In APA 7, cite peer-reviewed articles with author, year, title, journal and volume(issue) italicized, pages or article number, and a DOI.
You’ve got the study. Now it needs a clean APA reference that works on the first try. This guide shows clear patterns, quick checks, and copy-ready samples you can adapt.
APA Citation For Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles: Core Rules
APA uses an author–date system with a matching reference list. A complete journal reference contains four parts: author, date, title, and source. Below is a map of what each part holds and how it appears.
| Element | What To Include | Example Snippet |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Surname, initials for up to 20 authors; use an ampersand before the last; for 21+, list first 19, an ellipsis, then final author. | Lopez, M. J., Chen, R. K., & Patel, A. R. |
| Date | Year in parentheses; add month and day only if the journal supplies them. | (2024) |
| Title | Sentence case; no quotes; capitalize proper nouns; end with a period. | Mindful breaks reduce meeting fatigue. |
| Source | Journal title in title case and italics; volume italicized; issue in parentheses (not italic); page range or article number; DOI as a link. | Workplace Health, 15(2), 101–112. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxx |
Two pages from APA give the full picture: the official journal article examples and the rules for DOIs and URLs. Use both when you need edge cases.
Step 1: Build The Reference Entry
Authors. List names as: Surname, Initials. Keep commas between authors. Place an ampersand before the final name. With 21+ authors, keep the first 19, add an ellipsis, then the last author. Group authors write out the organization name.
Date. Use the year. Add a month and day only when the journal shows them. If no date appears, write (n.d.).
Article title. Sentence case. That means only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns get capitals. No italics and no quotes.
Journal source. Italicize the journal title and the volume. Put the issue in parentheses right after the volume. Add a page range with an en dash, or write the word “Article” plus the article number. Finish with the DOI link if present. Do not add a period after a DOI or URL.
Sample reference (with DOI):
Lopez, M. J., & Chen, R. K. (2023). Microbreak timing and alertness across long shifts. Journal of Occupational Research, 12(3), 225–240. https://doi.org/10.1234/jor.2023.56789
Sample reference (article number, no DOI, open web):
Dlamini, P., García, I., & Novak, T. (2022). Remote onboarding and early retention in tech teams. International Journal of People Analytics, 9(1), Article e10312. https://peopleanalytics.example.org/e10312
Step 2: Write In-Text Citations That Match
Every source in the list must appear in the text. Use narrative or parenthetical style. One author: Smith (2024) or (Smith, 2024). Two authors: Smith and Lee (2024) or (Smith & Lee, 2024). Three or more: Patel et al. (2021) or (Patel et al., 2021). Use a page or article number for quotations: (Smith, 2024, p. 12) or (Dlamini et al., 2022, Article e10312).
If two works share the same author and year, add letters after the year in both the text and the list, like 2020a and 2020b. For group authors with long names, abbreviate the group in later citations when allowed.
Step 3: Handle Special Cases Fast
Advance online publication. If the journal marks a piece as advance online, write that phrase in the source where pages would sit, and include the DOI if available.
Issue missing. If the journal has no issue, omit it. Many journals publish by volume only.
Non-English titles. Keep the original title in sentence case. If an English translation is supplied by the journal, place it in brackets after the original title.
Supplement numbers. Add the supplement number in parentheses after the issue, like 10(Suppl. 2).
Article numbers and eLocators. When a journal uses an article number instead of pages, include the label “Article” plus that number.
Formatting Details That People Miss
Capitalization And Italics
Article titles use sentence case from start to finish. Proper nouns and the first word after a colon get capitals. Journal titles use title case and are italicized. The volume number is also italicized, while the issue number is not. Keep the issue directly after the volume in parentheses with no space in between. Page ranges use an en dash, not a hyphen. If the journal supplies an article number, write the word “Article” before that code to make the format clear to readers.
Punctuation And Spacing
Commas separate authors and the date sits in parentheses. Put a period after the date, after the article title, and after the page range or article number. Do not place a period after a DOI or URL because that can break the link. Use a single space after punctuation. Place an ampersand before the final author inside the reference entry, but write “and” in narrative in-text citations when you mention authors inside your sentence.
DOI, URL, And Database Notes
Use the DOI in active link format whenever the article has one. If no DOI exists and the journal page is freely available, include the URL. When the article lives only in a standard research database with no DOI, end the reference after the page range or article number. Skip database names, accession numbers, and long tracking strings. These rules come straight from APA’s guidance on DOIs and URLs.
