APA Resources

Welcome to the Online Writing and Learning Center’s Interactive Guide to APA 7 style.

To get started, click on a topic here.

For a quick overview of APA 7, you can view the following webinars or peruse the generated transcripts.

APA 7th Edition: Citations and References

APA 7th Edition: Transitioning your Dissertation

APA 7th Edition: Style and Formatting

Find more tutorials here.

In-Text Citations

(Wondering how many times you need to cite in-text or when you need an in-text citation? Click here!)

I need to cite...

Parenthetical Citations

(Author, YYYY).

Example: (Lynch, 2020).

In-Line Citations

Author (YYYY)

Example: Lynch (2020) stated that...

Parenthetical Citations

(Author1 & Author2, YYYY).

Example: (Marshall & Lynch, 2020).

In-Line Citations

Author1 and Author2 (YYYY)

Example: Marshall and Lynch (2020) stated that...

Parenthetical Citations

(Author1 et al., YYYY).

Example: (Lynch et al., 2020).

In-Line Citations

Author1 et al. (YYYY)

Example: Lynch et al. (2020) stated that...

Parenthetical Citations

(SecondaryAuthor, YYYY, as cited in PrimaryAuthor1, YYYY, p. #).

Example: (Lynch, 2020, as cited in Marshall, 2020, p. 3).

In-Line Citations

SecondaryAuthor (as cited in PrimaryAuthor1, YYYY, p. #).

Example: Lynch stated that... (as cited in Marshall, 2020, p. 3).

Interviews

(A. LastName, personal communication, Month Day, YYYY)

Example: (H. Marshall, personal communication, June 20, 2019)

Organizations as authors

(Organization Name [Abbreviation], YYYY)

(American Psychological Association [APA], 2019)

No Author

("Title of Document/Webpage", YYYY)

Example: ("OWLC Citation Tool", 2020)

No Year

(Author, n.d.)

Example: (Lynch, n.d.)

No Page Number

(Author, YYYY, n.p.) OR (Author, YYYY, para. #)

Example: (Marshall, 2020, n.p.) OR (Marshall, 2020, para. 3)

Parenthetical Citations

List alphabetically: (Author1, YYYY; BAuthor & Author, YYYY)

In-Line Citations

Author1 (YYYY) and BAuthor and Author (YYYY)

Parenthetical Citations

Quotation signal phrase, "Directly copied text" (Author, YYYY, p. #).

Example: It was shown that, "APA citing is easy" (Lynch, 2020, p. 3).

In-Line Citations

Author (YYYY) speaking verb, "Directly copied text" (p. #).

Marshall (2020) stated, "This APA tool is great" (p. 3).

APA 7 | Reference Entries

I need to cite...

Note! APA 7 Change

Publisher locations are no longer required.

Reference Entry Format

AuthorLastName, A. B. (YYYY). Title of work: Subtitle of work. Publisher.

Reference Entry Example

Johnston, J. M., & Pennypacker, H. S. (2009). Strategies and tactics of behavioral research. Routledge.

Note! APA 7 Change

Publisher locations are no longer required.

Reference Entry Format

Author, A. C., & Author, B. D. (YYYY). Title of chapter. In A. A. Editor & B. B. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (# ed., pp. #-#). Publisher.

Reference Entry Example

Lawrence, J. A., & Dodds, A. E. (2003). Goal-directed activities and life-span development. In J. Valsiner & K. Connolly (Eds.), Handbook of Developmental Psychology (pp. 517-533). Sage Publications.

Example In-Text Citations

Parenthetical: (Lawrence & Dodds, 2003)

In-Line/Narrative: Lawrence and Dodds (2003)

Note! APA 7 Change

Up to 20 authors should be listed.

Reference Entry Format

Print Journal Article

Author, A. C., & Author, B. D. (YYYY). Title of article in sentence case capitalization. Title of Periodical/Journal, Volume#(Issue#), page#-page#.

Online Journal Article

AuthorLastName, A. B., & AuthorLastName, C. D. (YYYY). Title of the article in sentence-case capitalization. Title of Journal, Volume#(Issue#), page#-page#. doi: 0000000/000000000000

AuthorLastName, A. B., & AuthorLastName, C. D. (YYYY). Title of the article in sentence-case capitalization. Title of Journal, Volume#(Issue#), page#-page#. URL

Reference Entry Example

Print Journal Article

Samson, A. R. (2001). Treating social phobia in adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Psychiatry, 12(18), 3-18.

