To cite a review article in APA, give author, year, title with [Review of …], journal, volume(issue), pages, and DOI or URL.
Working on a literature review or methods section and need to credit a critique in a journal? Here’s a clear path to format the entry, handle brackets, and place the DOI. You’ll see templates, real-style samples, and common pitfalls to avoid. Everything here follows APA 7 style used across classes and journals.
Citing A Scholarly Review In APA Style: Quick Pattern
Start with the reviewer’s name, then the year in parentheses. Add the review title in sentence case. After the title, add square brackets that identify what was reviewed. Next, list the journal title in italics, the volume in italics with the issue in parentheses, the page range, and finish with the DOI as a live link or a working URL.
| Element | What To Include | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Last name, Initials | Use the reviewer as author |
| Year | (YYYY) | Place after the author |
| Title | Review title in sentence case | No italics |
| Bracketed Note | [Review of the article “Title,” by A. A. Author] | Square brackets per APA |
| Journal | Journal Title | Title case, italicized |
| Volume & Issue | Volume(Issue) | Issue in parentheses, not italic |
| Pages | xx–xx | Use an en dash |
| DOI/URL | https://doi.org/xxxxx or URL | Use live DOI link when present |
Core Template For A Journal Review Reference
Copy this model and swap the fields with your details:
Reviewer, A. A., & Reviewer, B. B. (Year). Title of review in sentence case [Review of the article “Article title,” by C. C. Author & D. D. Author]. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), xx–xx. https://doi.org/xxxxxWhy Square Brackets Matter
Square brackets tell the reader you added a description that isn’t part of the original title. In APA, that description sits right after the review title and begins with the words “Review of the …”. That cue signals a critique, not the study itself, and it’s backed by APA’s guidance on brackets.
Where To Find The Details
Pull the reviewer’s name and year from the byline. Grab the page span and volume/issue from the PDF header or the landing page. For the DOI, look for a link that begins with https://doi.org/. If no DOI exists and the article lives on a journal site, use the stable URL that opens the review.
In-Text Citations For A Journal Review
Use the author-date system. A parenthetical version looks like this: (Lopez & Singh, 2022). A narrative version places the names in the sentence: Lopez and Singh (2022) argue … For a direct quote from the review, add a page pin: (Lopez & Singh, 2022, p. 145). Keep punctuation inside the parentheses where APA expects it.
Edge Cases You’ll See In Real Papers
One Reviewer Only
Single author entries keep the same structure: Reviewer, A. A. (Year). Title … [Review of …]. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), xx–xx. DOI or URL.
Three To Twenty Authors
List all names with commas and an ampersand before the last one. Keep initials tight. The bracketed note stays in the same spot after the review title.
More Than Twenty Authors
List the first nineteen, insert an ellipsis, then add the final author. Retain the ampersand before the last name. The rest of the pattern stays the same.
No Issue Number
Some journals publish by volume only. In that case, give the volume and pages, drop the issue, and preserve the comma placement: 42, 115–118.
Advance Online Publication
Use the year shown on the journal page. If page numbers aren’t assigned yet, omit the page span and include the DOI link. Once pagination appears, update that entry when you can.
No DOI
Use the journal URL that leads straight to the review. Skip database names and session-bound links that expire.
Article Numbers Instead Of Pages
Many open-access journals assign article numbers. Replace the page span with the article number and keep the DOI link. The rest doesn’t change.
Style Rules That Keep Your Entry Clean
- Use sentence case for the review title; capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.
- Italicize the journal name and volume; leave the issue in plain text inside parentheses.
- Use an en dash between page numbers.
- End the reference with a DOI link when present; keep it as a URL with https.
- If the review covers a book, film, or product, keep the same pattern but change the bracketed wording to match the item.
Reliable Sources For The Rule
For the base journal format, see the APA journal article examples. For square bracket use in titles, see the APA note on parentheses and brackets. University library guides that teach review entries echo this same pattern, including the bracket cue that labels the item being reviewed.
