In APA 7, cite a peer-reviewed article with author(s), year, title in sentence case, journal in italics with volume(issue), page range, and a DOI link.
You want a clean, correct reference that passes a quick scan from any editor or instructor. This guide walks you through the exact pieces to grab from a journal article and how to place them in the right order.
I’ll use plain language, compact rules, and small examples. Follow the steps once, then reuse the workflow for every study you read.
Citing A Peer-Reviewed Article In APA 7: Step-By-Step
- Authors: Start with the author names in the order printed on the article. Use last name, then initials. Add a comma after each, and an ampersand before the final author.
- Year: Place the year in parentheses right after the authors, followed by a period.
- Title: Write the article title in sentence case. Only the first word and proper nouns take capitals. End with a period.
- Journal + Volume + Issue: Italicize the journal title in title case, followed by a comma. Add the italicized volume number next, then the issue number in parentheses (not italicized).
- Pages: Insert a comma, then the page range with an en dash between first and last page.
- DOI: Add the DOI in link format that begins with
https://doi.org/. Leave off “Retrieved from” or “Accessed”. - No DOI? If no DOI exists and you found the article in a typical academic database, treat it like print and skip the URL. If the article lives on the open web, include the stable URL.
Apa 7 Journal Article Reference Elements
| Element | How It Appears | Tip Or Note |
|---|---|---|
| Authors | Last name, Initials. Use commas; put & before the last author. | List up to 20 authors; with 21+, keep the first 19, add an ellipsis, then the final name. |
| Year | (2021). | Only the year for journal articles; add month/day only for news or magazine pieces. |
| Article Title | Sentence case: only the first word and proper nouns capped. | No italics; end with a period. |
| Journal Title | Title Case Italicized, | Keep the exact punctuation from the journal’s name. |
| Volume & Issue | Volume(Issue), | Volume italicized; issue in parentheses with no italics. |
| Pages | xx–xx. | Use an en dash between numbers. |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx |
Follow the Crossref DOI display guidelines; no “doi:” prefix; no trailing period. |
| URL | https://… | Only if no DOI and the article is on the open web. |
Need a one-page rules refresher with patterns and examples? The Purdue OWL journal-article guide is a handy cross-check while you format your list.
Reference Formats For Common Peer-Reviewed Cases
Single Author With DOI
Format: Lastname, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), xx–xx. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy
Two Authors With DOI
Format: Lastname, A. A., & Lastname, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), xx–xx. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy
Three Or More Authors
Format: Lastname, A. A., Lastname, B. B., Lastname, C. C., … Lastname, Z. Z. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), xx–xx. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy
No DOI From A Database
Format: Lastname, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), xx–xx.
Article With An Article Number
Format: Lastname, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, Volume, Article e12345. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy
In-Text Citations That Match The Reference
Parenthetical And Narrative Styles
Two styles exist. Parenthetical shows the author and year in parentheses, like this: (Nguyen, 2023). Narrative weaves the author into the sentence, followed by the year in parentheses: Nguyen (2023).
Signal Phrases And Page Numbers
When you quote, add a page or paragraph marker. Parenthetical: (Nguyen, 2023, p. 142). Narrative: Nguyen (2023, p. 142) shows that the pattern holds. Use “p.” for one page and “pp.” for a span.
Block Quotes (40+ Words)
For quotes of 40 words or more, start a new line, indent the whole passage, keep double spacing, drop the quotation marks, and place the citation after the period.
Peer-Reviewed Signal: What Matters
You do not label a citation as peer-reviewed. The reference itself looks the same as any other journal article. Peer review relates to where you found the work, not to how you format the entry. Choose articles from journals that screen submissions. The journal name and DOI give readers what they need to verify the source.
Preflight Checks Before You Submit
| Check | What To Verify | Example Or Note |
|---|---|---|
| Authors match | All in-text authors appear in the reference list; spellings match. | Check initials and order. |
| Year match | Years in text and reference are identical. | Watch early-online updates. |
| Issue number | Include the issue for all journal articles when available. | Place it in parentheses right after the volume. |
| Up to 20 authors | List every author up to 20. | Use an ampersand before the final author. |
| 21+ authors | First 19, an ellipsis, then the final author. | No ampersand before the last name. |
| Title case rules | Article title in sentence case; journal in title case. | Resist capitalizing every word in the article title. |
| Italics | Journal title and volume number are italicized. | Issue number and pages are not. |
| Punctuation | Periods and commas in the right places. | Comma after journal title; period after page range unless a DOI follows. |
| DOI link format | Begins with https://doi.org/ |
No “dx.doi.org”; no doi: prefix. |
| URL usage | Add a URL only when no DOI and the article is public on the web. | Do not add database names. |
Troubleshooting Edge Cases
Missing author? Move the title to the author position. Unknown date? Use (n.d.). Name change or rebrand for a journal? Keep the name printed on your article. Non-English title? Give the original title; add an English translation in brackets after the title if your instructor asks. Special characters in names? Keep diacritics as printed. Article numbers instead of pages? Use the article number where pages would go. Supplement issues? Add “Suppl.” after the issue number. Retracted or corrected articles? Cite the version you used and add a note if your assignment requires one.
Mini Workflow To Keep Handy
- Copy authors, year, title, journal, volume, issue, pages, and DOI into a scratch pad in that order.
- Convert the title to sentence case and the journal to title case.
- Turn the DOI into a live link that starts with
https://doi.org/. - Assemble the reference line, add italics where needed, and proof the punctuation.
- Write one narrative citation and one parenthetical citation so you can use either style while drafting.