For a peer-reviewed article in APA, include author(s), year, title, journal, volume(issue), page or article number, and the DOI as a URL.
APA Citation For A Peer-Reviewed Article: Step-By-Step
APA Style uses the author–date system. Build one clean reference, then match your in-text citations to it. The flow below keeps the pieces in order so your entry looks right the first time.
- Start with the author line: last name, initials; use an ampersand before the final name.
- Add the year in parentheses, followed by a period.
- Write the article title in sentence case; no italics and no title case beyond proper nouns.
- Italicize the journal title and the volume number; place the issue number in parentheses right after the volume.
- Give the page range or the word Article plus the article number.
- Finish with the DOI as a live URL. If there’s no DOI and the article is the version of record on the open web, use the article URL. Skip database links.
Reference Elements You Need
| Element | What To Include | Example Snippet |
|---|---|---|
| Authors | List all names up to 20; use an ampersand before the last. | Nguyen, T. H., Gomez, R., & Patel, S. |
| Year | Put the year in parentheses. | (2024). |
| Article title | Sentence case; end with a period. | Machine learning for soil moisture mapping. |
| Journal title | Full title in italics; capitalized as a title. | Remote Sensing Letters, |
| Volume & issue | Volume in italics; issue in parentheses. | 15(2), |
| Pages or article no. | Use a range or write “Article” plus the number. | Article 123456 or 101–118. |
| DOI or URL | Prefer a DOI; show it as a URL. | https://doi.org/10.1080/2150704X.2024.1234567 |
Core APA Reference Format For Journal Articles
Here is the template you can paste and tweak. Replace each bracketed part with the article’s details.
[Author last name], [Initials]., [Author last name], [Initials]., & [Author last name], [Initials]. ([Year]). [Article title]. [Journal Title], [Volume]([Issue]), [Page range or Article number]. https://doi.org/[DOI]Need a concrete example with a DOI? Try this model line; it follows APA 7 rules for journals:
Lopez, A. J., & Kramer, D. R. (2023). Context cues in bilingual reading. Journal of Applied Linguistics, 12(4), 255–274. https://doi.org/10.5555/jal.2023.004
If the article uses an eLocator instead of pages, write the word Article and the number before the DOI.
Osei, M., Tran, K., & Silva, P. (2022). Urban heat and housing. Climate Policy Reports, 9(1), Article 009876. https://doi.org/10.9876/cpr.2022.009876
For more patterns and edge cases, check the APA journal-article examples.
In-Text Citations That Match Your Reference
APA uses author–date citations. Use narrative style when the names appear in the sentence, or parenthetical style when the names sit in parentheses.
Narrative And Parenthetical Examples
Nar.: Lopez and Kramer (2023) tested skilled adult readers.
Par.: Skilled adult readers process context cues (Lopez & Kramer, 2023).
For works with three or more authors, cite the first name plus “et al.” from the first citation onward. Match every in-text callout to one full reference on your list.
Edge Cases You’ll Meet
Articles With 1–20 Authors
List all names in the reference. Use commas between names and place an ampersand before the final author. Keep initials tight: one space between initials, periods included.
Example
Ahmed, S., Rivera, L. M., Chen, Q., Bosco, R., & Young, T. (2021). Mobile payment adoption in small shops. Retail Tech Quarterly, 18(3), 77–96. https://doi.org/10.4444/rtq.2021.0183
Articles With 21 Or More Authors
Write the first 19 names, insert an ellipsis, then add the final name. No ampersand before the ellipsis.
Example
Adebayo, T., … Zhang, W. (2020). Global coral reef status. Marine Ecology Letters, 51(2), 141–154. https://doi.org/10.3333/mel.2020.0512
Advance Online Publication
If the journal posts an advance version with a DOI, use the year in parentheses and the phrase Advance online publication after the journal info if no volume or issue exists yet.
Example
Kim, H. J. (2025). Rest days and training load in college runners. Sports Physiology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/sp.2025.0001
Article Numbers Instead Of Pages
Many open-access journals assign an article number. Write Article plus that number where pages would go.
Example
Nolan, E., & Cruz, B. (2024). Wearable sleep trackers in teens. Pediatric Health Open, 7(2), Article 2145. https://doi.org/10.5678/pho.2024.2145
No DOI And No Open Web Version
If you found the article in a library database and there is no DOI, end the reference after the page range or article number. Do not add a database link.
