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TL;DR
The APA 7th edition citation style, requires you to:
- Use the author, date citation format.
- Include both in-text citations and a Reference List.
- Prioritize the DOI over URLs whenever available.
- Cite all sources that influenced your research.
- Maintain consistency throughout your paper.
- Follow specific formatting rules for books, journal articles, websites, datasets, reports, and audiovisual materials.
Contents
- What Is APA 7th Edition Citation Style?
- Why Proper Citation Matters
- APA 7th Edition at a Glance
- When Should You Use APA Style?
- Understanding In-text Citations
- Creating the Reference List
- Basic Structure of an APA Reference
- Reference List Rules in APA 7: Quick Glance
- Summary of Common Citation Examples
- Common Mistakes in APA 7 Formatting
- APA 7th Edition vs APA 6th Edition
- APA Citation Workflow for New Researchers
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is APA 7th Edition Citation Style?
APA (American Psychological Association) style is a standardized system for:
- Citing sources
- Formatting research papers
- Presenting tables and figures
- Using headings
- Writing numbers and abbreviations
- Reporting statistical results
- Creating reference lists
The 7th edition, released in 2019, modernized many citation rules to accommodate online publishing, digital resources, and inclusive language.
It is commonly required in:
- Psychology
- Education
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- Nursing
- Medicine
- Public Health
- Communication
- Business
- Marketing
- Economics
- Political Science
Why Proper Citation Matters
Correct citation helps you:
- Give credit to original authors
- Avoid plagiarism
- Strengthen academic credibility
- Allow readers to locate your sources
- Demonstrate research depth
- Support your arguments with evidence
- Meet university and journal requirements
APA 7th Edition at a Glance
| Feature | APA 7th Edition |
| Citation system | Author, Date |
| Reference list | Alphabetical |
| Footnotes | Rarely used for citations |
| In-text citation | Required |
| DOI | Preferred over URL |
| Page numbers | Needed for direct quotes |
| Running head | Student papers usually do not require one |
| Font | Multiple readable fonts allowed |
When Should You Use APA Style?
APA style is appropriate when writing:
- Literature reviews
- Research papers
- Laboratory reports
- Systematic reviews
- Meta analyses
- Theses
- Dissertations
- Conference papers
- Case studies
- Reflection papers
- Research proposals
Understanding In-text Citations
APA uses an author, date system.
Basic format:
(Author, Year)
Example:
(Smith, 2024)
Parenthetical vs Narrative Citations
| Parenthetical | Narrative |
| (Smith, 2024) | Smith (2024) found that… |
| Author inside parentheses | Author included in sentence |
| Most common | Used for smoother writing |
Example (Parenthetical):
Students experience higher stress during examinations (Jones, 2023).
Example (Narrative):
Jones (2023) reported increased stress among students.
Citing One Author
Format:
(Author, Year)
Example:
(Brown, 2022)
Two Authors
Always include both names.
Example:
(Brown & Patel, 2022)
Narrative:
Brown and Patel (2022)
Three or More Authors
Use:
First Author et al., Year
Example:
(Wilson et al., 2023)
Group Authors
Group authors could include:
- Government agencies
- Universities
- International organizations
Example:
First citation:
(World Health Organization, 2024)
Later citations:
(World Health Organization, 2024)
Unlike APA 6th edition, abbreviations are generally optional unless they improve readability.
Unknown Author
Use:
- Organization name
- Shortened title
Example:
(“Climate Report,” 2023)
No Publication Date
Use:
(Smith, n.d.)
n.d. means “no date.”
Direct Quotations
Always include:
- Author
- Year
- Page number
Example:
(Smith, 2023, p. 45)
For multiple pages:
(Smith, 2023, pp. 45–47)
Short vs Block Quotes
| Quote Length | Format |
| Under 40 words | Within quotation marks |
| 40 words or more | Block quotation without quotation marks |
Secondary Citations
Whenever possible, consult the original source.
If impossible:
Example:
Johnson’s study (as cited in Smith, 2024)
Only Smith appears in the Reference List.
Creating the Reference List
General principles for an APA 7 reference list are as follows:
- Start on a new page.
- Title it References.
- Arrange alphabetically.
- Double space entries.
- Use hanging indentation.
- Include DOI whenever available.
Basic Structure of an APA Reference
General format:
Author. (Year). Title. Publisher.
Book Citation
| Element | Example |
| Author | Smith, J. A. |
| Year | (2024). |
| Title | Research Methods. |
| Publisher | Sage. |
Reference:
Smith, J. A. (2024). Research methods. Sage.
Journal Article
General format:
Author. (Year). Title. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages. DOI
Example:
Garcia, M. (2023). Academic motivation among first year students. Journal of Educational Research, 45(2), 115–132. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Website Citation
General format:
Author. (Year). Title. Website Name. URL
Example:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Influenza prevention. https://…
Newspaper Article
Include:
- Author
- Date
- Title
- Newspaper
- URL if online
Magazine Article
Similar to newspaper references but include volume and issue if available.
Example:
Bethany, J. (2020, January 27). Enjoy medical treatment, researchers find less is more. Happy Scientist Magazie, 195(2), 42-45.
