Collect author, year, article title, journal, volume(issue), pages, and DOI, then format them in the required style (APA, MLA, or Chicago).
What Counts As A Peer-Reviewed Journal?
Peer review means a manuscript is read by qualified scholars before the editor accepts it. Those reviewers check method, sources, and logic, and they ask for fixes. The journal explains this process on its “About” or “Instructions for Authors” page, and each issue lists an editorial board. If the article passed review, it appears with volume, issue, and page numbers, plus a persistent identifier such as a DOI.
Why does that matter for a citation? A reference tells the reader exactly which vetted article you used and how to reach it again. So your entry must carry complete data in a style your field uses.
Citing A Peer Reviewed Journal Article: Style Rules That Stick
Three families show up most across courses and journals: APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago (both Notes–Bibliography and Author–Date). Each one arranges the same ingredients in a slightly different order. The in-text cue points your reader to a full entry at the end of your paper, and that entry holds the complete trail back to the article.
Before you format anything, collect the details from the PDF and the journal’s landing page: author names, year or full date, article title, journal title, volume, issue, page range, and the DOI link. If a DOI is missing, the stable URL from the journal site works in styles that allow URLs.
Journal Citation Elements And Where To Find Them
| Element | Where It’s Shown | Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Author(s) | First page of the PDF, header, or landing page | List in published order. Follow the style’s rule for initials, ampersands, and “et al.” |
| Year / Date | PDF footer or metadata panel | APA uses year; MLA prints full date when available; Chicago allows month or season if shown. |
| Article Title | PDF title block | APA uses sentence case; MLA and Chicago title case. Keep punctuation exactly as published. |
| Journal Title | Header or landing page | Use the full journal name. Italicise in every style. |
| Volume(Issue) | PDF header or page one | Volume is italic in APA and Chicago; issue sits in parentheses right after it. |
| Page Range | PDF page footer | Give the span for the whole article; Chicago notes cite the specific page you quote. |
| DOI | First page or landing page | Display as https://doi.org/xxxxx, not “DOI:” or “dx.doi.org”. If no DOI, use the journal URL if your style allows. |
Gather The Details First
Open the article’s landing page, then the PDF. Copy the authors exactly as listed. Check whether the journal prints a day and month; if yes, save it for MLA or Chicago. Capture the full article title and the journal title. Note the volume, issue, and page range. Finally, copy the DOI link in the canonical form.
Keep a small text file or spreadsheet for these pieces, especially when you cite several articles in one paper. That one habit prevents typos, missing commas, and name order mix-ups. When the time comes to write the reference list, you can paste the fields into any style pattern with little editing.
APA 7: Build The In-Text And The Reference
APA uses author–date in the text and a detailed reference list entry. The reference includes the authors, year in parentheses, article title in sentence case, journal title in italics, volume in italics, issue in parentheses, page range, and the DOI link.
Full rules live on the official APA site; see journal article references for patterns and edge cases.
APA In-Text Samples
Parenthetical: (Smith & Lee, 2023). Narrative: Smith and Lee (2023) argue that … For a specific page, add it after a comma: (Smith & Lee, 2023, p. 152).
APA Reference Sample
Smith, J. A., & Lee, P. R. (2023). Title of article: Subtitle. Journal Title, 12(3), 145–162. https://doi.org/10.1234/abcd.2023.5678
MLA 9: Craft The In-Text And The Works Cited Entry
MLA places the author name and page in the text and lists full details in the Works Cited entry. The entry prints authors, article title in quotation marks, journal title in italics, volume, issue, year, page range, and a DOI link or stable URL.
For official guidance, the MLA Style Center guide to journal articles shows layouts and variants.
MLA In-Text Samples
Parenthetical: (Smith and Lee 152). Narrative: Smith and Lee state that … When a journal uses e-locator numbers, cite the locator in place of pages.
MLA Works Cited Sample
Smith, Jane A., and Paul R. Lee. “Title of Article: Subtitle.” Journal Title, vol. 12, no. 3, 2023, pp. 145–162. https://doi.org/10.1234/abcd.2023.5678.
Chicago Styles: Notes–Bibliography And Author–Date
Chicago lets you pick between footnotes with a bibliography or an author–date system. Both share the same core ingredients but the punctuation and order differ from APA and MLA.
