citing a research paper apa 7th edition

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Research Guides

Format Your Paper & Cite Your Sources

APA Style, 7th Edition
Citing Sources
Avoid Plagiarism
MLA Style (8th/9th ed.)

APA Tutorial

Formatting your paper, headings organize your paper (2.27), video tutorials, reference list format (9.43).

Elements of a Reference

Reference Examples (Chapter 10)

Dois and urls (9.34-9.36), in-text citations.

In-Text Citations Format
In-Text Citations for Specific Source Types

NoodleTools

Chicago Style
Harvard Style
Other Styles
Annotated Bibliographies
How to Create an Attribution

What is APA Style?

APA style was created by social and behavioral scientists to standardize scientific writing. APA style is most often used in:

psychology,
social sciences (sociology, business), and

If you're taking courses in any of these areas, be prepared to use APA style.

For in-depth guidance on using this citation style, refer to Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th ed. We have several copies available at the MJC Library at the call number BF 76.7 .P83 2020 .

APA Style, 7th ed.

In October 2019, the American Psychological Association made radical changes its style, especially with regard to the format and citation rules for students writing academic papers. Use this guide to learn how to format and cite your papers using APA Style, 7th edition.

You can start by viewing the video tutorial .

For help on all aspects of formatting your paper in APA Style, see The Essentials page on the APA Style website.

sans serif fonts such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, or
serif fonts such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern (the default font for LaTeX)
There are exceptions for the title page , tables , figures , footnotes , and displayed equations .
Margins : Use 1-in. margins on every side of the page.
Align the text of an APA Style paper to the left margin . Leave the right margin uneven, or “ragged.”
Do not use full justification for student papers.
Do not insert hyphens (manual breaks) in words at the end of line. However, it is acceptable if your word-processing program automatically inserts breaks in long hyperlinks (such as in a DOI or URL in a reference list entry).
Indent the first line of each paragraph of text 0.5 in . from the left margin. Use the tab key or the automatic paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program to achieve the indentation (the default setting is likely already 0.5 in.). Do not use the space bar to create indentation.
There are exceptions for the title page , section labels , abstract , block quotations , headings , tables and figures , reference list , and appendices .

Paper Elements

Student papers generally include, at a minimum:

Title Page (2.3)
Text (2.11)
References (2.12)

Student papers may include additional elements such as tables and figures depending on the assignment. So, please check with your teacher!

Student papers generally DO NOT include the following unless your teacher specifically requests it:

Running head
Author note

For complete information on the order of pages , see the APA Style website.

Number your pages consecutively starting with page 1. Each section begins on a new page. Put the pages in the following order:

Page 1: Title page
Page 2: Abstract (if your teacher requires an abstract)
Page 3: Text
References begin on a new page after the last page of text
Footnotes begin on a new page after the references (if your teacher requires footnotes)
Tables begin each on a new page after the footnotes (if your teacher requires tables)
Figures begin on a new page after the tables (if your teacher requires figures)
Appendices begin on a new page after the tables and/or figures (if your teacher requires appendices)

Sample Papers With Built-In Instructions

To see what your paper should look like, check out these sample papers with built-in instructions.

APA Style uses five (5) levels of headings to help you organize your paper and allow your audience to identify its key points easily. Levels of headings establish the hierarchy of your sections just like you did in your paper outline.

APA tells us to use "only the number of headings necessary to differentiate distinct section in your paper." Therefore, the number of heading levels you create depends on the length and complexity of your paper.

See the chart below for instructions on formatting your headings:

Use Word to Format Your Paper:

Use Google Docs to Format Your Paper:

Placement: The reference list appears at the end of the paper, on its own page(s). If your research paper ends on page 8, your References begin on page 9.

Heading: Place the section label References in bold at the top of the page, centered.

Arrangement: Alphabetize entries by author's last name. If source has no named author, alphabetize by the title, ignoring A, An, or The. (9.44-9.48)

Spacing: Like the rest of the APA paper, the reference list is double-spaced throughout. Be sure NOT to add extra spaces between citations.

Indentation: To make citations easier to scan, add a hanging indent of 0.5 in. to any citation that runs more than one line. Use the paragraph-formatting function of your word processing program to create your hanging indent.

See Sample References Page (from APA Sample Student Paper):

Elements of Reference List Entries: (Chapter 9)

Where to find reference information for a journal article

References generally have four elements, each of which has a corresponding question for you to answer:

Author: Who is responsible for this work? (9.7-9.12)
Date: When was this work published? (9.13-9.17)
Title: What is this work called? (9.18-9.22)
Source: Where can I retrieve this work? (9.23-9.37)

By using these four elements and answering these four questions, you should be able to create a citation for any type of source.

For complete information on all of these elements, checkout the APA Style website.

This infographic shows the first page of a journal article. The locations of the reference elements are highlighted with different colors and callouts, and the same colors are used in the reference list entry to show how the entry corresponds to the source.

To create your references, you'll simple look for these elements in your source and put them together in your reference list entry.

American Psychological Association. Example of where to find reference information for a journal article [Infographic]. APA Style Center. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/basic-principles

Below you'll find two printable handouts showing APA citation examples. The first is an abbreviated list created by MJC Librarians. The second, which is more comprehensive, is from the APA Style website. Feel free to print these for your convenience or use the links to reference examples below:

APA Citation Examples Created by MJC Librarians for you.
Common References Examples (APA Handout) Printable handout from the American Psychological Association.
Journal Article
Magazine Article
Newspaper Article
Edited Book Chapter
Webpage on a Website

Classroom or Intranet Sources

Classroom Course Pack Materials
How to Cite ChatGPT
Dictionary Entry
Government Report
Legal References (Laws & Cases)
TED Talk References
Religious Works
Open Educational Resources (OER)
Archival Documents and Collections

You can view the entire Reference Examples website below and view a helpful guide to finding useful APA style topics easily:

APA Style: Reference Examples
Navigating the not-so-hidden treasures of the APA Style website
Missing Reference Information

Sometimes you won't be able to find all the elements required for your reference. In that case, see the instructions in Table 9.1 of the APA style manual in section 9.4 or the APA Style website below:

Direct Quotation of Material Without Page Numbers

The DOI or URL is the final component of a reference list entry. Because so much scholarship is available and/or retrieved online, most reference list entries end with either a DOI or a URL.

A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies content and provides a persistent link to its location on the internet. DOIs can be found in database records and the reference lists of published works.
A URL specifies the location of digital information on the internet and can be found in the address bar of your internet browser. URLs in references should link directly to the cited work when possible.

When to Include DOIs and URLs:

Include a DOI for all works that have a DOI, regardless of whether you used the online version or the print version.
If an online work has both a DOI and a URL, include only the DOI.
For works without DOIs from websites (not including academic research databases), provide a URL in the reference (as long as the URL will work for readers).
For works without DOIs from most academic research databases, do not include a URL or database information in the reference because these works are widely available. The reference should be the same as the reference for a print version of the work.
For works from databases that publish original, proprietary material available only in that database (such as the UpToDate database) or for works of limited circulation in databases (such as monographs in the ERIC database), include the name of the database or archive and the URL of the work. If the URL requires a login or is session-specific (meaning it will not resolve for readers), provide the URL of the database or archive home page or login page instead of the URL for the work. (See APA Section 9.30 for more information).
If the URL is no longer working or no longer provides readers access to the content you intend to cite, try to find an archived version using the Internet Archive , then use the archived URL. If there is no archived URL, do not use that resource.

Format of DOIs and URLs:

Your DOI should look like this:

https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040251

Follow these guidelines from the APA Style website.

APA Style uses the author–date citation system , in which a brief in-text citation points your reader to the full reference list entry at the end of your paper. The in-text citation appears within the body of the paper and briefly identifies the cited work by its author and date of publication. This method enables your reader to locate the corresponding entry in the alphabetical reference list at the end of your paper.

Each work you cite must appear in the reference list, and each work in the reference list must be cited in the text (or in a table, figure, footnote, or appendix) except for the following (See APA, 8.4):

Personal communications (8.9)
General mentions of entire websites, whole periodicals (8.22), and common software and apps (10.10) in the text do not require a citation or reference list entry.
The source of an epigraph does not usually appear in the reference list (8.35)
Quotations from your research participants do not need citations or reference list entries (8.36)
References included in a statistical meta-analysis, which are marked with an asterisk in the reference list, may be cited in the text (or not) at the author’s discretion. This exception is relevant only to authors who are conducting a meta-analysis (9.52).

Formatting Your In-Text Citations

Parenthetical and Narrative Citations: ( See APA Section 8.11)

In APA style you use the author-date citation system for citing references within your paper. You incorporate these references using either a parenthetical or a narrative style.

Parenthetical Citations

In parenthetical citations, the author name and publication date appear in parentheses, separated by a comma. (Jones, 2018)
A parenthetical citation can appear within or at the end of a sentence.
When the parenthetical citation is at the end of the sentence, put the period or other end punctuation after the closing parenthesis.
If there is no author, use the first few words of the reference list entry, usually the "Title" of the source: ("Autism," 2008) See APA 8.14
When quoting, always provide the author, year, and specific page citation or paragraph number for nonpaginated materials in the text (Santa Barbara, 2010, p. 243). See APA 8.13
For most citations, the parenthetical reference is placed BEFORE the punctuation: Magnesium can be effective in treating PMS (Haggerty, 2012).

Narrative Citations

In narrative citations, the author name or title of your source appears within your text and the publication date appears in parentheses immediately after the author name.

Santa Barbara (2010) noted a decline in the approval of disciplinary spanking of 26 percentage points from 1968 to 1994.

In-Text Citation Checklist

In-Text Citation Checklist Use this useful checklist from the American Psychological Association to ensure that you've created your in-text citations correctly.

In-Text Citations for Specific Types of Sources

Quotations from Research Participants

Personal Communications

Secondary Sources

Use NoodleTools to Cite Your Sources

NoodleTools can help you create your references and your in-text citations.

NoodleTools Express No sign in required . When you need one or two quick citations in MLA, APA, or Chicago style, simply generate them in NoodleTools Express then copy and paste what you need into your document. Note: Citations are not saved and cannot be exported to a word processor using NoodleTools Express.
NoodleTools (Login Full Database) This link opens in a new window Create and organize your research notes, share and collaborate on research projects, compose and error check citations, and complete your list of works cited in MLA, APA, or Chicago style using the full version of NoodleTools. You'll need to Create a Personal ID and password the first time you use NoodleTools.

See How to Use NoodleTools Express to Create a Citation in APA Format

Additional NoodleTools Help

NoodleTools Help Desk Look up questions and answers on the NoodleTools Web site
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Citing Sources: APA (7th Edition)

Style Links & Samples
Sample Reference List Citations
Sample Notes and Bibliography Citations
Sample Author Date Citations
Citing Nontraditional Sources in Chicago
Sample Citations
Major Changes to the New MLA
Capitalization and Personal Names in Foreign Languages
Citing Primary Sources
Ancient Texts
Citation Consultations Policy

Publication Manual

APA Handbook (Concise 7th ed.) This link opens in a new window Access the most recent concise edition of the APA Handbook, which focuses on citation. It includes chapters on in-text citation and making a list of references. Full text.

Citing Sources in APA (American Psychological Association)

General Information

APA citation style is typically used by the sciences and psychology.

Current copies of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association are available only in print. Please see the Sample Citations drop down menu on the APA tab above for examples of this style if you do not have access to a copy or contact your librarian for help.

A book citation must always include author(s), title (and subtitle), publisher, and date of publication. Other necessary elements, if applicable, include editor, translator, edition, revision, and volume number.
An article citation must always include author, title (and subtitle), title of journal/magazine, date of publication, volume/issue number, and page numbers.
Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title and any subtitles (indicated by a colon) and all proper nouns.
Titles of books and journal are always italicized.

See the drop-down menu under this tab for specific examples of citations in APA.

Specific Information about In-Text Citations

In APA Style, quotations and borrowed phrases are indicated as such within the text, with the author's name and page number cited in parentheses. This pattern is used instead of footnotes or endnotes.

