APA 7 Citation and Reference Guide

How Does APA 7 Work?

APA 7 relies on two matching components:

• In-text citation: identifies the source through the author surname and year.
• Reference list: provides full bibliographic details for sources cited in the manuscript.

Every in-text citation should have a matching reference entry, and every reference-list item should be cited in the text.

In-Text Citations

Parenthetical citation

Example: Social support may play an important role in coping with stress (Yılmaz, 2025).

Narrative citation

Example: Yılmaz (2025) reported that social support may play an important role in coping with stress.

Citations by Number of Authors

One author: (Demir, 2024) / Demir (2024)

Two authors: (Demir & Kaya, 2024) / Demir and Kaya (2024)

Three or more authors: (Demir et al., 2024) / Demir et al. (2024)

Group Authors

First citation: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024)

Later citations: (WHO, 2024)

Multiple Sources in One Citation

Example: (Demir, 2022; Kaya, 2023; Yılmaz, 2025)

Same Author, Different Years or Same Year

Different years: (Yılmaz, 2021, 2023, 2025)

Same year: (Yılmaz, 2024a, 2024b)

Direct Quotations

One page: (Yılmaz, 2024, p. 35)

Several pages: (Yılmaz, 2024, pp. 35–36)

Sources Without Page Numbers

For webpages and similar sources, use a paragraph number, section heading, or another locator when appropriate. Example: (World Health Organization, 2024, para. 4).

Secondary Sources

Whenever possible, consult the original work. If the original cannot be accessed, cite the secondary source in the text and include only the work actually read in the reference list.

Reference List Order and Hanging Indent

Arrange references alphabetically by author surname. Do not number the entries.

Use a hanging indent: the first line begins at the margin and subsequent lines are indented.

Journal Article

Format: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Article title. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), page range. DOI

Example:
Demir, A., & Kaya, B. (2024). Sosyal destek ve yaşam doyumu arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi. Journal of Social Research, 12(2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.0000/example

DOI Format

Use the URL form where possible: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx. The prefix “doi:” is not required.

Books and Book Chapters

Book: Author, A. A. (Year). Book title. Publisher.

Edited book: Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (Year). Book title. Publisher.

Book chapter: Author, A. A. (Year). Chapter title. In B. B. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

Theses, Webpages, Reports, Data Sets, and Software

Thesis: include author, year, title, thesis type, institution, database/repository, and URL when relevant.

Webpage: author or organisation, date, page title, site name, and URL.

Report: organisation, year, report title, and URL where appropriate.

Data set: author or organisation, year, data set title, [Data set], repository, DOI/URL.

Software: developer, year, version, and software description may be included when the software itself is a cited research object.

How Many Authors Are Listed in the Reference List?

List all authors up to 20. For 21 or more authors, list the first 19, insert an ellipsis, and then give the final author.

Capitalisation, Journal Title, and Volume

For English article and book titles, sentence case is generally used. Journal titles retain their published capitalisation.

Journal title and volume number are italicised; the issue number in parentheses is not italicised.

Retrieval Dates

Most online sources do not require a retrieval date. It may be appropriate for content designed to change over time and not permanently archived.

Reference Managers and APA 7

Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, and similar tools can generate APA 7 references, but the output should still be checked carefully.

• Author names
• Article titles
• Journal title
• Volume and issue
• Page range
• DOI
• Capitalisation

Common APA 7 Errors

• Listing every author in text for works with three or more authors
• Using the wrong connector for two-author parenthetical citations
• Omitting page numbers in direct quotations
• Mismatch between in-text citations and the reference list
• Failing to alphabetise the reference list
• Using the old “doi:” format
• Formatting journal title and volume incorrectly
• Confusing chapter authors with book editors
• Failing to cite paraphrased material
• Using reference-manager output without checking it

APA 7 Pre-Submission Checklist

• Are author names and years correct in text?
• Is et al. used correctly for three or more authors?
• Do direct quotations include page or locator information?
• Does every citation appear in the reference list?
• Is the reference list alphabetical?
• Is hanging indentation applied?
• Are journal title and volume formatted correctly?
• Are DOI links given in https://doi.org/ format?
• Have bibliographic details been verified?
• Is APA 7 applied consistently throughout the manuscript?