Formatting Issues

How to Customize APA In-Text Citation Formatting in Word

John Wilson Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to know how to customize APA in-text citations in Word when they display unexpected information like multiple authors or chapter titles.

How to Customize APA In-Text Citation Formatting in Word

Product: Word Processing Software
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Changing document citation styles from IEEE to APA to meet custom journal formatting requirements.
Observed behavior: Instead of the standard Author (year) format, some in-text citations are displaying multiple authors or the title of a work, and the built-in APA style does not perfectly match the journal's guidelines.

Before you start

Before modifying your citations, check your target journal's specific author guidelines to confirm their exact APA variations, and review your citation source list to ensure all author and title metadata is correctly entered in the designated fields.

Solution 1Recommended

Convert Citations to Plain Text for Manual Editing

Since built-in APA styles may not perfectly match specific journal requirements, converting the dynamic citations to static text allows for precise manual adjustments.

Journals often require slight deviations from standard APA rules that built-in citation generators cannot accommodate automatically. Converting the citation gives you full control over the final text output.

Select the citation

Click on the specific in-text citation in your document that contains extra information.

Access citation options

Click the small drop-down arrow that appears next to the highlighted citation box.

Convert to static text

Select 'Convert Citation to Static Text' from the drop-down menu.

Edit manually

Manually delete the unwanted authors or titles to match the standard Author (year) or (Author, year) format required by your journal.

Convert Citations to Plain Text for Manual Editing

Important: Once a citation is converted to static text, it will no longer update automatically if you modify the source data in your reference manager.

Solution 2

Review and Edit the Citation Source Details

Sometimes extra information appears because the source was entered incorrectly or contains excessive data in the bibliography fields.

Solution 3

Use a Custom Citation Style Add-in

If you frequently publish in journals with highly specific APA variations, using a dedicated reference manager might be more effective than built-in tools.

Manage and Format Academic Citations Easily with WPS Office

WPS Writer offers a comprehensive References tab that fully supports standard citation formats, making it easy to insert, manage, and modify APA in-text citations for your academic papers.

1. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and navigate to the 'References' tab located on the top ribbon.
2. Insert references: Click 'Insert Citation' to efficiently add and manage your references in standard APA format.
3. Edit source metadata: Use the built-in source manager tool to easily edit author and title metadata if citations display incorrectly.
4. Finalize formatting: If journal-specific tweaks are needed, select the citation and convert it to plain text for final manual polishing.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word document formats (.docx).Built-in reference management tools for APA, MLA, and other styles.Easy-to-use interface to edit citation sources and convert dynamic citations to static text.Lightweight and free alternative for academic writing, research, and formatting.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my APA in-text citation showing a title instead of the author?

This usually happens when there is no author listed in the source, or if the author field in the citation manager was formatted incorrectly. Check your source manager and ensure the author's name is properly inputted in the Author field rather than being left blank.

Why does my citation include multiple authors every time?

Depending on the specific edition of APA being used by your software, it may list all authors for the first citation. Standard APA 7th edition often requires listing the first author followed by 'et al.' for three or more authors. If your built-in style uses an older APA version, you may need to convert the citation to static text and remove the extra authors manually.

Can I add page numbers to an in-text citation without breaking the formatting?

Yes. Click on the citation in your document, click the drop-down arrow next to it, and select 'Edit Citation'. You can then enter the specific page numbers in the provided field, which will automatically append to the dynamic citation text.

Will my manually edited citations update if I change the bibliography?

No. If you convert the citation to static or plain text to edit it manually, it breaks the dynamic link with the citation manager. It will no longer update automatically if you change the underlying source in your bibliography.

Document & File Issues