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When it comes to citing sources in academic writing, the American Psychological Association (APA) style is widely recognized as the standard in several fields, including psychology, social sciences, and education. One common citation scenario is when you need to reference a work written by multiple authors. Understanding how to properly cite multiple authors in APA format is crucial to ensure accuracy and give credit where it is due. This guide will walk you through the rules and examples of citing multiple authors in APA.
The basic rule for citing multiple authors in APA is to list all last names in the in-text citation the first time a reference appears. Use the word “and” before the last author’s name. For subsequent citations, include only the first author’s last name followed by “et al.,” which means “and others” in Latin.
For example, let’s say you are citing a book with two authors, John Smith and Mary Johnson. Your in-text citation for the first mention would look like this: (Smith & Johnson, Year). In subsequent citations, it would become: (Smith et al., Year).
If the work you are citing has three, four, or five authors, include all last names the first time you cite it. Use commas to separate the names, except for the last name, which is preceded by an ampersand (&). In subsequent citations, include only the first author’s last name followed by “et al.”
For instance, if you are referencing a paper by three authors – Tom Wilson, Sarah Thompson, and David Davis – your in-text citation for the first mention would be: (Wilson, Thompson, & Davis, Year). In subsequent citations, it would look like this: (Wilson et al., Year).
When the work has six or more authors, use only the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” for all citations, including the first mention.
For example, if you are citing an article with seven authors, your in-text citation for the first mention and all subsequent citations would be: (Johnson et al., Year).
In cases where multiple works with different authors need to be cited within the same parentheses, list the references alphabetically by the first author’s last name, and separate them with a semicolon (;).
Suppose you want to cite three sources, each with different authors (Smith & Johnson, 2000; Thompson, 2005; Wilson et al., 2010). Your in-text citation would be: (Smith & Johnson, 2000; Thompson, 2005; Wilson et al., 2010).
When it comes to citing indirect sources, such as when you refer to a work that was cited in another source, you should use the phrase “as cited in” followed by the original author’s last name and the publication year of the source you are actually citing.
For instance, if you want to use information from a book written by Johnson, but you found it cited in a paper by Wilson, your in-text citation would be: (Johnson, Year, as cited in Wilson, Year).
In conclusion, correctly citing multiple authors is an essential skill for academic writing. The APA style provides clear and straightforward guidelines to follow. Remember to list all authors’ last names in the first citation, and subsequently use “et al.” for in-text citations. Always ensure you give proper credit to the authors whose works you rely on to provide accuracy and validity to your research.
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