APA 7th Edition Citation Guide

Citations in APA style include two parts: (1) in-text citations, which are connected to (2) reference list citations.

This guide will help you create in-text citations that correlate with the corresponding reference list citations. Please see Reference Examples for more details on the reference list.

When you have two or more documents matching the first author's surnames, you need to differentiate the two documents in the text. Follow these basic steps.

Step 1

Determine if the dates are the same. If two documents are written by the same author, for example, they may not have the same date. If the dates are different, then simply providing the dates is enough to differentiate the two items. If the two items have the same date, head to the next step.

Step 2

When two documents have the same date, but different secondary authors, provide as many authors' surnames as needed to differentiate the two items. This trick only works when you have multiple authors for a document. If you have two items with the same dates and authors, head to the next step.

Step 3

When two documents have the same date and same authors, include a lowercase letter after the dates for both items.