How to Paraphrase APA with Multiple Authors

You should know how to paraphrase APA with multiple authors if you are a student. When writing in APA style, it’s best to paraphrase information from other sources and use direct quotes to the barest minimum.

When paraphrasing, you use your own words to say what someone else has written or said. Do not add your opinions during paraphrasing or summarizing unless it’s evident they’re different from the original author’s.

Bring up the author’s name again to clear up any confusion for the reader. Paraphrases and summaries don’t need quotation marks, but they do need the last name of the author and the year the work was published. For paraphrases and summaries, you don’t need a page number.

Here’s how to paraphrase APA with multiple authors like a pro. Ready, set, go!

There are always two ways to cite a source

1. Put the author’s name in the text as part of your sentence.

2. Put the name of the author in parentheses.

Use only last names in APA in-text citations; don’t include book or article titles. The date must come right after the name of the author.

1. Text with one to two authors

Lilian’s (1999) case study shows that shorter people are more likely to develop and die from cardiovascular disease.
Jude and Frances (2002) say that shorter people are more likely to develop and die from cardiovascular disease.

Authors in parentheses

Women are more likely to experience depression than children (Latifah, 1999).
Women are more likely to experience depression than men (Latifah & Frances, 2002).

2. Where there are several authors

When there are more than two authors, the APA has rules about writing their names.

In the case of 3-5 people

At the first mention of each author in the paper, write their names. After that, use et al.

Example:

Philipa, Dmann, Gosha, and Tricia (2007) say that ethnic groups must be willing to serve the nation for the greater good of all
Philipa et al. (2007) say that ethnic groups must… for the greater good of all

Authors in parentheses

To get the most out of our various ethnic groups, society must.. (Philipa, Dmann, Gosha, & Dma, 2001).

To get the most out of our various ethnic groups, society must.. (Philipa et al., 2001).

Where there are six or more authors

Use the first author’s name, followed by “et al.”

Example:

(Dimigwe et al., 1998)

Where there are more than one reference in the same parenthesis

Sort by the author’s last name and separate with a semicolon.

(Katsina, 1995; Isiomal, Maha, & Dumelo, 1998; Paschal & Tricia, 2002; Wike, 1991)

3. Authored by Organization

If the author is an organization or government entity, cite it as you would a person in the signal phrase or parenthetical reference.

If the organization has a well-known abbreviation, include it in brackets the first time you quote it. Use the abbreviation alone in subsequent citations. Do not abbreviate several organizations whose abbreviations are the same (to avoid ambiguity).

Example:

Citation1: (Africans in Diaspora [AID], 2000)

Citation 2: (AID, 2000)

To Wrap Up

The APA Publication Manual explains how to cite authors and content providers. Occasionally, the manual won’t explain a source or author category, leaving you unsure on how to proceed.

In these circumstances, it’s permissible to apply APA citation guidelines to the new source in a consistent and sensible fashion. To do this, utilize the normal APA instructions for a similar source type. Virtual reality programs should be cited using the APA’s computer software requirements.

You may also want to see if a third-party entity provides citation instructions.