What This Guide Covers
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APA 7th vs 6th edition — Key changes you need to know if your institution has recently updated its style guide.
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In-text citations — Narrative vs parenthetical format, direct quotes, paraphrasing, and multiple sources.
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Books and book chapters — Single author, multiple authors, edited volumes, and e-books.
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Journal articles with DOI — Correct DOI formatting in APA 7th and how to handle articles without DOIs.
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Websites and digital sources — Including social media, online reports, and pages with no date or author.
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Reference list formatting — Hanging indent, alphabetical order, italics rules, and capitalisation conventions.
APA 7th Edition — What Changed from the 6th Edition
APA 7th edition was published in October 2019. If you have used APA 6th edition before — whether through a previous course or a different institution — there are several important differences you need to be aware of. Using 6th edition rules in a 7th edition assignment will cost you marks.
- Publisher location removed. In APA 6th, book references required the publisher's city and country/state. In APA 7th, this is no longer required. Just list the publisher name.
- DOI format changed. In APA 6th, DOIs were formatted as doi: followed by the number. In APA 7th, DOIs are formatted as full URLs: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx.
- Up to 20 authors listed. In APA 6th, you listed the first six authors, then et al. In APA 7th, you list up to 20 authors before using an ellipsis (…) followed by the final author. For 21 or more authors: list first 19, add ellipsis, then final author.
- Running head simplified. In APA 6th, student papers required a running head. In APA 7th, running heads are only required for manuscripts submitted for publication — student papers do not need them.
- Title page updated. APA 7th distinguishes between professional and student paper title pages. Student papers include the course name and number, instructor name, and assignment due date instead of the author note.
- Broader font options. APA 7th allows several fonts: Times New Roman 12pt, Calibri 11pt, Arial 11pt, Lucida Sans Unicode 10pt, or Georgia 11pt.
Check which edition your institution uses. Many UK and Australian universities have moved to APA 7th, but some still require 6th edition. Your module handbook or referencing guide will specify which edition to use. If unclear, ask your lecturer before submitting.
APA In-Text Citations — Narrative and Parenthetical
APA in-text citations always include the author's surname and the year of publication, separated by a comma. This is the key difference from Harvard referencing, which does not use a comma between author and year. Getting this comma right matters — it is one of the most commonly penalised formatting errors.
Parenthetical Citations
A parenthetical citation places both the author and year inside parentheses at the end of the relevant sentence or clause:
Paraphrase — Parenthetical
Fixed mindset thinking limits academic achievement (Dweck, 2006).
Direct Quote — Parenthetical (with page number)
"The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life" (Dweck, 2006, p. 6).
Narrative Citations
A narrative citation integrates the author's name into the sentence as a grammatical element. The year follows the author's name in parentheses:
Paraphrase — Narrative
Dweck (2006) argues that a growth mindset is fundamental to academic resilience.
Direct Quote — Narrative (with page number)
Dweck (2006, p. 6) states that "the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life."
When to use which: Use narrative citations when the author's perspective or identity is relevant to your argument — for example, when you are discussing who argued what and why their position matters. Use parenthetical citations when the content of the claim matters more than who made it — for example, when citing a statistic or widely accepted finding.
Multiple Authors in APA In-Text Citations
- One author: (Smith, 2020)
- Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2019) — use the ampersand (&) inside parentheses; use "and" when naming authors in the text: Smith and Jones (2019)
- Three or more authors: Use et al. from the first citation: (Brown et al., 2021)
- Multiple sources in one citation: List in alphabetical order, separated by semicolons: (Brown et al., 2021; Jones, 2018; Smith, 2020)
- Same author, same year, multiple works: Add a letter after the year: (Smith, 2020a, 2020b) — also add the letters to the reference list entries
How to Cite Books in APA 7th Edition
Single Author Book
Format: Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year). Title of book in italics and sentence case (Edition if not first). Publisher.
Reference List Entry
Kahneman, D. (2011).
Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
In-Text Citations
Parenthetical: (Kahneman, 2011)
Narrative: Kahneman (2011) demonstrates...
Direct quote: (Kahneman, 2011, p. 20)
Book with Two Authors
Reference List Entry
Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (2000).
The elements of style (4th ed.). Longman.
