APA 7th edition uses an author-date system: a short citation in the text, such as (Mensah, 2022), points to a full entry in an alphabetical reference list. It is the standard style in psychology, education, nursing, business and the social sciences.
This guide covers in-text citations, reference list rules, the most common source types and the paper layout points tutors check most often.
APA 7 in One Minute
In the text, give the author's surname and the year, adding a page number for quotations. For three or more authors, use the first author plus "et al." from the first citation.
In the reference list, use sentence case for article and book titles, italics for book and journal titles, a hanging indent, double spacing and DOIs written as https://doi.org/ links.
In-Text Citations
APA 7 has two citation forms. Use whichever reads more naturally in your sentence.
Parenthetical: Retrieval practice strengthens long-term memory (Roediger & Butler, 2011).
Narrative: Roediger and Butler (2011) showed that retrieval practice strengthens long-term memory.
Quotation: "Short, frequent quizzes outperformed rereading in every cohort" (Okafor & Lind, 2021, p. 14).
The quotation is an illustrative example of the format; always take page numbers from the source you are quoting. Use "&" inside parentheses and "and" in running text.
Authors and Special Cases in the Text
| Situation | Format |
|---|---|
| One author | (Okafor, 2021) |
| Two authors | (Okafor & Lind, 2021), both names every time |
| Three or more authors | (Okafor et al., 2021), from the first citation |
| Group author with abbreviation | First: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2022); then (WHO, 2022) |
| No author | Use a short title: ("Sleep and Memory," 2020) for an article; (Climate Report, 2020) for a book or report |
| No date | (Okafor, n.d.) |
| Same author, same year | (Okafor, 2021a, 2021b) |
| Several works at once | (Lind, 2019; Okafor, 2021), in alphabetical order |
| Quotation without page numbers | (Okafor, 2021, para. 4) |
Reference List Rules
- Start the list on a new page titled References, centered and bold.
- Double-space every entry and use a 0.5-inch hanging indent.
- Order entries alphabetically by the first author's surname; for the same author, oldest first.
- List up to 20 authors. For 21 or more, give the first 19, an ellipsis, then the final author.
- Use sentence case for titles of articles, books, chapters and webpages; title case for journal names.
- Italicize book, report and webpage titles, and journal names with volume numbers.
- Give DOIs as links, for example https://doi.org/10.xxxx, with no "Retrieved from" for most sources.
- Do not include a publisher location for books.
Reference Formats by Source Type
Journal Article
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxx
Roediger, H. L., & Butler, A. C. (2011). The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15(1), 20–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.09.003
Book
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (ed.). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxx
Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Chapter in an Edited Book
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.
Achieng, R. (2020). Peer learning in nursing education. In T. Lind & M. Osei (Eds.), Teaching in clinical settings (pp. 45–62). Meridian Academic.
Webpage
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL
Okafor, J. (2023, May 4). How sleep supports learning. Learning Science Hub. https://www.example.org/sleep-learning
Omit the site name when it is the same as the author. Add a retrieval date only for pages designed to change, such as a frequently updated data page.
Report by an Organization
Organization Name. (Year). Title of report (Report No. xxx). Publisher if different. URL
National Health Research Council. (2022). Nurse staffing and patient outcomes (Report No. 14). https://www.example.org/report14
Dissertation or Thesis
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation [Doctoral dissertation, Institution]. Database or Archive. URL
Kamau, L. (2021). Instructional leadership and school culture [Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi]. University Repository. https://www.example.org/kamau2021
Apart from Roediger and Butler and Brown et al., the entries above are illustrative examples of the format, not real sources.
Student Paper Layout Essentials
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides.
- Font: an accessible font used consistently, such as 11-point Calibri or Arial, 11-point Georgia or 12-point Times New Roman.
- Spacing: double-spaced throughout, including the reference list.
- Title page: paper title in bold, author name, department and institution, course number and name, instructor and due date.
- Page numbers: top right on every page. Student papers do not need a running head unless the tutor asks.
- Paragraphs: first line indented 0.5 inch, text aligned left.
APA Heading Levels
| Level | Format |
|---|---|
| 1 | Centered, bold, title case |
| 2 | Flush left, bold, title case |
| 3 | Flush left, bold italic, title case |
| 4 | Indented, bold, title case, ending with a full stop; text continues on the same line |
| 5 | Indented, bold italic, title case, ending with a full stop; text continues on the same line |
Do not label the introduction with a heading; the paper title at the top of the first page serves that purpose.
Key Changes from APA 6th Edition
- "Et al." is used for three or more authors from the first citation.
- Up to 20 authors are listed in references, rather than 7.
- Publisher locations are no longer included for books.
- DOIs are written as https://doi.org/ links, without a "doi:" label.
- "Retrieved from" is dropped for most online sources.
- Student papers no longer need a running head.
- Singular "they" is endorsed, and guidance on bias-free language is expanded.
Common APA Mistakes
- Title case for article or book titles, which should be in sentence case.
- Missing page numbers for direct quotations.
- Using "et al." for two authors.
- Writing "doi:" instead of a full https://doi.org/ link.
- Citations in the text with no matching reference, or the reverse.
- Forgetting the hanging indent or double spacing in the reference list.
How EssayHorse Helps with APA 7
Send your draft and source list, or your topic and brief if you need a full paper. A Standard, Master or Elite writer formats in-text citations, the reference list, headings and the title page to APA 7th edition, or prepares a custom paper in APA style.
All work is written or formatted from scratch and plagiarism-checked, for study and reference. Deadlines run from 3 hours to 20 days, the price is shown before you pay, and free revisions within the scope of your original request are included.
Want Your References in Perfect APA 7?
Send your paper and sources. Your writer formats citations, references, headings and the title page to APA 7th edition.
Order APA FormattingFree revisions · Full refund if late · Written from scratch for your order
Frequently Asked Questions
For any source with three or more authors, from the very first in-text citation.
Only for direct quotations, or when your tutor asks for page numbers with paraphrases. Use para. for sources without page numbers.
Yes. Entries are double-spaced with a 0.5-inch hanging indent and no extra lines between them.
No. APA 7 removed publisher locations from book references.
Use n.d. in place of the year, for example (Okafor, n.d.), and the same in the reference entry.
Not usually. Include one only if your tutor asks for it.
As a full link, for example https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.09.003, with no full stop after it.
Yes. In APA 7, the title of a stand-alone webpage is italicized and written in sentence case.