Worked Samples You Can Reuse
Standard Article With DOI
Nguyen, T. H., Alvarez, S. P., & Brown, D. Q. (2021). Data sharing habits in field studies. Open Science Quarterly, 4(2), 44–59. https://doi.org/10.5678/osq.2021.4259
Narrative: Nguyen et al. (2021) reported… Parenthetical: (Nguyen et al., 2021).
No DOI, Public Article URL
Silva, R., & Kaur, N. (2020). Sleep tracking wearables and accuracy across brands. Digital Health Reports, 6(4), 301–318. https://digitalhealthreports.org/6/4/sleep-tracking
Narrative: Silva and Kaur (2020) noted… Parenthetical: (Silva & Kaur, 2020).
Many Authors (21 Or More)
Hernández, L., Ito, Y., Zhang, P., Ahmed, S., O’Neill, G., Rossi, F., Müller, K., Iqbal, R., Carter, J., Webb, H., Wayne, P., Lin, V., Cohen, R., Singh, A., Adeyemi, O., Romero, C., Diaz, E., Choi, M., … Grady, T. (2022). Shared lab protocols in cross-border teams. Methods And Practice, 28(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.2468/map.2022.01014
Article Number Instead Of Pages
Koenig, J. A., & Walsh, B. (2023). Hybrid classrooms and student outcomes. Education Today, 11(3), Article e22077. https://doi.org/10.9988/edt.2023.e22077
Frequent Errors And Easy Fixes
- Missing DOI link. If a DOI exists, include the active https://doi.org/ form, not “doi:” prefixes or plain numbers.
- Wrong capitalization. Article titles use sentence case. Journal titles use title case.
- Stray punctuation. Do not add a period after a DOI or URL.
- Issue style. Put the issue in parentheses right after the volume, no space: 12(3).
- Et al. rules. Use “et al.” for three or more authors in every in-text citation.
- Database names. Skip database names in the reference entry for standard journal content.
Common Scenarios Table
| Scenario | Reference Pattern | In-Text Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Two authors | Surname, A. A., & Surname, B. B. (Year). Title. Journal, vol(issue), pages. DOI | (Smith & Lee, 2024) |
| Three or more | Surname, A. A., Surname, B. B., & Surname, C. C. (Year). Title. Journal, vol(issue), pages. DOI | (Patel et al., 2021) |
| Advance online | Surname, A. A. (Year). Title. Journal, Advance online publication. DOI | Johnson (2022) |
| Article number | Surname, A. A. (Year). Title. Journal, vol(issue), Article xxxxxx. DOI/URL | (Dlamini et al., 2022) |
| No DOI; open web | Surname, A. A. (Year). Title. Journal, vol(issue), pages. URL | (Silva & Kaur, 2020) |
Template You Can Reuse
Surname, A. A., Surname, B. B., & Surname, C. C. (Year). Article title in sentence case: If there is a colon, capitalize the first word after it. Journal Title In Title Case, volume(issue), page–page or Article xxxxxx. https://doi.org/xxxxxxxxx
Fast Workflow For Perfect APA Citations
- Collect the four core parts: author, date, title, source.
- Search the journal record for a DOI; if present, copy the https link.
- Write the article title in sentence case; italicize the journal and volume.
- Add the issue in parentheses and the page range or Article code.
- Place the DOI link at the end with no period; add a URL only for public pages with no DOI.
- Create matching in-text citations using narrative or parenthetical style; use “et al.” for three or more authors.
Quick Checklist Before You Publish
- Every in-text callout has a matching reference entry.
- Authors are in the right order with initials only.
- Year is in parentheses; n.d. only when no date is shown.
- Article title uses sentence case; journal and volume are italicized.
- Issue number, if present, is in parentheses right after the volume.
- Use a page range or the word “Article” plus the article number.
- Put the DOI in link form; if none, add a public URL only when the article is on the open web.
- No database names, access dates, or “Retrieved from” for standard journal content.
- In-text style: one author (Smith, 2024); two authors (Smith & Lee, 2024); three or more (Smith et al., 2024).
- Direct quotes include a locator such as a page or article number.
Why This Style Pays Off
Readers can verify your sources fast. Editors can spot errors at a glance. Your own notes stay tidy across drafts. Stick to the patterns on this page and you’ll spend less time fixing citations and more time reading the research that matters to your paper. Keep formatting fully consistent.