How to Cite in APA Format: Complete 7th Edition Guide

This guide will help you understand how to properly cite sources in APA format, the standard citation style for psychology, education, and social sciences, ensuring that your academic work meets the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association's current standards.

The Official Source

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition (2019) is the definitive guide for APA style. Published by the American Psychological Association, it's available in print, spiral-bound, and ebook formats at apastyle.apa.org.

The 7th edition introduced significant updates including flexible font options, new sample papers for students, updated bias-free language guidelines, and over 100 new reference examples.

Quick Overview

APA style uses an author-date citation system with two components:

In-text citations — brief references in your paper pointing to sources
Reference list — full source details at the end of your paper

In-Text Citations

Place the author's last name and publication year in parentheses. Add page numbers when quoting directly.

One Author

Research shows significant results (Smith, 2023).
Smith (2023) found significant results.

Two Authors

Use "and" in narrative citations, "&" in parenthetical citations.

According to Smith and Jones (2022), the effect was notable.
The effect was notable (Smith & Jones, 2022).

Three or More Authors

Use the first author's name followed by "et al."

Previous studies (Garcia et al., 2021) confirmed this finding.

Direct Quotes

Include page numbers for direct quotations.

The researchers noted that "results exceeded expectations" (Smith, 2023, p. 45).

No Author

Use the title (shortened if necessary) in place of the author.

The report indicated rising trends ("Global Climate Study," 2023).

Reference List Basics

Your reference list appears on a new page titled "References" (bold, centered). Format each entry with a hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches).

Basic Structure

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work. Publisher. DOI or URL

Journal Article

Grady, J. S., Her, M., Moreno, G., Perez, C., & Yelber, J. (2019). Emotions in storybooks: A comparison of storybooks that represent ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(3), 207–217. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000185

Book

Jackson, L. M. (2019). The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000168-000

Website

World Health Organization. (2023, March 15). Mental health in the workplace. https://www.who.int/mental-health/workplace

Chapter in Edited Book

Aron, L., Botella, M., & Lubart, T. (2019). Culinary arts: Talent and their development. In R. F. Subotnik, P. Olszewski-Kubilius, & F. C. Worrell (Eds.), The psychology of high performance (pp. 345–359). American Psychological Association.

Key 7th Edition Changes

The APA 7th edition (2019) made several important updates from the 6th edition:

No location required — publisher city/state is no longer needed
DOIs always included — present as https://doi.org/xxxxx format
Up to 20 authors — list all authors (previously capped at 7)
Singular "they" — endorsed as a gender-neutral pronoun
Student papers — new dedicated formatting guidelines
Running head simplified — only required for professional papers, not student papers

Common Mistakes to Avoid

DOI formatting — use the https://doi.org/ format, not "doi:" or bare numbers
Capitalization — only capitalize the first word of titles and subtitles (plus proper nouns) in references
Italics — italicize book titles, journal names, and volume numbers—not article titles
Ampersand vs. "and" — use "&" in parenthetical citations and reference lists; use "and" in narrative text
Missing retrieval dates — only include retrieval dates for sources that change over time (like wikis)

Who Uses APA Style?

APA is the standard citation format for psychology, education, social sciences, nursing, business, communications, and criminology.

If you're unsure which style your instructor requires, always ask. Many social science courses default to APA, while humanities courses typically use MLA or Chicago.

Further Resources

APA Style Official Website — free tutorials, sample papers, and the official blog
Purdue OWL APA Guide — comprehensive free resource
APA Style Blog — updates and answers to common questions

Need help generating APA citations automatically? Research tools like Wonders can export your sources in APA format with one click.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between APA 6th and 7th edition?

Key changes in 7th edition include: no more “Retrieved from” before URLs (unless you need an access date), DOIs formatted as full URLs (https://doi.org/...), up to 20 authors listed before using “et al.” (previously 7), running head label removed on the title page, and more inclusive language guidelines. If your instructor doesn't specify, use 7th edition—it's the current standard.

How do I cite sources with no author?

Move the title to the author position. For in-text citations, use a shortened version of the title in quotation marks for articles ("Title," 2024) or italics for books (Title, 2024). In your reference list, alphabetize by the first significant word of the title (skip A, An, The).

How do I cite multiple sources by the same author in the same year?

Add lowercase letters after the year: (Morrison, 2024a) and (Morrison, 2024b). In your reference list, order these alphabetically by title and assign letters accordingly. The first reference alphabetically by title gets "a."

Do I need page numbers for paraphrases in APA?

Page numbers are required for direct quotes but only encouraged for paraphrases. However, many instructors require them for all citations. When paraphrasing a specific passage, including the page number helps readers locate the source material. For general references to an entire work, page numbers aren't needed.

Should I use “et al.” for two authors?

No. Always list both authors every time: (Smith & Jones, 2024). Use “et al.” only for works with three or more authors—and use it from the first citation onward.