Government Report
Include:
- Government agency
- Year
- Report title
- Report number if available
- URL if applicable
Example:
U.S. Census Bureau. (2020). Income and poverty in the United States: 2019 (Report No. P60-270). U.S. Department of Commerce. census.gov
Thesis or Dissertation
Include:
- Author
- Year
- Title
- Institution
- Database or repository
Example:
Barretti, E. L. (2012). The rise of social networking in emergency medical services (Publication No. 3544643) [Doctoral dissertation, St Mary University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Conference Paper
Include:
- Author
- Date
- Paper title
- Conference name
- Location
- DOI or URL
Dataset Citation
Include:
- Creator
- Year
- Dataset title
- Version
- Repository
- DOI
Software Citation
Include:
- Company or author
- Version
- Software name
- URL if needed
YouTube Video
Include:
- Creator
- Date
- Video title
- Website
- URL
Podcast Citation
Include:
- Host
- Date
- Episode title
- Podcast name
- URL
Social Media Citation
Reference:
Author or organization.
Date.
Content description.
Platform.
URL
DOI vs URL
| DOI | URL |
| Permanent | May change |
| Preferred | Used when DOI unavailable |
| Begins with https://doi.org | Standard web address |
Always use the DOI if one exists.
Multiple Works by the Same Author
Arrange chronologically.
Example:
Smith (2020, 2022, 2023)
Same Author, Same Year
Use letters.
Example:
Smith (2023a)
Smith (2023b)
Reference List Rules in APA 7: Quick Glance
Ordering rules
Order by
- Author surname
- Initials
- Publication year
- Title
APA Capitalization Rules
Sentence case is used for:
- Book titles
- Article titles
- Webpage titles
Title case is used for:
- Journal names
Italics in APA
Italicize:
- Books
- Reports
- Journal names
- Journal volume numbers
- Standalone webpages
- Films
- Podcasts
Do not italicize:
- Article titles
- Chapter titles
- Issue numbers
- Page numbers
Summary of Common Citation Examples
| Source | In-text Citation | Reference Begins With |
| Book | (Smith, 2024) | Smith, J. |
| Journal | (Lee, 2023) | Lee, K. |
| Website | (CDC, 2024) | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| Government Report | (WHO, 2024) | World Health Organization |
| Video | (Brown, 2022) | Brown, A. |
Common Mistakes in APA 7 Formatting
| Mistake | Correct Practice |
| Missing references | Cite every source used |
| Missing in-text citations | Every borrowed idea needs one |
| Incorrect capitalization | Use sentence case for titles |
| Using URL instead of DOI | Use DOI whenever available |
| Incorrect author order | Follow the publication exactly |
| Missing page numbers for quotes | Include page or paragraph number |
| Inconsistent formatting | Follow APA rules throughout |
APA 7th Edition vs APA 6th Edition
| Feature | APA 6 | APA 7 |
| Running head | Required | Usually omitted for student papers |
| Author limit in references | First 7 authors | Up to 20 authors |
| Publisher location | Required | Removed |
| DOI format | doi:xxxxx | https://doi.org/xxxxx |
| Singular “they” | Limited guidance | Fully accepted |
| Font | Mainly Times New Roman | Multiple fonts permitted |
APA Citation Workflow for New Researchers
| Step | Action |
| 1 | Identify the source type |
| 2 | Collect bibliographic information |
| 3 | Create the in-text citation |
| 4 | Create the full reference entry |
| 5 | Add the reference alphabetically |
| 6 | Check formatting consistency |
| 7 | Proofread before submission |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I always need an in-text citation?
Yes. Any idea, data, or wording that is not your own must be cited. You do not need a citation for data from the current study or your personal opinions (if not published previously).
Do all in-text citations need matching references?
Yes. Every in-text citation should correspond to a full entry in the Reference List, except for personal communications, which are cited only in the text.
What if there is no author?
Use the organization as the author. If none is available, use the title in place of the author.
When should I use page numbers?
Include page numbers for direct quotations. For paraphrased material, page numbers are optional but encouraged when they help readers locate the information.
Should I include retrieval dates for websites?
Only include a retrieval date when the content is designed to change over time, such as a wiki or a continuously updated webpage.
Can I cite AI tools like ChatGPT in APA 7?
Yes. APA provides guidance for citing AI generated content. Generally, if you use AI as a tool in your research or writing, you should acknowledge its use appropriately according to your instructor’s or publisher’s policies and include a citation when required. The creator/owner of the tool is treated as the author. If your AI tool allows you to generate a shareable link to your conversation, use the following format
Author/Company. (Year, Month Day). Title of chat [Generative AI chat]. Tool Name. URL
If your specific chat doesn’t have a shareable link, cite the AI tool in general using this format:
OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com
You should paste the full transcript of your AI conversation into an appendix if your assignment or publication guidelines require it.
If you use AI features embedded inside common software (e.g., Copilot within Microsoft Word), APA does not require you to cite it, as standard software usage is not formally cited.
This article was originally published on February 8, 2024, and updated on June 28, 2026.
