apa format in text journal article title

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APA Style (7th Edition) Citation Guide: Journal Articles

• 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

Table of Contents

Journal article from library database with doi - one author, journal article from library database with doi - multiple authors, journal article from a website - one author.

Journal Article- No DOI

Note: All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

This Microsoft support page contains instructions about how to format a hanging indent in a paper.

• APA 7th. ed. Journal Article Reference Checklist

If an item has no author, start the citation with the article title.

When an article has one to twenty authors, all authors' names are cited in the References List entry. When an article has twenty-one or more authors list the first nineteen authors followed by three spaced ellipse points (. . .) , and then the last author's name. Rules are different for in-text citations; please see the examples provided.

Cite author names in the order in which they appear on the source, not in alphabetical order (the first author is usually the person who contributed the most work to the publication).

Italicize titles of journals, magazines and newspapers. Do not italicize or use quotation marks for the titles of articles.

Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of the article title. If there is a colon in the article title, also capitalize the first letter of the first word after the colon.

If an item has no date, use the short form n.d. where you would normally put the date.

Volume and Issue Numbers

Italicize volume numbers but not issue numbers.

Retrieval Dates

Most articles will not need these in the citation. Only use them for online articles from places where content may change often, like a free website or a wiki.

Page Numbers

If an article doesn't appear on continuous pages, list all the page numbers the article is on, separated by commas. For example (4, 6, 12-14)

Library Database

Do not include the name of a database for works obtained from most academic research databases (e.g. APA PsycInfo, CINAHL) because works in these resources are widely available. Exceptions are Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, ERIC, ProQuest Dissertations, and UpToDate.

Include the DOI (formatted as a URL: https://doi.org/...) if it is available. If you do not have a DOI, include a URL if the full text of the article is available online (not as part of a library database). If the full text is from a library database, do not include a DOI, URL, or database name.

In the Body of a Paper

Books, Journals, Reports, Webpages, etc.: When you refer to titles of a “stand-alone work,” as the APA calls them on their APA Style website, such as books, journals, reports, and webpages, you should italicize them. Capitalize words as you would for an article title in a reference, e.g., In the book Crying in H Mart: A memoir , author Michelle Zauner (2021) describes her biracial origin and its impact on her identity.

Article or Chapter: When you refer to the title of a part of a work, such as an article or a chapter, put quotation marks around the title and capitalize it as you would for a journal title in a reference, e.g., In the chapter “Where’s the Wine,” Zauner (2021) describes how she decided to become a musician.

The APA Sample Paper below has more information about formatting your paper.

• APA 7th ed. Sample Paper

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of article: Subtitle if any. Name of Journal, Volume Number (Issue Number), first page number-last page number. https://doi.org/doi number

Smith, K. F. (2022). The public and private dialogue about the American family on television: A second look. Journal of Media Communication, 50 (4), 79-110. https://doi.org/10.1152/j.1460-2466.2000.tb02864.x

Note: The DOI number is formatted as a URL: https://doi.org/10.1152/j.1460-2466.2000.tb02864.xIf. 

In-Text Paraphrase:

(Author's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Smith, 2000)

In-Text Quote:

(Author's Last Name, Year, p. Page Number)

Example: (Smith, 2000, p. 80)

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given., & Last Name of Second Author, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of article: Subtitle if any. Name of Journal, Volume Number (Issue Number), first page number-last page number. https://doi.org/doi number

Note: Separate the authors' names by putting a comma between them. For the final author listed add an ampersand (&) after the comma and before the final author's last name.

Note: In the reference list invert all authors' names; give last names and initials for only up to and including 20 authors. When a source has 21 or more authors, include the first 19 authors’ names, then three ellipses (…), and add the last author’s name. Don't include an ampersand (&) between the ellipsis and final author.

Note : For works with three or more authors, the first in-text citation is shortened to include the first author's surname followed by "et al."

Reference List Examples

Two to 20 Authors

Case, T. A., Daristotle, Y. A., Hayek, S. L., Smith, R. R., & Raash, L. I. (2011). College students' social networking experiences on Facebook. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 3 (2), 227-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2008.12.010

21 or more authors

Kalnay, E., Kanamitsu, M., Kistler, R., Collins, W., Deaven, D., Gandin, L., Iredell, M., Saha, J., Mo, K. C., Ropelewski, C., Wang, J., Leetma, A., . . . Joseph, D. (1996). The NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society , 77 (3), 437-471. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1996)077<0437:TNYRP>2.0.CO;2

In-Text Citations

Two Authors/Editors

(Case & Daristotle, 2011)

Direct Quote: (Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57)

Three or more Authors/Editors

(Case et al., 2011)

Direct Quote: (Case et al., 2011, p. 57)

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of article: Subtitle if any.  Name of Journal, Volume Number (Issue Number if given). URL

Flachs, A. (2010). Food for thought: The social impact of community gardens in the Greater Cleveland Area.  Electronic Green Journal, 1 (30). http://escholarship.org/uc/item/6bh7j4z4

Example: (Flachs, 2010)

Example: (Flachs, 2010, Conclusion section, para. 3)

Note: In this example there were no visible page numbers or paragraph numbers, in this case you can cite the section heading and the number of the paragraph in that section to identify where your quote came from. If there are no page or paragraph numbers and no marked section, leave this information out.