When quoting or paraphrasing an author, begin the sentence by including the author's name followed by the date of publication in parentheses. At the end of the quote or paraphrase, include the page number(s) in parentheses. See example below.

According to Carey (2008), while "fire exits provide patrons with escape routes in the case of an emergency, they also provide thieves with multiple exits, many of which are unwatched by staff" (p. 133).

If the name of the author is not included within the sentence, include the author's name and the publication year at the end of the sentence with the relevant page number(s). For example:

While "fire exits provide patrons with escape routes in the case of an emergency, they also provide thieves with multiple exits, many of which are unwatched by staff" (Carey, 2008, p. 133).

Multiple Authors

To cite a publication with two authors, include both authors' last names either within the sentence or in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

For publications with 3 or more authors, include the name of only the first author plus "et al." in every citation--even the first!

Group Author

When a group or organization authors a paper (e.g. Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization, United States Department of Agriculture, etc.), use the group name and year in the in-text citation. For example:

(Dickinson College, 2019)

If the group or organization has a commonly used abbreviation--such as CDC, WHO, and USDA, for the above examples--define the abbreviation once in the text. Use square brackets for the abbreviated format if defining it in a parenthetical citation; use parentheses if defining in the sentence itself. See the following examples.

(Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2019)

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 2019),....

In subsequent citations, use only the abbreviated form:

(CDC, 2019)

According to the CDC (2019),....

Specific Information about the Reference List

Authors' Names

In each citation, the authors' last names always come first, followed by their initial(s). For example:

Suppok, R.H.

Names of any subsequent authors are separated by a comma, and the final author is preceded by an ampersand (&).

Suppok, R.H., Lonergan, N., & Bombaro, C.

Authors' first and middle names are never spelled out in APA style. Initials are always used for first and middle names.

Include the last names and initials for up to and including 20 authors (note: this is a change from the 6th edition). When there are 21 or more authors, include the first 19 authors' names, insert an ellipsis, and then add the final author's name. There will be no ampersand (&) in this case.

The reference list is arranged in alphabetical order by authors’ last names.

Second and all subsequent lines are always indented (a hanging or reverse indent). See these steps for creating a hanging indent in Microsoft Word (including Word for Office 365 and for Mac).

Do not include a period after a DOI or URL, as they will be the last item in a reference and additional punctuation can interfere with retrieval.

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Next: Sample Reference List Citations >>
Last Updated: May 22, 2024 1:38 PM
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Generate accurate APA citations for free

Knowledge Base
APA Style 7th edition
APA format for academic papers and essays

APA Formatting and Citation (7th Ed.) | Generator, Template, Examples

Published on November 6, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on January 17, 2024.

The 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual provides guidelines for clear communication , citing sources , and formatting documents. This article focuses on paper formatting.

Generate accurate APA citations with Scribbr

Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines:

Set page margins to 1 inch on all sides.
Double-space all text, including headings.
Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches.
Use an accessible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.).
Include a page number on every page.

Let an expert format your paper

Our APA formatting experts can help you to format your paper according to APA guidelines. They can help you with:

Margins, line spacing, and indentation
Font and headings
Running head and page numbering

How to set up apa format (with template), apa alphabetization guidelines, apa format template [free download], page header, headings and subheadings, reference page, tables and figures, frequently asked questions about apa format.

Are your APA in-text citations flawless?

The AI-powered APA Citation Checker points out every error, tells you exactly what’s wrong, and explains how to fix it. Say goodbye to losing marks on your assignment!

Get started!

References are ordered alphabetically by the first author’s last name. If the author is unknown, order the reference entry by the first meaningful word of the title (ignoring articles: “the”, “a”, or “an”).

Why set up APA format from scratch if you can download Scribbr’s template for free?

Student papers and professional papers have slightly different guidelines regarding the title page, abstract, and running head. Our template is available in Word and Google Docs format for both versions.

Student paper: Word | Google Docs
Professional paper: Word | Google Docs

In an APA Style paper, every page has a page header. For student papers, the page header usually consists of just a page number in the page’s top-right corner. For professional papers intended for publication, it also includes a running head .

A running head is simply the paper’s title in all capital letters. It is left-aligned and can be up to 50 characters in length. Longer titles are abbreviated .

APA headings have five possible levels. Heading level 1 is used for main sections such as “ Methods ” or “ Results ”. Heading levels 2 to 5 are used for subheadings. Each heading level is formatted differently.

Want to know how many heading levels you should use, when to use which heading level, and how to set up heading styles in Word or Google Docs? Then check out our in-depth article on APA headings .

The title page is the first page of an APA Style paper. There are different guidelines for student and professional papers.

Both versions include the paper title and author’s name and affiliation. The student version includes the course number and name, instructor name, and due date of the assignment. The professional version includes an author note and running head .

For more information on writing a striking title, crediting multiple authors (with different affiliations), and writing the author note, check out our in-depth article on the APA title page .

APA title page - student version (7th edition)

The abstract is a 150–250 word summary of your paper. An abstract is usually required in professional papers, but it’s rare to include one in student papers (except for longer texts like theses and dissertations).

The abstract is placed on a separate page after the title page . At the top of the page, write the section label “Abstract” (bold and centered). The contents of the abstract appear directly under the label. Unlike regular paragraphs, the first line is not indented. Abstracts are usually written as a single paragraph without headings or blank lines.

Directly below the abstract, you may list three to five relevant keywords . On a new line, write the label “Keywords:” (italicized and indented), followed by the keywords in lowercase letters, separated by commas.

APA Style does not provide guidelines for formatting the table of contents . It’s also not a required paper element in either professional or student papers. If your instructor wants you to include a table of contents, it’s best to follow the general guidelines.

Place the table of contents on a separate page between the abstract and introduction. Write the section label “Contents” at the top (bold and centered), press “Enter” once, and list the important headings with corresponding page numbers.

The APA reference page is placed after the main body of your paper but before any appendices . Here you list all sources that you’ve cited in your paper (through APA in-text citations ). APA provides guidelines for formatting the references as well as the page itself.

Creating APA Style references

Play around with the Scribbr Citation Example Generator below to learn about the APA reference format of the most common source types or generate APA citations for free with Scribbr’s APA Citation Generator .

Formatting the reference page

Write the section label “References” at the top of a new page (bold and centered). Place the reference entries directly under the label in alphabetical order.

Finally, apply a hanging indent , meaning the first line of each reference is left-aligned, and all subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches.

Tables and figures are presented in a similar format. They’re preceded by a number and title and followed by explanatory notes (if necessary).

Use bold styling for the word “Table” or “Figure” and the number, and place the title on a separate line directly below it (in italics and title case). Try to keep tables clean; don’t use any vertical lines, use as few horizontal lines as possible, and keep row and column labels concise.

Keep the design of figures as simple as possible. Include labels and a legend if needed, and only use color when necessary (not to make it look more appealing).

Check out our in-depth article about table and figure notes to learn when to use notes and how to format them.

The easiest way to set up APA format in Word is to download Scribbr’s free APA format template for student papers or professional papers.

Alternatively, you can watch Scribbr’s 5-minute step-by-step tutorial or check out our APA format guide with examples.

APA Style papers should be written in a font that is legible and widely accessible. For example:

Times New Roman (12pt.)
Arial (11pt.)
Calibri (11pt.)
Georgia (11pt.)

The same font and font size is used throughout the document, including the running head , page numbers, headings , and the reference page . Text in footnotes and figure images may be smaller and use single line spacing.

You need an APA in-text citation and reference entry . Each source type has its own format; for example, a webpage citation is different from a book citation .

Use Scribbr’s free APA Citation Generator to generate flawless citations in seconds or take a look at our APA citation examples .

Yes, page numbers are included on all pages, including the title page , table of contents , and reference page . Page numbers should be right-aligned in the page header.

To insert page numbers in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, click ‘Insert’ and then ‘Page number’.

APA format is widely used by professionals, researchers, and students in the social and behavioral sciences, including fields like education, psychology, and business.

Be sure to check the guidelines of your university or the journal you want to be published in to double-check which style you should be using.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Streefkerk, R. (2024, January 17). APA Formatting and Citation (7th Ed.) | Generator, Template, Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved August 19, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/format/

Is this article helpful?

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APA Citation Style, 7th edition: APA

General Style Guidelines

One Author or Editor
Two Authors or Editors
Three to Five Authors or Editors
Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
Article in a Reference Book
Edition other than the First
Translation
Government Publication
Journal Article with 1 Author
Journal Article with 2 Authors
Journal Article with 3–20 Authors
Journal Article 21 or more Authors
Magazine Article
Newspaper Article
Basic Web Page
Web page from a University site
Web Page with No Author
Entry in a Reference Work
Government Document
Film and Television
Youtube Video
Audio Podcast
Electronic Image
Twitter/Instagram
Lecture/PPT
Conferences
Secondary Sources
Citation Support
Avoiding Plagiarism
Formatting Your Paper

Helpful Tip!

How do I cite an article I found using an iPhone, Android, or computer-based app? It doesn't matter on what device you read the article, but providing the reader a direct path to the " original " source of the material.

Remember - the "app" is not the source of the article - the "journal" is your source. Cite it as you would any journal article.

APA's Official Resources

APA - A Complete Resource for Writing and Publishing in the Social and Behavioral Sciences The official online APA publication.
APA tutorial
APA website
APA Style and Grammar Guidelines
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) website
Official APA blog Provides clarification and corrections related to information in the APA manual.
Sample APA Papers From the official APA website.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

What is a DOI? A DOI ( digital object identifier ) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the internet.

NOTE: It is regarded as the most important part of the citation because it will accurately direct users to the specific article.

Think of it as a "digital fingerprint" or an article's DNA!

The rules for DOIs have been updated in the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. They should be included as URLs, rather than just the alphanumeric string.

Correct:

http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114

Incorrect:

doi: 10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
Retrieved from http://doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
FREE DOI Look-up (Cross-Ref)
DOI System: FAQ
Looking up a DOI
DOI Flowchart

Getting Started!

American Psychological Association (APA) style is commonly used for citing references in student papers in science, medical, public health, health sciences and nursing as well as the social science.

The purpose of documentation is to:

Identify ( cite ) other people’s ideas and information used within your essay or term paper.
Indicate the authors or sources of these in a References list at the end of your paper.

This guide is based on the APA Manual (7th ed.) that was published in 2020.

The following sections provide you with information and examples that will help you to cite the sources that you come across during your research.

Journal/Magazine Articles

Audiovisual Media

Figures/Images

Other Sources

For more examples and information, consult the following publications:

How & When to Cite - GW Writing Center

The Dos and Don'ts of Paraphrasing - GW Writing Center

What is RefWorks?

What is refworks.

RefWorks is an online research management, writing, and collaboration tool designed to help researchers easily gather, manage, store and share references.

Use RefWorks to

quickly generate bibliographies in any citation style format. (APA*, AMA, MLA, and more!),
create & organize your own personal database of references,
import references directly from databases, journals, or the library catalog, and
share your RefWorks folder of reference and easily collaborate on group projects.

New Users: Getting Started!

Go to Himmelfarb Library's Homepage
Under Other Resources Click RefWorks
Select "Create Refworks Account" and complete the new user information form.
You will receive an email from RefWorks confirming your login username and password

Note: If asked to provide a Group Code, please contact the Himmelfarb Library ([email protected]).

*Tip: Several APA 7th citation style versions are available in RefWorks. Watch this two-minute video to get tips on selecting the correct version for your needs.

