APA

Click on the elements below to learn about the basic requirements for referencing journal articles in APA 7 style.

Text version

Use the decision tree below to determine when to include a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or URL in your reference.

Text version

Notes

• What is a DOI? Most online journal articles will have a Digital Object Identifier. It is a unique identifier that provides a persistent link to the work, e.g. 10.1111/jofi.13290.
• DOIs are formatted as hyperlinks, e.g. https://doi.org/10.1111/jofi.13290.
• If the work has no DOI, the URL is not needed if you read the work in print or accessed it via an academic database (such as Ebsco, Informit, ProQuest, ScienceDirect). Exceptions are specialist health resources (like UpToDate, MIMS, AMH) where the content of articles changes over time.
• Functioning, shortened links can be used for long URLs or DOIs.

Reference list

Example:

Maddox-Daines, K. L. (2023). Delivering well-being through the coronavirus pandemic: The role of human resources (HR) in managing a healthy workforce. Personnel Review, 52(6), 1693–1707. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-04-2021-0224

In-text citation examples

(Maddox-Daines, 2023) or (Maddox-Daines, 2023, p. 1701) or Maddox-Daines (2023) commented that … or (Maddox-Daines, 2023, pp. 1701-1705)

Notes

• The journal title appears in full (not abbreviated) and in italics. Capitalise all major words in the journal title (e.g. Journal of Business Ethics).
• The volume number is always in italics.
• Include page numbers (or paragraph numbers in the absence of page numbers) within in-text citations for direct quotes. When paraphrasing, page numbers are recommended but not required.

Reference list

Example:

Alsalmi, M., & Alilyyani, B. (2024). The role of authentic leadership in nurses’ stress and burnout in emergency departments. Leadership in Health Services, 37(1), 147-158. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-01-2023-0005

In-text citation examples

(Alsalmi & Alilyyani, 2023) or (Alsalmi & Alilyyani, 2023, p. 2370) or Alsalmi and Alilyyani, (2023) commented that … or (Alsalmi & Alilyyani, 2023, pp. 2370-2372)

Notes

• The journal title appears in full (not abbreviated) and in italics. Capitalise all major words in the journal title (e.g. Journal of Business Ethics).
• The volume number is always in italics.
• Include page numbers (or paragraph numbers in the absence of page numbers) within in-text citations for direct quotes. When paraphrasing, page numbers are recommended but not required.

Reference list

Example:

Lam, R., Hillsley, R., Steele, J., & Whitfield, S. (2022). Developing cultural competence in paramedic education: An analysis of culturally diverse training equipment amongst universities in Australia and New Zealand. Australian Journal of Clinical Education, 11(2), 27–36. https://doi.org/10.53300/001c.40320

In-text citation examples

(Lam et al., 2022) or (Lam et al., 2022, p. 29) or Lam et al. (2022) stated that … or (Lam et al., 2022, pp. 33-35)

Notes

• In the reference list, provide surnames and initials for up to and including 20 authors. An ampersand (&) appears before the final author's name.
• The journal title appears in full (not abbreviated) and in italics. Capitalise all major words in the journal title (e.g. Journal of Business Ethics).
• The volume number is always in italics.
• For in text citations: when a work has three or more authors, use the name of the first author followed by the abbreviation et al. - (Note the full stop after et al.).
• Include page numbers (or paragraph numbers in the absence of page numbers) within in-text citations for direct quotes. When paraphrasing, page numbers are recommended but not required.

Reference list

Example:

Perez Giraldo, G. S., Ali, S. T., Kang, A. K., Patel, T. R., Budhiraja, S., Gaelen, J. I., Lank, G. K., Clark, J. R., Mukherjee, S., Singer, T., Venkatesh, A., Orban, Z. S., Lim, P. H., Jimenez, M., Miller, J., Taylor, C., Szymanski, A. L., Scarpelli, J., Graham, E. L., … Koralnik, I. J. (2023). Neurologic Manifestations of Long COVID differ Based on Acute COVID-19 Severity. Annals of Neurology, 94(1), 146–159. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.26649

In-text citation examples

(Perez Giraldo et al., 2023) or (Perez Giraldo et al., 2023, p. 146) or Perez Giraldo et al. (2023) asserted … or (Perez Giraldo et al., 2023, pp. 146-147)

Notes

• In the reference list, provide author surnames and initials for works of up to and including 20 authors. If a source contains 21 or more authors, include the first 19 authors, followed by an ellipsis (3 dots) then the name of the final author, to indicate that some names have been omitted.
• The journal title appears in full (not abbreviated) and in italics. Capitalise all major words in the journal title.
• The volume number is always in italics.
• When a work has three or more authors, use the name of the first author followed by the abbreviation et al. in the in text citation. (Note the full stop after et al.)
• Include page numbers (or paragraph numbers in the absence of page numbers) within in-text citations for direct quotes. When paraphrasing, page numbers are recommended but not required.