Journal Article - No DOI

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of article: Subtitle if any.  Name of Journal, Volume Number (Issue Number), first page number-last page number. URL [if article is available online, not as part of a library database]

Full-Text Available Online (Not as Part of a Library Database):

Steinberg, M. P., & Lacoe, J. (2017). What do we know about school discipline reform? Assessing the alternatives to suspensions and expulsions.  Education Next, 17 (1), 44–52.  https://www.educationnext.org/what-do-we-know-about-school-discipline-reform-suspensions-expulsions/

Example: (Steinberg & Lacoe, 2017)

(Author's Last Name, Year, p. Page number)

Example: (Steinberg & Lacoe, 2017, p. 47)

Full-Text Available in Library Database:

Jungers, W. L. (2010). Biomechanics: Barefoot running strikes back.  Nature, 463 (2), 433-434.

Example: (Jungers, 2010)

Example: (Jungers, 2010, p. 433)

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / APA Journal Citation

How to Cite a Journal Article in APA

Journal articles are one of the most important sources of information for research papers. Often times, they will serve as your main source of information, as journal articles contain information that is specific to a topic. This page will show you how to cite journal articles in APA style, updated for the 7th edition.

Guides Overview

Here’s a run-through of everything this page includes:

APA Journal Article Citation

In-text apa citation for journal articles, reference page apa citation for journal articles, how to cite a journal article in apa (print), how to cite a journal article with multiple authors in apa, how to cite a journal article on a database in apa, troubleshooting.

This guide will help you create journal citations in APA format. Check out this hyperlink if you are looking to create APA books citation .

This section will help you create in-text APA citations for journal articles.

In-text citations refer to the crediting of articles within the body of a work, separate from the reference page at the end of a document. An in-text citation comes after a paraphrase or a direct quote. For any APA in-text citation in your own paper, you must include a full citation in your reference page as well.

Paraphrasing in APA

For an in-text APA journal citation that is not a direct quote, or an APA parenthetical citation , all you need to provide is the author’s last name and the year of publication.

You may provide a page number (preceded by “p.” for one page or “pp.” for multiple pages) as well if the passage or idea you are paraphrasing is on a certain page or set of pages, but this is not necessary for APA journal citations.

Narrative In-Text Citation Example:

According to Currie (2001), there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that early intervention programs can be effective.

Parenthetical In-Text  Citation Example:

Research suggests that the absence of behavior problems is just as important to future success as the development of cognitive skills (Currie, 2001, p. 215).

Short quotes in APA

A short quote in APA style must be fewer than 40 words. When using a direct short quote for APA citation of journal articles, you must list the author, the year of publication, the page number(s), and use quotation marks. You can embed this information within the sentence or cite it at the end of the sentence, or use a mixture of both as long as all the components are used in your APA journal citation.

According to Currie (2001), “the difficulty of overcoming poor endowments later in life—through job training programs for high school dropouts, for example—makes early intervention appear attractive as well” (p. 216).

Long quotes in APA

A long quote in APA citation style (also called a block quote in APA ) has 40 words or more. Like short quotes, for APA citation of journal articles, you must also cite the author, year of publication and the page number(s) for long quotes, and this information can be embedded within the sentence surrounding the quote, cited at the end of the sentence, or a mixture of both.

Unlike short quotes, long quotes in an APA citation of journal article require you to start the quote on a new line with a ½ inch indent from the left margin. Maintain double-spacing throughout the quote, and if you haven’t already embedded all the citation information in the sentence preceding the quote, include it at the end of the quote in parentheses after the closing punctuation mark. Do not use any quotation marks around a long quote for journal APA citation.

Currie’s (2001) study found the following:

Equalizing early endowments through early childhood intervention programs may be a superior approach to the problem of unequal allocations, both because it avoids many of the moral hazard problems that arise when society attempts to compensate those with poor outcomes and because early intervention to equalize allocations may be a more cost-effective way of promoting equity than compensating for unequal outcomes. (pp. 215-216)

Citing Multiple Authors in APA

• 2 authors: Give the information for the first author followed by a comma, then use an ampersand (&) and list the information for the second author.
• 3 to 20 authors: Separate the author names with commas and use an ampersand (&) before the final author’s name. In APA citations of journal articles, never list more than 20 authors.
• 21+ authors: List the first 19 names separated by commas. After the 19th author, add a comma, then an ellipsis (…), followed by the final author’s name.

Citing Group/Corporate Authors in APA

For a corporate author in an APA citation of a journal, use the publishing company in place of the author’s name in the citation. Place the name of the publishing company at the beginning of the citation just as you would the author’s name with proper capitalization.

Citing a Source with No Authors in APA

If no author is given, to create the APA citation of a journal, use the title of the article in place of the author information. Then, provide the publication date and publication name without repeating the article title.