Online Journal Article

Harris, S. L., & Delmolino, L. (2002). Applied behavior analysis: Its application in the treatment of autism and related disorders in young children. Infants & Young Children, 14(3), 11-17. https://journals.lww.com/iycjournal/Abstract/2002/01000/Applied_Behavior_Analysis__Its_ Application_in_ the.6.aspx

Example In-Text Citations

Parenthetical: (Samson, 2001)

In-Line/Narrative: Samson (2001)

Note! APA 7 Change

This format applies for newspaper articles, magazine articles, and blog posts. Do not use 'Retrieved from' before the URL.

Reference Entry Format

AuthorLastName, A. B., & AuthorLastName, C. D. (YYYY, Month DD). Title of article. Title of online periodical. page#-page#. URL

Reference Entry Example

Beck, J. (2015, November 5). Therapy over lamps for seasonal depression. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/11/therapy-over-lamps-for-seasonal-depression/414433/

Example In-Text Citations

Parenthetical: (Beck, 2015)

In-Line/Narrative: Beck (2015)

Note! APA 7 Change

Do not use the publisher location or 'Retrieved from' before the URL.

Reference Entry Format

Name of Organization. (YYYY). Title of the document (Publication #). Publisher.

Name of Organization. (YYYY). Title of the document (Publication #). URL

Reference Entry Example

National Alliance for Mental Illness. (1998). Medication for treating mental illness (DHHS Publication No. OHDS 84-29931). Government Printing Office.

Example In-Text Citations

Parenthetical: (National Alliance for Mental Illness, 1998)

In-Line/Narrative: National Alliance for Mental Illness (1998)

Note! APA 7 Change

Do not use 'Retrieved from' before the URL.

Reference Entry Format

AuthorLastName, A. B. (YYYY). Title of website. URL

PublishingOrganization. (YYYY). Title of website. URL

Reference Entry Example

American Psychological Association. (2018). APA Style. http://www.apastyle.org/

Example In-Text Citations

Parenthetical: (American Psychological Association, 2018)

In-Line/Narrative: American Psychological Association (2018)

Note! APA 7 Change

Do not use 'Retrieved from' before the URL. You do not need to list the website title.

Reference Entry Format

AuthorLastName, A. B. (YYYY). Title of webpage. URL

PublishingOrganization. (YYYY). Title of webpage. URL

Reference Entry Example

American Psychological Association. (2018). How do you reference a website that lists no author? http://www.apastyle.org/

Example In-Text Citations

Parenthetical: (American Psychological Association, 2018)

In-Line/Narrative: American Psychological Association (2018)

Note! APA 7 Change

Do not use 'Retrieved from' before the URL. You do not need to list the website title.

Reference Entry Format

YouTube Account Name. (YYYY). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL

Reference Entry Example

Harvard University. (2019, August 28). Soft robotic gripper for jellyfish [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guRoWTYfxMs

Example In-Text Citations

Parenthetical: (Harvard University, 2019)

In-Line/Narrative: Harvard University (2019)

Note!

Interviews, because they are not 'recoverable' sources, are not cited in the reference list. Use an in-text citation only when referring to an interview you conducted.

In-Text Citations Format

Parenthetical: (Interviewee First Initial. Second Initial. Surname, personal communication, Month Day, Year)

Example In-Text Citation

Parenthetical: (J. Brown, personal communication, April 27, 2010)

Reference Entry Format

Film

DirectorLastName, A. (Director). (YYYY). Gone with the wind [Film]. Production Company 1; Production Company 2.

TV Episode

WriterLastName, A. (Writer), & DirectorLastName, B. (Director). (YYYY, Month DD). Episode Title (Season #, Episode #) [TV series episode]. In C. LastName, D. LastName, E. LastName, & F. LastName (Executive Producers), TV Series Title. Producer 1; Producer 2.

Reference Entry Example

Film

Fleming, V. (Director). (1939). Gone with the wind [Film]. Selznick International Pictures; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

TV Episode

Favreau, J. (Writer), & Filoni, D. (Director). (2019, November 12). Chapter 1 (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In J. Favreau, D. Filoni, K. Kennedy, & C. Wilson (Executive Producers), The Mandalorian. Lucasfilm; Golem Creations.

Example In-Text Citations

Parenthetical: (Favreau & Filoni, 2019)

In-Line/Narrative: Favreau and Filoni (2019)

Reference Entry Format

Music

Recording artist. (Year of release). Title of song [Song]. On Title of album [Album]. Record label.

Podcasts

Executive Producer, E. P. (Executive Producer). (Range of publication). Title of podcast [Audio podcast]. Production company. URL.

