How to cite author with middle name APA 7th edition

This post is part of a series on author names. Other posts in the series will be linked at the bottom of this post as they are published.

The APA Style format for author names in reference list entries is to provide the author’s surname(s) followed by the initials of their given name(s). 

• Example: Lee, C. L. (2017).

In the in-text citation, provide only the surname(s) along with the year. (Note: The author's full name can be included in the in-text citation in limited circumstances, such as if the author is famous or if the whole purpose of the paper is to give an in-depth discussion of an author's work.)

• Example: (Lee, 2017) or Lee (2017)

Many different name formats are possible; for example, authors might have two surnames (with or without a hyphen), names with particles, and names with suffixes. Sometimes it might be difficult to determine whether a name is a given name or a surname.

However, in all cases, the name in the reference list entry and in-text citation should match the name on the work being cited. Your task now is just a matter of figuring out the proper format. 

Formatting Names With Multiple Parts

• If the surname is hyphenated, include both names and the hyphen in the reference list entry and in-text citation.
• If the surname has two parts separated by a space and no hyphen, include both names in the reference list entry and in-text citation. Many Spanish names follow this format. 
• If the surname includes a particle (e.g., de, de la, der, van, von), include the particle before the surname in the reference list entry and in-text citation.*
• If the surname includes a suffix (e.g., Jr., Sr., III), include the suffix after the initials in the reference list entry but do not include it in the in-text citation.

Here are some examples:

*Note: In German and Portuguese, the particle is usually dropped when only the surname is used; for example, Ludwig van Beethoven is usually referred to in English as Beethoven and so would be credited as Beethoven, L. van, in the reference list entry and as Beethoven in the text. If you are writing in English, include the particle as part of the surname unless you know that the name is one of the famous German or Portuguese exceptions like Beethoven.

Is the Middle Name a Surname or a Given Name?

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether an author has two surnames without a hyphen or two given names and one surname—for example, is Maria Perez Garcia cited as Garcia (2017) or Perez Garcia (2017)? Here are some techniques to help you determine what name format to use:

• Follow the format shown in the database bibliographic record for the work you are citing.
• If the author has cited their own work in their own reference list, follow the same format they have used.
• Look at how other authors have cited the author’s name and follow the most common presentation.
• Look at your article to see if the surname is written in a distinguishing font (e.g., all-capital letters). If the surname is in all caps, convert it to title case for your reference (e.g., Peter Chen WANG becomes Wang, P. C., not WANG, P. C.).
• Search for the author’s website or curriculum vita (CV) and follow the format they have used there.

Other Questions

Do you have more questions on author names in APA Style? See these other posts, or leave a comment below:

Reference list entry

Kalnay, E., Kanamitsu, M., Kistler, R., Collins, W., Deaven, D., Gandin, L., Iredell, M., Saha, S., White, G., Woollen, J., Zhu, Y., Chelliah, M., Ebisuzaki, W., Higgins, W., Janowiak, J., Mo, K. C., Ropelewski, C., Wang, J., Leetmaa, A., ... Joseph, D. (1999). The NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. Bulletin of the American Meterological Society, 77(3), 437–471. https://doi.org/fg6rf9 

In-text citations

Page/paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative Kalnay et al. (1996) outline ... (p. 438).

Parenthetical

How do I reference multiple works by the same author?

Author of more than one source published in different years

If you have lots of resources / publications by the same author, list according to the year of publication, beginning with the earliest year. Lists sources that don't have a date before sources that do.

Reference list entry

Tait, M. (n.d.). APA ahoy: Learning to love referencing. Lola.

Tait, M. (2014). The joys of referencing: Theories, processes and practice. Lola.

Tait, M. (2019). Inciting the in-text citation: Getting referencing right the first time. Sproutbooks.

In-text citations

Narrative Tait (2014) argues that ... (p. 182).

Parenthetical

Authors of more of than one source published in the same year

For works by the same author in the same year, arrange alphabetically by title of work and distinguish works by adding lowercase letter (a, b, c) after publication date (determined by alphabetised title, not order of citation in text).

Reference list entry

Tait, M. (2019a). Inciting the in-text citation: Getting referencing right the first time. Sproutbooks.

Tait, M. (2019b). Revere the referencer: Why referencing is critical to successful study. Lola.

In-text citations

Narrative Tait (2019b) argues that ... (p. 182).

Parenthetical

Author of more than one source published in the same year with no date

Arrange alphabetically by title of work. Make sure the letters (-a,-b etc) in your in-text citations match up with the letters in your reference list.

Reference list entry

Tait, M. (n.d.-a). Inciting the in-text citation: Getting referencing right the first time. Sproutbooks.

Tait, M. (n.d.-b). The joys of referencing: Theories, processes and practice. Lola.

In-text citations

Narrative Tait (n.d.-a) argues that ... (p. 182).

Parenthetical

Author of one work is also the co-author of another work

Single-author entries always precede those with multiple authors, even if the multi-author work was published earlier.

Reference list entry

Tait, M. (2014). The joys of referencing: Theories, processes and practice. Lola.

Tait, M., & Reynolds, K. (2011). Information literacy 101: Making library lessons vibrant and engaging. Pukapuka House.

In-text citations

Narrative Tait and Reynolds (2011) argue that ... (p. 182).

Parenthetical

Page 2

How do I cite or reference someone quoted in another author's work (a secondary citation)?

Occasionally, you may wish to quote or paraphrase information in a resource that has been attributed to another author (i.e., not the author of the resource you're reading), or you might want to replicate an image or photograph that you have found in a written work.

When presenting an idea from an author when you have not read their original work but have found it paraphrased or quoted by someone else, you should ideally find the original source and quote/paraphrase directly from that, providing a reference list entry for the original work.

For example, if you read a work by Andrews in which White is quoted, you should try to find White's work, quote or paraphrase from that, and include it in your reference list. If it's not possible to find or read White's work, however, you should acknowledge White as the original source, followed by Andrews as the secondary source. Use the phrase 'as cited in' to indicate one source has been cited in another.

Example - written information

Reference list entry

Andrews, M. (2006). Management in the modern era: Working with a home-based team. Johnson and Hill.

In-text citations

Page/paragraph numbers are optional for paraphrased information.

Narrative
White (1999, as cited in Andrews, 2006) argues that …

Parenthetical… (White, 1999, as cited in Andrews, 2006).

Note
Include the publication date of the original work (if known). 

Only Andrews' work appears in the reference list.

Example - images in a written text

Reference list entry

Axcell, R. (2006). The beautiful citation: Capturing the art of referencing. Hidden Library.

In-text citation

(Carlisle, in Axcell, 2021, p. 34).

Note
Include the publication date of the original work (if known). 

Only Axcell's work appears in the reference list.

For an example of how the in-text citation looks with the image, figure number and title, see here.