This section will help you create an APA reference page or an APA bibliography .

How author names are structured in APA

Author names, if available, will always come first in your reference page for APA citation for journal articles. Start your reference page citation with the last name of the first author followed by a comma, followed by the author’s capitalized first initial and a period. Then list the author’s middle initial, if one is provided, followed by a period.

Rowling, J. K.

• 2 to 20 authors: Use a comma between all of the author names. Place an ampersand (&) before the final author’s name.
• 21 or more authors: List the names of the first 19 authors and use a comma between all of the names. After the 19th name, place an ellipsis (…) and then the final author’s name.

Structuring dates in APA

• Dates follow the author in APA citation for journal articles and should be in parentheses.
• List the year first followed by a comma.
• Then, list the month, fully spelled out (not abbreviated) and properly capitalized.
• Then, without using a comma after the month, list the numerical date.
• If any of this information is missing from the reference, simply omit it.

Structuring journal article titles in APA

• The article title follows the date.
• Only capitalize the first letter of the first word of the article.
• Do not italicize or underline the title of the article.
• Follow the article title with a period.

Structuring the journal name in APA

Follow the rules for journal article titles in APA citations.

• The name is capitalized throughout, just as the publication capitalizes the title
• The name should be italicized and followed by a comma.

Structuring volume and issue numbers in APA

• The volume and issue numbers follow the publication title.
• After the comma following the italicized title, put the volume number in italics.
• Then, omitting the space, put the issue number in parentheses without italics.
• Place a period after the closing parentheses, again omitting the space after the parentheses.

Structuring website addresses (URLs) and DOIs in APA

• URLs and DOIs for a journal article come after the volume and issue number. After the period following the issue number, put a space followed by the full URL or DOI with no period at the end.
• Since URLs can potentially change and DOIs cannot, APA journal citation style recommends using a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) instead of a website URL when possible.
• A DOI in your reference should be formatted like this: https://doi.org/xxxx
• If a source has a DOI, it should be included; it doesn’t matter if you viewed the print or online version.
• In previous editions of APA, an  APA website citation always included “Retrieved from” or “Accessed from” before a URL. Since APA 7th edition, you no longer need to include this.

Yu, H., & Leadbetter, J. R. (2020, July 15). Bacterial chemolithoautotrophy via manganese oxidation.  Nature,   583 (7816), 453–458. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2468-5

How to Cite an Online Journal Article in APA

The following examples show you how to format an online journal citation in APA style.

For an APA citation journal article from a database, you are not required to include the database information. This is because APA format includes a link to the website or the DOI instead, since database information can change over time. Simply follow the format for an APA citation journal from online as described above.

Here is a video that covers journal article citations in APA style:

Solution #1: What to do if you cannot find a journal article’s DOI

The DOI can typically be found on the first page of an article. For an online journal, the DOI is usually at the top of the webpage below the article’s title. It is a unique combination of numbers, letters, periods, which might appear in any of the forms below:

10.1353/shq.2012.0007

doi: 10.1353/shq.2012.0007

https://doi.org/10.1353/shq.2012.0007

Sometimes, an article does not have a DOI, particularly if it is an older resource. Articles found on JSTOR may just have a stable URL instead of a DOI. If it cannot be found, use the URL in its place.

Corrigan, P.W. (2000) Mental health stigma as social attribution: Implications for research methods and attitude change. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 7 (1), 28-67. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2000-13942-004

Solution #2: How to cite another text cited within a journal article

If you wish to use a quote or information from an article that is cited as coming from another source, use the reference information provided to find the original source. Find the quote within the source and reference its original author and location. If you cannot locate it, you must still cite both sources, identifying the original author and its location within the secondary source.

Solution #3: How to find the volume and issue number of a journal

The volume and issue number can typically be found on the front cover of a journal. Within the pages of an article, they also might be listed in the top or bottom corners of the page. For an online journal, the volume and issue number are listed after the title of a journal.  

Some other formats it might be found in:

vol. 18, no. 4

vol. 18, iss. 4

Published May 9, 2019. Updated July 16, 2020.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Multiple Authors
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Parenthetical Citations
• Reference Page
• Sample Paper
• APA 7 Updates
• View APA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA Examples

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Journal articles are the content within journals, which are a type of literature and are released periodically, are peer-reviewed, and provide some of the most up-to-date studies — basically, a great source for research. They typically focus on a particular topic and contain peer-reviewed articles written by experts in order to educate and inform other experts on the subject. Journals may contain several articles, similar to chapters in a book or articles in a magazine. Articles usually have an abstract, or a short summary of the article, at the beginning and a list of references at the end.

A “scholarly” article is an article that comes from an academic, peer-reviewed source. Because academic journals and non-academic magazines have a lot of structural similarities, the term “scholarly” differentiates this type of article from magazine articles. A scholarly article is typically written by experts for experts, and is peer-reviewed by other experts in the field.