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APA (7th Edition) Documentation Style

APA Citation Guide
In-text Citations
Reference Lists
Paper Formatting

Live Citation Help 24/7

Printable version of APA Documentation Style

APA 7th Handout

General Guidelines

The authors of the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2020) advise writers to:

Cite the work of those individuals whose ideas, theories, or research have directly influenced your work.
Provide documentation for all facts and figures that are not common knowledge.
Use the author-date system to cite references. This means that works used in a paper have in-text citations and a corresponding reference list entry at the end of the paper. The in-text citation appears in the body of the paper (including a table, figure, footnote, or appendix) and identifies the cited work by its author and publication date. Each reference list entry provides the author, date, title, and source of the work cited in the paper and enables the reader to both identify and retrieve the work.
Cite primary sources when possible and secondary sources sparingly.
Cite both paraphrases and direct quotations. It is preferable to paraphrase sources rather than directly quoting them because paraphrasing allows you to fit material into the context and style of your paper. Include the author, year, and page number for direct quotations, and the author and year for paraphrasing.
If you reprint or adapt a table or figure, you may also need to seek permission from the copyright holder and provide a copyright attribution.
Avoid over-citation. When paraphrasing a key point in more than one sentence within a paragraph, cite the source in the first sentence in which it is relevant and do not repeat the citation in subsequent sentences as long as the source remains clear and unchanged.
Incorporate a short quotation (fewer than 40 words) into the text and enclose it within double quotation marks. For block quotations (40 words or more), start the quotation on a new line and indent the whole block 0.5 in. from the left margin. Please see section 8.26-8.27 for examples on how to cite short and block quotations respectively.
Throughout your paper, use prescribed fonts (such as sans serif 11-point Calibri or serif 12-point Times New Roman) and bias-free language. See APA’s website for guidance on formatting, bias-free language and more, https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles .

For more detailed information, please see Publication manual of the American Psychological Association : the official guide to APA style . (Seventh edition.). (2020). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, Chapters 8-10.

This guide provides templates as well as examples for citing different types of sources in APA . Use the tabs at the top of this guide to find general guidance and examples for:

In-text citations
Reference entries
Paper formatting

APA Style (7th ed.) Introduction Videos

A one-hour step-by-step tutorial in citation from APA . The annotated handouts are available here.

Introduction to Citation Styles: APA 7 th , by CSUDH University Library, is licensed under CC BY.

Next: In-text Citations >>
Last Updated: Mar 15, 2024 10:29 AM
URL: https://libguides.olympic.edu/APA7th

APA 7th Edition Citation Examples

Volume and Issue Numbers
Page Numbers
Undated Sources
Citing a Source Within a Source
In-Text Citations
Academic Journals
Encyclopedia Articles
Book, Film, and Product Reviews
Online Classroom Materials
Conference Papers

Format for technical and research reports

Court Decisions
Treaties and Other International Agreements
Federal Regulations: I. The Code of Federal Regulations
Federal Regulations: II. The Federal Register
Executive Orders
Charter of the United Nations
Federal Statutes
Dissertations and Theses
Interviews, E-mail Messages + Other Personal Communications
Social Media
Business Sources
PowerPoints
AI: ChatGPT, etc.

Author last name, first initial. (Date). Title of report (Publication No.). Publisher. DOI or URL

Author: List the last name, followed by the first initial (and second initial). See Authors for more information.
Date: List the date between parentheses, followed by a period
Title of report: In italics. Capitalize the first word of the title, subtitle, and proper nouns.
Publication number: Omit if unavailable for the source that you're citing
Publisher: List the report's publisher. If the publisher is the same as the author, do not list the name a second time.
DOI or URL: List DOI or URL if available

See specific examples below.

U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2010). Information security: Concerted effort needed to consolidate and secure Internet connections at federal agencies (Publication No. GAO-10-237). http://www.gao.gov/assets/310/301876.pdf

U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2010). Information security: Concerted effort needed to consolidate and secure Internet connections at federal agencies (Publication No. GAO-10-237).

See Publication Manual , 10.4.

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Last Updated: Mar 18, 2024 12:55 PM
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Thursday, February 23: The Clark Library is closed today.

APA Style (7th Edition) Citation Guide: Introduction

Introduction
Journal Articles
Magazine/Newspaper Articles
Books & Ebooks
Government & Legal Documents
Biblical Sources
Secondary Sources
Films/Videos/TV Shows
How to Cite: Other
Additional Help

Who Should Use APA Style?

APA style is used by social science disciplines such as communication studies, economics, education, psychology, and sociology; it is also used by business and nursing.

What is APA Style?

APA style, created by the American Psychological Association, is a set of rules for formatting manuscripts, including research papers.

In APA, you must cite sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places:

In the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text citation .
In the References list at the end of your paper where you give more complete information for the source.
APA 7th ed. Sample Paper
APA Style Paper template (Microsoft Word)
APA 7th. ed. Journal Article Reference Checklist
APA 7th. ed. Student Paper Checklist

APA Style Guide (7th Edition)

Four Elements of a Reference

A reference generally has these four elements: author, date, title, and source. Each element answers a question and is listed in your citation in the following order:

author : Who is responsible for this work?
date : When was this work published?
title : What is the work called?
source : Where can I retrieve this work?

Next: How to Cite: Common Sources >>
Last Updated: Aug 13, 2024 4:33 PM
URL: https://libguides.up.edu/apa

APA Style, 7th edition - Citing Sources

What's new with the 7th edition, what is apa format, apa 7th references basics, apa style blog, apa tutorials.

Formatting the Paper
Dissertation & SPP Formatting
Student vs. Professional
Writing Style
All about the DOI
OVERVIEW - READ FIRST!
Dictionary Entry
Government Report
Journal Article
Lecture Notes
Legal Resources
Lexicomp via UpToDate
Magazine Article
Newsletter Article
Newspaper Article
Online Course or MOOC
Organization Report
Social Media
Tables & Figures
Video: Films on Demand
Video: Online
Video: Psychotherapy.net
Video: YouTube
APA Paper Review (Regis Students Only)

Research Librarian

For more help on this topic, please contact our Research Help Desk: [email protected] or 781-768-7303. Stay up-to-date on our current hours . Note: all hours are EST.

This Guide was created by Carolyn Swidrak (retired).

APA introduced the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association in October 2019. A major change from the 6th edition is that the 7th edition addresses specific style formats for student papers (as opposed to professional papers to be submitted for publication). See the Student vs. Professional tab for more information on the differences between student and professional formatting.

The Regis Library can help you!

We can teach you how to set up your paper, cite the sources within your paper, and format your reference list. Drop by, call, or email! Let us know if you need help!

Learning how to cite properly is important. Good citations help the reader locate the sources you used. Giving proper credit for your sources is necessary in order to prevent plagiarism.

This guide provides basic APA information and points you to more in-depth information on other websites. APA format is complex and takes time to learn. You can figure it out with the assistance of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) and various online guides. Librarians are also available to help. Keep in mind that your professor has the final say on format, so always check with your professor as well.

APA Style ® originated in 1929, when a group of psychologists, anthropologists, and business managers convened and sought to establish a simple set of procedures, or style rules , that would codify the many components of scientific writing to increase the ease of reading comprehension.

As with other editorial styles, APA Style consists of rules or guidelines that a publisher observes to ensure clear and consistent presentation of written material. It concerns uniform use of such elements as

selection of headings, tone, and length;
punctuation and abbreviations;
presentation of numbers and statistics;
construction of tables and figures,
citation of references; and
many other elements that are a part of a manuscript.

APA Style rules and guidelines are found in the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association .

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7 th ed.).

Apa manual. book (print copy). available on amazon and elsewhere..

This book is an essential purchase . Your writing tutor or the Regis librarian will refer to various pages within this book when answering questions.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037.0000165-000

APA Citation Basics- 7th ed A cheat sheet, put together by Regis Librarians, to help you get the basics down for the References List.

The APA maintains a searchable blog that addresses questions from users. It is located at https://apastyle.apa.org/blog

Keep in mind that this is a searchable blog!

APA Style Tutorial & Webinars For those that are just starting out with APA and those who are making the switch to the new edition, these resources are from the APA Style folks themselves.
Regis College Library APA 7th Style Tutorial Use this interactive tutorial to get a better grasp of the APA citation style!
Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) provides a comprehensive online guide to using APA.

Next: Formatting the Paper >>
Last Updated: Jun 18, 2024 10:51 AM
URL: https://libguides.regiscollege.edu/APA7

How to Cite Your Sources

Citation Help
In-Text Citations
Books and Periodicals
Web Sources and AV materials
Reports, Theses and Disserations
Business Sources
MLA 8th Edition
Chicago/Turabian
Journal Abbreviations
Citation Formatting
Citation Managers

APA Style Guide

For online APA 7th edition answers, check out APA's free online seventh edition style and grammar guidelines .

Online Resources

APA Style Blog The best source for those random items you need cited: a lecture, course notes, mobile apps, social media, YouTube videos, etc. Run by a group of experts who work with APA Style every day and updated frequently.

General Rules

All citations should be double spaced; Indent after the first line of each entry
Alphabetize by the first word of the entry; entries are not numbered
Editions of books are noted after the title in the following format: (2nd ed.) First editions are not listed as such. If no edition is listed, omit the edition section
Italics must be used for book and periodical titles
Capitalize ONLY the first word of a title, the first word of a subtitle, and proper nouns in titles of books and articles, no matter how they appear in a database or catalog
Use the abbreviations p. or pp. only for multi-page newspaper articles, encyclopedia entries, and chapters or articles in edited books; Do not use the abbreviation p. or pp. (or any other abbreviation) for magazine and journal articles
Dates are in Year, Month Day format (e.g., 1999, December 20)
If no author is listed, begin with the title
The date is in parenthesis after the author's name (or title if no author is listed)
Use (n.d.) if no date is given
Personal Communication includes private letters, memos, some electronic communication (i.e. email or messages from nonarchival discussion groups), personal interviews, telephone conversations, etc. Cite personal communications in text only.
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Last Updated: Apr 23, 2024 12:57 PM
URL: https://lib.murraystate.edu/cite

APA Style (7th ed.)

Citation Overview
Book, eBook, Dissertation
Article or Report
Business Sources
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools
In-Text Citation
Format Your Paper

Learn why and when to cite using APA

Watch the following video:.

How to cite in APA Style (7th edition)

Most academic writing cites others' ideas and research, for several reasons:

Sources that support your ideas give your paper authority and credibility
Shows you have researched your topic thoroughly
Crediting sources protects you from plagiarism
A list of sources can be a useful record for further research

Different academic disciplines prefer different citation styles, most commonly APA and MLA styles.

Besides these styles, there are Chicago , Turabian , AAA , AP , and more. Only use the most current edition of the citation style.

Ask your instructors which citation style they want you to use for assignments. (Looking for the old 6th edition guide?)

Prefer an interactive, video-based tutorial? Click the image below:

link to APA tutorial: https://uww.libwizard.com/f/APA

APA Style (7th Edition)

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

In this section

Subsections.

Citation Style: APA 7th edition

Citation help
Free citation generators
Journal, magazine & newspaper articles
Other resource types
Citing indirect / secondary sources
APA Style Reference Examples This link opens in a new window
Quoting, paraphrasing and signal phrases
In-text citations
Annotated bibliography

What is APA citation style?
What sets APA citation style apart from other citation styles?
7th edition changes
Sample APA formatted papers
Requirements for student papers
Formatting guidelines
APA handouts
Core elements
Anatomy of an APA citation
Related guides

is a set of rules created by the that establishes standards of written communication (college research papers; articles, books and other documents submitted for publication) including:

APA citation style is often used in the following classes/fields:

We keep a copy of the manual at the Library Reference Desk at all three Reynolds campuses.

References page is a list of fully referenced citations used when writing a paper.
Authors are listed by last name and first and middle initial/s (e.g., Brown, J.E.). For a work with up to 20 authors, include all of the names in the reference. When the work has 21 or more authors, include only the first 19 names.
Year of publication follows author name/s.
In text citations must include author's last name and year of publication in parentheses - example: (Williams, 2009). If page numbers are available include the page/s where you took a direct quote or paraphrased. Use p. for one page and pp. for a page range - example: (Williams, 2009, pp. 32-33).
Book titles are formatted in italics; capitalize only the first letter of the first word in the title, subtitle and any proper nouns in the title. Acronyms in a title should be in all caps (e.g., Brewing justice: Fair trade coffee, sustainability, and survival ).
Journal titles are also formatted in italics. Capitalize the first letter of each significant word in the journal title (e.g., New England Journal of Medicine ).
Titles from journal articles and book chapters - capitalize only the first letter of the first word in the title, subtitle and any proper nouns in the title. Acronyms in a title should be in all caps (e.g., A descriptive review of ADHD coaching research: Implications for college students).
Resources found in a library database : Do not list the database name, the database URL or the access date. Resources should be treated as print works except for journal articles that include a DOI number.

