APA 7th Journal Article Reference Guide

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Meta Title: APA 7th Journal Article Reference Guide Meta Description: How to reference journal articles in APA 7th edition. Author formats, DOI rules, multiple authors, in-text citations, and what changed from APA 6th. Target Keyword: APA 7th journal article reference

Journal article referencing is the most common APA task students face, and it's the one with the most consistent mistakes. The format changed between APA 6th and APA 7th edition in 2020, so if you're using older guides or examples produced before that date, check whether they reflect the current standard.

Here's the current format, explained in full.

The Basic Format

Your examiner wants to see evidence that you have thought carefully about every aspect of your research, from the design of your study to the presentation of your results and the conclusions you draw from them.

Author, A. A., and Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article with sentence case only. Journal Title in Italics and Title Case, Volume(Issue), page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Five things to notice in that template.

First, article titles use sentence case: only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns are capitalised. Journal titles use title case: each major word is capitalised.

Second, the journal title and volume number are in italics. The issue number isn't.

Third, the issue number goes in parentheses directly after the volume number with no space between them. Like this: Psychological Review, 128(3), 412-430. Not like this: Psychological Review, 128 (3), 412-430.

Reading your work aloud is one of the most effective proofreading techniques available because it forces you to process every word individually and makes awkward phrasing, repetition, and grammatical errors much more obvious.

Fourth, DOI format in APA 7th is a hyperlink: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx. In APA 6th, it was written as doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx. The hyperlink format is current.

Fifth, if a DOI is available, use it. Always. Even if you accessed the article through your university database rather than by clicking the DOI directly.

Handling Author Names

One author: List surname first, then initials. Smith, J. A.

Two authors: List both, separated by a comma and an ampersand. Smith, J. A., and Jones, B. C.

Three to twenty authors: List all authors, separated by commas, with an ampersand before the final one.

Twenty-one or more authors: List the first nineteen authors, then insert an ellipsis (...), then the final author. Don't write "et al." in the reference list for papers with 21 or more authors; use the ellipsis format. Et al. is used only in in-text citations.

No author: Use the article title in the author position. If you're citing an editorial, news article, or piece with no named author, the title moves to the front. Only the first word (and proper nouns) are capitalised.

What If There Is No DOI?

If a journal article has no DOI and you accessed it from a database, no URL is needed. Just end the reference after the page range. For example: Smith, J. (2019). The effects of sleep deprivation on memory consolidation. Journal of Sleep Research, 28(4), e12798.

If a journal article has no DOI but is available on the open web (not through a database), include the URL of the article. Use the direct URL, not the database's search page URL.

If a journal article was published as an advance online publication before its final volume and issue were assigned, use "Advance online publication" in place of the volume, issue, and page information. Include the DOI. For example: Williams, P. (2023). Moral distress in nursing. Nursing Ethics. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

In-Text Citations

One author: (Smith, 2020). Or, if the author is named in the sentence: Smith (2020) argues that...

Two authors: (Smith and Jones, 2020). Or: Smith and Jones (2020) found...

Three or more authors from the very first citation: (Smith et al., 2020).

Note that APA 7th changed the rule here from APA 6th. In APA 6th, you listed all authors up to five on first citation, then used et al. from the second citation. In APA 7th, you use et al. from the very first in-text citation for any work with three or more authors.

Same author, same year, multiple papers: Add lowercase letters. (Smith, 2020a) and (Smith, 2020b). The letters correspond to the order the papers appear in the reference list.

What Changed from APA 6th to APA 7th

Running head. Required in APA 6th for manuscripts submitted for publication. Not required in APA 7th for student papers (check with your institution).

DOI format. Changed from doi:10.xxxx to https://doi.org/10.xxxx.

Et al. rule. Changed from three or more after first citation (APA 6th) to three or more from the very first citation (APA 7th).

Publisher location. No longer required for books or book chapters in APA 7th. In APA 6th, you listed the city and country of publication.

Singular they. APA 7th formally endorses using singular "they" as a gender-neutral third-person pronoun.

Frequently Asked Questions

Your abstract sets expectations. Write it last. It should reflect your whole dissertation. We help you capture the key points. Brief but complete. That's the balance. Markers read it first. Make a good first impression. We'll make sure you do.

Q: Do I use DOI or URL for a journal article I found through my university library database? A: Use the DOI if the article has one. The DOI works regardless of which database you used to access the article. Only use a URL if the article has no DOI and you accessed it via an open website (not a database).

Q: How do I cite a journal article that was retracted after publication? A: Include the retraction notice in your reference. Add [Retracted] after the title of the article. If the original article is cited for historical or analytical reasons (you're discussing the retraction itself, for example), include the retraction notice as a separate reference as well.

Q: What's the difference between APA 7th and Harvard referencing for journal articles? A: The structure is similar but the details differ. APA 7th uses parenthetical in-text citations with (Author, Year) format and a reference list. Harvard isn't a single standardised system; different institutions have different Harvard variants. Both include author, date, title, and source. The most visible differences are in capitalisation rules, DOI format, and the handling of multiple authors.