How do I cite three authors?
Answer
In APA 7th Edition, the way to cite three or more authors differs between in-text citations and the reference list:
In-text Citations
For works with three or more authors, list only the first author's last name, followed by "et al." and the year of publication.
- Parenthetical citation:
- (Smith et al., 2023)
- Narrative citation:
- Smith et al. (2023) found that...
Reference List
For works with up to 20 authors, list all authors' last names and initials. Use an ampersand (&) before the last author's name.
Example (3 authors):
Smith, J. K., Johnson, R. L., & Brown, T. M. (2023). Title of the book. Publisher.
Example (6 authors):
Wilson, A. R., Lee, J. P., Green, S. T., Martin, F. L., Taylor, P. J., & Gomez, R. T. (2023). Title of the book. Publisher.
If there are more than 20 authors, include the first 19 authors, followed by an ellipsis (...), and then the final author's name (no ampersand).
Example (more than 20 authors):
Smith, J. K., Johnson, R. L., Brown, T. M., ..., & Taylor, P. J. (2023). Title of the book. Publisher.