DOI or URL - use the DOI number if available. A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a string of numbers, letters and symbols used to identify a specific article and link to the article citation on the web. While a URL (web address) might change, a DOI number will never change (e.g., https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_AJA-15-0021). If a journal, magazine or newspaper is found on the open web (not a library database) and there is no DOI number, include the URL (e.g., https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/publications/jped/archived-jped/jped-volume-31). When entering full citations in your References list, do not include periods at the end of a DOI number or a URL.

Guide to What’s New in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition APA Style, American Psychological Association

Formatting changes:

New guidelines for formatting student papers
More options for choosing a font size and style (other than Times New Roman 12) as long as the fonts are legible and widely available
One space after sentence period
More quotations will be used rather than italicizing words
In-text citations – if a source was written by 3 or more authors, you can use et al.

More Citation examples:

The new manual includes more citation examples that include classroom material, Intranet sources, and social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Resources found in the library databases:

Continue to use the DOI URL for journal articles that include a DOI #. A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a string of numbers, letters and symbols used to identify a specific article and link to the article citation on the web. While a URL (web address) might change, a DOI number will never change (e.g., https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_AJA-15-0021).
Journal articles without a DOI # including eBooks, magazine and newspaper articles found in a library database should be treated as print works. Do not list the database name, the database or publisher's homepage URL, or the access date. Only include database information in the reference if the source comes from a database that publishes original, proprietary content, such as UpToDate. For an explanation of this change, click here .

. If a journal, magazine or newspaper is found on the open web (not a library database) and there is no DOI number, include the URL (e.g., https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/publications/jped/archived-jped/jped-volume-31). When entering full citations in your References list, do not include periods at the end of a DOI number or a URL.

Hyperlinks/URLs:

Present both DOIs and URLs as hyperlinks (i.e., beginning with https: (e.g., https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000185 ).
Because a hyperlink leads readers directly to the resource (citation only or citation and full text), it is no longer necessary to include the words “Retrieved from” or “Accessed from” before a DOI or URL.
It is acceptable to use either the default display settings for hyperlinks in your word-processing program (e.g., usually blue font, underlined) or plain text that is not underlined.
Leave links live if the work is to be published or read online.
For more information on DOIs, URLs and hyperlinks, click here .

Publisher information:

Publisher location is no longer necessary (same as MLA guidelines).
APA Style - Sample Papers Includes examples of both student papers and professional papers, American Psychological Association.
Purdue OWL - APA Sample Papers Includes examples of both a student paper and professional paper, Purdue University, Online Writing Lab.
APA 7th edition Student Paper Setup Guide APA Style, American Psychological Association
Example of a APA Student Paper Title Page

Student papers in APA style require the following:

Simplified title page (link to example above)
Page numbers
Reference list

Not required for student papers (unless required by your instructor):

Running head
Author note
Title Page Setup APA Style, American Psychological Association
Paper Format APA Style, American Psychological Association
Creating an APA Style table of contents Scribbr, Published on November 5, 2020 by Jack Caulfield.

General formatting guidelines:

The citations list is called References (when you only have one citation on the list, the list should be labeled Reference)
Reference list entries are alphabetized by author's last name. If there is no author, the entry is alphabetized by title.
Entries are double spaced.
The first line of an entry is set against the left margin. Subsequent lines are indented using the hanging indent format.
For journal articles that include a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), the DOI is formatted as a URL, with the prefix https://doi.org/ followed by the DOI number. A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a string of numbers, letters and symbols used to identify a specific article and link to the article citation on the web. While a URL (web address) might change, a DOI number will never change (e.g., https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_AJA-15-0021). If a journal, magazine or newspaper is found on the open web (not a library database) and there is no DOI number, include the URL (e.g., https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/publications/jped/archive

Hanging indents:

Microsoft Word instructions:

Select the text you would like to format (you can select your entire list of citations, for example, to format all at once)
From the Home tab in Word, select the small arrow next to the Paragraph menu
Next, under the Special , menu select Hanging then click OK
Your selected text will now be formatted with a hanging indent.

Google Docs instructions:

Select the text you want to format in hanging indent style
Click on the Format menu
When the Format menu appears, click on Align & indent
When a submenu appears, click on Indentation options
Under Special indent , select Hanging then click Apply
APA 7th Edition: Citation Examples Reynolds Community College Libraries
APA 7th Edition: In-Text Citation Examples Reynolds Community College Libraries
APA Style - Quick Reference Guide

Though not labeled as such, APA citations are composed of 4 core elements : who, when, what, where .

who -- author field

when -- date field (in parentheses)

what -- title of the source

where -- where the source lives

Anderson, A. K. (2005). Affective influences on the attentional dynamics supporting awareness. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 154 , 258-281. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.134.2.258

Who = Anderson, A. K.

When = (2005)

What = Affective influences on the attentional dynamics supporting awareness.

Where = Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 154 , 258-281. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.134.2.258

Image taken from the APA Referencing 7th Edition guide is used with permission from the University Library, The University of Notre Dame, Australia.

Video created by Bob Hoffman from the School of Education, The University of Notre Dame Austrailia.

Academic Writer Tutorial: Basics of Seventh Edition APA Style APA Style, American Psychological Association
APA Crash Course 7th Ed. Created by Karli Mair, MSLIS, MTS, [email protected]. Tutorial Llicensed under Creative Commons 4.0 International, Attribution - Non-commercial - No Derivatives
APA Style Playlist includes 5 videos created by Scribbr
APA Style Tutorials and Webinars APA Style, American Psychological Association
APA Format for Students & Researchers EasyBib
APA Formatting & Style Guide OWL Purdue University Online Writing Lab
APA Style Online Writing Lab at Excelsior College
APA Style - Style and Grammar Guidelines From the American Psychogical Association.
APA Style Blog American Psychological Association
Citing Sources by Denise Woetzel Last Updated Mar 13, 2024 2721 views this year
Citation Style: MLA 9th Edition by Denise Woetzel Last Updated May 13, 2024 3852 views this year
Citation Style: Chicago 17th edition by Denise Woetzel Last Updated Jul 24, 2023 39 views this year

Important Note

Always check with your instructor on what format specifications to use for a particular class or assignment, especially when citing online resources including material found in library databases.

This guide was adapted from the APA Style pages in the Citation Styles Playbook created by Piedmont Virginia Community College Library.

Next: Citation help >>
Last Updated: May 13, 2024 1:04 PM
Web address for this page:: https://libguides.reynolds.edu/apa

Writing Support

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Writing in College
MLA Citation Guide
APA Citation Guide

About APA 7th Ed.

In-text citations, sample papers, formatting tips, cc attribution.

This guide is a quick introduction to the American Psychological Association (APA) Style for references and citations. Be sure to consult the Publication Manual of the APA or the APA Style website for detailed standards and procedures.

APA Style Comprehensive style and grammar guidelines.

Purdue OWL - APA Guide

When you reference another source use an in-text citation in the body of your paper.

Basic Format: (Author's Last Name(s) or Organization, Year).

I'm using...

Summarizing or Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing or summarizing the main findings or takeaways from a research article is the preferred method of citing sources in an APA paper. Always include the last name of the author(s) and the year of the article, so your reader can find the full citation in the reference list.

According to Shavers (2007), limitations of studying socioeconomic status in research on health disparities include difficulties in collecting data on socioeconomic status and the complications of classifying women, children, and employment status.

Direct quotes.

If you're quoting the exact words of someone else, introduce the quote with an in-text citation in parentheses. Any sentence punctuation goes after the closing parenthesis.

According to Brown (2019), "Direct quote" (p. 1021).
Brown (2019) found that "Direct quote" (p. 1021).
[Some other introduction] "Direct quote" (Brown, 2019, p. 1021).

If you're directly quoting more than 40 words, use a blockquote . Block quotes don't need quotation marks. Instead, indent the text 1/2" as a visual cue that you are citing. The in-text citation in parentheses goes after the punctuation of the quote.

Shavers (2007) study found the following:

While research studies have established that socioeconomic status influences disease incidence, severity and access to healthcare, there has been relatively less study of the specific manner in which low SES influences receipt of quality care and consequent morbidity and mortality among patients with similar disease characteristics, particularly among those who have gained access to the healthcare system. (p. 1021)

Toro Tip: Use direct quotes sparingly! Focus on summarizing the findings from multiple research studies. In the sciences and social sciences, only use the exact phrasing or argument of an individual when necessary.

In-text citations differ depending on the number of authors listed for a work, and if there is a group author .

I'm citing a work with...

You only need the author's last name comma year in parentheses.

(Abrams, 2018)

Connect both authors' last names with & (ampersand) comma and the year.

(Wegener & Petty, 1994)

3 or More Authors

If there are 3 or more authors use et al. , which means " and others ," comma and the year.

(Harris et al., 2018)

Group Authors

First time with an abbreviation: (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019)

Then all subsequent citations: (CDC, 2019)

Unknown Authors or Publication Dates

If no author or date is given, use the title in your signal phrase or the first word or two of the title in the parentheses

Book with no author: ( Interpersonal Skills , 2019)

Article with no author: ("Prevalence of tooth loss," 2018)

Use "n.d." when the publication date is unknown. Article with unknown date of publication: (Smith, n.d.)

Include the complete citation at the end of your paper in a references section. References are organized by the author's last name in alphabetic (A-Z) order. Use an hanging indent to separate each list item.

Basic Format: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date). Title of the work. Source where you can retrieve the work . URL or DOI if available

I'm citing a...

Journal Article

Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initial as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. Use an ampersand (&) before the final author's name. Read more from the APA Style website if there are 21 or more authors.
Title of the article. Note: For works that are part of a greater whole (e.g. articles, chapter), use sentence case. Only the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns are capitalized.
Title of the Journal , Note: Italicize and capitalize each word in the journal.
Volume Note: Italicize the journal volume. If there is no issue, include a comma before the page range.
(Issue), Note: If there is a issue number in addition to a volume number, include it in parentheses.
Page range.
DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Read more about DOIs from the APA Style wesbite.

Ashing‐Giwa, K. T., Padilla, G., Tejero, J., Kraemer, J., Wright, K., Coscarelli, A., Clayton, S., Williams, I., & Hills, D. (2004). Understanding the breast cancer experience of women: A qualitative study of African American, Asian American, Latina and Caucasian cancer survivors. Psycho‐Oncology , 13 (6), 408-428. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.750

Online news/magazine article.

Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. Use an ampersand (&) before the final author's name.
(Year, Month Date). Note: You do not need to abbreviate the month.
Title of the online newspaper or publication . Note: Capitalize each word in the publication and italicize. If the publication has an associated newly newspaper in print, use the newspaper article reference example .

Rogers, O. (2021, July 9). Why naming race is necessary to undo racism. Psychology Today . https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/who-am-i-who-are-we/202107/why-naming-race-is-necessary-undo-racism

Title of the book. Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, reports), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
(Edition). Note: If there is an edition or volume, include it in parentheses and use abbreviations of ed. or vol.
Publisher. Note: You do not need to include the publisher location or databases where you retrieved it.

Schmidt, N. A., & Brown, J. M. (2017). Evidence-based practice for nurses: Appraisal and application of research (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Book chapter with editor(s).

Author(s). Note: List each chapter author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. Use an ampersand (&) before the final author's name.
Title of the chapter. Note: For works that are part of a greater whole (e.g. articles, chapter), use sentence case. Only the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns are capitalized.
In Editor(s), Note: List each editor's last name and initials as A. A. Editor, B. B. Editor, & C. C. Editors, include (Ed.) or (Eds.) in parentheses, and end with a comma.
Title of the book Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, reports), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
(pp.xx-xx).

McCormack, B., McCance, T., & Maben, J. (2013). Outcome evaluation in the development of person-centred practice. In B. McCormack, K. Manley, & A. Titchen (Eds.), Practice development in nursing and healthcare (pp. 190-211). John Wiley & Sons.

Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. If there is no author, spell out the name of the organization or site.
(Year, Month Date). Note: Read more about date formats from the APA Style website . Provide as specific a date as is available. Use the date last updated, but not the date last reviewed or copyright date. If there is no date, use (n.d.).
Title of page or section. Note: Italicize the title of the page.
Source. Note: Usually the official name of the website. If the source would be the same as the author, you can omit the source to avoid repetition.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Preventing HPV-associated cancers . https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/basic_info/prevention.htm/

Online report.

Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. If there is no author, spell out the name of the organization that published the report.
(Year, Month Date). Note: Provide as specific a date as is available.
Title of the report or document. Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, reports), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
Source. Includes the names of parent agencies or other organizations not listed in the group author name here.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. (2017, January). Key indicators of health by service planning area . http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/ha/

Dissertation or thesis.

Author. Note: List the author's last name and initials as Author, A. A. There is usually only one author for a thesis or dissertation, you don't need to include any faculty advisers.
Title of the dissertation or thesis [Doctoral dissertation or Master's thesis, Name of University]. Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, dissertations, theses), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns. The title page will indicate whether it's a Doctoral dissertation or Master's thesis and list the name of the university granting the degree.
Source. Note: Include the name of the database or institutional repository where you can access the work (e.g. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, PQDT Open, CSU ScholarWorks) here.
URL Note: If available it's available.

Valentin, E. R. (2019, Summer). Narcissism predicted by Snapchat selfie sharing, filter usage, and editing [Master's thesis, California State University Dominguez Hills]. CSU ScholarWorks. https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/3197xm925?locale=en

Check out more examples for citing dissertations and theses on the APA Style site .

The following papers were published in annotated format in the APA Publication Manual :

Annotated student sample paper
Annotated professional sample paper

The following are student paper templates in Word format:

Discussion post student pater template
Literature review student paper template
Quantitative study student paper template

How do I make a hanging indent in Word?

1. Highlight the citaiton with your cursor.

2. Right click.

3. Select Paragraph .

4. Under Indentation, select Special and Hanging .

How can I save time formatting my paper?

Microsoft Word and Google Docs have a Format Painter tool that will copy and apply basic formatting to any text!

1. Highlight the formatting you want to apply.

2. Select Format Painter .

3. Highlight the text you want to change.

Note: If using the Format Painter on the Reference List, you'll need to go back and add italics.

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Next: FAQs >>
Last Updated: Aug 17, 2024 12:34 PM
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APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources

Basics of APA Formatting
In Text Quick View
Block Quotes
Books & eBooks
Thesis/Dissertation
Audiovisual
Conference Presentations
Social Media
Legal References
Reports and Gray Literature

Mechanics of Style

Standard formatting quick guide, abbreviations.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Additional Resources
Reference Page

Refer to Ch. 6 Mechanics of style in the APA Publication Manual 7th ed. regarding specific guidelines regarding the mechanics of style for writing.

Use 1" margins for the entire document.
Use a 1/2" indent for every paragraph and footnote.
Indent set-off quotations 1/2" from the left margin.

Text Formatting

Should be accessible to all users
The same font should be used throughout paper
San serif fonts preferred for online works (Recommend 11pt Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10pt Lucida Sans Unicode)
Serif fonts preferred for print works (Recommend 12pt Times New Roman or 11pt Georgia)
Figure images- use a sans serif font with a type size between 8 and 14
Computer code- use a monospace font (ex. 10pt Lucida Console or 10pt Courier New)
Footnotes- default footnote settings of word-processing program acceptable
Do not justify the text or use hyphenation.
One space after a period

Page Header

Doesn't have to be same as title, but limited to 50 characters and conveys the idea of the title
If title is less than 50 characters, can be used as running head
Avoid using abbreviations in the running head
Appears flush left in all-capital letters
Page number should be flush right.
If title is longer than one line, separate the title and subtitle on double-spaced lines if desired
Center the author's/authors' name directly under the title.
Format the name omitting titles (Dr, Prof, etc.) and degrees: First name, middle initial, last name.
Center the institutional affiliation directly under the author's/authors' name.
Author's note (not applicable to student papers)
Course number and name of course
Instructor name
Assignment due date
Running head in page header, flush left (not applicable to student papers)
Page number in page header, flush right

Introduction

Begin introduction on a new page.
Type the title in title case, bold, centered and positioned at the top of the first page of text
Do not type the heading "Introduction," title will act as de facto Level 1 heading
Use Level 2 heading for any subsections within introduction, Level 3 for subsections of Level 2, and so on
Use Level 1 heading for next main section of paper

References (Reference Page)

Starts on new page
The word " References " should appear (without quotation marks) centered at the top of the page, bold
Double-space all reference entries
Use a hanging indent for reference- first line of each reference is flush with the left margin while subsequent lines are indented.
Use footnotes to provide additional content or acknowledge copyright permission
Content footnotes convey just one idea and only include simple, relevant or essential information
Use a footnote to acknowledge the source of lengthy quotes, scale and test items, and figures or tables that have been reproduced or adapted
Number all footnotes consecutively in the order they appear, use superscript Arabic numerals within the text
For separate page- Label section "Footnotes" in bold, centered at the top of the page. Write footnotes as double-spaced indented paragraphs which begin with superscript footnote number.
Begin each appendix on a new page following references and footnotes (if applicable).
If single appendix, label page "Appendix."
If there is more than one appendix, label each with with a capital letter (ex. "Appendix A," "Appendix B" and so forth) in the order they're mentioned in the text
If text appendix contains tables, figures, footnotes and/or display equations, give each one a number preceded by the letter of the appendix in which it appears (ex. Figure A2 for the second figure in Appendix A).
If appendix "consists of only a table or figure, then the appendix label takes the place of the table or figure number and the appendix title takes the place of the table or figure title."

Adapted from American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

APA Paper Format Find quick answers to basic APA formatting directly from APA Style
Annotated Sample Student Paper

The correct form of abbreviation must be used in reference lists:

chap.	chapter
ed.	edition
Rev. ed.	Revised edition
2nd ed.	second edition
Ed. (Eds.)	Editor (Editors)
Trans.	Translators
n.d.	no date
p. (pp.)	Page (pages)
Vol.	Volume (as in Vol. 4)
Vols.	Volumes (as in 4 vols.)
No.	Number
Pt.	Part
Tech. Rep.	Technical Report
Suppl.	supplement

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Next: Headings >>
Last Updated: Aug 8, 2024 10:42 AM
URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/APA7th

Plagiarism and grammar
Citation guides

APA Citation Generator

Don't let plagiarism errors spoil your paper, a comprehensive guide to apa citations and format, overview of this guide:.

This page provides you with an overview of APA format, 7th edition. Included is information about referencing, various citation formats with examples for each source type, and other helpful information.

If you’re looking for MLA format , check out the Citation Machine MLA Guide. Also, visit the Citation Machine homepage to use the APA formatter, which is an APA citation generator, and to see more styles .

Being responsible while researching

When you’re writing a research paper or creating a research project, you will probably use another individual’s work to help develop your own assignment. A good researcher or scholar uses another individual’s work in a responsible way. This involves indicating that the work of other individuals is included in your project (i.e., citing), which is one way to prevent plagiarism.

Plagiarism? What is it?

The word plagiarism is derived from the Latin word, plagiare , which means “to kidnap.” The term has evolved over the years to now mean the act of taking another individual’s work and using it as your own, without acknowledging the original author (American Psychological Association, 2020 p. 21). Plagiarism can be illegal and there can be serious ramifications for plagiarizing someone else’s work. Thankfully, plagiarism can be prevented. One way it can be prevented is by including citations and references in your research project. Want to make them quickly and easily? Try the Citation Machine citation generator, which is found on our homepage.

All about citations & references

Citations and references should be included anytime you use another individual’s work in your own assignment. When including a quote, paraphrased information, images, or any other piece of information from another’s work, you need to show where you found it by including a citation and a reference. This guide explains how to make them.

APA style citations are added in the body of a research paper or project and references are added to the last page.

Citations , which are called in-text citations, are included when you’re adding information from another individual’s work into your own project. When you add text word-for-word from another source into your project, or take information from another source and place it in your own words and writing style (known as paraphrasing), you create an in-text citation. These citations are short in length and are placed in the main part of your project, directly after the borrowed information.

References are found at the end of your research project, usually on the last page. Included on this reference list page is the full information for any in-text citations found in the body of the project. These references are listed in alphabetical order by the author's last name.

An APA in-text citation includes only three items: the last name(s) of the author(s), the year the source was published, and sometimes the page or location of the information. References include more information such as the name of the author(s), the year the source was published, the full title of the source, and the URL or page range.

Why is it important to include citations & references

Including APA citations and references in your research projects is a very important component of the research process. When you include citations, you’re being a responsible researcher. You’re showing readers that you were able to find valuable, high-quality information from other sources, place them into your project where appropriate, all while acknowledging the original authors and their work.

Common ways students and scholars accidentally plagiarize

Believe it or not, there are instances when you could attempt to include in-text and full references in the appropriate places, but still accidentally plagiarize. Here are some common mistakes to be aware of:

Mistake #1 - Misquoting sources: If you plan to use a direct quote, make sure you copy it exactly as is. Sure, you can use part of the full quote or sentence, but if you decide to put quotation marks around any words, those words should match exactly what was found in the original source. Here’s a line from The Little Prince , by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry:

“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.”

Here’s an acceptable option:

“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves,” stated de Saint-Exupéry (1943, p. 3).

Here’s a misquote:

“Grown-ups barely ever understand anything by themselves,” stated de Saint-Exupéry (1943, p. 3).

Notice the slight change in the words. The incorrect phrasing is an instance of accidental plagiarism.

Mistake #2 - Problems with paraphrasing: When we paraphrase, we restate information using our own words and writing style. It’s not acceptable to substitute words from the original source with synonyms.

Let’s use the same sentence from The Little Prince .

A correct paraphrase could be:

de Saint-Exupéry (1943) shares various ways adults frustrate children. One of the biggest being that kids have to explain everything. It’s too bad adults are unable to comprehend anything on their own (p. 3).

An incorrect paraphrase would be:

de Saint-Exupéry (1943) shares that adults never understand anything by themselves, and it is exhausting for kids to be always and forever clarifying things to them (p.3).

Notice how close the incorrect paraphrase is from the original. This is an instance of accidental plagiarism.

Make sure you quote and paraphrase properly in order to prevent accidental plagiarism.

If you’re having a difficult time paraphrasing properly, it is acceptable to paraphrase part of the text AND use a direct quote. Here’s an example:

de Saint-Exupery (1943) shares various ways adults frustrate children. One of the biggest being that kids have to explain everything, and “it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them” (p. 3).

Information About APA

Who created it.

The American Psychological Association is an organization created for individuals in the psychology field. With close to 121,000 members, they provide educational opportunities, funding, guidance, and research information for everything psychology-related. They also have numerous high-quality databases, peer-reviewed journals, and books that revolve around mental health.

The American Psychological Association is also credited with creating their own specific citation and reference style. Today, this format is used by individuals not only in the psychology field, but many other subject areas as well. Education, economics, business, and social sciences also use APA style quite frequently. Click here for more information . This guide covers general information about the style, but is not affiliated with the American Psychological Association.

Why was this style created?

This format was first developed in 1929 to form a standardized way for researchers in science fields to document their sources. Prior to the inception of these standards and guidelines, individuals were recognizing the work of other authors by including bits and pieces of information in random order. There wasn’t a set way to format citations and references. You can probably imagine how difficult it was to understand the sources that were used for research projects!

Having a standard format for citing sources allows readers to glance at a citation or APA reference and easily locate the title, author, year published, and other critical pieces of information needed to understand a source.

The evolution of this style

The guide below is based on APA style 7th edition, which was released in 2020. In previous versions of APA format, researchers and scholars were required to include the publisher location for books and the date that an electronic resource was accessed. Both are no longer required to be included.