Notes–Bibliography Samples
Note: 1. Jane A. Smith and Paul R. Lee, “Title of Article: Subtitle,” Journal Title 12, no. 3 (2023): 151, https://doi.org/10.1234/abcd.2023.5678.
Bibliography: Smith, Jane A., and Paul R. Lee. “Title of Article: Subtitle.” Journal Title 12, no. 3 (2023): 145–62. https://doi.org/10.1234/abcd.2023.5678.
Author–Date Samples
In-text: (Smith and Lee 2023, 151).
Reference: Smith, Jane A., and Paul R. Lee. 2023. “Title of Article: Subtitle.” Journal Title 12, no. 3: 145–62. https://doi.org/10.1234/abcd.2023.5678.
Edge Cases You’ll See Often
Many Authors
Follow the style’s rule for long author lists. APA prints up to twenty; MLA usually lists the first author then “et al.” for three or more; Chicago notes use “and” before the last name and allow “et al.” for lengthy bylines. Keep the published order.
No DOI
Some journals do not assign a DOI. APA prefers a DOI; if none exists, give the URL of the journal’s landing page. MLA and Chicago accept a DOI or a stable URL. Avoid database-specific links that require a login.
Advance Online Publication
When an article is posted online before it receives volume and issue numbers, cite what the journal provides: author(s), year or date, article title, journal title, and the DOI. Once the issue is assigned, update your entry with volume, issue, and pages.
Style Pattern Cheat Sheet
| Style | In-Text Pattern | Reference Pattern (Core Order) |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | (Author, Year, p. X) | Author. (Year). Article title. Journal, Volume(Issue), pages. DOI |
| MLA 9 | (Author Page) | Author. “Article title.” Journal, vol. Volume, no. Issue, Year, pp. pages. DOI/URL |
| Chicago | Note or (Author Year, X) | Author. “Article title.” Journal Volume, no. Issue (Year): pages. DOI/URL |
Step-By-Step: From PDF To Finished Entry
Can’t find a DOI? Check the article’s first page, the right column of the landing page, or the PDF footer. Some publishers label it as “Article number” or “eLocator”; in that case copy the number exactly. For older pieces, a DOI may not exist; that’s fine—use the journal URL or the database permalink if your style permits it. Never paste the library proxy string; it breaks once you sign out. Use stable links only, always.
- Skim the title block. Copy the authors, article title, journal, volume, issue, and pages. Paste into a draft note.
- Grab the DOI. Use the https://doi.org/ format. If no DOI exists, copy the journal’s stable URL.
- Pick the style. Match the course guide or the journal’s instructions. Stick with one style across your paper.
- Write the in-text cue. Choose author–date or author–page, or add a footnote number if you use notes.
- Build the final entry. Arrange the fields in the right order and set italics and capitalisation per the style.
- Proof like a hawk. Check commas, spaces, and initials. Confirm the DOI opens to the article landing page.
That checklist works for any peer reviewed source: research articles, short reports, brief communications, and review articles.
Proofreading Checklist For Journal Citations
- Names match the article, in the published order and spelling.
- Year or full date matches the PDF or landing page.
- Article title is sentence case for APA; title case for MLA and Chicago.
- Journal title and volume are italic; issue number in parentheses where required.
- Page span covers the whole article; page pinpoints appear only in in-text or notes.
- DOI link uses the canonical format and loads in a new tab when clicked.
- Only one style appears across the entire paper.
The aim is simple: clear signals and a reliable trail back to the source.
Common Pitfalls And Quick Fixes
Wrong author order. Keep the order as printed by the journal. Do not switch to alphabetical in the entry unless your style demands it for the list as a whole.
Mangled title case. In APA, only the first word of the article title, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns are capitalised. MLA and Chicago capitalise major words. Set the journal title in title case for all styles.
Dead or paywalled links. Use a DOI when available. If a DOI is missing, link to the journal page that describes the article, not a library database session URL.
Missing issue numbers. Many journals paginate each issue from page 1, so the issue number matters. If the journal paginates by volume, you can omit the issue in styles that allow that omission.
Mixing styles. Pick one system and stick to it. A paper that jumps from APA to MLA mid-stream creates confusion for readers.
Ready To Cite With Confidence
You now have the core fields, the style patterns, and a repeatable method. Collect the metadata, choose the right pattern, and write a clean in-text cue that points to a full entry. Add the entry to your list, keep punctuation sharp, and your journal citations will match what editors and instructors expect.