Reference list

Example:

Dudgeon, P., Wright, M., & Coffin, J. (2010). Taking it and walking it: Cultural competence. Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues, 13(3), 29-44.

In-text citation examples

(Dudgeon et al., 2010) or Dudgeon et al. (2010) argue that … or (Dudgeon et al., 2010, p. 31) or (Dudgeon et al., 2010, pp.30-32).

Notes

• This is also the template to use when citing journal articles without a DOI where the full text is available via an online library database (such as Ebsco, ProQuest, Informit, ScienceDirect, Taylor and Francis, Wiley).
• The journal title appears in full (not abbreviated) and in italics. Capitalise all major words in the journal title (e.g. Journal of Business Ethics).
• The volume number is always in italics.
• Include page numbers (or paragraph numbers in the absence of page numbers) within in-text citations for direct quotes. When paraphrasing, page numbers are recommended but not required.
• For multiple authors, consult the guidance provided by APA for reference lists and in-text citations.

Reference list

Example:

Wright, M., & von Stumm, S. (2024). Perceptions of adulthood: What does it mean to be grown-up? Journal of Adult Development. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-024-09477-8

In-text citation examples

(Wright & von Stumm, 2024) or (Wright & von Stumm, 2024, p. 5) or Wright and von Stumm (2024) explained …

Notes

• If a work is an advance online publication, use the year of the advance online publication in the reference.
• The journal title appears in full (not abbreviated) and in italics. Capitalise all major words in the journal title (e.g. Journal of Business Ethics).
• No volume or issue details will be available because it is not the final published version of the article.
• Use the phrase 'Advance online publication' after the title of the journal instead of the volume and issue details.
• Include page numbers (or paragraph numbers in the absence of page numbers) within in-text citations for direct quotes. When paraphrasing, page numbers are recommended but not required.
• For multiple authors, consult the guidance provided by APA for reference lists and in-text citations.

Reference list

Example:

Browne, J., Wu, W.-C., Jiang, L., Singh, M., Bozzay, M. L., Kunicki, Z. J., Bayer, T. A., De Vito, A. N., Primack, J. M., McGeary, J. E., Kelso, C. M., & Rudolph, J. L. (in press). Lower odds of successful community discharge after medical hospitalization for Veterans with schizophrenia: A retrospective cohort study of national data. Journal of Psychiatric Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.03.004

In-text citation examples

(Browne et al., in press) or (Browne et al., in press, p. 5) or Browne et al. (in press) explained …

Notes

• If a work has been accepted for publication but is not yet published, use the term “in press” instead of a year.
• The journal title appears in full (not abbreviated) and in italics. Capitalise all major words in the journal title.
• Include page numbers (or paragraph numbers in the absence of page numbers) within in-text citations for direct quotes. When paraphrasing, page numbers are recommended but not required.
• For multiple authors, consult the guidance provided by APA for reference lists and in-text citations.

Reference list

Example:

Ale, E., & Burns, E. J. (2024). Aphantasia and alexithymia predict complex PTSD symptoms. PsyArXiv. https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/kj5d3

In-text citation examples

(Ale & Burns, 2024) or (Ale & Burns, 2024, p. 8) or (Ale & Burns, 2024, para. 12) or Ale and Burns (2024) claim that …

Notes

• Preprint versions of articles may or may not be peer-reviewed or the author’s final, peer-reviewed manuscript as accepted for publication.
• Ideally, use and cite the final, published version of a work. However, if you used the preprint version of a work, cite that version, as shown in the example above.
• Add the name of the archive or repository after the title of the work.
• Include page numbers (or paragraph numbers in the absence of page numbers) within in-text citations for direct quotes. When paraphrasing, page numbers are recommended but not required.
• For direct quotations of material without page numbers, refer to the APA Style Blog.
• APA Style Blog lists further examples of how to cite preprint versions of articles.
• For multiple authors, consult the guidance provided by APA for reference lists and in-text citations.