Details on the differences between the 6th and 7th editions is addressed later in this guide.

Citations & References

The appearance of citations & references.

The format for references varies, but most use this general format:

%%Author’s Last name, First initial. (Date published). Title . URL

Researchers and scholars must look up the proper format for the source that they’re attempting to cite. Books have a certain format, websites have a different format, periodicals have a different format, and so on. Scroll down to find the proper format for the source you’re citing or referencing.

If you would like help citing your sources, CitationMachine.com has a citation generator that will help make the APA citation process much easier for you. To start, simply click on the source type you're citing:

Journal articles

In-text citations

An APA in-text citation is included in research projects in three instances: When using a direct quote, paraphrasing information, or simply referring to a piece of information from another source.

Quite often, researchers and scholars use a small amount of text, word for word, from another source and include it in their own research projects. This is done for many reasons. Sometimes, another author’s words are so eloquently written that there isn’t a better way to rephrase it yourself. Other times, the author’s words can help prove a point or establish an understanding for something in your research project. When using another author’s exact words in your research project, include an APA in-text citation directly following it.

In addition to using the exact words from another source and placing them into your project, these citations are also added anytime you paraphrase information. Paraphrasing is when you take information from another source and rephrase it, in your own words.

When simply referring to another piece of information from another source, also include a citation directly following it.

Citations in the text are found near a direct quote, paraphrased information, or next to a mention of another source. To see examples of some narrative/ parenthetical citations in action, look at the image above, under “All About Citations & References.”

Note: *Only include the page or paragraph number when using a direct quote or paraphrase. Page numbers have a p. before the number, pp. before the page range, and para. before the paragraph number. This information is included to help the reader locate the exact portion of text themselves. It is unnecessary to include this information when you’re simply referring to another source.

Examples of APA in-text citations:

“Well, you’re about to enter the land of the free and the brave. And I don’t know how you got that stamp on your passport. The priest must know someone” (Tóibín, 2009, p. 52).

Student teachers who use technology in their lessons tend to continue using technology tools throughout their teaching careers (Kent & Giles, 2017, p. 12).

If including the author’s name in the sentence, place the year in the parentheses directly next to his or her name. Add the page number at the end, unless it’s a source without any pages or paragraph numbers (See Section 8.10 of the Publication manual for more details).

In-text citation APA example:

According to a study done by Kent and Giles (2017), student teachers who use technology in their lessons tend to continue using technology tools throughout their teaching careers.

The full references, or citations, for these sources can be found on the last part of a research project, titled the “References.”

Here’s how to create in-text citations for specific amounts of authors:

APA citation with no author

When the source lacks an author’s name, place the title, year, and page number (if available) in the text. The title should be in italics if it sits alone (such as a movie, brochure, or report). If the source is part of a whole (as many web pages and articles are), place the title in quotation marks without italics (See Section 8.14 of the Publication manual ).

Structure of an APA format citation in the text narratively, with the author's name missing:

Title of Source (Year) or “Title of Source” (Year)

Structure of an APA style format citation, in parentheses at the end of the sentence, with the author’s name missing: (Title of Source, Year) or (“Title of Source,” Year)

Structure for one author

In the text, narratively: Last name of Author (Year)...(page number).

In parentheses, at the end of the sentence: (Last name of Author, Year, page number).

Structure for two authors

Place the authors in the order they appear on the source. Only use the ampersand in the parenthetical citations (see Section 8.17 of the Publication manual ). Use ‘and’ to separate the author names if they’re in the text of the sentence.

In the text, narratively: Last name of Author 1 and Last name of Author 2 (Year)....(page number).

In parentheses, at the end of the sentence: (Last name of Author 1 & Last name of Author 2, Year, page number).

Structure for three or more authors

Only include the first listed author’s name in the first and any subsequent citations. Follow it with et al.

(Last name Author 1 et al., Year, page number)

(Agbayani et al., 2020, p. 99)

Last name of Author 1 et al. (Year)...(page).

Agbayani et al. (2020)...(p. 99)

One author, multiple works, same year

What do you do when you want to cite multiple works by an author, and the sources all written in the same year?

Include the letters ‘a’ ‘b’ ‘c’ and so on after the year in the citation.

(Jackson, 2013a)

Jackson (2013a)

Writers can even lump dates together.

Example: Jackson often studied mammals while in Africa (2013a, 2013b).

On the APA reference page, include the same letters in the full references.

Groups and organizations

Write out the full name of the group or organization in the first citation and place the abbreviation next to it in brackets. If the group or organization is cited again, only include the abbreviation. If it doesn’t have an abbreviation associated with it, write out the entire organization’s name each and every time (see Section 8.21 of the Publication manual ).

First APA citation for an organization with an abbreviation: (World Health Organization [WHO], Year)

World Health Organization (WHO, Year)

Notice in the example directly above, the name of the organization is written out in full in the text of the sentence, and the abbreviation is placed in parentheses next to it.

Subsequent APA citations in the text for an organization with an abbreviation: (WHO, Year) OR WHO (Year)

All citations in the text for an organization without an abbreviation: (Citation Machine, Year) or Citation Machine (Year)

One in-text citation, multiple works

Sometimes you’ll need to cite more than one work within an in-text citation. Follow the same format (author, year) format but place semicolons between works (p. 263).

(Obama, 2016; Monroe et al., 1820; Hoover & Coolidge, 1928)

Reminder: There are many citation tools available on CitationMachine.com. Head to our homepage to learn more, check out our APA citation website, and cite your sources easily! The most useful resource on our website? Our APA citation generator, which doesn’t just create full references, it’s also an APA in-text citation website! It’ll do both for you!

Click here to learn more about crediting work .

Reference list citation components

References display the full information for all the citations found in the body of a research project.

Some things to keep in mind when it comes to the references:

All references sit together on their own page, which is usually the last page(s) of a paper.
Title the page ‘References’
Place ‘References’ in the center of the page and bold it. Keep the title in the same font and size as the references. Do not italicize, underline, place the title in quotation marks, or increase the font size.
The entire page is double spaced.
All references are listed in alphabetical order by the first word in the reference, which is usually the author’s last name. If the source lacks an author, alphabetize the source by the title (ignore A, An, or The)
All references have a hanging indent, meaning that the second line of text is indented in half an inch. See examples throughout this guide.
Remember, each and every citation in the text of the paper MUST have a full reference displayed in the reference list. The citations in the text provide the reader with a quick glimpse about the sources used, but the references in the reference list provide the reader with all the information needed to seek out the source themselves.

Learn more about each component of the reference citation and how to format it in the sections that follow. See an APA sample paper reference list at the end of this entire section.

Author’s names

The names of authors are written in reverse order. Include the initials for the first and middle names. End this information with a period (see Section 9.8 of the Publication manual ).

Format: Last name, F. M.

Angelou, M.
Doyle, A. C.

Two or more authors

When two or more authors work together on a source, write them in the order in which they appear on the source. You can name up to 20 authors in the reference. For sources with 2 to 20 authors, place an ampersand (&) before the final author. Use this format:

Last name, F. M., & Last name, F. M.

Last name, F. M., Last name, F. M., Last name, F. M., Last name, F. M., & Last name, F. M.

Kent, A. G., Giles, R. M., Thorpe, A., Lukes, R., Bever, D. J., & He, Y.

If there are 21 or more authors listed on a source, only include the first 19 authors, add three ellipses, and then add the last author’s name.

Roberts, A., Johnson, M. C., Klein, J., Cheng, E. V., Sherman, A., Levin, K. K. , ...Lopez, G. S.

If you plan on using a free APA citation tool, like the one at CitationMachine.com, the names of the authors will format properly for you.

###No authors

If the source lacks an author, place the title in the first position in the reference (Section 9.12 of the Publication manual ). When the source’s title begins with a number (Such as 101 Dalmatians ), place the reference alphabetically as if the number was spelled out. 101 Dalmatians would be placed in the spot where ‘One hundred’ would go, but keep the numbers in their place.

Additionally, if the title begins with the words ‘A’, ‘An,’ or ‘The,’ ignore these words and place the title alphabetically according to the next word.

See the “Titles” section below for more information on formatting the title of sources.

###Corporate/Organization authors

On an APA reference page, corporate authors are always written out in full. In the text of your paper, you may have some abbreviations (such as UN for United Nations), but in the full references, always include the full names of the corporation or organization (following Section 9.11 of the official Publication manual ).

%%United Nations. (2019). Libya: $202 million needed to bring life-saving aid to half a million people hit by humanitarian crisis. https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/02/1031981

Publication date & retrieval date

Directly after the author’s name is the date the source was published. Include the full date for newspapers and magazine articles, and only the year for journals and all other sources. If no date is found on the source, include the initials, n.d. for “no date.”

%% Narducci, M. (2017, May 19). City renames part of 11th Street Ed Snider Way to honor Flyers founder. The Philadelphia Inquirer . http://www.philly.com/

If using our APA Citation Machine, our citation generator will add the correct format for you automatically.

Giving a retrieval date is not needed unless the online content is likely to be frequently updated and changed (e.g., encyclopedia article, dictionary entry, Twitter profile, etc.).

%%Citation Machine [@CiteMachine]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved October 10, 2019, from https://twitter.com/CiteMachine

When writing out titles for books, articles, chapters, or other non-periodical sources, only capitalize the first word of the title and the first word of the subtitle. Names of people, places, organizations, and other proper nouns also have the first letter capitalized. For books and reports, italicize the title in the APA citation.

Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Roots: The saga of an American family.

For articles and chapters in APA referencing, do not italicize the title.

Wake up the nation: Public libraries, policy making, and political discourse.

For newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters, and other periodicals, capitalize the first letter in each word and italicize the title.

The Seattle Times.

A common question is whether to underline your title or place it in italics or quotation marks in the reference list. Here’s a good general rule: When a source sits alone and is not part of a larger whole, place the title in italics. If the source does not sit alone and is part of a larger whole, do not place it in italics.

Books, movies, journals, and television shows are placed in italics since they stand alone. Songs on an album, episodes of television shows, chapters in books, and articles in journals are not placed in italics since they are smaller pieces of larger wholes.

The Citation Machine citation generator will format the title in your citations automatically.

Additional information about the title

If you feel it would be helpful to include additional information about the source type, include a descriptive noun or two in brackets immediately following the title. Capitalize the first letter.

%%Kennedy, K., & Molen, G. R. (Producers), & Spielberg, S. (Director). (1993). Jurassic Park [Film]. USA: Universal.

Besides [Film], other common notations include:

[Audio podcast]
[Letter to the editor]
[Television series episode]
[Facebook page]
[Blog post]
[Lecture notes]
[PowerPoint presentation]
[Video file]

If you are using Citation Machine citing tools, additional information about the title is automatically added for you.

Publisher information

For books and reports, include the publisher name but not the location (see Section 9.29 of the Publication manual ). Older editions of the style required the city, state and/or country, but this hasn't been the case since the 7th edition was released.

It is not necessary to include the entire name of the publisher. It is acceptable to use a brief, intelligible form. However, if Books or Press are part of the publisher’s names, keep these words in the reference. Other common terms, such as Inc., Co., Publishers, and others can be omitted.

For newspapers, journals, magazines, and other periodicals, include the volume and issue number after the title. The volume number is listed first, by itself, in italics. The issue number is in parentheses immediately after it, not italicized. There is no space after the closing parenthesis and before the volume number.

%%Giannoukos, G., Besas, G., Hictour, V., & Georgas, T. (2016). A study on the role of computers in adult education. Educational Research and Reviews , 11 (9), 907-923. https://doi.org/10.5897/ERR2016.2688

After including the publisher information, end this section with a period.

Perseus Books.

Electronic source information:

For online sources, the URL or DOI (Direct Object Identifier) are included at the end of an APA citation.

DOI numbers are often created by publishers for journal articles and other periodical sources. They were created in response to the problem of broken or outdated links and URLs. When a journal article is assigned a DOI number, it is static and will never change. Because of its permanent characteristic, DOIs are the preferred type of electronic information to include in APA citations. When a DOI number is not available, include the source’s URL (see Section 9.34 in the Publication manual ).

