Citation Help for APA, 7th Edition: Journal Article

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Image Credit: American Psychological Association. (2019). APA Style 7th ed. Quick Reference Guide. Copyright American Psychological Association 2019. Image used with permission.

Variation - Multiple Authors?

Multiple Authors - 20 Authors or Less?

List all authors up to and including 20 authors.

Example

Clarke, N., D'Amato, A., Higgs, M., & Ramesh, V. (2018). Responsible leadership in projects: Insights into ethical decision making. Project Management Institute.

Explanation

List each author's last name first followed by a comma. Then, add the initials for the first and middle names (if there is one). Add a period after each initial. Separate each author with a comma. Insert an ampersand (&) before the last author.

Parenthetical & Narrative Citations

For one or two authors, list all authors in the reference. For three or more authors, list the first author followed by et al. This includes the first time the source is used in the paper.

Parenthetical Citation Example

(Clarke et al., 2018)

Narrative Citation Example

Clarke et al. (2018) found .

Multiple Authors - 21 or More Authors?

List the first 19 authors' names, then insert an ellipse, and then add the last author's name.

Example

Gilbert, J. R., Smith, J. D., Johnson, R. S., Anderson, A., Plath, S., Martin, G., Sorenson, K., Jones, R., Adams, T., Rothbaum, Z., Esty, K., Gibbs, M., Taultson, B., Christner, G, Paulson, L., Tolo, K., Jacobson, W. L., Robinson, R. A., Maurer, O., . . . White, N. (2014). Choosing a title (2nd ed.). Unnamed Publishing.

Parenthetical Citation Example

(Gilbert et al., 2014)

Narrative Citation Example

Gilbert et al. (2014) .

More Information

For more information about author format, see Section 9.8 on page 286 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Variation - Periodical Information?

Missing Journal Information?

In the event there is any missing periodical information (i.e., journal volume, journal issue, or page numbers), then omit this information from the reference.

More Information:

For more information, see Section 9.26 on page 294 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Variations - DOIs?

Long, Complicated DOI?

Some DOIs may be long and complicated. APA 7th edition allows the use of shorter DOI numbers. Shortened DOIs can be located at the International DOI Foundations, shortDOI Service.

More Information:

For more information about DOIs, see Section 9.36 on page 300 of APA Manual, 7th edition.

NOTE: Check your instructor's preference for using short DOIs. Some instructors may want the full DOI.

Variations - URLs?

Long, Complicated URL?

Some URLs may be long and complicated. APA 7th edition allows the use of shorter URLs. Shortened URLs can be created using any URL shortener service; however, if you choose to shorten the URL, you must double-check that the URL is functioning and brings the reader to the correct website.

Common URL Shortner websites include:

More Information

For more information about URLs, see Section 9.36 on page 300 of APA Manual, 7th edition.

NOTE: Check your instructor's preference about using short URLs. Some instructors may want the full URL.

Variations - Live Hyperlinks?

Should my URLs be live?

It depends. When adding URLs to a paper or other work, first, be sure to include the full hyperlink. This includes the http:// or the https://. Additionally, consider where and how the paper or work will be published or read. If the work will only be read in print or as a Word doc or Google Doc, then the URLs should not be live (i.e., they are not blue or underlined). However, if the work will be published or read online, then APA advises to include live URLs. This would allow the reader to click on a link and go to the source.

More Information

For more information, see Section 9.35 on pages 299-300 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

NOTE: Check your instructor's preference about using live URLs. Some instructors may not want you to use live URLs.

Introduction

Journal or Magazine?

Before citing an article from a periodical, one needs to determine if the article is from a magazine or a scholarly journal. There are two general clues to look to in order to make this determination:

  1. Frequency of publication. Journals are more likely to be monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly publications. If the periodical is published weekly, then it is a magazine and not a journal.
  2. Pagination. Magazines are generally paginated by issue (i.e., with each new issue the page numbers start over with number one). Oftentimes, scholarly journals are paginated consecutively throughout the volume year. Page numbering does not begin with number one again until the first issue of the next volume year.

