APA 7 treats a Cochrane Review like a journal article: list authors, year, title with review label, Cochrane Database, issue/article number, and DOI.
You want your reference list to be clean, consistent, and ready for scrutiny. This guide shows exactly how to write an APA 7 reference and in-text citation for a Cochrane Review, plus what to do with updates, protocols, and long author lists. We’ll use plain templates, live-ready examples, and a short checklist so you can paste with confidence. Now.
APA Basics For A Cochrane Review
In APA 7, a Cochrane Review sits under the journal article category. The journal name is Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Many reviews use an article number instead of page ranges, and each version has a DOI. Use sentence case for the review title, include the word “Review” only if it appears in the title, and finish the reference with the DOI in URL form.
Core Elements And Where They Go
| Element | Where It Appears | Notes / Example |
|---|---|---|
| Authors | Start of reference | Up to 20 authors listed; use an ampersand before the last name. |
| Year | After authors | Use the year in parentheses, e.g., (2024). |
| Title | After year | Sentence case; add edition notes only if shown by Cochrane. |
| Journal | After title | Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in italics. |
| Issue | After journal | Year in italics as volume substitute, then issue in parentheses, e.g., 2024(3). |
| Article number | After issue | Write “Article CD0xxxxx” as supplied by Cochrane. |
| DOI | End of reference | Use the https://doi.org/ format with no ending period. |
Citing A Cochrane Review In APA Format — Step-By-Step
1) Build The Author Line
List surnames and initials in the order shown on the review. Separate names with commas and place an ampersand before the final author. With more than 20 authors, write the first 19, add an ellipsis, then the final author.
2) Add The Year
Place the year in parentheses right after the authors. Cochrane also shows the update month and day on the page; APA 7 uses the year for journal articles, so year alone is enough.
3) Write The Title
Use sentence case. If the title itself includes markers such as “Protocol” or “Withdrawn”, keep them as part of the title. Do not add square brackets unless they appear in the source title.
4) Add The Journal, Issue, And Article Number
Use the journal title in italics, then the year in italics as a stand-in for a volume, followed by the issue in parentheses, a comma, and the article number. Cochrane supplies the article number beginning with “CD”. Prefix it with the word “Article”.
5) Finish With The DOI
Paste the DOI as a live URL that begins with https://doi.org/. Do not place a period after the DOI, and skip any database name.
Reference Template
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of review in sentence case. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Year(Issue), Article CD0xxxxx. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD0xxxxx.pubN
Worked Example
Smith, J. L., Nguyen, T. P., & Rivera, M. R. (2024). Non-surgical care for lumbar spinal stenosis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2024(5), Article CD012345. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012345.pub3
In-Text Citation
Parenthetical: (Smith et al., 2024). Narrative: Smith et al. (2024). For two authors, use (Smith & Lee, 2024). Quote pages are not used; quote the section or table label if you must signal location.
Linking To The Official Record
Each Cochrane Review page displays a “How to cite” option and a DOI tied to that version. When a review is updated, a new DOI is assigned for the new version, while the old DOI remains valid. See Cochrane’s note on versioned DOIs on the Cochrane Library impact page. For general APA rules on journal articles and DOIs, the Purdue OWL guide for journal articles is a handy reference.
Updated Reviews, Protocols, And Withdrawn Articles
Updated Reviews
Cochrane updates many reviews. Cite the version you used. The date at the top of the page tells you the update year; the DOI confirms the version. If you quote across versions, supply separate references for each DOI.
Protocols
Protocols are also published in the same journal. Keep the word “Protocol” if it appears in the title, and cite it as a journal article with the issue and article number.
Withdrawn Articles
Some reviews are withdrawn. If the title on Cochrane carries “Withdrawn”, keep that wording. Your reference still ends with the DOI.
Formatting For References List And In-Text
Authors And Ampersands
Use an ampersand within parenthetical citations and before the final author in the reference list. In prose, use “and” between two authors, and “et al.” for three or more.
Capitalization And Italics
In titles, capitalize only the first word and proper nouns. Italicize the journal name and the year used as a volume.
