Format an under-review work in APA 7 as: Author. (Year). Title [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department, Institution (if relevant).
Citing a paper under review in APA: step-by-step
You can cite a paper under review in APA 7 by treating it as an unpublished work. Use the standard four elements—author, date, title, and source—and add the status note in square brackets after the title: [Manuscript submitted for publication]. This wording tells readers the work is under editorial review and not yet accepted.
Before you write the reference, decide which status applies. Under review uses the label above. A draft not yet submitted takes a different label. A posted preprint is cited as a recoverable item with a repository and DOI or URL. An accepted article uses the in press form.
Once the status is clear, build the reference. Write authors in the usual order, add the year the manuscript was written, give the title in sentence case, place the status in brackets, and finish with the source. If the work is tied to a department or institution, include that after the bracketed note.
| Situation | Reference wording | Source element |
|---|---|---|
| Under review (submitted to a journal) | [Manuscript submitted for publication] | Optional: Department, University |
| Draft not yet submitted | [Manuscript in preparation] or [Unpublished manuscript] | Optional: Department, University |
| Preprint posted publicly | Repository name + DOI or URL (no bracketed label) | Required: Repository, DOI or URL |
| Accepted but not yet published | (in press) in the date position | Journal title; add DOI if assigned |
The core template for under-review sources
Reference entry template: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of manuscript [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department, Institution.
In-text citation follows the author–date pattern: (Author, Year) or Author (Year). For three or more authors, use the first author plus et al. from the first mention.
Do not include the journal name for a submission under review. That detail can change, and APA treats an under-review manuscript as unpublished. When the piece is accepted, switch to the in press format.
Under review vs preprint vs in press
Under review means the manuscript has been submitted and is being evaluated. It is not recoverable for most readers. So the status appears in brackets and no DOI or URL is included.
A preprint is posted and recoverable. Cite the version you read with the repository name and DOI or URL. If you used the accepted version ahead of issue assignment, use the in press pattern.
These three states map to three different reference patterns. Picking the right one accurately helps readers track the item you actually consulted and keeps the reference list clean. For a clear note on submitted manuscripts, see the APA Style blog on almost-published work. For preprints, follow the examples in APA’s preprint reference page.
Examples you can copy
Single author, under review
Rahman, T. (2025). Working memory spans in bilingual adults [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Psychology, Dhaka University.
In-text: (Rahman, 2025)
Two authors, under review
Gibson, L., & Patel, R. (2024). Calorie labeling and late-night orders [Manuscript submitted for publication]. School of Public Health, Lakeside University.
In-text: (Gibson & Patel, 2024)
Three or more authors, under review
Ahmed, S., Roy, P., & Karim, J. (2023). Rope-skipping and mood in young adults [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Kinesiology, City Institute.
In-text: (Ahmed et al., 2023)
Preprint version used
Nguyen, D., & Brooks, K. (2022). Sleep debt and snack choice. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/abcd1
In-text: (Nguyen & Brooks, 2022)
Accepted article (in press)
Park, H.-J., & Silva, M. (in press). Iron intake and fatigue in new parents. Journal of Health Behavior.
In-text: (Park & Silva, in press)
APA under-review citation format: quick checks
Title in sentence case, not title case. No italics for the manuscript title. Use an ampersand in parenthetical citations with two authors. Use et al. for three or more authors in text. Insert a comma before the ampersand in the reference entry’s author list.
Place the bracketed status immediately after the title with a period following the bracket. If you list an institution, separate it with a period as well. Apply a hanging indent to each reference list entry.
Use the year the manuscript was written, not the submission month. If the year is unknown, write n.d. and adjust the in-text citation to (Author, n.d.).
Edge cases and how to handle them
Group author under review. Replace the individual name with the organization. Keep the bracketed status the same. Example: World Sleep Federation. (2024). Title of manuscript [Manuscript submitted for publication].
