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how to cite in apa format

Here’s a clear, practical guide you can turn into a “Quick Scoop” post on how to cite in APA format (7th edition).

What “APA format” means

APA style has two main pieces you have to get right:

  • In-text citations (inside the paragraph).
  • Reference list entries (full details at the end under “References”).

APA uses an author–date system: you always show who wrote it and when it was published.

Example in-text: (Jones, 2020).

In-text citations: the basics

Use in-text citations every time you quote, paraphrase, or summarize someone else’s ideas.

Core formats

  • Paraphrase (parenthetical)
    • Format: (Author, Year)
    • Example: (Smith, 2019).
  • Paraphrase (narrative)
    • Format: Author (Year) …
    • Example: Smith (2019) argues that…
  • Direct quote (with page)
    • Format: (Author, Year, p. X)
    • Example: (Smith, 2019, p. 45).

If there is no page number (like a web page), use a paragraph number or heading instead, e.g. (Field, 2005, para. 1).

In-text: special situations

  • Two authors : (Smith & Lee, 2021) or Smith and Lee (2021).
  • Three or more authors : Use first author + “et al.”
    • (García et al., 2022).
  • No author : Use the title instead of the author.
    • Short work: (“Climate Change Impacts,” 2020).
    • Long work (book/report): Climate Change Impacts (2020).
  • Same author, multiple years : (Taylor, 2018, 2020).
  • Same author, same year : (Taylor, 2020a, 2020b).

In-text citations go as close as possible to the idea they support and before the period.

Reference list: general rules

At the end of your paper, start a new page titled References (centered, bold, normal font size).

Key rules:

  • Alphabetize by the first author’s last name.
  • Double-space all references.
  • Use a hanging indent (first line flush left, next lines indented 0.5").
  • Every in-text citation must have a matching reference entry (except things like personal communications).
  • Use initials for first/middle names, not full first names.

When there is no author , move the title to the author position and alphabetize by the first meaningful word (ignore “A,” “An,” “The”).

Common reference formats (quick templates)

Below are the most common APA 7 templates and examples.

1. Journal article (with DOI)

Format

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

Example

Lee, J. H., & Carter, R. T. (2020). Stress and coping in college students. Journal of Counseling Research, 45(2), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1234/jcr.2020.4567

DOIs and URLs are presented as hyperlinks ; no “Retrieved from” or “Accessed from” is needed for most standard sources.

2. Book

Format

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book: Subtitle in sentence case. Publisher.

Example

Brown, P. L. (2018). Learning psychology in everyday life. Horizon Press.

Capitalize only the first word of the title, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns.

3. Edited book chapter

Format

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In B. B. Editor & C. C. Editor (Eds.), Title of the book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

Example

Davis, R. K. (2019). Community resilience in crisis. In T. L. Green & M. O. Lopez (Eds.), Resilient cities (pp. 55–78). Urban Studies Press.

4. Web page on a site

Format

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page in sentence case. Website Name. URL

Example

Johnson, M. (2023, May 10). Managing online learning stress. Student Wellness Center. https://www.studentwellness.edu/online-stress

If there is no individual author , start with the organization:

American Psychological Association. (2020). Title of page…

5. Online news article

Format

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article in sentence case. Newspaper Name. URL

Example

Martin, S. (2024, February 5). Local schools expand mental health services. The Daily Times. https://www.dailytimes.com/education/mental-health

6. AI tools and chats (emerging practice)

Guides increasingly recommend treating AI chats as non-recoverable or as a specific AI source with description in brackets. A common pattern:

Author/Tool Name. (Year). Title or description of the chat [Generative AI model]. Site Name. URL

Always follow your instructor’s or journal’s specific rules, as this area is still evolving.

Basic APA formatting for the paper itself

Many teachers want both APA citations and APA paper layout.

Core layout rules:

  • 1-inch margins on all sides.
  • Double-spacing throughout, including headings and references.
  • Indent the first line of each paragraph 0.5".
  • Use a readable font (Times New Roman 12, Arial 11, Georgia 11, etc.).
  • Page number in the top right of every page.

Mini “how-to” checklist

You can use this as a quick routine whenever you write:

  1. As you draft
    • After every idea from a source, add an in-text citation: (Author, Year) or Author (Year)…
    • For quotes, add page or paragraph numbers where possible.
  1. After drafting
    • Make a list of all sources you cited.
    • Create full reference entries using the templates above.
  2. Format the References page
    • New page titled References (centered).
 * Alphabetize by author last name.

 * Double-space, hanging indents.
  1. Final check
    • Every in-text citation has a matching reference entry and vice versa (except personal communications).
 * Author names are initials only.

 * DOIs/URLs are live links.

HTML table you can embed

Below is an HTML table (as requested) you can drop into your post to give readers a fast visual summary:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Source type</th>
      <th>In-text citation</th>
      <th>Reference list format (APA 7)</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Journal article with DOI</td>
      <td>(Lee &amp; Carter, 2020)</td>
      <td>Lee, J. H., &amp; Carter, R. T. (2020). Title of the article. <i>Title of the Journal, volume number</i>(issue number), page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Book</td>
      <td>(Brown, 2018)</td>
      <td>Brown, P. L. (2018). <i>Title of the book: Subtitle in sentence case</i>. Publisher.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Edited book chapter</td>
      <td>(Davis, 2019)</td>
      <td>Davis, R. K. (2019). Title of chapter. In T. L. Green &amp; M. O. Lopez (Eds.), <i>Title of the book</i> (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Web page</td>
      <td>(Johnson, 2023)</td>
      <td>Johnson, M. (2023, May 10). Title of page in sentence case. <i>Website Name</i>. URL</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Online news article</td>
      <td>(Martin, 2024)</td>
      <td>Martin, S. (2024, February 5). Title of article in sentence case. <i>Newspaper Name</i>. URL</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>No author source</td>
      <td>(&quot;Title of article,&quot; 2020)</td>
      <td><i>Title of work in sentence case</i>. (2020). Publisher or Site Name. URL</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

SEO-style meta description for your post

Here’s a meta description tailored to your focus keywords:

Learn how to cite in APA format with this quick guide to in-text citations, reference lists, and examples. Perfect for students following the latest APA 7 rules and forum discussion trends.

TL;DR (bottom summary):
To cite in APA format, use author–date in-text citations like (Smith, 2020) and match each one with a full reference on a double-spaced, alphabetized “References” page using APA 7 templates for books, articles, and web pages.