Quick note about this guide
This post walks you through citing research papers in APA 7th edition, step by step, in plain language.
Short paragraphs, clear examples, and a useful table are included so you can copy formats easily.
Why use APA 7th
APA 7 is the most recent version used in psychology, education, and many social sciences.
It standardizes how you show sources so readers can find the materials you used.
Two places to cite: in-text and reference list
In-text citations tell the reader where a specific idea or quote came from inside your paper.
The reference list at the end gives full details so anyone can find the source.
Basic parts of a reference
Most references include author, year, title, and source (journal, book, or URL).
Order and formatting matter: APA uses specific punctuation, italics, and capitalization rules.
Author names
List last names and initials for up to 20 authors in a reference.
If there are 21 or more authors, list the first 19, then an ellipsis, then the final author.
Year and date
Put the year of publication in parentheses right after the author name.
If a full date is used, include year, month, and day in that order.
Title capitalization rules
Use sentence case for article and book titles - capitalize only the first word and proper nouns.
Use title case for journal names - capitalize major words and keep the journal title in italics.
Using DOIs and URLs
When a DOI exists, present it as a URL starting with https://doi.org/
Do not add a period after the DOI or URL to avoid broken links.
How to format a journal article reference
Author(s). (Year). Article title in sentence case. Journal Title in Title Case, volume number(issue), page range. DOI For more context, read: Tony Grimminck on Rallying the Troops as Scribd’s New CEO: A Tactical Playbook for Culture, Product, and Growth.
Example: Smith, J. A., & Lee, R. M. (2020). Studying behavior in groups. Journal of Social Science, 12(3), 45-60. https://doi.org/10.1000/abcd
How to format a journal article without a DOI
If the article has no DOI and you accessed it online, include the URL of the journal home page.
If you accessed the article in print, end the reference after the page range.
In-text citation basics
Use author and year inside parentheses for parenthetical citations.
Example: (Smith & Lee, 2020).
Narrative in-text citations
Add the year right after the author name when the author is part of the sentence.
Example: Smith and Lee (2020) found that group size matters.
Citing direct quotes
Include a page number or other location info with direct quotes.
Example: (Smith & Lee, 2020, p. 52).
Two authors and three or more authors
With two authors, always cite both names every time.
With three or more authors, use the first author's name followed by et al. for every citation.
No author or group author
If there is no personal author, move the title to the author position in the reference list.
For group authors, use the organization name as the author and use its abbreviation in brackets if you will shorten it later in the text.
No date available
Use n.d. in parentheses where the year would go if no date is provided.
Example: World Health Organization. (n.d.). Title of report.
Formatting the reference list
Title the list "References" and center the word at the top of the page.
Double-space all entries and use a hanging indent of 0.5 inches for lines after the first.
Alphabetize entries
Order references alphabetically by the first author's last name.
If multiple works by the same author exist, list them from oldest to newest.
Common reference formats at a glance
| Source type | Reference format |
|---|---|
| Journal article with DOI | Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Article title in sentence case. Journal Title in Title Case, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx |
| Journal article without DOI | Author, A. A. (Year). Article title. Journal Title, 10(2), 100-110. |
| Book | Author, A. A. (Year). Book title in sentence case. Publisher. |
| Book chapter | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. xx-xx). Publisher. |
| Website page | Author or Organization. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site name. URL |
Special cases: preprints and unpublished work
For preprints, include the repository name and the DOI or URL.
For unpublished manuscripts, use the phrase Unpublished manuscript and include location if applicable. If you're interested, I also wrote a guide on Top Free PDF Viewers for Windows in 2026: The Ultimate Guide to the Best Free PDF Readers.
Personal communications
Interviews, emails, and phone calls are cited in-text only and not included in the reference list.
Format example: (J. Doe, personal communication, March 3, 2021).
Multiple works in one citation
When citing several works in the same parentheses, separate them with semicolons and order them alphabetically by author.
Example: (Johnson, 2018; Smith & Lee, 2020).
Short quotes and long quotes
Short quotes under 40 words go in quotation marks with a page number.
Quotes of 40 words or more become block quotes, set off from the text in a new paragraph and indented 0.5 inches. Do not use quotation marks for block quotes. If you're interested, I also wrote a guide on Discover the Best Free PDF Readers to Use in 2026: Fast, Secure, and Feature-Rich Picks.
Use of et al.
Et al. shortens in-text citations for works with three or more authors.
Use the first author's last name followed by et al., without italics, and include year.
Practical checklist before submitting
- All in-text citations appear in the reference list and vice versa.
- Author names are spelled consistently across citations.
- DOIs are shown as links and do not have a trailing period.
- Reference list is double-spaced and uses hanging indents.
- Journal titles are italicized and in title case; article titles are in sentence case.
Tools and quick help
Reference managers like Zotero or EndNote can format APA 7 entries, but always check them for errors.
Publisher pages or the APA Publication Manual provide clarifications for tricky sources.
Common mistakes to watch for
Mixing title case and sentence case in the wrong places is common.
Forgetting to use the https://doi.org format for DOIs creates inconsistent links.
Listing initials and full first names inconsistently makes the list look messy.
Final tips
Copy example formats into your document and replace the parts with your source details for consistency. You should check out my thoughts on Is This Human? How to Detect and Refine AI Content in Your Research in 2026 as well.
If a source does not cleanly match a common type, follow the closest format and include as much information as possible.
If you have a specific source to cite
Tell me the source type and details and I will give you the exact APA 7 citation to paste into your paper. If you're interested, I also wrote a guide on Top Free PDF Viewers You Must Use in 2026 for Seamless Document Access.