APA Style Guide (7th Edition)
Learn the American Psychological Association citation style used in Psychology, Education, and Social Sciences.
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Quick Reference: APA In-Text Citations
Basic Format (One Author)
(Author, Year)Example: Recent research shows significant improvements (Smith, 2023).
Direct Quote
(Author, Year, p. PageNumber)Example: "Citation is essential" (Smith, 2023, p. 45).
Two Authors
(Author1 & Author2, Year)Example: Previous studies confirm this (Smith & Jones, 2023).
Three or More Authors
(FirstAuthor et al., Year)Example: Multiple factors contribute (Smith et al., 2023).
Key APA Principles
📅 Author-Date System
APA uses the author's last name and year of publication. This emphasizes recency of research, which is crucial in scientific fields where recent studies are often most relevant.
🔢 Page Numbers for Quotes
Direct quotes always require page numbers (or paragraph numbers for web sources). Paraphrases don't require page numbers, but they're encouraged for helping readers locate information.
& Symbol in Parentheses
Use "&" when citing in parentheses: (Smith & Jones, 2023). Use "and" in narrative citations: Smith and Jones (2023) found that...
📝 et al. for Multiple Authors
For three or more authors, use "et al." (meaning "and others") after the first author's name from the first citation onward: (Johnson et al., 2023).
Common Citation Scenarios
No Author
Use the first few words of the title in quotation marks:
("Study Finds," 2023)No Date
Use "n.d." (no date):
(Smith, n.d.)Organization as Author
Spell out on first use, abbreviate after:
(American Psychological Association [APA], 2023)(APA, 2023)Multiple Works by Same Author
List chronologically:
(Smith, 2020, 2023)Same Author, Same Year
Add lowercase letters:
(Smith, 2023a, 2023b)Reference List Basics
The reference list appears at the end of your paper and includes full details for every source cited in-text.
Journal Article
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Book
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (Edition). Publisher.
Website
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL
Test Your Knowledge
Test your understanding of APA citation style with these questions.
What is the correct APA format for a paraphrase citation?
When do you need to include page numbers in APA citations?
How many authors trigger the use of "et al." in APA 7th edition?
What punctuation separates two authors in an APA parenthetical citation?
How many words trigger block quote formatting in APA?
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