A “peer-reviewed” article is one that has been reviewed by a board of experts in the field for quality and accuracy of the information before publishing. A “peer-reviewed” article is a more trustworthy source because it has been checked and approved by experts and is not based on opinion, low-quality research, or obsolete data.

Articles exist both in print and online and can be found at most academic libraries. Online articles can usually be found using academic databases, which contain structured sets of data or information. Many databases charge a fee to use the database and/or to access full articles. Most university library websites will provide information for accessing different academic databases.

Do not include the publisher and place of publication when citing a journal article in APA style. Publisher names are used for book-type references, reports, computer software and mobile apps, and data sets. Do not include the publisher’s location in references. Instead, the name of the journal will be included, which will provide the reader with sufficient information for locating the source.

To format a journal article in APA style, you will need the author name, publication year, title of the article, journal title, volume number, issue number, page range, and/or DOI (digital object identifier) or URL (uniform resource locator). The format for a journal article having just one author is given below:

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume (issue), page range. URL or DOI

Note that the first name and middle name, following the author’s surname, are abbreviated and separated by a space. The title of the article should be set in sentence case. The first word of the subtitle, if present, should be capitalized. The name of the journal should be set in title case. Set the journal title and the volume number in italics, including the comma that separates them. An example is given below:

Rancière, J. (2016). Un-what? Philosophy & Rhetoric, 49 (4), 589–606. https://doi:10.5325/philrhet.49.4.0589

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Citation Help for APA, 7th Edition: Journal Article

• Books & Ebooks
• Book Chapter & Ebook Chapter
• Conference Presentations
• Course Resources (PowerPoint, Handouts, etc.)
• Encyclopedia
• Journal Article
• Legal Materials
• Magazine Article
• Master's Thesis, Dissertation, or Capstone Project
• Movies & Streaming Video
• Newspaper Article
• Personal Communication (email, interviews, lectures, course materials, etc.)
• Webpages & Websites
• Formatting Your Paper
• In-text Citations
• Ethically Use Sources

General Example & Explanation

Image Credit: American Psychological Association. (2019). APA Style 7th ed. Quick Reference Guide . Copyright American Psychological Association 2019. Image used with permission. 

Variation - Multiple Authors?

Multiple Authors - 20 Authors or Less?

List all authors up to and including 20 authors. 

Clarke, N., D'Amato, A., Higgs, M., & Ramesh, V. (2018). Responsible leadership in projects: Insights into ethical decision making .  Project Management Institute.

Explanation

List each author's last name first followed by a comma. Then, add the initials for the first and middle names (if there is one). Add a period after each initial. Separate each author with a comma. Insert an ampersand (&) before the last author.

Parenthetical & Narrative Citations

For one or two authors, list all authors in the reference. For three or more authors, list the first author followed by et al. This includes the first time the source is used in the paper. 

Parenthetical Citation Example

(Clarke et al., 2018)

Narrative Citation Example

Clarke et al. (2018) found ......

Multiple Authors - 21 or More Authors?

List the first 19 authors' names, then insert an ellipse, and then add the last author's name.

Gilbert, J. R., Smith, J. D., Johnson, R. S., Anderson, A., Plath, S., Martin, G., Sorenson, K., Jones, R., Adams, T., Rothbaum, Z., Esty, K., Gibbs, M., Taultson, B., Christner, G, Paulson, L., Tolo, K., Jacobson, W. L., Robinson, R. A., Maurer, O., . . . White, N. (2014 ). Choosing a title (2nd ed.). Unnamed  Publishing.

(Gilbert et al., 2014)

Gilbert et al. (2014) ...

More Information

For more information about author format, see Section 9.8 on page 286 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Variation - Periodical Information?

In the event there is any missing periodical information (i.e., journal volume, journal issue, or page numbers), then omit this information from the reference.  

More Information:

For more information, see Section 9.26 on page 294 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Variations - DOIs?

Some DOIs may be long and complicated. APA 7th edition allows the use of shorter DOI numbers. Shortened DOIs can be located at the International DOI Foundations, shortDOI Service . 

For more information about DOIs, see Section 9.36 on page 300 of APA Manual, 7th edition. 

NOTE: Check your instructor's preference for using short DOIs. Some instructors may want the full DOI. 

Variations - URLs?

Some URLs may be long and complicated. APA 7th edition allows the use of shorter URLs. Shortened URLs can be created using any URL shortener service; however, if you choose to shorten the URL, you must double-check that the URL is functioning and brings the reader to the correct website. 

Common URL Shortner websites include:

For more information about URLs, see Section 9.36 on page 300 of APA Manual, 7th edition. 

NOTE:  Check your instructor's preference about using short URLs. Some instructors may want the full URL. 

Variations - Live Hyperlinks?

Should my urls be live.

It depends. When adding URLs to a paper or other work, first, be sure to include the full hyperlink. This includes the http:// or the https://. Additionally, consider where and how the paper or work will be published or read. If the work will only be read in print or as a Word doc or Google Doc, then the URLs should not be live (i.e., they are not blue or underlined). However, if the work will be published or read online, then APA advises to include live URLs. This would allow the reader to click on a link and go to the source.   

