Citation Guide

APA Citation Format

Complete guide to APA 7th edition formatting. In-text citations and reference list examples for every source type.

APA 7th Edition Quick Reference

Basic Format

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work. Source. DOI/URL

In-Text Basic

(Author, Year) or Author (Year)

In-Text Citation Rules

One author(Smith, 2023) or Smith (2023)
Two authors(Smith & Jones, 2023) or Smith and Jones (2023)
Three or more authors(Smith et al., 2023) — use et al. from first citation
Direct quote(Smith, 2023, p. 45) or (Smith, 2023, paras. 4-5)
Multiple sources(Jones, 2021; Smith, 2023) — alphabetical order
Same author, same year(Smith, 2023a, 2023b)

Reference List Examples

Journal Article

In-text:

(Smith & Jones, 2023)

Reference list:

Smith, J. D., & Jones, M. A. (2023). Title of the article in sentence case. Journal Name in Title Case, 45(2), 123-145. https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz123

Include DOI when available. Use issue number only if each issue starts at page 1.

Book

In-text:

(Williams, 2022)

Reference list:

Williams, R. T. (2022). Title of the book in sentence case (2nd ed.). Publisher Name. https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz123

Include edition if not the first. Include DOI or URL if available.

Book Chapter

In-text:

(Brown, 2021)

Reference list:

Brown, A. B. (2021). Chapter title in sentence case. In C. D. Editor & E. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. 50-75). Publisher.

Use 'In' before editors. Include page range of chapter.

Website

In-text:

(National Institute of Health, 2023)

Reference list:

National Institute of Health. (2023, March 15). Title of webpage. Site Name. https://www.example.com/page

Include retrieval date only for pages that change frequently. Use n.d. if no date available.

Conference Paper

In-text:

(Garcia, 2023)

Reference list:

Garcia, M. L. (2023, August 10-13). Title of paper [Paper presentation]. Conference Name, City, State, Country. https://doi.org/xxx

Include presentation type in brackets. Include DOI or URL if available.

Dissertation/Thesis

In-text:

(Chen, 2022)

Reference list:

Chen, L. (2022). Title of dissertation in sentence case [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. Database Name. https://www.example.com

Include type of thesis and university in brackets.

Key APA 7th Edition Rules

Author Names

  • • Last name, then initials
  • • Up to 20 authors: list all
  • • 21+ authors: first 19...last
  • • Use & before last author in reference
  • • Use "and" before last author in text

Titles

  • • Article/chapter titles: sentence case
  • • Journal names: Title Case, italicized
  • • Book titles: sentence case, italicized
  • • Capitalize after colon in titles

DOIs and URLs

  • • Always include DOI if available
  • • Format: https://doi.org/xxxxx
  • • No "Retrieved from" for DOIs
  • • Don't put period after DOI/URL

Formatting

  • • Hanging indent (0.5 inch)
  • • Double-spaced
  • • Alphabetical by first author
  • • "References" centered at top

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