Worked Samples You Can Adapt
Journal Review With DOI
Nguyen, T., & Patel, R. (2021). Short takes on urban heat policy [Review of the article “City heat plans and equity,” by L. Ortiz & P. Chen]. Policy Studies Review, 39(2), 233–236. https://doi.org/10.1234/psr.v39i2.5678
Journal Review Without DOI
Osei, K. (2020). A close reading of school safety claims [Review of the article “Locker searches and learning,” by B. Young]. Education Research Notes, 18(1), 51–53. https://journals.example.edu/ern/vol18/iss1/osei
Book Review In A Journal
Fernandez, M. A. (2019). Should scientists write for kids? [Review of the book Science for Everyone, by A. Teller]. Science Communication Quarterly, 12(3), 77–79. https://doi.org/10.0000/scq.2019.7789
Film Review In A Journal
Iqbal, S. (2022). What noir still teaches ethics [Review of the film Shadow City, by R. Hale]. Screen & Society, 7(4), 201–203. https://screenandsociety.example/7/4/iqbal
Common Mistakes And Quick Fixes
Mixing Up The Author
Use the reviewer as the author in the reference list. The creator of the reviewed work belongs inside the brackets only, not in the author slot.
Wrong Title Case
Keep the review title in sentence case. Only the first word and proper nouns get capitals. The journal name stays in title case.
Broken DOI Links
Always start with https://doi.org/ and paste the full string. No underline needed in plain text; let your editor make it live. A truncated DOI breaks retrieval.
Bracket Placement Errors
The bracketed note lives immediately after the review title. Do not move it to the end or place it after the journal title.
Quotations And Page Pins
Direct quotes from the review need a page number or paragraph number in the in-text citation. Add “p.” or “para.” right before the locator.
From Template To Finished Entry
Copy the model, swap each field, and proof punctuation. Commas and periods land exactly as shown. The bracketed note includes quotation marks around an article title and italics around a book title. That mix makes the reviewed item stand out, whether your review covers a single study or a media piece.
Step-By-Step Build
- Write the reviewer’s last name and initials.
- Add the year in parentheses, followed by a period.
- Type the review title in sentence case, ending with a period.
- Insert the bracketed note that names the item and its creator.
- Add the journal title in italics, then a comma.
- Add the volume in italics and the issue in parentheses.
- Insert a comma and the page span with an en dash.
- Finish with the DOI link or a stable URL.
Punctuation And Spacing Cheats
- Use a comma after the journal title and after the volume/issue block.
- Use a period after the DOI or URL only when your editor requires it; APA leaves the link without a trailing period to avoid a dead link.
- Keep one space after periods. Avoid double spacing after punctuation.
Reference List Sorting And Consistency
Sort entries alphabetically by the reviewer’s last name. If you have multiple entries by the same reviewer in the same year, add letters after the year (2022a, 2022b) and keep those letters in both the reference list and in-text citations. Keep spacing, commas, and capitalization uniform across entries.
When The Review Appears Outside A Journal
Magazine and newspaper reviews follow the periodical pattern with slight tweaks. Use the date format those sources expect, and include the URL when a DOI isn’t present. If the review appears on a publisher’s blog, credit the site name after the title and include the direct URL. The bracketed note stays the same.
Reference Formats For Related Review Types
APA applies the same bracket rule to reviews of books, films, and products that appear in journals. Only the wording in brackets changes. Use these compact templates when your review source shifts format.
| Scenario | Template | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Book Reviewed | Reviewer, A. A. (Year). Title … [Review of the book Book Title, by B. B. Author]. Journal, Vol(Issue), xx–xx. DOI | Book title in italics |
| Film Reviewed | Reviewer, A. A. (Year). Title … [Review of the film Film Title, by D. Director]. Journal, Vol(Issue), xx–xx. URL | Add role if given |
| Research Article Reviewed | Reviewer, A. A. (Year). Title … [Review of the article “Article title,” by A. A. Author]. Journal, Vol(Issue), xx–xx. DOI | Article title in quotes |
Proof Checklist Before You Submit
- Names in the right order and initials correct.
- Year in parentheses with a period after.
- Title in sentence case; bracketed note right after the title.
- Journal in italics; volume in italics; issue in parentheses.
- Page span with an en dash; DOI or URL at the end.
- In-text citations match the reference list exactly.
Why These Steps Match Official Guidance
APA’s journal reference examples show the element order and punctuation used above, and the APA explanation of brackets clarifies why the square-bracket note lives right after the title. Those two resources anchor the method so you can format review entries the same way editors expect. For quick confirmation while drafting, open the journal article examples and the APA note on parentheses and brackets in new tabs.
Printable Reference Card
Paste this compact block into a notes app so you can build an entry fast:
Reviewer, A. A. (Year). Title of review in sentence case [Review of the article “Article title,” by B. B. Author]. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), xx–xx. DOI or URL