APA journal reference: Author, A. A. (Year). Title. Journal Title, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx
What Counts As A Peer-Reviewed Source?
Peer review means subject experts screened the article before publication. That usually happens inside scholarly journals run by academic or professional groups. Conference abstracts, newsletters, and opinion pieces don’t meet that bar. Preprints live outside this filter too until a journal accepts and publishes them. When you grab a paper, check the journal’s masthead or website for a peer-review process statement. Indexing in databases such as PubMed or PsycINFO helps, but the journal’s editorial policy is your most direct signal. In your references, you don’t label an entry as “peer-reviewed.” You just build a complete, accurate journal reference. If the piece is a research article, review article, or short report inside a scholarly journal, you’re in the right lane. The steps below show how to format that entry, match it with clean in-text citations, and handle edge cases like article numbers and advance online publication dates.
APA Basics For Journal Articles
APA uses an author–date system in text and a detailed entry in the reference list. Journal titles and volume numbers get italics; article titles use sentence case. Include a DOI as a live https link whenever you have it. When an article lists an article number instead of pages, write the word Article before the number. The table below lays out each element you need to collect and how it appears in the final entry.
APA Reference Elements For Journal Articles
| Element | What To Gather | Format & Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Authors | Last names and initials in order shown | Use commas; ampersand before final author. Up to 20 authors: list all. 21+: list first 19, ellipsis, final author. |
| Year | Publication year | Use (Year). If in press, write (in press) in place of the year. |
| Article title | Exact title and subtitle | Sentence case; capitalize first word, proper nouns, and first word after a colon. |
| Journal title | Full journal name | Title case and italicized. Keep punctuation from the official title. |
| Volume | Volume number | Italicized. Place issue in parentheses right after it if present. |
| Issue | Issue number | Not italicized; format like (Issue). Include when the journal uses issues. |
| Pages or article number | Page range or eLocator | Use “pp–pp” for pages. If no pages, write Article plus the article number. |
| DOI | Permanent identifier | Write as a URL: https://doi.org/xxxxx. No “Retrieved from,” no “DOI:” label. |
| URL | Only if no DOI and source is on the open web | Use a stable link. Skip database names. |
| Advance online status | “Advance online publication” label | Use when the article appears online before assignment to an issue. |
Citing Peer-Reviewed Articles In APA: Quick Patterns
Here are clean templates with live-link DOIs. Swap in the details from your source, keep punctuation, and match spacing. These follow the rules shown on APA’s official pages for journal article references and for DOIs and URLs.
Standard Journal Article With DOI
Lopez, M. R., & Chen, T. K. (2023). Sleep timing and memory in young adults. Journal of Cognitive Science, 41(2), 155–172. https://doi.org/10.0000/jcs.2023.12345
Article Without DOI On The Open Web
Nguyen, P. D. (2021). Reading speed across devices. Applied Psycholinguistics, 42(4), 789–804. https://journals.example.org/applied-psycholinguistics/42/4/reading-speed
Article With An Article Number (eLocator)
Singh, R., Brown, E. J., & Patel, A. (2022). Visual load and driving errors. PLOS ONE, 17(5), Article e0267890. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267890
Advance Online Publication
Garcia, L. F., & Ito, S. (2025). Auditory cues and task switching. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-025-01999-7
Twenty-Plus Authors
Rivera, J. A., Khan, S., Moore, D. R., ... Zhang, Q. (2020). Multisite norms for verbal recall. Memory Research, 12(3), 201–218. https://doi.org/10.5555/mr.2020.0201
Build The Entry Step By Step
1) List Authors Correctly
Use last name plus initials. Keep the order given by the journal. Join the final author with an ampersand. For group authors, write the full group name as the author. Hyphenated last names stay hyphenated. Suffixes like Jr. follow the initials.
2) Add Year
Wrap the year in parentheses and add a period. If the paper is accepted but not yet assigned to a year, write in press in the same spot. That label also appears in in-text citations.
3) Write The Article Title In Sentence Case
Capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon, and any proper nouns. No italics, no quotes. Keep any punctuation that appears in the title.
4) Add The Journal Details
Write the journal name in title case and italics, followed by the volume in italics. If you have an issue, place it in parentheses right after the volume, not italicized. Then add a comma and the page range or the word Article plus the article number.
