APA 7th Edition Citation Guide: Rules, Examples & Free Generator
Complete APA 7th edition guide with in-text citation rules, reference list format, and examples for books, journals, and websites. Free citation generator.
The American Psychological Association's 7th edition Publication Manual is the most widely used citation style in the social sciences, education, nursing, business, and many other disciplines. Published in 2019 with ongoing updates through 2025, APA 7th edition introduced significant changes from the 6th edition that streamlined formatting and modernized the treatment of digital sources.
This guide covers everything you need to format your paper correctly: general document formatting, in-text citations, reference list entries, and worked examples for the most common source types.
General Formatting Rules
Before diving into citations, here are the foundational formatting rules for APA 7th edition papers.
Page setup
- Font: Use a readable font. APA 7th edition accepts several options: 12-pt Times New Roman, 11-pt Arial, 11-pt Calibri, or 10-pt Lucida Sans Unicode, among others.
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides.
- Spacing: Double-space the entire paper, including the reference list. No extra spacing between paragraphs.
- Alignment: Left-aligned (ragged right edge). Do not use full justification.
- Page numbers: Top right corner of every page, starting from the title page.
- Paragraph indentation: First line indented 0.5 inches.
Title page (student papers)
APA 7th edition distinguishes between student papers and professional papers. For student papers:
- Title: Centered, bold, 3-4 lines down from the top margin. Use title case.
- Author name: Below the title, centered. No titles (Dr., Prof.) or degrees.
- Affiliation: Department and university, centered below the author name.
- Course: Course number and name, centered.
- Instructor: Instructor's name, centered.
- Date: Assignment due date, centered.
- No running head required for student papers (a significant change from APA 6th edition).
Title page (professional papers)
Professional papers include a running head: a shortened version of the title (up to 50 characters) in ALL CAPS at the top left of every page. The label "Running head:" that was required in APA 6th is no longer used.
Headings
APA uses five levels of headings:
| Level | Format |
|---|---|
| 1 | Centered, Bold, Title Case |
| 2 | Left-Aligned, Bold, Title Case |
| 3 | Left-Aligned, Bold Italic, Title Case |
| 4 | Indented, Bold, Title Case, Ending With a Period. Text begins after the period. |
| 5 | Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case, Ending With a Period. Text begins after the period. |
In-Text Citations
APA uses an author-date system for in-text citations. Every source cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and every reference list entry must be cited in the text.
Basic formats
Parenthetical citation (author and date in parentheses):
Research has shown a strong correlation between sleep quality
and academic performance (Walker, 2023).
Narrative citation (author integrated into the sentence):
Walker (2023) demonstrated a strong correlation between sleep
quality and academic performance.
One author
(Martinez, 2024)
Martinez (2024)
Two authors
Use "and" in narrative citations, "&" in parenthetical citations:
(Chen & Williams, 2023)
Chen and Williams (2023)
Three or more authors
Use "et al." from the first citation onward. This is a major change from APA 6th edition, which required listing all authors up to five for the first citation:
(Thompson et al., 2024)
Thompson et al. (2024)
Multiple works by the same author in the same year
Add lowercase letters after the year:
(Patel, 2024a)
(Patel, 2024b)
Multiple sources in one citation
Separate with semicolons, ordered alphabetically:
Several studies support this finding (Adams, 2022; Chen, 2023;
Williams, 2024).
Direct quotations
Include the page number (or paragraph number for sources without pages):
Walker (2023) described the relationship as "robust across all
demographic subgroups" (p. 47).
The relationship was described as "robust across all demographic
subgroups" (Walker, 2023, p. 47).
For quotations of 40 words or more, use a block quote: start on a new line, indent the entire quote 0.5 inches, do not use quotation marks, and place the citation after the closing punctuation.
Secondary sources
When you cite a source that you found cited in another source (i.e., you did not read the original):
Bandura's social learning theory (as cited in Thompson, 2024)
suggests that...
In the reference list, include only the source you actually read (Thompson, 2024).
Organization as author
Spell out the full name the first time, with the abbreviation in brackets. Use the abbreviation in subsequent citations:
First citation: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2025)
Subsequent citations: (WHO, 2025)
Reference List
The reference list appears on a new page at the end of your paper. The heading "References" is centered and bold at the top.
General formatting
- Alphabetical order by the first author's last name.
- Hanging indent: First line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches.
- Double-spaced throughout.
- DOIs as hyperlinks: Format as https://doi.org/xxxxx. Do not add a period after a DOI or URL.
The four elements
Every APA reference follows the same basic template with four elements:
Author. (Date). Title. Source.
How each element is formatted varies by source type. Below are examples for the most common types.
Reference Examples by Source Type
Journal article (with DOI)
Grady, J. S., Her, M., Moreno, G., Perez, C., & Yelinek, 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
Key rules:
- Italicize the journal name and volume number.
- Do not italicize the issue number (in parentheses).
- Include the DOI as a hyperlink.
Journal article (without DOI, accessed online)
Anderson, M. (2018). Getting consistent with consequences.
Educational Leadership, 76(1), 26-33.
https://www.example.com/article
If the article was accessed through a database and has no DOI, do not include the database name or URL. If it was accessed on a website, include the URL.
Book (print)
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
Key rules:
- Italicize the book title.
- Include the edition in parentheses after the title (if not the first edition).
- Do not include publisher location (a change from APA 6th edition).
- Include DOI if available.