For more information, see Section 9.35 on pages 299-300 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

NOTE: Check your instructor's preference about using live URLs. Some instructors may not want you to use live URLs. 

Introduction

Journal or magazine.

Before citing an article from a periodical, one needs to determine if the article is from a magazine or a scholarly journal. There are two general clues to look to in order to make this determination:

• Frequency of publication. Journals are more likely to be monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly publications. If the periodical is published weekly, then it is a magazine and not a journal.
• Pagination. Magazines are generally paginated by issue (i.e., with each new issue the page numbers start over with number one). Oftentimes, scholarly journals are paginated consecutively throughout the volume year. Page numbering does not begin with number one again until the first issue of the next volume year.

Examine your article and determine if it is a magazine article or not. For an article coming from a magazine, see the Magazine Article page. Remember, book reviews and newspaper articles are cited differently from both magazine and journal articles.

Other NEW Important Information in APA, 7th edition:

• ​All journal articles will include the issue number. Regardless, of whether or not the journal is continuously paginated.
• All articles coming from an academic database should be treated as a print journal. If the article has a DOI, include the DOI at the end of the reference. If the article does not have a DOI, then omit from the reference.
• If periodical information (e.g., volume number, issue number, page range) is missing, omit this information from the reference.  

For more information about articles and periodicals, see Sections 9.25 and 9.26 on page 294 as well as Section 10.1 and the examples on pages 316-321 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Journal Article with DOI

Kennedy, A. K., Winter, V. R., & Corbin, M. M. (2019). Physical education class and body image perception: Are they related? Physical Educator,

76 (2), 467-484. https://doi.org/10.18666/tpe-2019-v76-i2-8766

Authors: Kennedy, A. K., Winter, V. R., & Corbin, M. M. 

Begin the reference with the first author's last name. Add a comma after the author's last name. Then, add the initials of the author's first and middle names (if present). Add a period after each initial. If the author provides a middle name or middle initial, be sure to add a space between the initials. If there are additional authors, add a comma after the first author's middle initial, and proceed to add the other authors using the same format as previously described. Add the authors in the exact order they are listed in the article. Do not change the order of the authors. Before the last author, add an ampersand (&).     

Date of Publication: (2019). 

Next, in parentheses, add the year the article was published. Add a period after the parentheses.   

Title of Article: Physical education class and body image perception: Are they related?

Next, add the title of the article. The title and subtitle (if present) are separated by a colon. Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle as well as proper nouns. Add a period after the title. If the title includes a question mark or exclamation mark, replace the period with the appropriate punctuation. Do not put a period after the question mark or exclamation point.   

Source Information: Physical Educator, 76 (2), 467-484. https://doi.org/10.18666/tpe-2019-v76-i2-8766

Complete the reference with the source information. In this case, it would be the journal title, the journal volume number, the journal issue number, the page numbers of the article, and the DOI. For the journal title, capitalize all major words in the title, including an initial article (e.g., The, A, An). Do not capitalize prepositions or articles in the middle of a journal title (e.g., of, the, an, etc.). Italicize the journal title. After the journal title, add the journal volume number and be sure to italicize the volume number. Then, add the issue number in parentheses. The parentheses and journal issue are not italicized. Add a comma after the parentheses, and then include the page range of the article (for those articles with designated page numbers on each page of the article). Add a period after the page numbers. Then, add the DOI using the current standard of the DOI, which starts with https://doi.org/

For more information about articles and periodicals, see Sections 9.25 and 9.26 on page 294 as well as Section 10.1 and the examples on pages 316-321 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Parenthetical Citation Example:

(Kennedy et al., 2019)

Narrative Citation Example:

Kennedy et al. (2019) outlined ...

If a source has 3 or more authors, list the first author followed by et al. Follow this format even when using the source for the first time in the document.  For more information about author format in parenthetical and narrative citations, see Section 8.17 and Table 8.1 on page 266 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Print Journal Article or Article from an Academic Database without DOI

Rush, M. A., Skora, J. I., Lawrence, J. H., & D'Aurora Richardson, L. (2019). Health care's new wilderness: The intersection of telehealth

and ancillary services. Journal of Health Care Compliance, 21 (3), 5-16.

Authors: Rush, M. A., Skora, J. I., Lawrence, J. H., & D'Aurora Richardson, L. 

Begin the reference with the first author's last name. Add a comma after the author's last name. Then, add the initials of the author's first and middle names (if present). Add a period after each initial. If the author provides a middle name or middle initial, be sure to add a space between the initials. If there are additional authors, add a comma after the first author's middle initial, and proceed to add the other authors using the same format as previously described. Add the authors in the exact order they are listed in the article. Do not change the order of the authors. Before the last author, add an ampersand (&).   

Next, in parentheses, add the year of publication. Add a period after the parentheses.   

Title of Article: Health care's new wilderness: The intersection of telehealth and ancillary services. 

