How to Cite a Journal Article in APA 7th Edition

This guide explains how to format a journal article citation in APA 7th Edition. Follow the format template below, refer to the real example, and use the step-by-step instructions to build your citation correctly.

Format Template

The general pattern for citing a journal article in APA 7th Edition:

Template

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. *Title of Periodical*, *volume*(issue), page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx

In-Text Citation Example

How the citation appears within the body of your paper:

In-text citation

(Smith & Jones, 2023, p. 45)

Reference List Entry Example

The full citation as it appears in your reference list:

Reference list entry

Patel, R., & Kim, S. (2023). The role of metacognition in self-regulated learning: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 35(2), 112--138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09812-5

Step-by-Step Guide

1
Identify the authors
List each author's last name followed by a comma and their initials. Separate multiple authors with commas and use an ampersand (&) before the last author. For 21 or more authors, list the first 19, then an ellipsis, then the last author.
2
Add the publication year
Place the year of publication in parentheses after the author names, followed by a period.
3
Write the article title
Use sentence case (capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns). Do not italicize or place in quotation marks. End with a period.
4
Add the journal title and volume
Italicize the journal name (use title case) and the volume number. Place the issue number in parentheses immediately after the volume number (not italicized). Follow with a comma.
5
Include page numbers
Add the page range using an en dash (e.g., 112--138). End with a period.
6
Include the DOI
Provide the DOI as a URL (https://doi.org/xxxxx). Do not place a period after the DOI.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting to italicize the journal name and volume number.
Omitting the DOI when one is available.
Using "and" instead of the ampersand (&) before the last author in the reference list.
Including the issue number when the journal uses continuous pagination (include issue number only if each issue starts at page 1).
Not capitalizing only the first word and proper nouns in the article title.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many authors do I list in an APA 7th edition reference?

List up to 20 authors. For works with 21 or more authors, list the first 19 authors, insert an ellipsis (but no ampersand), and then add the final author's name.

Do I need to include the issue number for journal articles in APA?

Yes. APA 7th edition recommends always including the issue number in parentheses after the volume number, even for journals with continuous pagination. This is a change from APA 6th edition.

What is the difference between the in-text citation for one author vs. two authors?

For one author, use (Smith, 2023). For two authors, use (Smith & Jones, 2023) with an ampersand. For three or more authors, use (Smith et al., 2023) from the first citation onward.

Information You Will Need

Before creating your citation, gather the following information from your journal article:

Author(s)
Year of publication
Article title
Journal name
Volume number
Issue number
Page range
DOI or URL

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Step-by-Step Guide

Identify the authors

List each author's last name followed by a comma and their initials. Separate multiple authors with commas and use an ampersand (&) before the last author. For 21 or more authors, list the first 19, then an ellipsis, then the last author.

Add the publication year

Place the year of publication in parentheses after the author names, followed by a period.

Write the article title

Use sentence case (capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns). Do not italicize or place in quotation marks. End with a period.

Add the journal title and volume

Italicize the journal name (use title case) and the volume number. Place the issue number in parentheses immediately after the volume number (not italicized). Follow with a comma.

Include page numbers

Add the page range using an en dash (e.g., 112--138). End with a period.

Include the DOI

Provide the DOI as a URL (https://doi.org/xxxxx). Do not place a period after the DOI.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting to italicize the journal name and volume number.

Omitting the DOI when one is available.

Using "and" instead of the ampersand (&) before the last author in the reference list.

Including the issue number when the journal uses continuous pagination (include issue number only if each issue starts at page 1).

Not capitalizing only the first word and proper nouns in the article title.