Edited book chapter
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: Developing human potential into domain-specific
talent (pp. 345-359). American Psychological Association.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0000120-016
Key rules:
- The chapter title is not italicized.
- The book title is italicized.
- Include "In" before the editors' names (initials first, then last name).
- Include page range in parentheses.
Website (with individual author)
Price, D. (2018, March 28). Laziness does not exist. Medium.
https://humanparts.medium.com/laziness-does-not-exist-3af27e312d01
Key rules:
- Include the specific date if available (Year, Month Day).
- Include the site name in the source position (not italicized) unless the site name is the same as the author.
- Do not add a period after the URL.
Website (organization as author)
World Health Organization. (2018, May 24). The top 10 causes of
death. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/
the-top-10-causes-of-death
When the organization is both the author and the site name, omit the site name.
Newspaper or magazine article (online)
Guarino, B. (2017, December 4). How will humanity satisfactorily
utilise its leisure time? The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/example
Government or institutional report
National Institute of Mental Health. (2018). Suicide (NIH
Publication No. 18-MH-6389). U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/example
Conference presentation
Evans, A. C., Garbarino, J., Bocanegra, E., Kinscherff, R. T.,
& Márquez-Greene, N. (2019, August 8-11). Gun violence:
An event on the power of community [Conference presentation].
APA 2019 Convention, Chicago, IL, United States.
https://convention.apa.org/example
Dissertation or thesis
Harris, L. (2014). Instructional leadership perceptions and
practices of elementary school leaders [Doctoral dissertation,
University of Virginia]. PQDT Open.
https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/example
Social media post
APA Education [@APAEducation]. (2018, June 29). College students
are forming mental-health clubs — and they're making a
difference @washaborting [Thumbnail with link attached]
[Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/apaeducation/example
AI-generated content
For citing AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or CiteDash, see our detailed guide on how to cite AI-generated content in academic papers.
OpenAI. (2026). ChatGPT (GPT-4o version) [Large language model].
https://chat.openai.com
Common Formatting Questions
How many authors do I list?
APA 7th edition lists up to 20 authors in the reference list. For works with 21 or more authors, list the first 19, insert an ellipsis (but no ampersand), and add the final author's name.
Author, A., Author, B., Author, C., Author, D., Author, E.,
Author, F., Author, G., Author, H., Author, I., Author, J.,
Author, K., Author, L., Author, M., Author, N., Author, O.,
Author, P., Author, Q., Author, R., Author, S., . . .
Author, Z. (Year). Title. Source.
When do I use "Retrieved from" vs. just a URL?
Use "Retrieved [Date], from [URL]" only for sources that are likely to change over time, such as social media profiles, wiki pages, or unarchived web pages. For stable sources (journal articles, published reports), use just the URL or DOI.
How do I handle missing information?
| Missing Element | What to Do |
|---|---|
| No author | Move title to author position |
| No date | Use (n.d.) |
| No title | Provide a description in square brackets: [Description of content] |
| No page numbers | Use paragraph number (para. X) or section heading for quotes |
| No DOI or URL | End the reference after the source element |
Should I include database names?
Generally, no. Do not include database names (e.g., PsycINFO, JSTOR, ProQuest) in references. Readers can access articles through any available database. The exception is for works with limited distribution that are only available through a specific database.
Using a Citation Generator
Manually formatting every reference is time-consuming and error-prone. Citation generators can automate the process, but not all generators are equally reliable.
When choosing a citation generator, look for:
- Accuracy: Does it follow APA 7th edition rules correctly, including the latest updates?
- Source detection: Can it pull metadata directly from a DOI, URL, or database entry?
- Verification: Does it check that the source actually exists?
CiteDash includes a free APA citation generator that formats references in APA 7th edition (as well as MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles). Because it pulls metadata from academic databases like CrossRef and Semantic Scholar, the generated citations reflect the actual publication data rather than user-entered information, which reduces errors. You can also use the dedicated APA 7th edition formatter for quick individual citations.
Tip
If you are working on a research paper and need to cite many sources, using a citation manager like Zotero alongside a citation generator can save significant time. Import your sources into your citation manager during the research phase, and generate your formatted reference list when you are ready to submit.
APA 7th Edition Changes: Quick Summary
If you learned APA formatting under the 6th edition, here are the key changes to be aware of:
| Feature | APA 6th Edition | APA 7th Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Running head | Required for all papers, with "Running head:" label on first page | Only required for professional papers; no "Running head:" label |
| Author listing | Up to 7 authors, then ellipsis | Up to 20 authors, then ellipsis |
| "et al." usage | First citation: list all (up to 5); subsequent: "et al." | Use "et al." from the first citation for 3+ authors |
| Publisher location | Required (City, State) | Not required |
| DOI format | doi:10.xxxxx | https://doi.org/10.xxxxx |
| Font | Times New Roman 12pt only | Multiple acceptable fonts |
| Bold headings | Only Levels 1-2 | All heading levels use bold |
Conclusion
APA 7th edition is more streamlined than its predecessor, but the details still matter. Incorrect formatting can cost you points on assignments and delay publication of manuscripts. The key principles are consistency, completeness, and accuracy: every in-text citation needs a matching reference list entry, every reference needs all four elements (author, date, title, source), and every detail needs to follow the current rules.
When in doubt, consult the APA Style website for the most current guidance, or use a reliable citation generator to handle the formatting while you focus on your research.