Question at position 13 How should you format an in-text citation for a source with two authors?Use the first author’s surname followed by “et al.”Use both authors’ surnames separated by “and”Use both authors’ surnames separated by an ampersand (&)Use the first author’s surname only

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When evaluating how to format an in-text citation for a source with two authors, we need to compare each option to standard citation guidelines.
Option 1: 'Use the first author’s surname followed by “et al.”' This is incorrect because et al. is used for sources with three or more authors, not just two. Relying on et al. here would misrepresent the number of authors.
Option 2: 'Use both authors’ surnames separated by “and”' In many style guides, including APA for parenthetical citations, the word 'and' is not used inside parentheses; it is used in the narrative text between authors. Since the option specifies 'and' without distinguishing citation context, it is not the standard format for an in-text citation within parentheses.
Option 3: 'Use both authors’ surnames separated by an ampersand (&)' This matches the conventional format for parenthetical in-text citations in APA, where two authors are listed as (Surname1 & Surname2, year). The ampersand is the correct symbol to connect the two surnames in parentheses.
Option 4: 'Use the first author’s surname only' This is incorrect because omitting the second author ignores the contribution of the second author and fails to follow guidelines for two-author citations.
In summary, the option that aligns with the standard approach for two-author in-text citations is the one that uses both surnames connected by an ampersand (&), reflecting the accepted practice for parenthetical citations across many styles.

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