How do I manage APA in-text citations for sources with three or more authors?

[Jonathan.T]

I'm finishing my thesis and my advisor just told me to update everything to the latest style guide. I thought I had APA 7th edition intext citations down, but now I'm second-guessing every single parenthesis, especially for sources with three or more authors. Is there a trick to keeping it all straight, or is it just pure memorization?

[Edward82]

Yeah the apa seven rule for three or more authors is simple you list the first author then add et al and the year This keeps citations compact and consistent whether it is a narrative or a parenthetical mention

[AveryL]

Some folks treat it as memorization but it helps once you see the pattern If you have works with many authors build a tiny cheat sheet showing how to place et al after the first name

[EleanorGH]

Make a quick example bank with fake sources you can copy into your notes Then practice turning those into both types of citations until it feels automatic

[MadisonDJ]

Keep a note next to your draft that says when to use et al and what the punctuation is for in text citations That little prompt saves hours

[EleanorC]

Set up a small practice routine you repeat a few days a week and test yourself on three or four sample citations to build fluency

[Paisley46]

If your advisor is strict ask for a one page micro guide you can keep by your keyboard with four or five example counts so you can reference it while editing