To cite a peer-reviewed journal in APA, list author, year, article title, journal, volume(issue), pages, and the DOI as a https://doi.org/ link.
Ready to cite that journal you just read? This guide walks you through clean APA 7th formatting for peer-reviewed work, step by step, with copy-ready templates and fixes for the snags that slow writers down.
APA Basics For Journal Articles
Peer-review status doesn’t change the format. You cite it like any journal article in APA style. The pieces arrive in a set order and the punctuation does a lot of the work for you. Use this quick map before you build a reference.
| Part | What You Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Author(s) | Last name, Initials. | Up to 20 authors use commas with an ampersand before the last; 21+ use first 19, an ellipsis, then the final name. |
| Year | (Year). | Use just the year for most articles. Online-first can carry “Advance online publication.” |
| Article title | Sentence case. | Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns; include subtitle after a colon. |
| Journal title | Title Case | Journal name in title case and italics, followed by a comma. |
| Volume & issue | Volume(issue) | Volume is italic; issue is in parentheses, not italic; add a comma after the parentheses. |
| Pages or article number | pp–pp or Article e### | Use an en dash for ranges; many open-access journals use article numbers. |
| DOI | https://doi.org/xxxxx | Format as a live URL; no period at the end. |
| No DOI | — | If from an academic research database, end after the page range. If from a public webpage, add the URL. |
Need an official touchstone? See the APA journal article reference examples for edge cases like missing issues, article numbers, and retractions.
APA Citation For Peer-Reviewed Articles: Quick Patterns
Writers often ask what to change because the source passed peer review. The answer is simple: nothing in the reference line flags the review process. Your job is to present reliable details so readers can trace the source. Keep author–date style in the body of your text and match it to one clean entry on the reference list.
How To Build A Reference Step By Step
1) Gather The Core Details
Before you start typing, collect the author list, year, full article title, journal title, volume, issue, page range or article number, and the DOI. Copy these from the journal landing page rather than a PDF cover, since the landing page often carries the DOI and the correct capitalization.
2) Format Names The APA Way
Write authors as “Last, A. A.” Keep one space between initials. Separate multiple names with commas and put an ampersand before the final author. For 21 or more authors, list the first 19, insert an ellipsis, then the last author’s name. There is no ampersand before the ellipsis.
3) Set The Year
Place the year in round brackets followed by a period. If the article is posted online ahead of print, include the phrase “Advance online publication” after the journal info and before the DOI.
4) Style The Article Title
Use sentence case. That means only the first word, the first word after a colon, and any proper nouns get capital letters. No quotation marks and no italics for the article title.
5) Add Journal, Volume, Issue, And Pages
Write the journal title in title case and italics. Follow with the volume number in italics, the issue number in parentheses (not italic), a comma, then the page range or the article number. End this part with a period.
6) Finish With A DOI Or URL
APA 7 asks for the DOI when it exists, shown as a secure URL. Crossref advises the same display: use a full link that starts with https://doi.org/ and do not prefix it with “doi:”. If no DOI exists and you found the article in a library database, stop after the page range. If the article lives on a public webpage, add the working URL.
For DOI style guidance straight from the source, see the Crossref DOI display page.
7) Compare Against A Model
Line up your punctuation. Periods after initials and the year. Commas between authors. An en dash in the page span. No period after a DOI link. Small details keep the entry tidy and easy to scan.
In-Text Citations That Line Up With The Reference
APA uses author–date in the text. Every in-text callout should match one source on the reference list, and every source on that list should appear at least once in the text. Use the patterns below and keep the capitalization exactly as shown.
| Situation | Parenthetical | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| One author | (Nguyen, 2023) | Nguyen (2023) |
| Two authors | (Lopez & Patel, 2022) | Lopez and Patel (2022) |
| Three or more authors | (Khan et al., 2021) | Khan et al. (2021) |
| Direct quote | (Cruz, 2020, p. 14) | Cruz (2020, p. 14) |
| Multiple sources | (Foster, 2018; Ruiz, 2019) | Foster (2018) and Ruiz (2019) |
| Group author, first mention | (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021) | World Health Organization (WHO, 2021) |
| Group author, later | (WHO, 2021) | WHO (2021) |
Edge Cases You’ll See Often
Many Authors
Up to 20 names appear in the reference. Use a comma after each name, add an ampersand before the final author, then the year. For 21 or more, list the first 19, an ellipsis, then the final author’s name. Keep initials with periods and spaces.
No Author
Start with the article title in the author position. Move the year after it. Use the rest of the pattern as normal. In the text, cite a short form of the title in quotation marks with the year.