For DOIs, include the number in this format:

http://doi.org/xxxx

For URLs, type them in this format:

http:// or https://

Other information about electronic sources:

If the URL is longer than a line, break it up before a punctuation mark.
Do not place a period at the end of the citation/URL.
It is unnecessary to include retrieval dates, unless the source changes often over time (like in a Wikipedia article).
It is not necessary to include the names of databases

If using the Citation Machine APA citation website autocite features, the online publication information will be automatically replaced by the DOI. The Citation Machine APA template will properly cite your online sources for you.

The image shows an example APA student page that is formatted using the guidelines described under the heading Paper Formatting.

Make sure you run your completed paper through the Citation Machine Plus smart proofreader, which scans for grammar, spelling, and plagiarism. Whether it’s an adjective , verb , or pronoun out-of-place, our technology helps edits your paper for you!

Annotated bibliographies:

An APA annotated bibliography is a full bibliography that includes a small note for each reference citation. Each note should be short (1-2 paragraphs) and contain a summary or your evaluation about each source. When creating your citations on CitationMachine.net, there is a field at the bottom of each form to add your own annotations.

Follow the publication manual guidelines on paper format and writing style. Let your instructor guide other details about your annotations. Still confused? Read our guide on annotated bibliographies .

These types of projects look different depending on the style you’re using. Use the link at the top of the page to access resources related to the Modern Language Association’s style. Here’s information related to Chicago citation style .

Page formatting

Need help with the design and formatting of your paper? Look no further! This section provides the ins and outs of properly displaying the information in your APA essay.

Times New Roman, 12-point size.
Calibri, Arial, or Georgia, 11-point size
Lucida, Sans Unicode, or Computer Modern, 10-point size
Indents = Every paragraph should start with an indent.
Margins = 1 inch around the entire document
Spacing = Double space everything!

Arrange your pages in this order:

Page 1 - APA Title Page (see below for information on the title page)
Page 2 - Abstract (If your professor requests one)
Page 3 - First page of text
References begin on their own page. Include the list of references on the page after the text.
Tables and figures

Keep in mind that the order above is the recommendation for papers being submitted for peer review. If you’re writing an APA style paper for a class, your professor may be more lenient about the requirements. Also, if you’re submitting your paper for a specific journal, check the requirements on the journal’s website. Each journal has different rules and procedures.

Just a little nudge to remind you about the Citation Machine Plus smart proofreader. Whether it’s a conjunction or interjection out of place, a misspelled word, or an out of place citation, we’ll offer suggestions for improvement! Don’t forget to check out our APA citation maker while you’re at it!

Running heads

In older editions of APA, running heads were required for all papers. Since the 7th edition, that’s changed.

Student paper: No running head
Professional paper: Include a running head

The running head displays the title of the paper and the page number on all pages of the paper. This header is found on every page of a professional paper (not a student paper), even on the title page (sometimes called an APA cover page) and reference list (taken from Section 2.8 of the Publication manual ).

It's displayed all in capital letters at the top of the page. Across from the running head, along the right margin, is the page number.

Use the header feature in your word processor. Both Google Docs and Word have these features available.
Use one for the recommended fonts mentioned under "Page formatting."

Title pages

A title page, sometimes called an APA cover page, graces the cover of an essay or paper. An APA title page should follow rules from Section 2.3 of the official Publication manual and include:

Page number, which is page 1
Use title case and bold font
The title should be under 12 words in length
The title should be a direct explanation of the focus of the paper. Do not include any unnecessary descriptors such as “An Analysis of…” or “A Study of…”
Exclude any labels such as Mr., Ms., Dr, PhD...
Name of the school or institution
Course number and/or class name
Name of your instructor, including their preferred honorifics (e.g., PhD, Dr., etc.)
Paper’s due date
If this is a professional paper, also include a running head. If this is a student paper, do not include one.

Follow the directions for the running head and page number in the section above. Below the running head, a few lines beneath, and centered in the middle of the page, should be the title. The next line below is the author’s name(s), followed by the name of the school or institution, the class or course name, your instructor’s name, and the paper’s due date.

All components on this page should be written in the same font and size as the rest of your paper. Double space the title, names, name of school or institution, and all other information on the page (except for the running head and page number).

Example - Student Title Page APA:

The image shows an example APA student title page that is formatted using the guidelines described above under the heading Title Pages.

Example - Professional Title Page APA:

The image shows an example APA professional title page that is formatted using the guidelines described above under the heading Title Pages.

If you’re submitting your paper to a journal for publication, check the journal’s website for exact requirements. Each journal is different and some may request a different type of APA format cover page.

Looking to create an APA format title page? Head to CitationMachine.com’s homepage and choose “Title Page” at the top of the screen.

An abstract briefly but thoroughly summarizes dissertation contents. It’s found in the beginning of a professional paper, right after the title page. Abstracts are meant to help readers determine whether to continue reading the entire document. With that in mind, try to craft the lead sentence to entice the reader to continue reading.

Here are a few tips:

Be factual and keep your opinions out. An abstract should accurately reflect the paper or dissertation and should not involve information or commentary not in the thesis.
Communicate your main thesis. What was the examined problem or hypothesis? A reader should know this from reading your abstract.
Keep it brief. Stick to the main points and don’t add unnecessary words or facts. It should not exceed 250 words.
Consider your paper’s purpose. It’s important to cater your abstract to your paper type and think about what information the target audience for that paper type would want. For example, an empirical article may mention methodology or participant description. A quantitative or qualitative meta-analysis would mention the different variables considered and how information was synthesized.
Use verbs over noun equivalents, and active voice. Example: “There was research into…” becomes “We researched…”

Formatting guidelines:

The abstract goes after the title page.
It should have the same font (size and type) as the rest of the paper.
It should stick to one page.
Double-space all page text.
Center and bold the word “Abstract” at the top of the paper.
Don’t indent the first line of the abstract body. The body should also be in plain text.
For the keywords, place it on the line after the abstract and indent the first line (but not subsequent lines). The word “Keywords:” is capitalized, italicized, and followed by a colon. The actual keywords are sentence case and in plan font.
List each keyword one after the other, and separate them by a comma.
After the last keyword, no ending punctuation is needed.

The image shows an example APA abstract page that is formatted using the guidelines described above under the heading Abstracts.

Tables & Figures

If your paper includes a lot of numerical information or data, you may want to consider placing it into a table or a figure, rather than typing it all out. A visual figure or simple, organized table filled with numerical data is often easier for readers to digest and comprehend than tons of paragraphs filled with numbers. Chapter 7 of the Publication manual outlines formatting for tables and figures. Let's cover the basics below.

If you’d like to include a table or figure in your paper, here are a few key pieces of information to keep in mind:

At the end of the paper after the APA reference page
In the text after it is first mentioned
The table first mentioned in the text should be titled ‘Table 1.’ The next table mentioned in the text is ‘Table 2,’ and so on. For figures, it would be 'Figure 1,' 'Figure 2,' and so forth.

The image shows that an APA paper with tables can be organized as follows – 1. Title page, 2. Text of paper, 3. References, 4. Table 1, 5. Table 2.

Even though every table and figure is numbered, also create a title for each that describes the information it contains. Capitalize all important words in the title.
For tables, do not use any vertical lines, only use horizontal to break up information and headings.
Single spacing is acceptable to use in tables and figures. If you prefer double spacing your information, that is okay too.
Do not include extra information or “fluff.” Keep it simple!
Do not include the same exact information in the paper. Only include the complete information in one area—the table or the text.
All tables and figures must be referenced in the text. It is unacceptable to throw a table or figure into the back of the paper without first providing a brief summary or explanation of its relevance.

Example of formatting a table in APA style.

Publication Manual 6th Edition vs 7th Edition

The 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association was released in 2009. The current 7th edition came out in the fall of 2019 and was designed to be more student focused, provide more guidance on accessibility, and address changes that have developed over the last 10 years.

Below, we’ve listed what we feel are the most relevant changes related to APA format.

Journals and DOIs

DOI stands for “digital object identifier.” Many journal articles use and have a unique DOI that should be included in a full citation.

When including a DOI in a citation, format it as a URL. Do not label it “DOI.” Articles without DOIs from databases are treated as print works. For example:

6th edition:

%%Gänsicke, B. T., Schreiber, M. R., Toloza, O., Fusillo, N. P. G., Koester, D., & Manser, C. J. (2019). Accretion of a giant planet onto a white dwarf star. Nature, 576 (7785), 61–64. doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1789-8

7th edition:

Citing Books

There are few new guidelines when you are citing a book. First, the publisher location no longer needs to be indicated.

%%Zack, P. O. (2001). The shoals of time. Bloomington, IN: First Books Library.

%%Zack, P. O. (2001). The shoals of time. First Books Library.

Second, the format of an ebook (e.g., Kindle, etc.) no longer needs to be indicated.

%%Niven, J. (2012). Ada Blackjack: A true story of survival in the Arctic [Kindle].

%%Niven, J. (2012). Ada Blackjack: A true story of survival in the Arctic .

Lastly, books from research databases without DOIs are treated the same as print works.

When using a URL in a citation, you no longer need to include the term “Retrieved from” before URLs (except with retrieval dates). The font should be blue and underlined, or black and not underlined.

6th Edition:

%%Flood, A. (2019, December 6). Britain has closed almost 800 libraries since 2010, figures show. The Guardian . Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/dec/06/britain-has-closed-almost-800-libraries-since-2010-figures-show

7th Edition:

%%Flood, A. (2019, December 6). Britain has closed almost 800 libraries since 2010, figures show. The Guardian . https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/dec/06/britain-has-closed-almost-800-libraries-since-2010-figures-show

Within a full APA citation, you may spell out up to 20 author names. For two to 20 authors, include an ampersand (&) before the name of the last author. For sources with 21 or more authors, structure it as follows:

Structure: First 19 authors’ names, . . . Last author’s name.

7th edition example: Washington, G., Adams, J., Jefferson, T., Madison, J., Monroe, J., Adams, J. Q., Jackson, A., Van Buren, M., Harrison, W. H., Tyler, J., Polk, J. K., Taylor, Z., Filmore, M., Pierce, F., Buchanan, J., Lincoln, A., Johnson, A., Grant, U. S., Hayes, R. B., Garfield, . . . Trump, D.

When creating an in-text citation for a source with 3 or more authors, use “et al.” after the first author’s name. This helps abbreviate the mention.

6th Edition: (Honda, Johnson, Prosser, Rossi, 2019)

7th Edition: (Honda et al., 2019)

Tables and Figures

Instead of having different formats for tables and figures, both use one standardized format. Now both tables and figures have a number, a title, name of the table/figure, and a note at the bottom.

If you’re still typing into Google “how to cite a website APA” among other related questions and keywords, click here for further reading on the style .

When you’re through with your writing, toss your entire paper into the Citation Machine Plus plagiarism checker , which will scan your paper for grammar edits and give you up to 5 suggestions cards for free! Worry less about a determiner , preposition , or adverb out of place and focus on your research!

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) (2020). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Updated March 3, 2020

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Wendy Ikemoto. Michele Kirschenbaum has been an awesome school librarian since 2006 and is an expert in citing sources. Wendy Ikemoto has a master’s degree in library and information science and has been working for Citation Machine since 2012.

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🤔 What is an APA Citation Generator?

An APA citation generator is a software tool that will automatically format academic citations in the American Psychological Association (APA) style.

It will usually request vital details about a source -- like the authors, title, and publish date -- and will output these details with the correct punctuation and layout required by the official APA style guide.

Formatted citations created by a generator can be copied into the bibliography of an academic paper as a way to give credit to the sources referenced in the main body of the paper.

👩‍🎓 Who uses an APA Citation Generator?

College-level and post-graduate students are most likely to use an APA citation generator, because APA style is the most favored style at these learning levels. Before college, in middle and high school, MLA style is more likely to be used. In other parts of the world styles such as Harvard (UK and Australia) and DIN 1505 (Europe) are used more often.

