APA 7th edition is one of the most popular citation styles. In this post, we discuss formatting and citation rules for APA 7 and how it compares to previous versions. We also include examples for how to cite books, journal articles, websites, and other online sources in APA style.
A few key facts about APA style
APA style is one of the most common citation styles. It is used in fields like sociology, business, philosophy, political science, computer science, and other science fields. APA style uses in-text, parenthetical citations to cite quotes and other borrowed materials.
Differently from MLA (which calls the bibliography a Works Cited page), APA requires a Reference list at the end of the paper that includes full bibliographic information for each source. To learn more about APA style, take a look at our ultimate guide to citing in APA style.
How to cite books in APA
To cite a book in a reference entry in APA style (7th edition) include the following elements:
- Author(s) of the book: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to 20 authors. Separate the last two names with with an ampersand (&). For 21 or more authors, include the first 19 names followed by an ellipsis (…), then add the last author's name.
- Year of publication: Give the year in parentheses followed by a period.
- Title of the book: Book titles are italicized. Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
- Edition number: Include information about the edition, if it is not the first.
- Publisher: Give the name of the publisher but omit terms such as Publishers, Co., and Inc. Retain the words Books and Press.
APA 7 does not require you to include publication location in citations for books or book chapters. Here is an example of a book citation in APA style:
King, S. (1986). It. Viking Press.
How to cite journal articles in APA
To cite an online journal article in a reference entry in APA style (7th edition) include the following elements:
- Author(s) of the article: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to 20 authors. Separate the last two names with with an ampersand (&). For 21 or more authors, include the first 19 names followed by an ellipsis (…), then add the last author's name.
- Year of publication: Give the year in parentheses followed by a period.
- Title of the research article: Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
- Title of periodical: Give the full, non-abbreviated title of the periodical in title case. It should also be italicized.
- Volume number: The volume number is also italicized.
- Issue number: For journals that are paginated by issue give the issue number in parentheses.
- Page numbers: Give the full page range.
- DOI: Include the digital object identifier (DOI) as a hyperlink starting with “https://doi.org/.”
According to APA 7, all journal article citations should include an issue number. This is different from APA 6. A journal article reference entry in APA 6 format looks like this:
Plessis, T. du. (2006). From Monolingual to Bilingual Higher Education: The Repositioning of Historically Afrikaans-Medium Universities in South Africa. Language Policy, 5, 87–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-005-5627-5
In APA 7, the issue number is placed in parentheses after the volume number:
Plessis, T. du. (2006). From Monolingual to Bilingual Higher Education: The Repositioning of Historically Afrikaans-Medium Universities in South Africa. Language Policy, 5(1), 87–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-005-5627-5
Whether you’re using APA 6 or APA 7, you need to include a DOI for any sources that have one, such as journal articles that you find in an academic database. If the source you’re citing doesn’t have a DOI, then you should cite it like a print source:
Gade, D. W. (2003). Language, Identity, and the Scriptorial Landscape in Québec and Catalonia. Geographical Review, 93(4), 429-448.
Online journal articles are not websites and use a different APA citation format. Use our guide on the differences between websites and journal articles if you’re unsure about whether a source is a website or journal article.
If you’re struggling to find academic sources for your paper, consider meeting with a librarian or asking your instructor for help. When in doubt, always cite; this helps you to avoid plagiarism.
How to cite a source with multiple authors in APA
APA 7 allows you to list up to 20 authors’ names in a citation. Sources with 21 authors or more should include the first 19 names, then an ellipsis, followed by the last author of the source.
Here is an example of a citation with multiple authors in APA 7:
Matsuda, W., Sonomura, T., Honma, S., Ohno, S., Goto, T., Hirai, S., Itoh, M., Honda, Y., Fujieda, H., Udagawa, J., Takano, S., Fujiyama, F., Ueda, S. (2018). Anatomical variations of the torcular Herophili: macroscopic study and clinical aspects. Anat. Sci. Int., 93 (4), 464–468. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-018-0436-z
How to cite a social media post in APA
The 7th edition of the APA style manual added examples for social media sites, such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Reddit.
Here’s how to cite a Tweet in APA 7:
National Book Foundation [@nationalbook]. (2019, October 28). #NBAwards Finalists @sarahmbroom and Albert Woodfox will be at the @LABookFest this weekend! [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/nationalbook/status/1188898728742047744
The same format can be used to cite Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, Tumblr and LinkedIn posts.
Here’s an example of how to cite a Twitter profile in APA 7:
National Book Foundation [@nationalbook]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved October 30, 2019, from https://twitter.com/nationalbook
For more examples of APA citations, take a look at our APA citation guides.
The fastest way to cite in APA
You can save time on creating citations in APA by using an accurate and credible citation generator like BibGuru. BibGuru’s APA citation generator is fast, free, and ad-free. You can use it to create both in-text citations and full references in APA style.
Frequently Asked Questions about APA citations
🤷🏼♂️ What is the difference between APA 6 and 7?
In APA 7th edition book references omit the publisher location, journal articles always include an issue number, and you can add up to 20 authors in a reference list entry.
🌱 What is an APA citation generator?
APA citation generators index online and print sources and generate citations that you can copy to a Reference list. You can save time on creating citations in APA by using an accurate and credible citation generator like BibGuru. BibGuru’s APA citation generator is fast, free, and ad-free. You can use it to create both in-text citations and full references in APA style.
✍️ How do you cite articles in APA?
To cite an online journal article in a reference entry in APA style (7th edition) include the author(s), publication year, article title, journal name, volume number, issue number, page range, and the DOI.
🕵🏻♀️ Where do I find the APA citation style manual?
You can purchase the official APA manual (7th edition) through the APA website. Alternately, you can find a copy of the manual at your school library.
🧪 How do you cite a website in APA 7?
To cite a webpage in a reference entry in APA style (7th edition) include the author(s), publication date, webpage title, website title, and the URL.