Examine your article and determine if it is a magazine article or not. For an article coming from a magazine, see the Magazine Article page. Remember, book reviews and newspaper articles are cited differently from both magazine and journal articles.

Other NEW Important Information in APA, 7th edition:

  1. ​All journal articles will include the issue number. Regardless, of whether or not the journal is continuously paginated.
  2. All articles coming from an academic database should be treated as a print journal. If the article has a DOI, include the DOI at the end of the reference. If the article does not have a DOI, then omit from the reference.
  3. If periodical information (e.g., volume number, issue number, page range) is missing, omit this information from the reference.

More Information:

For more information about articles and periodicals, see Sections 9.25 and 9.26 on page 294 as well as Section 10.1 and the examples on pages 316-321 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Journal Article with DOI

Example

Kennedy, A. K., Winter, V. R., & Corbin, M. M. (2019). Physical education class and body image perception: Are they related? Physical Educator,

Explanation

Authors: Kennedy, A. K., Winter, V. R., & Corbin, M. M.

Begin the reference with the first author's last name. Add a comma after the author's last name. Then, add the initials of the author's first and middle names (if present). Add a period after each initial. If the author provides a middle name or middle initial, be sure to add a space between the initials. If there are additional authors, add a comma after the first author's middle initial, and proceed to add the other authors using the same format as previously described. Add the authors in the exact order they are listed in the article. Do not change the order of the authors. Before the last author, add an ampersand (&).

Date of Publication: (2019).

Next, in parentheses, add the year the article was published. Add a period after the parentheses.

Title of Article: Physical education class and body image perception: Are they related?

Next, add the title of the article. The title and subtitle (if present) are separated by a colon. Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle as well as proper nouns. Add a period after the title. If the title includes a question mark or exclamation mark, replace the period with the appropriate punctuation. Do not put a period after the question mark or exclamation point.

Source Information: Physical Educator, 76(2), 467-484. https://doi.org/10.18666/tpe-2019-v76-i2-8766

Complete the reference with the source information. In this case, it would be the journal title, the journal volume number, the journal issue number, the page numbers of the article, and the DOI. For the journal title, capitalize all major words in the title, including an initial article (e.g., The, A, An). Do not capitalize prepositions or articles in the middle of a journal title (e.g., of, the, an, etc.). Italicize the journal title. After the journal title, add the journal volume number and be sure to italicize the volume number. Then, add the issue number in parentheses. The parentheses and journal issue are not italicized. Add a comma after the parentheses, and then include the page range of the article (for those articles with designated page numbers on each page of the article). Add a period after the page numbers. Then, add the DOI using the current standard of the DOI, which starts with https://doi.org/


More Information:

For more information about articles and periodicals, see Sections 9.25 and 9.26 on page 294 as well as Section 10.1 and the examples on pages 316-321 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Parenthetical & Narrative Citation Examples

Parenthetical Citation Example:

(Kennedy et al., 2019)

Narrative Citation Example:

Kennedy et al. (2019) outlined .


More Information:

If a source has 3 or more authors, list the first author followed by et al. Follow this format even when using the source for the first time in the document. For more information about author format in parenthetical and narrative citations, see Section 8.17 and Table 8.1 on page 266 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Print Journal Article or Article from an Academic Database without DOI

Example

Rush, M. A., Skora, J. I., Lawrence, J. H., & D'Aurora Richardson, L. (2019). Health care's new wilderness: The intersection of telehealth

and ancillary services. Journal of Health Care Compliance, 21(3), 5-16.

Explanation

Authors: Rush, M. A., Skora, J. I., Lawrence, J. H., & D'Aurora Richardson, L.

Begin the reference with the first author's last name. Add a comma after the author's last name. Then, add the initials of the author's first and middle names (if present). Add a period after each initial. If the author provides a middle name or middle initial, be sure to add a space between the initials. If there are additional authors, add a comma after the first author's middle initial, and proceed to add the other authors using the same format as previously described. Add the authors in the exact order they are listed in the article. Do not change the order of the authors. Before the last author, add an ampersand (&).