Reference Entry Example

Music

Dolby, T. (1982). She blinded me with science [Song]. On The Golden Age of Wireless [12-inch single record]. Venice in Peril.

Podcasts

Jared, J. (Producer/Writer). (2012, February 3). Vitamin D [Audio podcast]. Daily Radio. https://www.dailyradio.com/vitamind.mp3

Example In-Text Citations

Parenthetical: (Dolby, 1982)

In-Line/Narrative: Jared (2012)

Reference Entry Format

Publisher of Dictionary. (n.d.). Term name. In Dictionary/Encyclopedia Name. Retrieved Month DD, YYYY, from URL

Reference Entry Example

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Semantics. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved January 4, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semantics

Example In-Text Citations

Note! Because there are no page numbers in online dictionaries, cite the definition number instead.

Parenthetical: (Merriam-Webster, n.d., Definition 1)

In-Line/Narrative: Merriam-Webster (n.d., Definition 1)

Reference Entry Format

Title of Religious Text. (A. TranslatorLastName, Trans.; #th ed.). (YYYY). Publisher.

Title of Religious Text. (YYYY). Title of Work Online. URL (Original work published YYYY)

Note! Religious texts are varied in citation formatting. See these guidelines from APA 7 (2019, Section 10.2) on how to handle your text:

- "Religious works published as books (as with the Bhagavad Gita example) follow the book reference format."

- "Religious works published as websites (as with the King James Bible example) follow the webpage reference format."

- "Religious works are usually treated as having no author. Use the year of publication of the version that you used in the date element of the reference."

- "The year of original publication of a religious work may be unknown or in dispute and is not included in the reference in those cases. However, versions of religious works such as the Bible may be republished; these republished dates are included in the reference. For example, the online version of the King James Bible was published in 2017 and is based on the version of the King James Bible published in 1769, so both 2017 and 1769 are included in the reference."

Reference Entry Example

The Bhagavad Gita. (E. Easwaran, Trans.; 2nd ed.). (2007). The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation.

King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)

Example In-Text Citations

Note! Use the verse numbering rather than page numbers when citing religious texts.

Parenthetical: (King James Bible, 1769/2017, Song of Solomon 8:6)

In-Line/Narrative: The verse in question states “set me as a seal upon thine heart” (King James Bible, 1769/2017, Song of Solomon 8:6).

Reference Entry Format

LastName, A. (2019). Title (Publication No. ########) [Doctoral dissertation/Master's Thesis, University Name]. Publishing organization. URL

Reference Entry Example

Miranda, C. (2019). Exploring the lived experiences of foster youth who obtained graduate level degrees: Self-efficacy, resilience, and the impact on identity development (Publication No. 27542827) [Doctoral dissertation, Pepperdine University]. PQDT Open. https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/2309521814.html?FMT=AI

Example In-Text Citations

Parenthetical: (Miranda, 2019)

In-Line/Narrative: Miranda (2019)

APA 7 | Formatting

APA 7 Formatting

Here is an interactive APA 7 tool to help you format your paper.

Alternatively, you can download our template for a preformatted APA 7 paper here.

APA Elements

APA recommends the following elements of a Dissertation Manuscript:

• a cover page

• abstract

• main body (e.g., Introduction, Background, Literature Review, Methods)

• references

• appendices and supplemental materials.

These elements are considered Level One headers. Formatting for headers follows below.

Margins

APA requires 1” Margins on all sides.

To set this up:

• Access the Layout tab within Microsoft Word

• Select Margins

• Choose Normal: Top, Bottom, Right, and Left at 1”

Spacing

NOTE! APA 7 no longer requires two spaces after final punctuation. Use a single space after each period.

APA requires double spacing (2.0) throughout the paper (including block quotes and the reference list). To set this up:

• Access the Home tab within Microsoft Word

• Within the Paragraph sub-section (mid menu bar), select the icon with arrows pointing up and down for Line and Paragraph Spacing

• Choose 2.0 to create double spacing

• Set Before: and After: to 0 pt.

It is recommended that you complete this step at the beginning of your paper to avoid formatting errors.

Using Quotation Marks

Quoting Less than 40 Words

As a general rule, use quotation marks only when quoting text word for word from another source.

Example: According to Schunk (2012), “People agree that learning is important, but they hold different views on the causes, processes, and consequences of learning” (p. 3).

Note: place the closing quotation mark before the parenthetical citation. If the citation appears before the direct quote, then the ending punctuation is placed within the closing quotation, like this:

According to Schunk (2012, p. 3), “People agree that learning is important, but they hold different views on the causes, processes, and consequences of learning.”

