How to CITATION a BOOK with several authors
In academic reviews, essays, or articles the citation is essential to support and argue the information or the issue we are working on. Be it writings, videos or interviews, we must always refer to the sources that we incorporate in our work. Likewise, the ways of citing change depending on the type of source, the type of citation and the characteristics of each text. In this lesson from a teacher we will learn how to cite a book with several authors in one of the main citation manuals used worldwide: APA.
Before delving into the specificities of how to cite a book With various authors, let's find out which are the main ways of citing.
Direct quote
We use this type of citation when we incorporate in our text the literal words of a book without making any kind of alteration. For example, if we are writing an article about the First World War and we consult a history book, we can take a fragment and incorporate it into our text literally. We can do this as long as we refer to the author or authors.
Indirect quote
In the case of indirect dating, also known with the paraphrase, are used when we take the idea from a book and write it in our own words. Although we are not incorporating the exact words of the author, it is necessary to refer to where we got this idea from.
APA is one of the most used manuals in the elaboration of written works. It was created by the American Psychological Association, but it is used in all kinds of areas of knowledge. It is a practical and complete guide on how the text should be structured according to its size. letter, margins, typography, as well as the way in which it is cited, the bibliography and the annexes.
Then, What happens when the book has more than one author and we want to cite them? In this case, we have several options.
Direct appointment in APA
Let's talk about the direct quote first. When we incorporate the words of other authors into our work we must put the selected extract between double quotes (“). Generally, this reference should indicate the authors' surnames, the year of publication and the page or paragraph number (distinguished with the abbreviations "p." Or para. "Respectively). Nevertheless, there is a variation depending on the number of authors have the text.
In case they are just two authors, every time we cite the book within our text we must put the surname of both. Let's see an example taken from the APA citation guide carried out by the Universidad de los Andes:
"Competencies are conceived as the ability of a person to face with guarantees of success to a problem task or situation in a specific context or situation ”(Barrios and Cano, 2015, p.47)
This quote could also be incorporated into our text by directly mentioning the authors and putting the year of publication next to their names and the page number at the end of the quote:
As indicated by Barrios and Cano (2015) “Competences are conceived as the ability of a person to confront with guarantees of success a problematic task or situation in a context or situation determined ”(p. 47).
On the other hand, in the case that we have three or more authors, the first time they are cited, we must mention them all. From the second appointment we must put the last name of the first author plus the initials "et al." Let's see how the same text would be cited at two different moments in our writing:
- According to the text of Kisangau, Lyaruu, Hosea and Joseph (2007) it was shown that “quote from text ...”(P. 10)
- In the text of Kisangau et al. (2007) we identify that “appointmentof the text... " (p. 15)
As a last note, it is important to bear in mind that in the event that the quote has more than 40 words, it must be in a separate paragraph with an indentation in the first line on the left margin.
Indirect appointment in APA
As when we quote directly, the APA standards state that we must put the name of the authors and the year of publication. In this case it is not necessary to put the page or paragraph number.
With the same difference stated above, in the case of being two authors we must always mention their surnames. In the case of being three or more, after the second appointment we put the last name of the first author accompanied by the initials “et al.”. Let's bring a last example with one of the quotes used in the previous section:
In their study, Barrios and Cano (2015) understand that competencies are personal skills that allow to face with good results certain scenarios that can load with factors troublesome.
