Citation Guide Old: Author/Editor APA Format

Authors in APA Format

Authors are formatted the same in all material formats.

• List only the first (and middle if available) initials of all authors
• List all authors with the last name first
  • Example: Smith, J. D.
• Two authors are separated with a comma and an ampersand ( & )
  • Example: Smith, J. D., & Jones, R. L.
• Three to seven authors are formatted with commas and an ampersand ( & )
  • Example: Smith, J. D., Jones, R. L., & Harper, S. G.
• More than seven authors: List up to six (6) authors; then ellipses (...) and then last author.
  • Example: Smith, J. D., Jones, R. L., Harper, S. G., Harris, K., Thompson, L. C., Nelson, G. A., ...Sampson, D.

Authors that are organizations, corporations, government entities, etc.

• Do not invert or use abbreviations.
  • Examples:
    • United States Department of Commerce.
    • General Motors Corporation.
    • American Civil Liberties Union.

Editors

If an entire edited book with authored chapters is cited, the editor is listed as the author with the abbreviation "(Ed.)" after their name, or "(Eds.)" if there is more than one editor. Multiple editors are formatted the same way as authors.

• List first editor with the last name first, followed by a comma and "(Ed.)."
  • Example: Smith, J. D.  (Ed.).
• Two editors are separated by a comma after the first author and the ampersand (&) and are followed with a comma and "(Eds.)."
  • Example: Smith, J. D., & Jones, R. L. (Eds.).
• Three to seven editors are separated with commas and the ampersand (&) and are followed with a comma and "(Eds.)."
  • Example: Smith, J. D., Jones, R. L., & Harper, S. G. (Eds.).
• More than seven: List up to six (6) editors; then ellipses, and then last editor.
  • Example: Smith, J. D., Jones, R. L., Harper, S. G., Harris, K., Thompson, L. C., Nelson, G. A., ...Sampson, D. (Eds.).