What do I need to do?

You need to include proper citation throughout your paper. APA publications use the author date citation system, identifying the source for the reader and allowing them to locate the information source among the references. An in-text citation must match up with an information source located in the reference list and vice-versa.

A quick reference

See chart below, adapted from The University of Tennessee LibGuide for quick reference of in-text citations.

Type of Citation	Mentioned in Text	Subsequent Citations in Text	Parenthetical Format, First Citation in Text	Parenthetical Format, Subsequent Citations in Text
One work by one author	Walker (2007) says...	Walker (2007)	(Walker, 2007)	(Walker, 2007)
One work by two authors	Walker and Allen (2004) believe that...	Walker and Allen (2004)	(Walker & Allen, 2004)	(Walker & Allen, 2004)
One work by three to five authors	Bradley, Ramirez, and Soo (1999) disagree...	Bradley et al. (1999)	(Bradley, Ramirez, & Soo, 1999)	(Bradley et al., 1999)
One work by six or more authors	Wasserstein et al. (2005) feel that...	Wasserstein et al. (2005)	(Wasserstein et al., 2005)	(Wasserstein et al., 2005)
Groups as authors (readily identified through abbreviation)	National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2003) report...	NIMH (2003)	(National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2003)	(NIMH, 2003)
Groups as authors (no abbreviation)	University of Pittsburgh (2005) professors see...	University of Pittsburgh (2005)	(University of Pittsburgh, 2005)	(University of Pittsburgh, 2005)

Examples

Use the pull-down menu to access examples of the following citations.