Next, add the title of the article. The title and subtitle (if present) are separated by a colon. Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle as well as proper nouns. Add a period after the title.   

Source Information: Journal of Health Care Compliance, 21 (3), 5-16.

Complete the reference with the source information. In this case, it would be the journal title, the journal volume number, the journal issue number, and the page numbers of the article. For the journal title, capitalize all major words in the title, including an initial article (e.g., The, A, An). Do not capitalize prepositions or articles in the middle of a journal title (e.g., of the, an, etc.). Italicize the journal title. After the journal title, add the journal volume number and be sure to italicize the volume number. Then, add the issue number in parentheses. The parentheses and journal issue are not italicized. Add a comma after the parentheses, and then include the page range of the article (for those articles with designated page numbers on each page of the article). Add a period after the page numbers. 

More Information:  

(Rush et al., 2019)

Rush et al. (2019) discussed ...

Online Journal Article not from a Database and without DOI

Faggella-Luby, M., Gelbar, N., Dukes, L., III, Madaus, J., Lalor, A., & Lombardi, A. (2019). Learning strategy instruction for college

students with disabilities: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 32 (1), 63-61.

https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/publications/jped/archived-jped/jped-volume-32

Authors: Faggella-Luby, M. Gelbar, N., Dukes, L., III, Madaus, J. Lalor, A., & Lombardi, A.  

Begin the reference with the first author's last name, Add a comma after the author's last name. Then, add the initials of the author's first and middle names (if present). Add a period after each initial. If the author provides a middle name or middle initial, be sure to add a space between the initials. If there are additional authors, add a comma after first author's middle initial, and proceed with the other authors using the same format as previously described. Add the authors in the exact order they are listed in the article. Do not change the order of the authors. Before the last author, add an ampersand (&).   

Date of Publication: (2019).

Title of article: learning strategy instruction for college students with disabilities: a systematic review of the literature. , source information: journal of postsecondary education and disability, 32 (1), 63-81.  https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/publications/jped/archived-jped/jped-volume-32.

Complete the reference with the source information. In this case, it would be the journal title, the journal volume number, the journal issue number, and the page numbers of the article. For the journal title, capitalize all major words in the title, including an initial article (e.g., The, A, An). Do not capitalize prepositions or articles in the middle of a journal title (e.g., of, the, an, etc.). Italicize the journal title. After the journal title, add the journal volume number and be sure to italicize the volume number. Then, add the issue number in parentheses. The parentheses and journal issue are not italicized. Add a comma after the parentheses, and then include the page range of the article (for those articles with designated page numbers on each page of the article. Add a period after the page numbers. Then, add the URL to the journal article.  

More Information: 

(Faggella-Luby et al., 2019)

Faggella-Luby et al. (2019) reiterated the importance .....

If a source has 3 or more authors, list the first author followed by et al. Follow this format even when using the source for the first time in the document. For more information about author format in parenthetical and narrative citations, see Section 8.17 on page 266 of the APA Manual, 7th edtion. 

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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

Table of contents

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.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

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 .

Scribbr Citation Checker New

The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

• Missing commas and periods
• Incorrect usage of “et al.”
• Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
• Missing reference entries

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 .

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 March 29, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/format/

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How to Add an Article Title Into the Text Using APA Format

Catherine bowers.

Including an article title in the text of your writing serves a different purpose than including it in the Works Cited section of a paper. You may want to include the title of an article in your paper when it is the main subject you’re writing about, a subject you’re discussing that you’re referring to simply as an example, or if the research for your writing isn’t extensive enough to require a citation page. The American Psychological Association (APA) has specific guidelines on how to include an article title in the text of your writing.

Consider section 4.21 of the APA Publication Manual "Use of Italics;" according to it, italics should be used for titles of books, periodicals, films, videos, television shows, and microfilm. Make an exception if words in the title are usually italicized and set them in normal type instead; this is called reverse italicization.

Consider section 4.07 of the APA Publication Manual, “Quotation Marks;” according to it, quotes should be used to set off the title of books, articles, and chapters when you are including it in the text.

Check your writing to make sure you’re following the previous two guidelines; the article you mention in your text should be formatted as follows:

Ms. Bond published her controversial piece, “Housebreaking the Habit” in (italics)Dogfancy(/italics) magazine in June of 2010.

• 1 “Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed.”; American Psychological Association; 2010

About the Author

In 1998 Catherine Bowers began writing articles for newspapers, including "The Daily Collegian" at Pennsylvania State University. She also edited a Spanish-language journal and wrote product and patent descriptions for inventors. Bowers assists with the Gutenberg Project and graduated from Pennsylvania State with a Bachelor of Arts in English.

