APA 7th Edition Referencing: In-Text Citations and References

APA style, from the American Psychological Association, is widely used in psychology, education, nursing, business and many social sciences. The current version is the 7th edition, published in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2020).

This guide covers the core rules most students need. For full details, the official site at apastyle.apa.org and your university library's APA guide are the authorities. Some departments also adapt APA in small ways, so always check your module handbook.

What markers look for in APA referencing

Markers are usually checking three things:

• Consistency: every source is formatted the same way, following one style.
• Accuracy: names, years, titles and page numbers are correct.
• Completeness: every in-text citation has a matching reference list entry, and every entry is cited in the text.

Small formatting slips may only cost a little, but missing or mismatched citations can raise academic-integrity concerns.

In-text citations

APA uses the author's surname and the year of publication. There are two formats.

• Parenthetical: the citation is in brackets at the end of the idea: "...online learning (Author, 2024)."
• Narrative: the author is part of your sentence: "Author (2024) argues that..."

Number of authors

In APA 7, "et al." is used from the first citation for three or more authors. Note the ampersand (&) inside brackets but "and" in narrative citations.

A group author with a well-known abbreviation can be introduced in full the first time, for example (Name of Organisation [NO], 2024), and abbreviated after that as (NO, 2024).

Quotations and page numbers

For a direct quotation, add the page number: (Author, 2024, p. 45) or (Author, 2024, pp. 45–46). For sources without page numbers, such as webpages, you can use a paragraph number (para. 3) or a section heading instead. Page numbers for paraphrases are encouraged but usually optional; check what your department prefers.

Other common situations

• No date: (Author, n.d.)
• Several sources in one bracket: list them alphabetically, separated by semicolons: (Author, 2023; Writer, 2024)
• Same author, same year: add letters after the year: (Author, 2024a, 2024b)

The reference list

The reference list appears at the end under the heading References (bold, centred). Entries are:

• in alphabetical order by the first author's surname;
• double-spaced, with a hanging indent (the first line flush left, the following lines indented);
• written with the authors' surnames and initials, for up to 20 authors.

Titles of articles and chapters use sentence case (only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns are capitalised). Journal names use title case.

Reference formats by source type

The examples below are format examples with placeholder details, not real sources. Replace every part with the details of your own source.

How to reference in APA, step by step

1. Record full details as you read. Note authors, year, title, journal or publisher, volume, issue, pages and DOI or URL for every source. A reference manager or reading log helps.
2. Identify the source type before formatting, since each type has its own pattern.
3. Cite in the text as you write, not afterwards. Adding citations at the end is how sources get lost.
4. Build the reference list from your citations, checking each one off.
5. Format consistently: sentence case, italics, punctuation, hanging indent.
6. Cross-check both directions: every citation has an entry, and every entry is cited.

Common mistakes

• Using "et al." in the reference list. In APA 7, list all authors up to 20.
• Writing "and" inside brackets instead of "&".
• Title case for article titles. Use sentence case for articles, chapters and books.
• Including the publisher location, which was dropped in the 7th edition.
• Writing "Retrieved from" before every URL. In APA 7 this is only used with a retrieval date.
• Missing page numbers for direct quotations.
• Trusting automatic citations without checking. Database and tool outputs often contain capitalisation and author errors.

APA checklist

• Every in-text citation includes author and year.
• Direct quotations include page or paragraph numbers.
• I have used "et al." correctly for three or more authors.
• The reference list is titled References and is in alphabetical order.
• Entries have a hanging indent and are double-spaced (unless my department says otherwise).
• Article and book titles are in sentence case; journal names in title case.
• DOIs are written as https://doi.org/ links.
• Every citation matches a reference list entry, and vice versa.

Frequently asked questions

Is APA 6th edition still acceptable?

Most universities now expect the 7th edition, but some departments take time to update their guidance. Check your module handbook or ask your tutor, and use only one edition throughout.

Do I need a DOI for every journal article?

Include a DOI whenever the article has one. If it has no DOI and you found it in an academic database, APA 7 usually does not require a URL. If it is available online without a DOI, include the URL.

How do I cite a source I read about in another source?

APA calls this a secondary source. Name the original in your text and cite the source you actually read, for example: Author (2010, as cited in Writer, 2024). Only Writer (2024) goes in the reference list. Where possible, find and read the original.

Can I use APA if my university says "Harvard"?

Not unless your department allows it. Both are author-date styles, but punctuation and formats differ. See our guide to Harvard referencing and follow the version your university specifies.

Getting your references right

If you would like your reference list and citations checked for consistency, our citation and referencing support can review formatting while you keep control of your sources. To build individual entries, try the free citation formatter.