In-Text Citation
(Strunk & White, 2000) — note: use & inside parentheses
Strunk and White (2000) — note: use "and" in running text
Edited Book
Format: Editor Surname, Initial(s). (Ed.). or (Eds.). (Year). Title of book. Publisher.
Reference List Entry
Koch, S. (Ed.). (1959).
Psychology: A study of a science (Vol. 1). McGraw-Hill.
Chapter in an Edited Book
Format: Chapter Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year). Title of chapter in sentence case. In Editor Initial(s). Surname (Ed.), Title of book in italics (pp. Page range). Publisher.
Reference List Entry
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. In C. L. Stacey & M. DeMartino (Eds.),
Understanding human motivation (pp. 26–47). Howard Allen Publishers.
In-Text Citation
(Maslow, 1943)
How to Cite Journal Articles in APA 7th Edition
Journal article formatting is one of the most important citation types in APA, and also one of the most detail-sensitive. Pay close attention to capitalisation (sentence case for article titles, title case for journal names) and DOI formatting.
Journal Article with DOI
Format: Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year). Title of article in sentence case. Journal Name in Italics, Volume(Issue), Page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Reference List Entry
Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindsets and math/science achievement.
Carnegie Corporation of New York,
3(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2007.09.002
In-Text Citation
(Dweck, 2008) or (Dweck, 2008, p. 4)
Capitalisation rule: Article titles use sentence case — only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon are capitalised. Journal names use title case — all major words capitalised. This is the opposite of Harvard referencing, so be careful if you use both styles across different assignments.
Journal Article without DOI (with URL)
If an article does not have a DOI but is available online, include the URL instead. Unlike Harvard, APA does not require an accessed date for most online sources (unless the content is likely to change).
Reference List Entry
Sehgal, A. R. (2021). The role of medical journals in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine,
88(6), 347–350. https://www.ccjm.org/content/88/6/347
Journal Article in a Database (No URL or DOI)
For print journal articles or articles accessed through a database that do not have a DOI or stable URL, omit the URL/DOI entirely.
Reference List Entry
Freud, S. (1957). Repression. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.),
The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 14, pp. 141–158). Hogarth Press.
How to Cite Websites in APA 7th Edition
APA 7th has clear rules for citing web content, and the format differs in important ways from Harvard. The biggest difference: APA does not require an accessed date for most web sources (only for content that changes frequently, like wikis or social media).
Standard Website
Format: Author Surname, Initial(s). or Organisation. (Year, Month Day). Title of specific page in italics. Site Name. URL
Reference List Entry
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, November 3).
Understanding COVID-19 vaccines. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html
In-Text Citation
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023)
Website with No Author
Move the title to the author position. Italicise the title in the reference list. In the in-text citation, use the title in italics (shortened if long).
Reference List Entry
UK inflation rate drops to 3.4%. (2024, March 20). BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68579835
In-Text Citation
(
UK inflation rate drops, 2024)
Website with No Date
Reference List Entry
World Health Organization. (n.d.).
Mental health: Strengthening our response. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response
In-Text Citation
(World Health Organization, n.d.)
How to Cite Reports in APA 7th Edition
Government or Institutional Report
Format: Author Surname, Initial(s). or Organisation. (Year). Title of report in italics. Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx or URL
Reference List Entry
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2023).
Synthesis report of the IPCC sixth assessment report (AR6). IPCC. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/
Report with a Named Author at an Organisation
Reference List Entry
Autor, D. H. (2019).
Work of the past, work of the future (NBER Working Paper No. 25588). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w25588
In-Text Citation
(Autor, 2019)
Reference List Formatting Rules
The reference list is the section at the end of your paper that provides full details of every source you cited. Getting the formatting right is just as important as getting the content of each entry right.
Page Setup
- The reference list starts on a new page after the body of the paper.
- The heading "References" appears centred and in bold at the top of the page. It is not underlined, not in quotation marks, and not a larger font size than the rest of the text.
- Entries are double-spaced with no extra blank lines between entries.
- Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides.
Hanging Indent
Every reference list entry uses a hanging indent: the first line of each entry is flush with the left margin, and all subsequent lines are indented by 0.5 inches (1.27 cm). In Microsoft Word, you can apply this by selecting all reference entries and using Format → Paragraph → Indentation → Special: Hanging.