Article Numbers Instead Of Pages
Many journals now use e-locators or article numbers. Replace the page span with the article number exactly as the journal shows it. Keep the rest of the format unchanged.
Advance Online Publication
Some journals post articles before assigning an issue and page span. After the journal title and volume, write “Advance online publication” and then add the DOI. Do not add a URL if a DOI is present.
No DOI And You Used A Database
End the reference after the page range. Do not add database names or login links. Treat it like a print article.
No DOI And You Used A Public Webpage
Add the working URL to the article landing page. Skip long session URLs. If the site blocks readers, leave the URL out and end after the page range.
Title Capitalization Traps
Article titles use sentence case. Journal titles use title case. The difference is easy to miss when you paste from a PDF. Fix it before you post or submit your paper.
Same Author And Year
When two sources share the same author and year, add “a,” “b,” “c,” and so on after the year in both the in-text citations and the reference entries. Sort them by title on the reference page.
Retracted Articles
If you cite the retraction notice, cite the notice as an article. If you refer to the original paper and the retraction matters to your point, include a bracketed note such as [Retracted article] after the title.
Finished Examples You Can Model
These sample lines show the most common cases. Swap in your details and keep the punctuation.
Journal Article With A DOI
Hale, R. J., Kim, S., & Owens, T. L. (2024). Measuring trust in team science: A short scale. Journal of Collaborative Research, 18(2), 101–117. https://doi.org/10.1234/jcr.2024.5678Journal Article, No DOI, From A Library Database
Sanders, P. A., & Green, L. (2020). Teacher feedback timing and student gains. Learning Quarterly, 44(3), 211–226.Journal Article On A Public Site, No DOI
Gupta, N. (2019). Focal length cues in human navigation. Vision Studies, 12(4), 55–69. https://www.visionstudies.org/article/123Advance Online Publication
Rossi, D., Alvarez, M., & Chen, Q. (2025). Sleep patterns and exam scores in first-year students. Academic Health, 31. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.2468/ah.2025.0042Where To Find The DOI Fast
The DOI most often appears on the article landing page near the title or under the abstract. It may also sit on the PDF’s first page. If you only see “doi:” plus a number, convert it to a full URL that begins with https://doi.org/ and paste it into your reference.
Mini Walk-Through From Raw Details
Say your notes show these facts: Authors are Aisha H. Noor, David J. Park, and Lila Singh; year 2023; title “Social media breaks and mood over time”; journal is Journal of Media Behavior; volume 9; issue 1; pages 45–63; DOI 10.5678/jmb.2023.90105.
Build the line like this, piece by piece. Start with names: “Noor, A. H., Park, D. J., & Singh, L.” Add the year: “(2023).” Type the title in sentence case: “Social media breaks and mood over time.” Add the journal in title case and italics: “Journal of Media Behavior,” then the numbers: “9(1), 45–63.” Finish with the DOI as a live link: “https://doi.org/10.5678/jmb.2023.90105”. Your final line reads:
Noor, A. H., Park, D. J., & Singh, L. (2023). Social media breaks and mood over time. Journal of Media Behavior, 9(1), 45–63. https://doi.org/10.5678/jmb.2023.90105Style Notes That Save Rewrites
Punctuation And Spacing
Use a period after each initial and after the year. Place a comma after each author. Insert a space after each comma and period. Keep one space between initials. Leave no space before a DOI slash.
Hyphenated Names And Particles
Keep hyphens in last names. For names with particles like “de,” “van,” or “da,” follow the author’s preferred capitalization in the article byline. Do not reorder parts of the last name.
Non-English Titles
Keep the original title and capitalization rules of APA. If the journal provides an official English title, you may include it in square brackets after the original title.
Preprints Versus Peer-Reviewed Versions
If you cite a preprint, label it as a preprint and link to the preprint server. When the peer-reviewed version becomes available, update your citation to the journal version with its DOI.
Proofread Checklist Before You Hit Publish
- Names: Last name, initials, periods, spaces, and the ampersand all in the right places.
- Year: Round brackets, then a period.
- Titles: Article in sentence case; journal in title case and italics.
- Numbers: Volume in italics; issue in parentheses; en dash in page ranges.
- Links: DOI as a full https://doi.org/ URL with no period at the end.
- Match: Every in-text callout pairs with one reference entry, and vice versa.
- Spacing: One space after each period in initials and after punctuation in the reference.
Once you learn the rhythm—names, year, title, journal, numbers, DOI—the entry almost writes itself. Keep this guide nearby, and your next APA citation for a peer-reviewed article will be tidy, fast, and reliable.