Same author, same year, two submissions. Distinguish them with letters after the year in both the reference and in-text citations. Example: (Khan, 2025a) and (Khan, 2025b). Order them alphabetically by title in the reference list.
Manuscript not tied to an institution. End the entry after the bracketed status. Do not invent a source. If a project website hosts a draft, that version is a web page or preprint and should be cited as such.
Direct quotations. Add a page range or paragraph number to the in-text citation if you quoted from a draft you have access to. Paraphrases do not need page numbers.
Personal copies shared by an author. Treat as an under-review manuscript unless a public preprint exists. If the draft cannot be recovered by readers, no link is included in the reference.
| Problem | What to write | In-text example |
|---|---|---|
| Group author | Organization. (Year). Title [Manuscript submitted for publication]. | (Organization, Year) |
| Same author, same year | Add letters: (Yeara), (Yearb), ordered by title. | (Author, Yeara) |
| Unknown year | Use n.d. in date and in-text. | (Author, n.d.) |
| No institution to list | End after bracketed status. | No extra source element |
| Quoted material | Add page or para. number in in-text. | (Author, Year, p. 12) |
Formatting details that save edits
Punctuation matters. Use a period after the year, after the title, and after the bracketed status. Use a single space after punctuation. Use an en dash for page ranges when you cite accepted items that already have pages.
Names follow the same rules as published works. Give up to twenty authors in the reference. For twenty-one or more, list the first nineteen, add an ellipsis, and finish with the final author’s name.
Capitalize proper nouns in titles. Keep subtitles after a colon in sentence case. Avoid abbreviations in titles.
Why the journal name stays out
Writers often want to name the target journal when a paper is under review; skip it. The submission can move to a new venue, and the reference would mislead readers or force a later correction. APA treats an under-review item as an unpublished manuscript, so the safest form leaves the journal out until acceptance.
Once the manuscript is accepted, the entry changes quickly. Replace the year with in press, add the journal title in italics, and include a DOI if one has been assigned. When the article receives its volume and page or eLocator, update the record again to the standard journal format. This two-step flow keeps every version clear.
When a preprint exists for the same study
Many journals welcome preprints. If a public version exists and that is what you read, cite the preprint itself, not a private submission. Give the repository name and the DOI or URL. This lets any reader retrieve the text you used and check quotations or data.
Sometimes you consulted both a preprint and a revised submission. In that case, add two separate entries and cite the one that supports each statement. Label each entry plainly so your reader can tell which path you followed. Clear pointers prevent confusion when versions differ on analyses or tables.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Writing the submission month in the date field.
- Hiding the status label at the end of the entry.
- Capitalize Every Major Word in the manuscript title.
- Listing a journal name for a work that is under review.
- Switching between ampersand and the word “and” inside a parenthetical citation.
Mini walkthrough
Say you need to cite a nutrition manuscript that is under review. The draft shows these details: Arefin, M., and Kaya, S.; 2025; “Micronutrient timing and daily energy.” The authors share the draft from their lab. Build the entry by writing the names in APA order, placing the year in parentheses, giving the title in sentence case, and adding the status label in brackets. If the draft came from a department, include that as the source. The result might look like this:
Arefin, M., & Kaya, S. (2025). Micronutrient timing and daily energy [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Nutrition Sciences, Crescent University.
Then add the matching in-text citation. If you quote a sentence from page 8, your citation becomes (Arefin & Kaya, 2025, p. 8). If you paraphrase a finding, use (Arefin & Kaya, 2025). Update the reference when the paper moves to in press and again when the final version appears with page or article numbers.
Quick workflow you can reuse
- Confirm the status: under review, in preparation, preprint, or in press.
- Pick the matching reference pattern. Place the status note where shown.
- Write the in-text citation that matches the date you used in the reference.
- Scan for sentence case titles, bracket placement, and hanging indents.
- Update to the in press or final journal format when acceptance is confirmed.