When writing a research paper or academic assignment, it is crucial to properly cite the sources you have used to support your arguments and ideas. The American Psychological Association (APA) provides guidelines for formatting citations and references in academic writing, widely used in the social sciences, education, and other fields.
The latest edition of the APA guidelines is the 7th edition, released in October 2019. This edition has introduced some changes and updates to the previous 6th edition. Some essential elements of citing sources using the APA 7th edition format include in-text citations and the reference list.
APA in-text citations
APA style requires including brief in-text citations whenever you reference another source. These citations point the reader to the full reference list at the end of the paper. The general format for an in-text citation includes the author’s last name and the year of publication. If you directly quote the source, you must include the page number.
For example, if you were paraphrasing information from a book by Jane Smith published in 2022, the in-text citation would appear as (Smith, 2022). It would be if directly quoting from page 35 (Smith, 2022, p. 35).
Parenthetical vs. narrative citation
There are two main ways to incorporate the citation into your sentence: parenthetically or narratively. A parenthetical citation simply encloses all the elements in parentheses. A narrative citation incorporates some elements as part of the sentence flow.
- Parenthetical citation: The sample showed significance (Ramirez, 2020, p. 18).
- Narrative citation: Ramirez (2020) found that ‘the results were meaningful’ (p. 18).
Multiple authors and corporate authors
When a source has multiple authors, the in-text citation differs slightly.
- For two authors, include both last names (Williams & Johnson, 2020).
- For three or more authors, only include the first listed author followed by “et al.,” which means “and others” (Ramirez et al., 2018).
- For sources by an organization or corporation, the author’s name is the full name of that group (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020).
| Author Type | Parenthetical Citation | Narrative Citation |
| One author | (Smith, 2022) | Smith (2022) stated… |
| Two authors | (Jones & Garcia, 2020) | Jones and Garcia (2020) found… |
| Three or more authors | (Williams et al., 2019) | Williams et al. (2019) concluded… |
| Organization | (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021) | The World Health Organization (WHO, 2021) recommends… |
Missing information
Some citation information may be missing, such as no author or date provided for that source. The key to in-text citations is providing the reader with enough traceable information to match each citation to its corresponding entry in the complete reference list.
| Missing Element | What to do | Parenthetical Citation |
| Author | Use the shortened title in quotes | (“APA Manual,” 2020) |
| Date | Use “n.d.” for “no date.” | (Author, n.d.) |
| Page number | Omit page number | (Smith, 2022) |
APA references
The reference list appears at the end of your paper and provides full details of all sources cited in the text. References are listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. The reference format varies depending on the source type (book, journal, website, etc.). The general format includes author, publication date, title, and source information.
Reference examples
Book: Author, A. A. (Year). Book title: Subtitle. Publisher.
Example: Kirby, J. (2020). Wonder Woman: Ambassador of truth. HarperCollins.
Journal: Author, A. A. (Year). Article title. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
Example: Mazza, D. (2022). The psychology of superheroes. Journal of Pop Culture, 55(2), 327-349.
Website: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Date). Page title. Site Name. URL
Example: Smithsonian. (2022, June 15). Superheroes in comic book history. https://www.si.edu/comics
Missing information
If an element is missing, like no listed author, the reference format adjusts accordingly – you may substitute the source title or corporate author in place of the missing author name. Similarly, if no date is provided, use “n.d.,” which stands for “no date” in that placeholder.
| Missing Element | What to do | Reference Format |
| Author | Use the source title or corporate author | Title of the source. (Date). Source |
| Date | Use “n.d.” for “no date” | Author, A. A. (n.d.). Title of the work.Source |
| Title | Replace with a description of the work | Author, A. A. (Date). [Description of the work]. Source. |
Formatting the APA reference page
The reference page lists all the sources you cited within your paper’s body. It should appear at the end of your paper, after the main content, but before any appendices. Center the heading “References” in bold at the top of the page. Then, list all your reference entries alphabetically by the first author’s last name.
Use these specific formatting guidelines:
- Spacing: Double space each reference entry and between each entry
- Indentation: Indent all lines after the first line of each entry by 0.5 inches (hanging indent)
- Font: Use a legible font set such as 12-point Times New Roman or 11-point Arial
- Page numbers: Include page numbers in the top right header, continuing the numbering from the body of your paper
Which sources to include
The reference page should list complete reference entries for any sources you cited directly in the body of your paper. This includes:
- Direct quotations from any source
- Paraphrasing or summarizing key ideas or information from a source
- Data, facts, or other evidence that is not considered common knowledge
Generally, you’ll need to include references for these types of sources:
- Books (print or ebook)
- Journal articles
- Websites/webpages
- Reports or published documents
- Audiovisual materials (films, podcasts, etc.)
Any source that contributed ideas, data, words, or visuals to your paper’s content should have a corresponding reference listed so your reader can locate and access that original source if needed.
The only sources you do not need to formally reference are sources considered “common knowledge” – facts or information widely available from numerous places or personal communications not easily accessible by the reader.
If you doubt whether to include a source, it’s better to err by including the reference rather than omitting a source you cited within your paper.