In APA 7, cite a peer-reviewed article as Author, A. A., (Year). Title. Journal Name, volume(issue), pages, and the DOI or URL when available.
“Reviewed article” usually means a peer-reviewed journal article. Some readers also use it for a review article that summarizes prior studies. APA treats both as journal articles for references, with a separate pattern only for a book review published in a journal. The steps below cover all three so your citations read clean and consistent.
Citing A Reviewed Article In APA Style: Core Patterns
Start with the authors, then year, article title in sentence case, the journal name in title case, the italic volume number, the issue in parentheses (not italic), the page range or article number, and a DOI link when one exists. Omit database names. Skip “Retrieved from.” Present DOIs and URLs as live links.
| Scenario | Reference List Template | In-Text Example |
|---|---|---|
| Peer-reviewed article with DOI | Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, volume(issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxxx | (Author & Author, Year) or Author and Author (Year) |
| Peer-reviewed article without DOI (from a database) | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, volume(issue), page–page. | (Author, Year) |
| Advance online publication | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/xxxxx | (Author, Year) |
| Review article (literature review or meta-analysis) | Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of review. Journal Title, volume(issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxxx | (Author et al., Year) |
| Book review within a journal | Reviewer, R. R. (Year). Title of review [Review of the book Book title, by A. A. Author]. Journal Title, volume(issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxxx | (Reviewer, Year) |
For full examples and edge cases, see the official journal article reference models and the guidance on DOIs and URLs. They mirror the patterns used here.
APA In-Text Citations For Reviewed Articles
Use author–date. Include a page or paragraph only when you quote. Paraphrases don’t need page numbers. Supply the year with the first mention in a paragraph; later narrative mentions can drop the year if the meaning stays clear.
Two Authors And Three Or More Authors
Two authors: cite both every time using an ampersand in parentheses and “and” in prose. Sample: (Nguyen & Patel, 2022) or Nguyen and Patel (2022).
Three or more authors: shorten to the first author plus “et al.” from the first citation. Sample: (Garcia et al., 2021) or Garcia et al. (2021).
Quotations And Page Or Paragraph
Short quotes use quotation marks. Long quotes (40+ words) use a block. Add page or paragraph markers. Sample: (Lee, 2020, p. 14) for a page; (Osei, 2023, para. 3) for a webpage with no pages.
Reference List Details That Trip People Up
Capitalization And Italics
Article titles take sentence case: only the first word and proper nouns capitalized. Journal titles take title case and stay italic. The volume number is italic; the issue number is not. Place the issue in parentheses right after the volume with no space: 12(3).
DOIs, URLs, And When To Omit Them
Always include a DOI when the article has one, even for print PDFs. Format it as a link beginning with https://doi.org/. If there’s no DOI and the article came from a standard academic database, end the reference after the page range. Add a URL only when the article is on a public site (such as the journal’s site) or in an institutional repository.
Page Ranges, Article Numbers, And eLocators
Many journals use article numbers instead of pages. In that case, give the article number in the reference, often labeled “Article” or an eLocator like e02345. Don’t invent pages from the PDF length.
| Situation | What To Do | Sample Reference |
|---|---|---|
| No issue number | List the volume and pages only. | Lopez, F. (2021). Title. Journal Name, 44, 120–133. https://doi.org/xxxxx |
| Article number instead of pages | Give the number after the issue. | Singh, R. (2020). Title. PLOS ONE, 15(7), Article e0241234. https://doi.org/xxxxx |
| Online first | Include “Advance online publication.” | Adebayo, G. (2024). Title. Journal Name. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/xxxxx |
| Twenty-one or more authors | List the first 19, add an ellipsis, then the final author; keep the year once. | Author, A. A., … Author, Z. Z. (2022). Title. Journal Name, 10(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/xxxxx |
| Same author and year, multiple works | Add letters to the year and match them in text. | Chen, L. (2020a)…; Chen, L. (2020b)… |
| Organization as author | Spell out the group; repeat the name in the reference. | World Health Organization. (2021). Title. Journal Name, 8(1), 11–20. https://doi.org/xxxxx |
| Retracted article | Follow the journal’s notice; cite the retraction if you discuss it. | Retraction of Smith, J. (2019)… Journal Name, 30(4), 555. https://doi.org/xxxxx |
Step-By-Step: Build One Perfect Reference
1) Authors
Write surnames first, then initials. Keep commas between authors and an ampersand before the last one. Up to 20 authors are listed.