Alphabetical Order
Entries are alphabetised by the first author's surname. If the same author appears multiple times, list entries in chronological order (oldest first). If the same author has multiple entries in the same year, add a, b, c after the year: (2020a), (2020b).
Italics in the Reference List
- Books: Italicise the book title. The volume number (if any) is also italicised.
- Journal articles: Italicise the journal name AND the volume number. Do not italicise the issue number in parentheses or the article title.
- Websites: Italicise the title of the specific page you are citing (not the name of the website itself).
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Common APA 7th Edition Mistakes to Avoid
- Comma between author and year in parenthetical citations. APA requires a comma: (Smith, 2020). Harvard does not use a comma: (Smith 2020). This is one of the first things markers check.
- Using title case for article titles. Article titles use sentence case (only first word and proper nouns capitalised). Journal names use title case. This is the opposite of how most people capitalise naturally, so it requires deliberate attention.
- Using 'doi:' prefix instead of the full DOI URL. In APA 7th, DOIs must be formatted as https://doi.org/... — not as doi:10.xxxx or plain numbers.
- Including publisher location for books. APA 7th removed this requirement. Do not include the city/country after the publisher name.
- Not applying a hanging indent. The hanging indent is a visual formatting requirement that many students forget. Without it, the reference list loses marks even if every entry is accurate.
- Using 'no date' instead of 'n.d.' APA uses the abbreviation n.d. (not 'no date') for sources without a publication date.
- Using '&' in narrative citations. When two authors are named as part of the sentence, use "and": Smith and Jones (2020). Inside parentheses, use the ampersand: (Smith & Jones, 2020).
- Missing the issue number for journals. The issue number should appear in parentheses immediately after the volume number, without a space: 47(2). It is not italicised. The volume number is italicised. The issue number is not.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between APA 6th and APA 7th edition? ▾
APA 7th edition introduced several key changes: publisher location is no longer required for books; DOIs are now formatted as https://doi.org/... hyperlinks; up to 20 authors can be listed before using an ellipsis; running heads are no longer required for student papers; and font options have been broadened. Always confirm which edition your institution uses — many universities have switched to 7th but some still require 6th.
What is the difference between narrative and parenthetical in-text citations? ▾
A parenthetical citation places both author and year in parentheses: (Smith, 2020). A narrative citation integrates the author's name into the sentence: Smith (2020) argues... Use narrative citations when the author's perspective matters to your argument. Use parenthetical citations when the information itself is the focus. For direct quotes, always include a page number in both formats.
How do I format the APA reference list? ▾
The reference list starts on a new page titled "References" (centred, bold). Entries are alphabetical by author surname, double-spaced, with a hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches). DOIs are formatted as full hyperlinks. Volume numbers in journal entries are italicised; issue numbers are not.
How do I cite a journal article in APA 7th edition? ▾
Format: Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year). Title of article in sentence case. Journal Name in Italics, Volume(Issue), Page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx. Article titles use sentence case; journal names use title case. The volume number is italicised; the issue number is not.
How do I cite a book in APA 7th edition? ▾
Format: Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year). Title of book in italics and sentence case (Edition if not first). Publisher. Note: in APA 7th, you do not include the publisher's location. Example: Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
How do I cite a website in APA 7th edition? ▾
Format: Author/Organisation. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage in italics. Website Name. URL. Unlike Harvard, APA does not require an accessed date for most web sources. For sources with no date, use n.d. in place of the year. For sources with no author, move the title to the author position.
How do I handle a source with no author in APA? ▾
When a source has no identifiable author, move the title to the author position in the reference list. In the in-text citation, use a shortened version of the title in italics (for books) or in quotation marks (for articles/web pages), followed by the year: ("Effects of stress," 2019) or (Merriam-Webster, 2023).
What are the most common APA 7th edition mistakes? ▾
The most common mistakes are: using title case for article titles (should be sentence case), formatting DOIs with 'doi:' prefix instead of the full URL, including publisher location (not required), missing the comma in parenthetical citations — (Smith 2020) is wrong, (Smith, 2020) is correct — not applying a hanging indent, and italicising the issue number as well as the volume number (only the volume should be italicised).
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