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APA Citation Guide: In-Text Citation

• Books & eBooks
• Journal Articles
• Class Notes, Lectures & Presentations
• Magazine Articles
• Newspaper Articles
• Personal Communication (Interviews, Emails)
• Social Media
• Artificial Intelligence & Chatbots
• Streaming Video & Digital Media
• When Information is Missing
• When Cited in Another Source
• Paraphrasing
• Reference List & Sample Paper
• Annotated Bibliography

Citing Scholarly Journal Articles

Citing a Scholarly Journal Article

• Last name first followed by initials
• Italicize journal name and volume number
• Upper case for first letter of article title and subtitle, all other words, except proper nouns, should be lower case
• First and last page number of article
• Issue number, season, or month, are necessary only if journal is paginated by issue

Single Author

Kakhnovets, R. (2011). Relationships among personality, expectations about counseling, and help-seeking attitudes. Journal of Counseling & Development, 89 , 11-19.

In-text: (Kakhnovets, 2011)

  Two Authors

• List in order of appearance on title page
• Use commas to separate authors
• Use ampersand before last author

Logan, C., & Johnstone, L. (2010). Personality disorder and violence: Making the link through risk formulation. Journal of Personality Disorders, 24 , 610-633.

In-text: (Logan & Johnstone, 2010)

In-Text Citation for Two or More Authors

T wenty-one or more authors:

List the first nineteen authors followed by three spaced ellipse points (. . .) , and then the last author's name.

No author 

For an in-text reference use the first few words of the article title. Place them between quotation marks. In the reference list alphabetize the citation by title.

("Deflecting immigration," 2006)

Journal paginated by issue, not by volume

Tell, D. (2004). Burke's encounter with ransom: Rhetoric and epistemology in "Four Master Tropes." Rhetoric Society Quarterly  34 (4), 33-54.

 In-text: (Tell, 2004)

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APA 7th Edition Style Guide: Journal Article

• About In-text Citations
• In-Text Examples
• What to Include
• Volume/Issue
• Bracketed Descriptions
• URLs and DOIs
• Book with Editor(s)
• Book with No Author
• Book with Organization as Author
• Book with Personal Author(s)
• Chapters and Parts of Books
• Classical Works
• Course Materials

Journal Article

• Magazine Article
• Multi-Volume Works
• Newspaper Article
• Patents & Laws
• Personal Communication
• Physicians' Desk Reference
• Social Media
• Unpublished Manuscripts/Informal Publications (i.e. course packets and dissertations)
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• Formatting Your References
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• Headings in APA
• APA Quick Guide
• NEW!* Submit your Paper for APA Review

Formatting your References

Once you type your references on the reference page, you will need to put in a hanging indent and double-space the entire reference list. In Microsoft Word, highlight the references from A to Z, then find the paragraph function in the Word ribbon. Select Hanging under Indentation and Double under spacing. See the Formatting your References tab for instructions on doing this on a Mac or in Google Docs.

Abbas, D. D. F. (2020). Manipulating of audio-visual aids in the educational processes in Al-Hilla University College. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24 (3), 1248-1263. https://doi.org.db12.linccweb.org/10.37200/ijpr/v24i3/pr200875

Elements of a Journal Citation

Not sure what each element of a citation means? Here is a step-by-step guide on understanding a citation, and creating your own!

The DOI System

• The DOI System Any DOI can be copied and pasted into the DOI resolver to get more citation information than is available in a reference list. Try it out, copy a DOI on this page and paste it in the DOI resolver.
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APA Citation Style, 7th edition: Journal Article with 3–20 Authors

• 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

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

Journal Article with Three to Twenty Authors

Helpful Tips:

DOI: If a journal article has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) listed, you will always include this identifier in your reference as a URL.

Online Database: For works from databases that publish works of limited circulation (such as the ERIC database) or original, proprietary material available only in that database (such as UpToDate), 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 specific archive home page or login page instead of the URL for the work.

Print: If you viewed a journal article in its print format , be sure to check if it has a DOI listed. If it does not, your reference to the article would end after you provide the page range of the article.

Date: When possible, include the year, month, and date in references. If the month and date are not available, use the year of publication.

Surnames and initials for  up to twenty authors  should be provided in the reference list.  For more than 20 authors, list the first 19, followed by an ellipsis, then list the final author.

General Format

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):

(Author Surname et al., Year)

NOTE: The in-text citation for works with three or more authors is shortened to the first author's name, followed by et al. and the year.

In-Text Citation (Quotation):

(Author Surname et al., Year, page number)

References:

Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial., Author Surname, First Initial.Second Initial., & Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume (issue), page range. http://doi.org/xx.xxxxxxxxxx

(Westhues et al., 2001)

(Westhues et al., 2001, p. 40)

Westhues, A., Lafrance, J., & Schmidt, G. (2001). A SWOT analysis of social work education in Canada. Social Work Education, 20 (1), 35-56. http://doi.org/10.1080/02615470020028364

(Dietz et al., 2007)

(Dietz et al., 2007, p. 1518)

Dietz, P. M., Williams, S. B., Callaghan, W. M., Bachman, D. J., Whitlock, E. P., & Hornbrook, M. C. (2007). Clinically identified maternal depression before, during, and after pregnancies ending in live births.  American Journal of Psychiatry, 164 (10), 1515-1520. http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.061118936

ePub Ahead of Print

ePub Ahead of Print  articles, also labeled  Advanced Online Publication  articles, may not have a volume number, issue number, or page numbers assigned to them. If you cannot find a fully published version of the article that includes this information, you can cite the article as an advanced online publication, noting its status where you would usually include the volume, issue, and page numbers. If possible, update your reference to the final version of the source when it becomes available.

