APA 7th Edition Referencing: A Quick Guide With Examples
The essential rules of APA 7th edition for psychology, nursing, education, and social science students: in-text citations, reference formats, and paper layout.
Key Academic Takeaways:
- APA uses author-date citations: (Smith, 2022) or Smith (2022).
- For three or more authors, use the first author plus et al. from the very first citation.
- DOIs are written as full links: https://doi.org/...
- Publisher location is no longer included in book references.
Who uses APA 7th?
APA style, published by the American Psychological Association, is standard in psychology, nursing, education, and many social science and business courses. The 7th edition (2020) simplified several rules from the 6th edition.
In-text citations
- One author: (Field, 2018) or Field (2018) found that...
- Two authors: (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Use "and" when the names are part of the sentence.
- Three or more authors: (Creswell et al., 2018) from the first citation onwards.
- Direct quotation: include the page, for example (Field, 2018, p. 112).
- Organisation as author: (World Health Organization, 2023).
Reference list formats
Journal article
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article in sentence case. Journal Title, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Book
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book in sentence case (edition). Publisher.
Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Web page
Author or organisation. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site name. URL
What changed from APA 6th to APA 7th?
| Rule | APA 6th | APA 7th |
|---|---|---|
| Three or more authors in text | List all on first citation (up to five) | First author et al. every time |
| Publisher location | Required | Removed |
| DOI format | doi:10.xxxx | https://doi.org/10.xxxx |
| Running head for student papers | Required | Not required |
| Authors listed in a reference | Up to 7 | Up to 20 |
Formatting a student paper
- Use a readable font such as 12pt Times New Roman or 11pt Calibri.
- Double-space the whole paper, including the reference list.
- Use 2.54 cm (1 inch) margins on all sides.
- Put the page number in the top right corner of every page.
- Start the reference list on a new page with the heading References, centred and in bold, and use a hanging indent for each entry.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you cite three or more authors in APA 7th?
Use the first author's surname followed by et al. and the year from the first citation onwards, for example (Creswell et al., 2018). All authors, up to 20, are still listed in the reference list.
Do student papers need a running head in APA 7th?
No. APA 7th removed the running head requirement for student papers. You only need a page number in the top right corner, unless your tutor asks otherwise.
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