Capitalization And Punctuation Tips
- Use sentence case for the article title: only the first word and proper nouns get caps.
- Italicize the journal title and the volume; keep the issue number plain, in parentheses.
- Place a comma after the journal title and after the volume-issue block.
- Use an en dash for page ranges, no spaces: 255–274.
In-Text Citation Patterns At A Glance
| Scenario | Format | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| One author | Narrative or parenthetical. | Hughes (2022) … or (Hughes, 2022). |
| Two authors | Use an ampersand in parentheses; “and” in narrative. | Lee & Ortiz (2020) … or (Lee & Ortiz, 2020). |
| Three or more | First author plus “et al.” in every cite. | (Garcia et al., 2021). |
| Six-plus repeats | Repeat the same short form; no long lists needed. | (Patel et al., 2019). |
| Direct quote | Add a page or Article number. | (Lopez & Kramer, 2023, p. 263) or (Nolan & Cruz, 2024, Article 2145). |
For a longer set of patterns, check your manual or your library guide.
DOIs: Display And Decision Rules
Show the DOI as a URL that begins with https://doi.org/. Do not prefix with “doi:” or use an older dx.doi.org link. This format is standard across publishers. This link format works on screens, in PDFs, and printed lists.
If you want the canonical form, Crossref spells it out here: DOI display guidelines.
Quick Quality Checks Before You Paste
- Names match the article exactly; accents and hyphens kept.
- Year matches the PDF or landing page.
- Journal title and volume are italic; issue is plain in parentheses.
- Page range or Article number appears before the DOI or URL.
- DOI opens when clicked; if broken, re-check the string against the PDF.
- In-text calls match the first author and year on the reference line.
- Journal title uses title case, not all caps.
- Issue number appears when each issue starts at page 1.
- Accents display correctly in author names.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Title case for article titles. Stick with sentence case.
- Adding a database URL when there is no DOI. Stop at the page range instead.
- Leaving out the issue number when each issue begins at page 1. Include it.
- Using the journal home page URL when a DOI is on the article. Use the DOI link.
- Writing “p.” in the reference list for pages. That label belongs only in quotes.
Mini Walkthrough: From PDF To Finished Reference
- Scan the article PDF for the author line. Copy names in order; convert given names to initials.
- Grab the year from the copyright line or the journal first page.
- Copy the article title exactly; lower case after the first word except proper nouns.
- Copy the journal title, volume, issue, and pages or the Article number from the header or footer.
- Copy the DOI from the first page; if it is missing, check the landing page. Paste it as a https://doi.org/ link.
- Build the reference using the template above; read it once out loud to catch stray punctuation.
- Write one narrative and one parenthetical in-text example so you can paste them later.
Same Author And Year Titles
Sometimes two articles share the same author and year. Add a letter after the year in both places. Assign letters by the order of titles in the reference list. Use 2022a for the first, 2022b for the next.
Example
Diaz, M. L. (2022a). Care routines in toddlers. Child Life Studies, 5(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.2040/cls.2022.0501
Diaz, M. L. (2022b). Play spaces in clinics. Child Life Studies, 5(3), 77–90. https://doi.org/10.2040/cls.2022.0503
Nar.: Diaz (2022a, 2022b) found related trends.
Group Authors And Abbreviations
Sometimes the author is an organization. Write the full name in the reference. In the text, you can shorten a long name after the first mention: give the full name once, add the short form in brackets, then use the short form.
Example
World Health Agency. (2023). Air quality in cities. Public Health Monitor, 11(2), 33–49. https://doi.org/10.7777/phm.2023.1102
First cite: (World Health Agency [WHA], 2023). Later: (WHA, 2023).
Troubleshooting DOIs And URLs
When a DOI looks odd, check the landing page and copy only the string after https://doi.org/. Remove spaces and line breaks. When both a landing page URL and a DOI appear, pick the DOI.
Layout Tips For Reference Lists
Use a hanging indent. Set double spacing. Keep one space after periods and commas. Do not bold or underline. Sort by the first author’s last name and then by year.
You’re Ready To Cite With Confidence
Keep this page open while you work. The template, the tables, and the checks will save time and keep your references consistent for classes, reports, and manuscripts.