APA referencing is an author-date style where you cite the author’s surname and year in the text, such as (Smith, 2020), and give full details in an alphabetical reference list. This guide covers APA 7th edition: how to write in-text citations, how to format references for books, journals and websites, and the main changes in the 7th edition.
APA is one of the most widely used referencing styles, common in psychology, education, nursing and the social sciences. It is an author-date system: a short citation in the text points the reader to a full entry in the reference list. This guide explains how to do both in APA 7th edition, with formats and examples for the sources you will use most, so you can reference accurately and avoid losing easy marks. Always confirm any details against the official APA manual or your department’s guidance.
What is APA referencing?
APA referencing is the citation style of the American Psychological Association, now in its 7th edition. It has two parts that work together: an in-text citation, giving the author’s surname and the year at the point you use a source, and a reference list at the end, giving the full details of every source, ordered alphabetically by author surname. The reader can move from any in-text citation to the matching reference, and every reference must have at least one in-text citation.
How do APA in-text citations work?
An in-text citation gives the author surname and year, and a page number for a direct quotation. You can use it in two ways:
- Parenthetical: put both in brackets, for example (Smith, 2020) or, for a quote, (Smith, 2020, p. 15).
- Narrative: use the author in your sentence with the year in brackets, for example Smith (2020) argues that…
For two authors, name both every time, joined by an ampersand in brackets, such as (Smith & Jones, 2020). For three or more authors, use the first author followed by et al. from the first citation, such as (Smith et al., 2020).
How do you format an APA reference list?
The reference list starts on a new page, is ordered alphabetically by author surname, and uses a hanging indent. The table below shows the format and an example for the most common source types.
| Source | APA 7th format and example |
|---|---|
| Book | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book (edition). Publisher. -> Smith, J. (2020). Academic writing (2nd ed.). Palgrave. |
| Journal article | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx |
| Chapter in an edited book | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. 10-25). Publisher. |
| Website | Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of the page. Site Name. https://www.url.com |
What changed in APA 7th edition?
If you have seen older APA guidance, several things changed in the 7th edition. Knowing them avoids common errors.
- For three or more authors, use et al. in-text from the first citation (the 6th edition listed more).
- The reference list now includes up to 20 authors before using an ellipsis (up from seven).
- The publisher location is no longer included for books.
- DOIs are formatted as full URLs, such as https://doi.org/…, and ‘Retrieved from’ is no longer used before most URLs.
How do you reference APA step by step?
- As you research, record the full details of every source you use.
- Add an in-text citation each time you quote, paraphrase or use an idea.
- Build the reference list, one entry per source, in the correct format for its type.
- Order the list alphabetically by author surname and apply a hanging indent.
- Check that every in-text citation has a matching reference and vice versa.
APA is one style among several. For the wider principles of citing, see our how to cite sources guide, and for another common style, our Harvard referencing guide. If you are compiling sources with commentary, our annotated bibliography guide uses the same reference formats.
Common APA mistakes to avoid
- Using et al. incorrectly, or naming all authors when et al. is required.
- A reference with no matching in-text citation, or the reverse.
- Missing DOIs or URLs for online sources.
- Inconsistent capitalisation: APA uses sentence case for titles of articles and books.
Accurate referencing protects easy marks. For help checking your work, our assignment writing help and essay writing help services can review it.
Frequently asked questions
What is APA referencing?
APA is an author-date referencing style where you cite the author surname and year in the text, such as (Smith, 2020), and list full source details alphabetically in a reference list at the end.
How do you write an APA in-text citation?
Give the author surname and year, either in brackets, such as (Smith, 2020), or in your sentence with the year in brackets, such as Smith (2020). Add a page number for direct quotations.
What is the difference between APA 6th and 7th edition?
APA 7th uses et al. for three or more authors from the first citation, lists up to 20 authors in references, drops the publisher location for books, and formats DOIs as full URLs.
How do you reference a website in APA?
Author, year with month and day, title of the page in italics, the site name, and the URL, for example: Author, A. A. (2020, June 1). Title of page. Site Name. https://www.url.com