No Page Ranges
Page spans are rare in Cochrane Reviews, so the article number replaces them. Do not invent page numbers from PDF viewers.
Scenario Quick Patterns
| Scenario | Reference Pattern | In-Text Example |
|---|---|---|
| Two authors | Lee, A., & Patel, R. (2023). Title. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023(8), Article CD0xxxx. https://doi.org/... |
(Lee & Patel, 2023) |
| Three or more | First 19 authors ... Last, Z. (2022). Title. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2022(1), Article CD0xxxx. https://doi.org/... |
(FirstAuthor et al., 2022) |
| Protocol | Owen, C. (2025). Title (Protocol). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2025(2), Article CD0xxxx. https://doi.org/... |
(Owen, 2025) |
Mini Template You Can Copy
Author Surname, Initials., Author Surname, Initials., & Author Surname, Initials. (Year). Title in sentence case. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Year(Issue), Article CD0xxxxx. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD0xxxxx.pubN
Common Mistakes And Quick Fixes
- Missing the article number: Cochrane uses “CD” numbers. Include them after the issue.
- Wrong DOI format: Start with
https://doi.org/and do not add a period. - Extra database info: Skip database names and retrieval dates for journal articles with DOIs.
- Incorrect title case: Keep sentence case for the review title.
- Not matching the version: Use the DOI on the exact version you read.
Checklist Before You Paste
- Authors are listed in order, with initials and an ampersand before the last name.
- Year is correct for the version you used.
- Title matches the Cochrane page in sentence case.
- Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews is italicized.
- Year and issue appear as
Year(Issue). - Article number begins with “CD”.
- DOI begins with
https://doi.org/and has no ending period. - In-text citation matches the authors and year.
Where To Find Each Piece On The Cochrane Page
Open the review on the Cochrane Library. The authors appear under the title. The update date sits near the top; the issue and article number appear under “Publication history.” The DOI appears under the title and again near the bottom. Use the “How to cite” menu to double-check that the issue and CD number match your copy.
Sample References You Can Adapt
Two Authors
Almeida, G., & Roy, K. (2023). Low-carb diets for type 2 diabetes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023(8), Article CD098765. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD098765.pub2
Six Authors
Chen, H., Morris, B., Stone, L., Patel, V., Campos, F., & Kim, J. (2022). Oral probiotics for eczema. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2022(1), Article CD075432. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD075432.pub4
More Than Twenty Authors
Diaz, R., Ahmed, S., Li, Q., Berg, T., Rossi, M., Cole, A., Peters, D., James, E., Wu, Y., Green, N., Hart, P., Singh, U., Novak, I., Clarke, O., Jones, R., Young, S., Becker, L., Brown, C., ... Taylor, J. (2021). Interventions for chronic migraine. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2021(11), Article CD034567. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD034567.pub5
Group Authors And Organization Names
Most Cochrane Reviews list individual authors. If a review lists an organization as the only author, treat that organization as the author name. Repeat the full name in the reference and use the same name in in-text citations, e.g., (Cochrane Stroke Group, 2024). If both person names and a group name appear, use the person names as the authors and mention the group in the body of your paper if needed.
Citing A Specific Figure Or Table
APA 7 does not require page numbers for paraphrases. For direct quotes or for pointing readers to a specific element, give a locator. Cochrane PDFs label figures and tables; refer to the label, such as (Smith et al., 2024, Table 2) or Figure 3. Avoid using the PDF viewer’s page count.
Punctuation, Spacing, And Small Details
- Use a single space after periods.
- Place a comma after the issue number only when an article number follows.
- Do not add a period after the DOI.
- Keep initials tight: “T. P.” not “T.P”.
- Use the serial comma in the author list.
Same Author, Same Year
Sometimes two Cochrane Reviews share the same first author and year. Add letters after the year in the reference and in-text citations. Order the references alphabetically by title. References: Park, J., & Silva, R. (2020a). Magnesium for leg cramps. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020(4), Article CD010987. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010987.pub2 and Park, J., & Silva, R. (2020b). Stretching for leg cramps. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020(7), Article CD011234. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011234.pub3. Then in-text examples: (Park & Silva, 2020a) and (Park & Silva, 2020b).