Reference list

Examples:

Cook, J. A., & Mueser, K. T., (2016). What has health care reform meant for the field of psychiatric rehabilitation? [Editorial]. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 39(10), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000183

Cold-war lessons for European science [Editorial]. (2019). Nature, 575(7782), 257. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03451-1

In-text citation examples

(Cook & Mueser, 2016) or (Cook & Meuser, 2016, p. 65) or Cook and Mueser (2016), claims …

("Cold-war lessons for European science", 2019) or The commentary in " Cold-war lessons for European science" (2019), indicates that …

Notes

• Reference format is the same as a journal article, but the title has the notation [Editorial].
• If the word "Editorial" is included in the title, do not use the [Editorial] notation in square brackets.
• If no author is credited with the editorial, use the title to begin the citation and for the in-text citation.
• The journal title appears in full (not abbreviated) and in italics. Capitalise all major words in the journal title.
• Include page numbers (or paragraph numbers in the absence of page numbers) within in-text citations for direct quotes. When paraphrasing, page numbers are recommended but not required.
• For multiple editors, consult the guidance provided by APA for reference lists and in-text citations.

Reference list

From a library database, or a print newspaper

Examples:

Philippines partners Australia on peace, stability and success in Asia [Editorial]. (2024, February 29). Australian Financial Review (Online).

From a newspaper website

Examples:

Mrs. Obama says ‘lovely frame’ in box during awkward handoff. (2018, February 1). AP News. https://www.apnews.com/31f3520500c94a6ebfdbd2a0db5f4b60

Two sides of the Australia Day coin [Editorial]. (2020, January 5). The Age. https://www.theage.com.au/national/two-sides-of-the-australia-day-coin-20200103-p53oi0.html

In-text citation examples

("Mrs. Obama says 'lovely frame'", 2018) or ("Mrs. Obama says 'lovely frame'", 2018, para. 3) or in the article "Mrs. Obama says 'lovely frame'" (2018) ….

Notes

• If the newspaper article was accessed from a library database, do not include the database name or the URL.
• If you used a print version of the newspaper or magazine article, include the volume, issue, or page numbers where available. Do not include the abbreviations “p.” or “pp.” before the page(s).
• Capitalise all the main words in the Newspaper or Magazine Title.
• If there is no author, use the title of the article both in the in-text citation and in the reference list.
• Include the month (written in full) and the date of publication as well as the year.
• Include page numbers (or paragraph numbers in the absence of page numbers) within in-text citations for direct quotes. When paraphrasing, page numbers are recommended but not required. If there are no page numbers or the article is long, use the paragraph number, for example, para. 10.
• For multiple authors, consult the guidance provided by APA for reference lists and in-text citations.
• See the APA Style blog for more information and examples on newspaper, or magazine article references.
• For editorial opinions include the notation [Editorial] after the article title.

Reference list

From a library database, or a print newspaper

Examples:

Kyriacou, K. (2023, August 5). Domestic violence Qld: Top cop shocked by surge in statistics. The Courier-Mail (Online).

Salt, B. (2020, May 22). Habits of hibernation could be here to stay. The Australian, 4.

From a newspaper website

Examples:

McCurry, J. (2020, January 5). Fukushima unveils plans to become renewable energy hub. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/05/fukushima-unveils-plans-to-become-renewable-energy-hub-japan

The Editorial Board (2020, January 10). Cancer death rates show a record drop, and Americans who quit smoking get much of the credit [Editorial]. The Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2020/01/10/editorial-cancer-death-rates-show-a-record-drop-and-americans-who-quit-smoking-get-much-of-the-credit

In-text citation examples

(Morton, 2018) or (Morton, 2018, para. 6)

Notes

• If the newspaper article was accessed from a library database, do not include the database name or the URL.
• If you used a print version of the newspaper or magazine article, include the volume, issue, or page numbers where available. Do not include the abbreviations “p.” or “pp.” before the page(s).
• Capitalise all the main words in the Newspaper or Magazine Title.
• If there is no author use the title of the article both in the in-text citation and in the reference list
• Include the month (written in full) and the date of publication as well as the year.
• Include page numbers (or paragraph numbers in the absence of page numbers) within in-text citations for direct quotes. When paraphrasing, page numbers are recommended but not required. If there are no page numbers or the article is long, use the paragraph number, for example, para. 10.
• For multiple authors, consult the guidance provided by APA for reference lists and in-text citations.
• See the APA Style blog for more information and examples on newspaper, or magazine article references.
• For editorial opinions include the notation [Editorial] after the article title.