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Citing of Six or More Multiple Authors in APA

There comes a time when you’ll be citing multiple authors in APA style. Why? Many times, researchers in a particular field write papers together. At times, multiple authors, even twenty or more, collaborate on an extensive research paper. Creating a citation in APA with multiple authors can be confusing in your reference list, but it doesn’t need to be. Learn how to cite multiple authors in APA. Get the low-down for creating an in-text citation for multiple authors in APA.

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Creating Reference List Entries for Citing Multiple Authors APA 7

When APA revised their manual in 2019 for their 7th edition, they changed how you compose reference page citations with multiple authors. Now, you include up to nineteen authors in your citations. When a source has multiple authors, follow this format for your APA citation entry for up to and including a total of nineteen authors:

Format for 2-19 Authors

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., Author, C. C., Author, D. D., Author, E. E., Author, F. F., Author, G. G., Author, H. H., Author, I. I., Author, J. J., Author, K. K., Author, L. L., Author, M M., Author, N. N., Author, O. O., Author, P. P., Author, Q. Q., Author, R. R., & Author, S. S.

 

Continue adding authors, including the nineteenth.

2-19 Authors Citation Example

Kazzazian, H., Dowling, C. E., Boehm, C. D., Warren, T. C., Economou, E. P., Katz, J., & Antonarakiss, S. E. (1990). Gene defects in B-Thalassemias and their prenatal diseases. New York Academy of Sciences.

Note: List authors the way they appear in the publication. Separate them by using commas.

 

More Than Twenty Authors

You are wondering how to cite multiple authors in APA when you have more than 20 authors? Thankfully, APA took some pity on you. When you have more than twenty authors, include the first nineteen authors’ names. Then, insert three ellipsis points and the last author’s name.

Format for more than 20 authors

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., Author, C. C., Author, D. D., Author, E. E., Author, F. F., Author, G. G., Author, H. H., Author, I. I., Author, J. J., Author, K. K., Author, L. L., Author, M M., Author, N. N., Author, O. O., Author, P. P., Author, Q. Q., Author, R. R., Author, S. S.,…Author, Z. Z.

 

How to Cite Multiple Authors APA – More Than Twenty Author Example

Brown, C., Smith, A. N., Bold, T. P., Fairy, N., Smith, L. J., Leland, K., Fran, J., Moore, R. B., Garrett, B. C., Gold, N. D., Witting, R. E., Dunkle, F. T., Smith, J. M., Johnson, H. H., Stevens, N., Williams, S. T., Brown, N., Jones, T. R., Miller J.,…Wirta, N. (2012). Exploring genomes. New York Publisher.

Notes:
  • Before the ellipsis points, make sure you put a period after the last initial of the nineteen author’s name. Then add a comma, followed by three ellipsis points.
  • APA’s rules for handling authors apply to all the different types of work you might include in your reference list, including books, journals, electronic sources, etc.

 

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In-Text Citation APA Multiple Authors

Every reference list citation you make has a corresponding in-text or parenthetical citation. When creating an in-text citation in APA for multiple authors, you’ll use a different style for two and three authors. When your source has only two authors, you separate them with an ampersand (&).

example in-text citations APA format

In-Text APA Citation Example for Two Authors

(Alonzo & Berk, 2016)

APA In-Text Citation for Multiple Authors – Three or More

When a book has three or more authors, cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the year for the first and subsequent citations.

In-Text Citation APA Multiple Authors Example – Three or More

Alonzo et al. (2016) discussed various aspects of their research…

Similar Authors, Multiple Sources

Sometimes you have two or more citations with the same authors. Since researchers in the same field often collaborate on research projects, this may happen frequently. If you only list the first author’s name and et al., you may not lead the reader to the correct source. To avoid that problem, follow these steps:

  1.  Check the dates of the cited material.
  2. If there are different publication dates, continue to use the first author’s surname, et al., and then the date.

APA In-Text Citation Multiple Authors Example

Alonzo et al. (2016) discussed various aspects of their research…

Alonzo et al. (2018) further defined research methods…

However, if the years of publication are the same, you’ll need to list the authors’ surnames until you reach the first different author.

Citing Multiple Authors Surnames for Clarity in In-Text Citations in APA

Let’s say researchers Frederick Alonzo and Stuart Lessing collaborate on papers. In this case, they also worked with four other authors on other projects. For example:

Multiple Authors Surnames for Clarity In-Text Citations APA

Alonzo, Barrett, Lessing, Smith, A., Smith, B., Williams (2018)

Alonzo, Barrett, Lessing, Ramirez (2018)

 

List the author’s names until you find a different author to distinguish them.

Alonzo, Barrett, Lessing, Smith, et al. (2018) and Alonzo, Barrett, Lessing, and Ramirez (2018) both confirm that …

Note: Since et al. is plural, use it when plural authors are left. If only one author is left, write their name.

 

Tips for Working With Multiple Authors in Citations

While it’s essential to know how to cite multiple authors in APA, it’s also important to understand how to write the authors. Thankfully, APA has laid out a few facts when it comes to listing authors.

  • List the name exactly as it appears, including special characters, hyphens, two-part last names, etc.
  • Use the author’s preferred capitalization. If they spell the name in lower case, so should you.
  • New to APA 7th edition, add a space between the first initial and middle initial.
  • Do not include any titles in your citations like Dr., Ph.D., etc.

How to Cite Multiple Authors APA

Citing several authors within the text and in your reference list can be time-consuming and confusing; however, you must point your reader to the correct source. Since many researchers collaborate in their respective fields, you will find this scenario comes up frequently during your research.

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FAQ Citing of Six or More Multiple Authors in APA

How do you cite multiple authors in APA?

To cite multiple authors in APA, you need to know how many you are citing. When citing 2-19 authors, you include a comma and & before the last author. When citing more than 20 authors, you write out the first 19 then use three ellipses (...) and include the final author.

How do you cite three authors in APA?

To cite three authors in APA style, you write out the first two author's last names and initials then use a comma and & before the final author. An example of three authors looks like:
Garnet, B. A., Daven, U. I., & Garber, J.

How do you cite multiple authors in APA 7?

In APA 7, you cite multiple authors up to 19 by writing out there names and including a & symbol before the final author. When you have 20 or more authors, then you need to include the first 19 author and three ellipses (...) before the final author. An example of multiple authors looks like:
Druben, J., & Brown, B.

Can you use et al. for 3 authors?

When you are citing three authors in-text in an APA paper, you can include et al. However, in the reference list, when citing three authors, you include the last names and initials of all three and an ampersand (&) symbol.
An in-text citation in APA for three authors looks like: (Brown et al.).
A reference list citation for three authors looks like: Brown, J., Barret, T., & Kelly, D.

How do you cite 7 authors in APA?

When you are citing 7 authors in an APA reference list, you add an ampersand (&) before the final author. An example of seven authors in a reference list looks like:
Garrett, B., Brown, J., Terry, M., Gibbons, G., Howse, M., Jackson, A., & Smith, J.
When citing 7 authors in-text in APA style, you include et al., after the first author.
(Garrett et al.)

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