In academic writing, citing sources accurately is crucial to maintaining credibility and providing clear references for your readers. When you reference a work by multiple authors, the citation format can vary based on the number of authors involved. Below are three practical examples of citing multiple authors in-text, each demonstrating different scenarios and styles.
In cases where a work is authored by two individuals, both names should be included in the in-text citation. This is typically formatted in parentheses at the end of the relevant sentence.
Consider this scenario in a research paper discussing the impacts of climate change:
According to research, climate change has profound impacts on global biodiversity (Smith & Johnson, 2020).
This citation effectively attributes the findings to both authors, providing clarity to the reader about the source of the information. When using an ampersand (&), ensure it is placed between the two authors’ last names within the parentheses.
Notes: Always include both authors’ last names and the publication year when citing a work. If the authors are mentioned in the narrative, only the year is needed in parentheses.
When a source is authored by three or more individuals, the first author’s last name is followed by