APA Citation Guide | Examples for APA 7th Edition - QuillBot
APA Style is quite commonly used in the field of social and behavioral sciences. In this citation guide, we give a broad overview of the guidelines from the 7th edition (2020) of the APA Publication Manual.
QuillBot’s free APA Citation Generator automatically applies these guidelines to help you cite webpages, journal articles, books, videos, and other types of sources.
APA 7th edition in-text citations
In-text citations are basically an abbreviated form of a reference list entry. They give the reader enough information to find the relevant source on the APA reference page.
APA in-text citations typically include the author’s last name, the date of publication, and, if applicable, a locator, such as a page number or timestamp: (Nguyen, 2022, p. 94).
In-text citations are needed whenever you use someone else’s words or ideas, both when quoting them directly and when paraphrasing. Citations help you avoid plagiarism by acknowledging the original source.
Parenthetical vs. narrative citations
In-text citations can be either parenthetical or narrative. In APA Style, parenthetical citations include the author’s name and date in parentheses and follow the quoted or paraphrased material. For narrative citations, the author’s name is included in the text itself with the date in parentheses.
QuillBot’s Citation Generator automatically creates both types of citations:
- Parenthetical citation: New research has shown that … (McCall, 2023).
- Narrative citation: McCall (2023) argues that …
Citing multiple authors and corporate authors
Some texts have more than one author or an organization as the author. In these cases, the format of in-text citations is modified slightly.
| Author type | Parenthetical citation | Narrative citation |
|---|---|---|
| One author | (Patel, 2022) | Patel (2022) |
| Two authors | (Patel & Ruiz, 2022) | Patel and Ruiz (2022) |
| Three or more authors | (Patel et al., 2022) | Patel et al. (2022) |
| Organization | (QuillBot, 2022) | QuillBot (2022) |
Note, in particular, the use of “&” in parenthetical citations but “and” in narrative citations. Also, notice that “et al.” is always followed by a period.
Citing sources with missing information
If a source is missing an author, publication date, or locator, you can format the citation using the following guidelines.
| Missing element | Solution | Parenthetical citation |
|---|---|---|
| * The title should be formatted in the same way as in the reference list (either italicized or in quotation marks). It should be capitalized using title case capitalization (all words except articles and short prepositions capitalized). | ||
| Author | Use the title of the source.* | (Source Title, 2023) |
| Date | Use the abbreviation “n.d.” for “no date.” | (Rivera, n.d.) |
| Page number | Leave out the page number or use an alternative locator. | (Wang, 2021, Chapter 2)
(Wang, 2021) |
APA 7th edition references
In general, APA references include the author’s name, the publication date, the title of the work, and information about the source (e.g., journal title and volume, publisher, website). For certain types of sources, other information is also required.
Referencing sources with missing information
Sometimes, certain information about the source is missing or unknown. This is especially true for APA website citations. If you cannot find certain information about a source, the reference format can be modified.
| Missing element | Solution | Reference format |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Begin the entry with the source title. | Title. (Date). Source. |
| Date | Use the abbreviation “n.d.” for “no date.” | Author. (n.d.). Title. Source. |
| Title | Include a description of the source in square brackets. | Author. (Date). [Description]. Source. |
Formatting the APA reference page
The reference page appears on a separate page immediately following the body of the paper and before any appendices. On that page, you list every source that has been cited in the paper.
The title of the page (“References”) should appear in bold and centered on the first line. On the second line of the page, the list of references should begin in alphabetical order.
The following formatting guidelines should be applied to the entire reference page.
- Double spacing (with no extra space between references)
- Easy-to-read font and font size (e.g., Times New Roman 12 pt)
- Page number in the top right corner
- Hanging indent of 0.5 inches for each reference entry
The reference list should only include sources that have an in-text citation. Do not include references to personal communications that are not accessible to the reader (e.g., phone conversations, emails, or other private online communications).
Frequently asked questions about APA citation
- How do you create an APA parenthetical citation?
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To cite a text in an APA parenthetical citation, list the author’s last name, the publication year, and page number, all separated by commas.
Example: (Smith, 2014, p. 67)
QuillBot’s Citation Generator can help you quickly generate citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago style formats.
- How do you cite page numbers in an APA reference list?
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In an APA reference list, page numbers are typically included for journal articles and chapters in edited works. Entries for books and webpages typically do not include page numbers.
APA reference entry examples Journal article Ferrand, C. (2002, December). Harmonics-to-noise ratio. Journal of Voice, 16(4), 480–487. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0892-1997(02)00123-6 Chapter in an edited book Dillard, J. P. (2020). Currents in the study of persuasion. In M. B. Oliver, A. A. Raney, & J. Bryant (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (4th ed., pp. 115–129). Routledge. The two numbers in a page range are connected using an en dash (–) rather than a hyphen (-).
QuillBot’s free Citation Generator can automatically create APA Style references for you.
- How do I cite a source with no page numbers in APA Style?
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APA in-text citations of quotations or paraphrases of specific text must include a locator. When no page numbers are available (e.g., when citing a website), you can use paragraph numbers or heading names (or a combination) instead: (Cordero, 2021, Key Facts section, para. 3).
When you refer to the source as a whole, you do not need to include any locator information.
- When should I use et al. in APA in-text citations?
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When to use et al. in APA in-text citations depends on which edition of the APA Publication Manual you are using.
In APA 6th edition, works with three to five authors are listed using “et al.” after the first citation.
Example: “Freeman, Taylor, and Werg (2024) reject this hypothesis. Instead, their data indicates that the opposite is true (Freeman et al., 2024).”
In APA 7th edition, works with three or more authors are listed using “et al.” after the first author’s name from the first citation.
Example: “Freeman et al. (2024) reject this hypothesis.”