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Like almost every other citation style, APA style can be cryptic and hard to understand when formatting citations. Citations can take an unreasonable amount of time to format manually, and it is easy to accidentally include errors. By using a citation generator to do this work you will:

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In academia, bibliographies are graded on their accuracy against the official APA rulebook, so it is important for students to ensure their citations are formatted correctly. Special attention should also be given to ensure the entire document (including main body) is structured according to the APA guidelines. Our complete APA format guide has everything you need know to make sure you get it right (including examples and diagrams).

⚙️ How do I use MyBib's APA Citation Generator?

Our APA generator was built with a focus on simplicity and speed. To generate a formatted reference list or bibliography just follow these steps:

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Your citation will be generated correctly with the information provided and added to your bibliography.
Repeat for each citation, then download the formatted list and append it to the end of your paper.

MyBib supports the following for APA style:

⚙️ Styles	APA 6 & APA 7
📚 Sources	Websites, books, journals, newspapers
🔎 Autocite	Yes
📥 Download to	Microsoft Word, Google Docs

Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

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For additional information on citing references in APA style, access the following links:

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APA Style: In-text citation

References: Books
References: Articles
References: Other web content
In-text citation

Every in-text citation must correspond with a full citation on the References page, and vice versa. You can't include a source in your references list if you don't also cite it in your paper.

Parenthetical Citations

Place at the end of a sentence, before the ending punctuation mark.

One author: Falsely balanced news coverage can distort the public’s perception of expert consensus on an issue (Koehler, 2016).
Two authors: Others have contended the opposite reaction was more likely (Salas & D'Agostino, 2020).
Three or more authors: Discussion has been wide-ranging (Martin et al., 2020).
Remember that APA does allow use of an office or a department as the author, so no-author citations should be rare.
If there is truly no author, use the first two or three words of the title.
The title of a chapter, article, or web page is in quotation marks in-text; the title of books or reports is in italics.

Narrative Citations

Narrative in-text citations incorporate citation elements into the text of the paper. The year can go in parentheses or also in the text.

One author: Koehler in his 2016 study noted the possibility of...
Two authors: Salas and D'Agustino (2020) contend that this effect...
Three or more authors: Martin et al. (2020) discuss this theory...
No author and/or no date: The article "Using Citations" (n.d.) discusses many reasons...

Citing the Same Author

If you are citing the same author in consecutive sentences, cite the source in the first sentence, and in the following sentences do not repeat the citation but instead make it clear in your writing that you are referring to the same source. In subsequent paragraphs, cite it again. More detail on long paraphrases here .

Page Numbers

For short quotations of fewer than 40 words, add quotation marks around the words and incorporate the quote into your own text. Add the page number to the parenthetical citation.

You may also add a page number to make it easier for your reader to find the information, such as when citing within a book.

Effective teams can be difficult to describe because “high performance along one domain does not translate to high performance along another” (Ervin et al., 2018, p. 470).
Fry (2018) notes how computer algorithms often have been underestimated (p. 7).

Block Quotes

For longer quotations of more than 40 words, format the quote in its own paragraph, with the entire section indented 1/2". Do not use quotation marks around it, and include the standard citation information at the end.

For example, if you wished to quote the entire first paragraph of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , that would be formatted as a block quote:

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice, 'without pictures or conversations?' (Carroll 9)

Notice that the block quote has no punctuation mark after the parenthetical citation.

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How to Cite in APA Format (7th edition)
APA Style is widely used by students, researchers, and professionals in the social and behavioral sciences. Scribbr's APA Citation Generator automatically generates accurate references and in-text citations for free.. This citation guide outlines the most important citation guidelines from the 7th edition APA Publication Manual (2020). Scribbr also offers free guides for the older APA 6th ...
APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition)
Basic guidelines for formatting the reference list at the end of a standard APA research paper Author/Authors Rules for handling works by a single author or multiple authors that apply to all APA-style references in your reference list, regardless of the type of work (book, article, electronic resource, etc.)
APA Style, 7th Edition
In October 2019, the American Psychological Association made radical changes its style, especially with regard to the format and citation rules for students writing academic papers. Use this guide to learn how to format and cite your papers using APA Style, 7th edition. You can start by viewing the video tutorial.
APA 7th Ed.
A Quick Guide to APA Citation 7th Edition. CSUDH Library. ... Paraphrasing or summarizing the main findings or takeaways from a research article is the preferred method of citing sources in an APA paper. Always include the last name of the author(s) and the year of the publication, so your reader can find the full citation in the reference list ...
APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition is the official source for APA Style. With millions of copies sold worldwide in multiple languages, it is the style manual of choice for writers, researchers, editors, students, and educators in the social and ...
PDF APA Style Reference Guide for Journal Articles, Books, and Edited Book
academic research databases. Include a URL for ebooks from other websites. Do not put a period after the DOI or URL. ... APA Style 7th Edition Author: American Psychological Association Subject: references Keywords: APA Style; 7th edition; reference; journal article; book; chapter in an edited book Created Date: 12/30/2019 10:15:20 AM ...
Research Guides: Citing Sources: APA (7th Edition)
Authors' first and middle names are never spelled out in APA style. Initials are always used for first and middle names. Include the last names and initials for up to and including 20 authors (note: this is a change from the 6th edition). When there are 21 or more authors, include the first 19 authors' names, insert an ellipsis, and then add ...
PDF 7th edition Common Reference Examples Guide
This guide contains examples of common types of APA Style references. Section numbers indicate where to find the examples in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). More information on references and reference examples are in Chapters 9 and 10 of the Publication Manual as well as the Concise Guide to APA ...
APA Formatting and Citation (7th Ed.)
Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines: Set page margins to 1 inch on all sides. Double-space all text, including headings. Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches. Use an accessible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.).
In-Text Citations: The Basics
When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
APA
Indicate the authors or sources of these in a References list at the end of your paper. This guide is based on the APA Manual (7th ed.) that was published in 2020. The following sections provide you with information and examples that will help you to cite the sources that you come across during your research. General Style Guidelines.
APA Citation Guide
The authors of the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2020) advise writers to: Cite the work of those individuals whose ideas, theories, or research have directly influenced your work. Provide documentation for all facts and figures that are not common knowledge. Use the author-date system to cite ...
PDF Student Paper Setup Guide, APA Style 7th Edition
Indent the first line of every paragraph of text 0.5 in. using the tab key or the paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program. Page numbers: Put a page number in the top right corner of every page, including the title page or cover page, which is page 1. Student papers do not require a running head on any page.
Technical + Research Reports
Format: Author last name, first initial. (Date). Title of report (Publication No.).Publisher. DOI or URL. Elements: Author: List the last name, followed by the first initial (and second initial).See Authors for more information.; Date: List the date between parentheses, followed by a period Title of report: In italics.Capitalize the first word of the title, subtitle, and proper nouns.
APA Style (7th Edition) Citation Guide: Introduction
In APA, you must cite sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places: In the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text citation. In the References list at the end of your paper where you give more complete information for the source. APA 7th ed. Sample Paper.
Getting Started
As with other editorial styles, APA Style consists of rules or guidelines that a publisher observes to ensure clear and consistent presentation of written material. It concerns uniform use of such elements as. many other elements that are a part of a manuscript. APA Style rules and guidelines are found in the 7th edition of the Publication ...
LibGuides: How to Cite Your Sources: APA 7th Edition
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition is the official source for APA Style. With millions of copies sold worldwide in multiple languages, it is the style manual of choice for writers, researchers, editors, students, and educators in the social and ...
Cite: Why? When?
A list of sources can be a useful record for further research; Different academic disciplines prefer different citation styles, most commonly APA and MLA styles. Besides these styles, there are Chicago, Turabian, AAA, AP, and more. Only use the most current edition of the citation style. Ask your instructors which citation style they want you ...
APA Style (7th Edition)
Statistics in APA; APA Classroom Poster; Changes in the 7th Edition; General APA FAQs; Reference List: Textual Sources; Reference List: Online Media; APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition) Suggested Resources Style Guide Overview MLA Guide APA Guide Chicago Guide OWL Exercises. Purdue OWL; Research and Citation; APA Style (7th Edition ...
Research Guides: Citation Style: APA 7th edition: Start here
References page is a list of fully referenced citations used when writing a paper.; Authors are listed by last name and first and middle initial/s (e.g., Brown, J.E.). For a work with up to 20 authors, include all of the names in the reference. When the work has 21 or more authors, include only the first 19 names.
Research Guides: APA Publication Manual 7th ed.: Getting Started with
Getting Started with the 7th ed. APA Publication Manual; Formatting Your Student Paper; Citing Sources: Introduction & In-Text Citations ; Citing Sources: Books ... HUB Desk 205-934-6364. Key Resources on APA Style. Publication Manual (OFFICIAL) 7th Edition of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association. Call ...
APA Citation Guide
APA 7th Manual Made Easy: Full Concise Guide Simplified for Students by Appearance Appearance Publishers. ... Paraphrasing or summarizing the main findings or takeaways from a research article is the preferred method of citing sources in an APA paper. Always include the last name of the author(s) and the year of the article, so your reader can ...
APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources
Author's note (not applicable to student papers) Student papers should include: Course number and name of course; Instructor name; Assignment due date; Running head in page header, flush left (not applicable to student papers) Page number in page header, flush right; Introduction. Begin introduction on a new page.
Overview
Research Guides; APA Style; Overview; Search for ... 7th Edition. Call Number: BF76.7 .P83 2020. The manual is the authoritative source on APA Style and the best place to look for information. APA Style. APA Style Blog. When to cite. Citations are a necessary component of a research paper. Scenarios that need a citation: Direct quotations ...
Citation Machine®: APA Format & APA Citation Generator
This page provides you with an overview of APA format, 7th edition. Included is information about referencing, various citation formats with examples for each source type, and other helpful information. ... When you're writing a research paper or creating a research project, you will probably use another individual's work to help develop ...
Free APA Citation Generator [Updated for 2024]
College-level and post-graduate students are most likely to use an APA citation generator, because APA style is the most favored style at these learning levels. Before college, in middle and high school, MLA style is more likely to be used. In other parts of the world styles such as Harvard (UK and Australia) and DIN 1505 (Europe) are used more ...
APA 7th Resources, Formats & Examples
APA Style Citation Guide 7th Edition APA 7th sample citations, references, papers. APA 7th Resources via APAStyle.org APA Style & Grammar Guidelines PA Style provides a foundation for effective scholarly communication because it helps writers present their ideas in a clear, concise, and inclusive manner.
Research Guides: Management: APA Style Citation
This page from APA provides updated style and citation guidance based on the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. APA Style Blog The APA Style Blog is written by experts from the APA, and answers questions that arise from any ambiguity in the handbook, and details new reference formats that arise ...
APA Style
The authority on APA Style and the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual. Find tutorials, the APA Style Blog, how to format papers in APA Style, and other resources to help you improve your writing, master APA Style, and learn the conventions of scholarly publishing.
In-text citation
Remember that APA does allow use of an office or a department as the author, so no-author citations should be rare. If there is truly no author, use the first two or three words of the title. The title of a chapter, article, or web page is in quotation marks in-text; the title of books or reports is in italics.

Format Your Paper & Cite Your Sources

APA Tutorial

Reference Examples (Chapter 10)

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What is APA Style?

APA style was created by social and behavioral scientists to standardize scientific writing. APA style is most often used in:

APA Style, 7th ed.

Paper Elements

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See Sample References Page (from APA Sample Student Paper):

Elements of Reference List Entries: (Chapter 9)

Formatting Your In-Text Citations

Parenthetical Citations

Narrative Citations

In-Text Citation Checklist

In-Text Citations for Specific Types of Sources

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Citing Sources: APA (7th Edition)

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Citing Sources in APA (American Psychological Association)

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APA Citation Style, 7th edition: APA

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APA Style (7th Edition) Citation Guide: Introduction

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APA Style, 7th edition - Citing Sources

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Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7 th ed.).

How to Cite Your Sources

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APA Style (7th ed.)

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How to cite in APA Style (7th edition)

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APA Style (7th Edition)

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Citation Style: APA 7th edition

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