases, ideas peculiar to an author, case studies, statistics, and graphics, such as maps, charts, diagrams, and scientific research results.
  
  
• Place citations directly after the quotation or paraphrase and before the period (or other punctuation) that ends the sentence.
  
  
• Include the author's last name and year of publication, separated by a comma, in parentheses at the end of the sentence:

(Smith, 2025)

• Include the page number following a direct quote:

(Johnson, 2022, p. 234)

• Use the first few words of the title of the source as listed on the reference list page if no author or editor is credited. For books and other longer works, italicize the title. For articles and other shorter works, do not put the title in quotation marks:

(Webster's dictionary, 2005)
(Understaning politics, 2026)

• If the author's name appears in the same sentence as the cited material, only include the publication year in parentheses. That is called a narrative citation:

(2026)

• If a cited source has two authors, list both authors. If the source has three or more authors, list only the first author, and follow it with "et al." (no quotes). Follow the author section with a comma and the publication year:

(Anderson & Henderson, 2023)
(Saunders et al., 2026)

• Personal communications such as letters, email, personal interviews, telephone conversations, etc. are cited in text only; they are not included in the reference list:

(M. M. Lee, personal communication, April 28, 2026)

Examples of Parenthetical Citations

• Native peoples have little to lose by adopting these practices (Johnson, 2022).
  [Author's last name and publication date]

• Viviano sees advantages in this line of defense (2026).
  [Cite only the publication date if the author's name appears in the same sentence.]

• According to police reports, there were no skid marks indicating that the distracted driver who injured John and Carole Hall had even tried to stop (Stockwell et al., 2024).
  [When a source has three or more authors, only include the first author followed by "et al." [no quotes] and then the publication date.]

• "As of 2001, at least three hundred towns and municipalities had considered legislation regulating use of cell phones while driving" (Lawson, 2001, p. 22).
  [If using a direct quote, include the author's last name, publication date, and page number.]