5) Finish With The DOI Or A URL
Paste the DOI as a full https link. If no DOI exists and the article is on the open web, add a stable URL. Skip database names. Leave off retrieval dates for static content.
In-Text Citations That Match Your Reference
APA uses author–date citations. Parenthetical style places both parts in parentheses. Narrative style uses the author in the sentence and the year in parentheses. Commas separate items; an ampersand joins two authors inside parentheses. From three authors on, use “et al.” in every citation.
Core Patterns With Examples
- One author, parenthetical: (Nguyen, 2021)
- One author, narrative: Nguyen (2021)
- Two authors, parenthetical: (Lopez & Chen, 2023)
- Two authors, narrative: Lopez and Chen (2023)
- Three or more authors: (Singh et al., 2022) or Singh et al. (2022)
- In press: (Garcia & Ito, in press)
- Direct quote with page: (Nguyen, 2021, p. 792)
- Direct quote with article number: Use section or paragraph if available: (Singh et al., 2022, para. 4)
In-Text Rules Snapshot
| Scenario | Parenthetical | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| One author | (Smith, 2024) | Smith (2024) |
| Two authors | (Smith & Lee, 2024) | Smith and Lee (2024) |
| Three+ authors | (Smith et al., 2024) | Smith et al. (2024) |
| Same author, same year | (Smith, 2024a; Smith, 2024b) | Smith (2024a, 2024b) |
| Group author | (American Heart Association, 2022) | American Heart Association (2022) |
| Quote with page | (Lee, 2020, p. 16) | Lee (2020, p. 16) |
Edge Cases You’ll See
Article Numbers Instead Of Pages
Many open-access journals use eLocators. In the reference, place Article before the code. In text, cite as usual; add a paragraph or section marker for quotes when no pages exist.
Missing Authors
If no personal author appears, start with the group name. If even that is missing, start with the article title. The in-text citation mirrors the first element of the reference.
Advance Online Publication
When a journal posts a paper before assigning a volume and issue, include the journal name, the label “Advance online publication,” and the DOI. Once an issue appears, switch to the final details for new work.
Many Authors
In the reference list, list up to 20 authors. For 21 or more, list the first 19, add an ellipsis (three spaced periods), then add the final author. In text, use “et al.” starting with the first citation.
Translated Or Reprinted Pieces
Translated journal articles keep the original year and title in the language of publication unless the journal supplies an official English title. Reprints need the current details of the version you used.
Formatting Tips That Keep Entries Clean
- Italics: Journal title and volume number only.
- Capitalization: Article titles use sentence case; journal titles use title case.
- Punctuation: Commas after the journal and volume; period before the DOI.
- Spacing: One space after punctuation. Use a hanging indent for each reference.
- Links: Leave DOIs as live https links. They can wrap to the next line.
- Issues: Include issue numbers whenever the journal presents them.
Worked Mini-Set: From Source To Reference
Sample Source Details
- Authors: Kim, A. J.; Park, H.; Ruiz, D. A.
- Year: 2024
- Title: Task load and eye movements in simulated flight
- Journal: Human Factors
- Volume/Issue: 66(1)
- Pages: 11–26
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208231234567
Finished Reference
Kim, A. J., Park, H., & Ruiz, D. A. (2024). Task load and eye movements in simulated flight. Human Factors, 66(1), 11–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208231234567
Matching In-Text
Parenthetical: (Kim et al., 2024) Narrative: Kim et al. (2024)
Quality Checks Before You Publish
- Copied author names and initials exactly, with the right order and punctuation.
- Used sentence case for the article title and title case for the journal.
- Included the issue in parentheses when the journal shows one.
- Used page range or wrote Article plus the eLocator, never both.
- Placed the DOI as a full https link; used a stable URL only when no DOI exists.
- Matched every in-text citation to a reference and vice versa.
- Applied a hanging indent and double spacing in your reference list.
Why This Approach Works For APA And Reviewers
The patterns here follow the author–date rules, the journal article examples, and the DOI guidance from APA. Clean references help readers locate sources fast. Clear in-text cues keep your claims tied to evidence. Use the templates and the two checklists to keep entries consistent across an entire post or paper. When a journal switches to article numbers, label them as shown. When a paper appears online ahead of print, use the advance online form until the final details arrive. With these moves, your citations stay neat, linkable, and easy to scan.