How to cite a paper in APA 7: in-text citations and the reference list

2026-09-16

The reference list is the last page you write and the one that loses the most marks. APA 7’s rule for a journal article is really one line; the mistakes hide in the details: where the italics go, how the DOI is written, what happens with three authors.

The reference entry

Surname, A. A., & Surname, B. B. (Year). Title of the article in sentence case. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), first page–last page. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxxxx

Journal name and volume number in italics; issue number in parentheses, not italic.
Only the first word of the title and proper nouns capitalised; after a colon, the first word of the subtitle too.
The DOI is written as a link starting with https://doi.org/ — no “doi:” prefix and no “retrieved from” date in APA 7.
No DOI and the article is online: the journal’s URL; in print only: nothing is added.

In-text citations

One author: (Kaya, 2023).
Two authors: (Kaya & Demir, 2023) — in running text “Kaya and Demir (2023)”.
Three or more authors: (Kaya et al., 2023) from the first citation onwards.
Direct quotation: page number required — (Kaya, 2023, p. 45).

An example (fictional)

In text: “Short-video use lowers sustained attention (Yılmaz et al., 2024).” In the reference list: Yılmaz, E., Kara, S., & Öz, M. (2024). The effect of short-video use on sustained attention in university students. Journal of Educational Research, 12(3), 112–130. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Whether it is “et al.” or a local abbreviation, “&” or “and” — these are your department’s decisions, not APA’s. Institutions adapt APA 7 in their own thesis guides; read the guide once, then keep the same choice throughout. The most common loss of marks is inconsistency, not the wrong format.

Order and layout of the list

Alphabetical by first author’s surname; the same author’s works by year.
Hanging indent (first line flush left, the rest indented 1.27 cm) and double spacing.
Every source cited in the text appears in the list and vice versa — cross-check.

Where to get a ready reference

Google Scholar’s “Cite” button gives APA, but it often mangles author names and capitalisation — always check. In Pofolia, “copy citation” on a paper page builds the reference in APA, Harvard and Vancouver from the author and journal data in OpenAlex, with identical output on phone and web. Still compare the DOI and journal name against the paper itself: a data error upstream lands in your reference list.

For the finding side, see how to find papers for an assignment or a thesis.

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