Quoting 40+ Words: Block Quote

If the direct quote is 40 words or longer, then you will use a block quote and not quotation marks, which indents the entire quote 0.5", like this.

According to Schunk (2012, p. 3),

People agree that learning is important, but they hold different views on the causes, processes, and consequences of learning. There is no one definition of learning that is universally accepted by theorists, researchers, and practitioners (Shuell, 1986). Although people disagree about the precise nature of learning, the following is a general definition of learning that is consistent with this book’s cognitive focus and that captures the criteria most educational professionals consider central to learning.

NOTE: See the interactive formatting guides below for help with creating block quotes.

Other

Use quotation marks to:

• To indicate words that you consider or want your reader to consider ironic, slang, or invented/coined (However, do so sparingly as this can diminish the academic tone of your paper.):

Analysts consider this “normal” behavior.

• Around the titles of an article or chapter if you mention that title in the text of your paper:

Wolf’s (1978) article, “Social Validity: The Case for Subjective Measurement or How Applied Behavior Analysis is Finding its Heart” identified…

Italics

Use italics for:

• For titles of periodicals, books, and movies:

Schunk’s (2012) book, Learning Theories: An Educational Perspective, pointed out several discrepancies in definitions of the word learning.

• To identify the anchors, or definitions, of a scale:

The scale ranged from 1 (do not agree) to 5 (strongly agree).

• To indicate a letter, word, or phrase as a linguistic example:

The teacher focused on the letter A with the Kindergarten class.

• To introduce a technical or key term:

The term behavior refers to several characteristics in this paper.

Trouble with MS Word formatting for cover pages, tables, figures, and references?

See our MS Word tutorials here or view the how-to guides for APA formatting below.

APA 7 Cover Page Format

Here is an interactive APA 7 cover page example. Click on and follow the yellow numbered steps to create your own cover page. The green icons provide extra MS Word help.

Alternatively, you can download our template for a preformatted APA 7 paper here.

Click through the numbered icons below.

APA 7 Headings Format

Here is a page with interactive examples of APA 7 headings. Click on and follow the numbered steps to create your own headings.

Alternatively, you can download our template for a preformatted APA 7 paper here.

Click through the numbered icons below.

APA 7 Table Format

Here is an interactive APA 7 table example. Click on and follow the orange numbered steps to create your own table.

Alternatively, you can download our template for a preformatted APA 7 paper with inserted tables here.

Click through the numbered icons below.

APA 7 Figure Format

Here is an interactive APA 7 figure example. Click on and follow the orange numbered steps to create your own figure.

Alternatively, you can download our template for a preformatted APA 7 paper with inserted figures here.

Click through the numbered icons below.

APA 7 Hanging Indents

APA requires hanging indents for references. A hanging indent is a format for indenting the second and subsequent lines of reference entries by 0.5 inches.

Sometimes, Microsoft Word formatting can cause trouble for writers by indenting all lines of the reference by 0.5 inches. To solve this formatting issue, you can do two things:

Hold CTL + Tab to break the automatic formatting problem.
You can also use the ruler bar to slide highlighted text to the desired indention: Watch the video here to see how you can use the ruler bar to slide text from the left margin to become an APA hanging indent (0.5”).

Alternatively, you can download our template for a preformatted APA 7 paper with inserted hanging indents here.

Click through the numbered icons below.

APA 7 | Rules for Using Numbers

Use numerals when...

Use numerals when the number is 10 or greater

There were 10 children enlisted in the study.

In the study, 14 participants responded.

Use numerals when writing statistics

Researchers reported 3 times the results.

The results revealed 2.45 points increased GPAs.

Use numerals when writing measurements

Use a 7 mg dose of medicine.

Measure in 3 in increments.

Use numerals when writing times, ages, or dates

The interview began at 10:00 AM.

The participants were 18 years of age.

The study concluded on March 3rd.

Use numerals when reporting scores or scales

The participant earned a score of 6.

The study used a 5-point Likert scale.

Use numerals when reporting monetary amounts

The participants received $10 in compensation.

The author offered $250 incentives.

Use numerals when reporting parts in a series, such as grades, book chapters, and more

The Grade 6 students participated.

The study reviewed Items 1 and 4 on the scale.

Chapter 6 was referenced in the study.

Use numerals when introducing figures or tables

The chart in Figure 3 shows the data.

The data is presented in Table 8.

Use alternating numerals and words when there are back to back numbers to write

The author used ten 7-point scales.

The focus group used 2 two-way interactions.