2) Year
Use the year in parentheses with a period after: (2024). For online first items with an exact date, the year still comes first; the full date isn’t required for journal articles.
3) Article Title
Sentence case, no italics. Stop at the first word after a colon with a capital if a subtitle appears.
4) Journal, Volume, Issue
Journal name in title case and italics; volume in italics; issue in parentheses right after the volume; comma before the pages or article number.
5) Pages Or Article Number
Use an en dash for ranges. If the journal uses article numbers, write “Article” followed by the identifier.
6) DOI Or URL
Prefer the DOI link. If none exists and you used a public webpage, include a stable URL. End the reference with the link—no period after a DOI or URL.
7) Match In-Text
Make sure every reference has a partner citation and that spellings and years match. Pick narrative or parenthetical form and stay consistent.
Mini Reference Library Templates
Peer-Reviewed Research Article
Martinez, P. A., & Holt, R. J. (2023). Sleep timing and decision speed in nurses. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 28(2), 145–159. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000356
Parenthetical: (Martinez & Holt, 2023). Narrative: Martinez and Holt (2023).
Review Article
Khan, S., Rivera, D., & Cho, E. (2021). Mind-body practices for exam stress: A review. Health Psychology Review, 15(4), 501–523. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2020.1861234
Parenthetical: (Khan et al., 2021). Narrative: Khan et al. (2021).
Book Review In A Journal
Rossi, G. (2022). Untangling food choices [Review of the book Why We Eat What We Eat, by L. Trent]. Appetite, 170(1), 105906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105906
Parenthetical: (Rossi, 2022). Narrative: Rossi (2022).
Quality Checks Before You Publish
- Names: spellings match the article; initials appear after surnames.
- Year: matches the PDF or journal site.
- Title style: sentence case for the article; title case for the journal.
- Italic choices: journal and volume italic; issue not.
- Numbers: page ranges use an en dash; article numbers are labeled when needed.
- Links: DOI uses the https://doi.org/ format and opens cleanly.
- In-text: every item in the list appears in the prose at least once.
Worked Example From Start To Finish
Say you read a peer-reviewed study by T. Kim, L. Park, and N. Shah, published in 2024, titled “Daily step counts and mood in first-year students,” in Journal of Behavioral Medicine, volume 47, issue 1, pages 33–47, with DOI 10.1007/s10865-023-00321-9. Here’s the build:
- Authors → Kim, T., Park, L., & Shah, N.
- Year → (2024).
- Title → Daily step counts and mood in first-year students.
- Journal, volume, issue → Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 47(1),
- Pages → 33–47.
- DOI → https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-023-00321-9
Final reference: Kim, T., Park, L., & Shah, N. (2024). Daily step counts and mood in first-year students. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 47(1), 33–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-023-00321-9
In-text: (Kim et al., 2024) or Kim et al. (2024).
Troubleshooting Tips When Details Are Missing
No DOI Anywhere
If the database shows no DOI, search the publisher site. If none exists, end the reference after the page range unless the article lives on a public webpage.
Article Title Looks Odd
Keep the exact spelling, symbols, and capitalization the article uses for proper nouns or gene names. Don’t add quotation marks around the title.
Journal Changed Its Name
Use the name shown on the article you’re citing. Don’t add the old name in brackets.
Keep This Handy
APA 7 keeps journal articles simple: author–date in text, and a reference that runs Author. Year. Title. Journal, volume(issue), pages or article number, and a DOI link when present. With the patterns and tables above, you can cite a peer-reviewed study, a narrative review, or a book review in a journal without second-guessing punctuation or order.