Date of Publication: (2019).

Next, in parentheses, add the year of publication. Add a period after the parentheses.

Title of Article: Health care's new wilderness: The intersection of telehealth and ancillary services.

Next, add the title of the article. The title and subtitle (if present) are separated by a colon. Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle as well as proper nouns. Add a period after the title.

Source Information: Journal of Health Care Compliance, 21(3), 5-16.

Complete the reference with the source information. In this case, it would be the journal title, the journal volume number, the journal issue number, and the page numbers of the article. For the journal title, capitalize all major words in the title, including an initial article (e.g., The, A, An). Do not capitalize prepositions or articles in the middle of a journal title (e.g., of the, an, etc.). Italicize the journal title. After the journal title, add the journal volume number and be sure to italicize the volume number. Then, add the issue number in parentheses. The parentheses and journal issue are not italicized. Add a comma after the parentheses, and then include the page range of the article (for those articles with designated page numbers on each page of the article). Add a period after the page numbers.


More Information:

For more information about articles and periodicals, see Sections 9.25 and 9.26 on page 294 as well as Section 10.1 and the examples on pages 316-321 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Parenthetical & Narrative Citation Examples

Parenthetical Citation Example:

(Rush et al., 2019)

Narrative Citation Example:

Rush et al. (2019) discussed .


More Information:

If a source has 3 or more authors, list the first author followed by et al. Follow this format even when using the source for the first time in the document. For more information about author format in parenthetical and narrative citations, see Section 8.17 and Table 8.1 on page 266 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Online Journal Article not from a Database and without DOI

Example

Faggella-Luby, M., Gelbar, N., Dukes, L., III, Madaus, J., Lalor, A., & Lombardi, A. (2019). Learning strategy instruction for college

students with disabilities: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 32(1), 63-61.

Explanation

Authors: Faggella-Luby, M. Gelbar, N., Dukes, L., III, Madaus, J. Lalor, A., & Lombardi, A.

Begin the reference with the first author's last name, Add a comma after the author's last name. Then, add the initials of the author's first and middle names (if present). Add a period after each initial. If the author provides a middle name or middle initial, be sure to add a space between the initials. If there are additional authors, add a comma after first author's middle initial, and proceed with the other authors using the same format as previously described. Add the authors in the exact order they are listed in the article. Do not change the order of the authors. Before the last author, add an ampersand (&).

Date of Publication: (2019).

Next, in parentheses, add the year of publication. Add a period after the parentheses.

Title of Article: Learning strategy instruction for college students with disabilities: A systematic review of the literature.

Next, add the title of the article. The title and subtitle (if present) are separated by a colon. Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle as well as proper nouns. Add a period after the title.

Source Information: Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 32(1), 63-81. https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/publications/jped/archived-jped/jped-volume-32

Complete the reference with the source information. In this case, it would be the journal title, the journal volume number, the journal issue number, and the page numbers of the article. For the journal title, capitalize all major words in the title, including an initial article (e.g., The, A, An). Do not capitalize prepositions or articles in the middle of a journal title (e.g., of, the, an, etc.). Italicize the journal title. After the journal title, add the journal volume number and be sure to italicize the volume number. Then, add the issue number in parentheses. The parentheses and journal issue are not italicized. Add a comma after the parentheses, and then include the page range of the article (for those articles with designated page numbers on each page of the article. Add a period after the page numbers. Then, add the URL to the journal article.

More Information:

For more information about articles and periodicals, see Sections 9.25 and 9.26 on page 294 as well as Section 10.1 and the examples on pages 316-321 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Parenthetical & Narrative Citation Examples

Parenthetical Citation Example:

(Faggella-Luby et al., 2019)

Narrative Citation Example:

Faggella-Luby et al. (2019) reiterated the importance .


More Information:

If a source has 3 or more authors, list the first author followed by et al. Follow this format even when using the source for the first time in the document. For more information about author format in parenthetical and narrative citations, see Section 8.17 on page 266 of the APA Manual, 7th edtion.