Muldoon, K., Towse, J., Simms, V., Perra, O., & Menzies, V. (2012). A longitudinal analysis of estimation, counting skills, and mathematical ability across the first school year.  Developmental Psychology . Advance online publication.  https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028240

Subject Guide

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Q. How do I refer to a journal article by title in-text in APA format?

Should I use quotes or italics for articles in my narrative? Should I use title case or sentence case when referring to article titles in my writing?

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Answered By: Gabe Gossett Last Updated: Mar 26, 2024     Views: 9

According to the APA Publication Manual , page 167, you should refer to article titles using quotes around the title and use title case for capitalization.

In the article "Instructional Strategies to Improve College Students’ APA Style Writing" Mandernach, Zafonte, and Taylor (2016) studied student . . .

More than a decade ago the study "Workshops Increase Students’ Proficiency at Identifying General and APA-Style Writing Errors" (Jorgensen & Marek, 2013) found that . . .

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Reference List: Articles in Periodicals

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.

Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style  can be found here .

Please note: the following contains a list of the most commonly cited periodical sources. For a complete list of how to cite periodical publications, please refer to the 7 th edition of the APA Publication Manual.

APA style dictates that authors are named with their last name followed by their initials; publication year goes between parentheses, followed by a period. The title of the article is in sentence-case, meaning only the first word and proper nouns in the title are capitalized. The periodical title is run in title case, and is followed by the volume number which, with the title, is also italicized. If a DOI has been assigned to the article that you are using, you should include this after the page numbers for the article. If no DOI has been assigned and you are accessing the periodical online, use the URL of the website from which you are retrieving the periodical.

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article.  Title of Periodical , volume number (issue number), pages. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy

Article in Print Journal

Scruton, R. (1996). The eclipse of listening.  The New Criterion, 15 (3), 5 – 13.

Note: APA 7 advises writers to include a DOI (if available), even when using the print source. The example above assumes no DOI is available.

Article in Electronic Journal

As noted above, when citing an article in an electronic journal, include a DOI if one is associated with the article.

Baniya, S., & Weech, S. (2019). Data and experience design: Negotiating community-oriented digital research with service-learning.  Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement ,   6 (1), 11 – 16.  https://doi.org/10.5703/1288284316979

DOIs may not always be available. In these cases, use a URL. Many academic journals provide stable URLs that function similarly to DOIs. These are preferable to ordinary URLs copied and pasted from the browser's address bar.

Denny, H., Nordlof, J., & Salem, L. (2018). "Tell me exactly what it was that I was doing that was so bad": Understanding the needs and expectations of working-class students in writing centers. Writing Center Journal , 37 (1), 67 – 98. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26537363

Note that, in the example above, there is a quotation in the title of the article. Ordinary titles lack quotation marks.

Article in a Magazine

Peterzell, J. (1990, April). Better late than never.  Time, 135 (17), 20 –2 1.

Article in a Newspaper

Schultz, S. (2005, December 28). Calls made to strengthen state energy policies.  The Country Today , 1A, 2A.

Baumeister, R. F. (1993). Exposing the self-knowledge myth [Review of the book  The self-knower: A hero under control , by R. A. Wicklund & M. Eckert].  Contemporary Psychology , 38 (5), 466–467.

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Citation management.

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Class Activity - Searching for Sources

• Searching for Sources Activity

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• ProQuest Research Tools Multidisciplinary collection of full-text journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, e-books, dissertations, and more. Also contains citations to additional materials. Search includes all of the Davidson College Library ProQuest databases.
• Ebsco: Top Article Databases Search across most EbscoHost article databases; interdisciplinary in scope. Note : this search excludes America: History & Life and Historical Abstracts .
• Web of Science (c. 1900 to present) An interdisciplinary resource with over 20,000 scholarly journals, books, and proceedings in the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities, also navigate the full citation network. more... less... Access is restricted to current faculty and staff and currently-enrolled students of Davidson College only.

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The APA style is often used by students and scholars in the social sciences, especially in the fields of psychology and sociology.

Formatting In-Text Citations

APA features in-text citation, which typically includes the author's last name and date (Lipson 2018).

Common Exceptions 

• "microaggressions are brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to people of color because they belong to a racial minority group" (Sue, et. al 2007, p. 273)
• Sue et. al describes various types of microaggressions, such as microasault (2007).

Quick Citation Rules

• APA Reference Guide for Articles/Books/Chapters Breaks down each element in a standard citation for articles, books, and chapters.
• APA Common Reference Styles Overview of how to format citations for common source types.

Full Style Guide

• APA Style and Grammar Guidelines Describes guidelines for mechanics, formatting, tables & figures, and more in APA style.

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