How to Cite More Than 3 Authors APA
In the world of academic writing, citing sources is an essential aspect of maintaining integrity and giving credit to the original authors. When citing a source with more than three authors, the APA (American Psychological Association) style has specific guidelines to follow. This article will provide a detailed explanation on how to correctly cite more than three authors in APA format.
1. Basic Format
When citing a source with more than three authors in APA format, you should list the first author followed by “et al.” (meaning “and others”) after the first author’s name. The et al. abbreviation is used to indicate that there are additional authors beyond the first three. Here’s an example:
> “Smith, Johnson, Brown, & Davis (2020) conducted a study on the effects of climate change on coastal communities.”
2. In-text Citation
When citing a source with more than three authors in the text, you should use the same format as mentioned above. However, you can choose to include only the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” in the parentheses:
> “Smith et al. (2020) found that…”
3. Reference List Entry
In the reference list, you should list all the authors’ names in the same format as in the in-text citation. Here’s an example:
> Smith, J., Johnson, B., Brown, L., & Davis, M. (2020). The effects of climate change on coastal communities. Journal of Environmental Studies, 12(3), 45-58.
4. Exceptions
There are a few exceptions to this rule. If you are specifically mentioning all the authors in your text, you should list all their names in the in-text citation and the reference list. For example:
> “In a recent study, Smith, Johnson, Brown, and Davis (2020) found that…”
In this case, you would also list all the authors’ names in the reference list:
> Smith, J., Johnson, B., Brown, L., & Davis, M. (2020). The effects of climate change on coastal communities. Journal of Environmental Studies, 12(3), 45-58.
5. Multiple Sources with More Than Three Authors
When citing multiple sources with more than three authors, you should list each source separately in the text and reference list. Use a semicolon to separate the in-text citations:
> “Smith et al. (2020) and Johnson et al. (2021) both found that…”
In the reference list, list each source separately:
> Smith, J., Johnson, B., Brown, L., & Davis, M. (2020). The effects of climate change on coastal communities. Journal of Environmental Studies, 12(3), 45-58.
> Johnson, J., Smith, B., Brown, L., & Davis, M. (2021). The impact of climate change on urban areas. Journal of Urban Studies, 14(2), 78-95.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure that you are correctly citing sources with more than three authors in APA format. Remember to always double-check the specific requirements of your institution or publication to ensure compliance with their citation style.
