Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
To cite two sources in one sentence in APA 7th edition, put both in a single set of parentheses, order them alphabetically by first author’s surname (the same order as your reference list), and separate them with a semicolon: (Okafor & Lindqvist, 2021; Smith, 2019). If you name the authors in your sentence instead, give each one its own year: Smith (2019) and Okafor and Lindqvist (2021) found…
This guide shows the pattern, worked sentences, and the mistakes that most often turn up in manuscripts and theses. All author names in the examples are invented.
The format
A parenthetical citation of two or more works by different authors has four parts, in this order:
- First work: cite it exactly as you would if it stood alone, such as (Author, year).
- Semicolon: the separator between works, not a comma and not “and”.
- Second work: again in its normal form.
- One pair of parentheses around everything.
The template is therefore (Author A, year; Author B, year). Two library guides that follow the APA Publication Manual state the same rule: cite each work as you normally would, place the works in alphabetical order, and separate them with semicolons (Miami University Libraries; University of Queensland Library).
The order follows the reference list, so the author whose surname comes first alphabetically is cited first. Order is not about which source is more important or which is older.
Examples
The sources below are fictitious and are used only to show the pattern.
Two sources by different authors
Clinic wait times fall when scheduling is automated (Okafor & Lindqvist, 2021; Smith, 2019).
Okafor comes before Smith alphabetically, so the Okafor and Lindqvist work is listed first even though it is newer.
Two works by the same author
Peer feedback improves revision quality (Rahman, 2016, 2020).
Give the author’s name once, then the years in order. Undated works come first and works marked “in press” come last, for example (Rahman, n.d., 2016, 2020, in press). When one author has several undated works, the Macquarie University guide uses letter suffixes such as (Rahman, n.d.-a).
Same author and same year
Early results held up in replication (Duarte & Weiss, 2018a, 2018b; Novak, 2015).
The letters a and b are added to the year so the two Duarte and Weiss works can be told apart, and they are repeated every time the works are cited.
Different authors and a repeated author together
Mixed groups still follow alphabetical order: (Byrne Health Authority, 2020; Rahman, 2016, 2020). The University of Queensland guide shows this pattern with an organisation as a group author listed before an individual author.
In-text citation version
You can also put the sources inside the sentence. This is a narrative citation: the author names are part of your wording and only the year goes in parentheses.
- Narrative, two sources: Smith (2019) and Okafor and Lindqvist (2021) both reported shorter waits.
- Narrative with three or more authors: Novak et al. (2015) and Smith (2019) agreed on the main effect.
The Macquarie guide’s own example uses the same shape: Noble et al. (2015) and Walker (2011) stated that… Use the narrative form when the authors are the subject of the sentence. Use the parenthetical form when the claim is the subject and the sources are support for it. For authors, the APA in-text checklist gives the basic forms as (Author, year) with a comma and Author (year) in running text, and “et al.” follows the first author from the first citation when a work has three or more authors.
Common errors
| Error | Wrong | Right |
|---|---|---|
| Comma between works | (Okafor & Lindqvist, 2021, Smith, 2019) | (Okafor & Lindqvist, 2021; Smith, 2019) |
| Chronological instead of alphabetical | (Smith, 2019; Okafor & Lindqvist, 2021) | (Okafor & Lindqvist, 2021; Smith, 2019) |
| Author name repeated for the same author | (Rahman, 2016; Rahman, 2020) | (Rahman, 2016, 2020) |
| Two sets of brackets | (Smith, 2019) (Okafor & Lindqvist, 2021) | (Okafor & Lindqvist, 2021; Smith, 2019) |
| Missing a/b letters for same author, same year | (Duarte & Weiss, 2018, 2018) | (Duarte & Weiss, 2018a, 2018b) |
Check any example you borrow against your own reference list.
Manuscripts and theses
Each source cited in the text must appear in the reference list (Macquarie University Library). In a long thesis, check the in-text order against the reference list after you finish editing, because adding or moving a source late can leave a citation out of order. If a sentence is carrying four or five sources, consider splitting it so each claim has its own citation. That is a readability choice, not an APA rule. For a source you only know through another author, see how to cite a secondary source in APA.
For how author lists shorten in text, see multiple authors in an APA in-text citation. For paraphrased passages, see APA paraphrase citations. The general idea is explained under parenthetical citation, and et al. in references covers the shortened-author form.
Style-guide edition
This page follows the APA Publication Manual, 7th edition (2020), the current edition as of October 2026. The multiple-works rules above match the university library guides built on that edition and listed under Sources, which were checked on 29 October 2026; Miami University Libraries cites Publication Manual section 8.12 (pp. 263-264) for the alphabetical, semicolon rule. Check your own institution’s guide or your target journal’s instructions if they set rules that differ from APA, because instructors and publishers can override the style.
FAQ
Do I use a comma or a semicolon between two sources?
A semicolon. Each work is written as it normally would be, and the works are separated by semicolons inside one pair of parentheses.
Do I put the sources in order of year?
Not when the authors are different. Different authors are listed alphabetically, in the same order as the reference list. Year order applies only to several works by the same author.
How do I cite two works by the same author?
Give the surname once and then the years in ascending order, for example (Rahman, 2016, 2020). Undated works go first and “in press” works go last.
How do I cite two sources in the sentence itself?
Name both authors in the sentence and give each a year in parentheses: Smith (2019) and Okafor and Lindqvist (2021) both reported shorter waits.
Sources
- American Psychological Association, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (2020), section 8.12 as cited by the Miami University Libraries guide below.
- APA Style, In-Text Citation Checklist (official PDF), accessed 29 October 2026.
- University of Queensland Library, In-text references: APA 7th, page last updated 20 October 2026, accessed 29 October 2026.
- Macquarie University Library, APA 7 in-text citations, updated 31 July 2026, accessed 29 October 2026.
- Miami University Libraries, APA in-text citations, updated 2 September 2026, accessed 29 October 2026.
