APA Style Guide

Complete guide to APA 7th edition citation style for academic papers

APA Style (7th Edition)

APA (American Psychological Association) style is the most widely used citation format in social sciences, including psychology, education, and sociology.

Quick Reference

In-Text Citations

Basic Format

Recent research shows positive results (Smith, 2023).

(Smith & Jones, 2023)  // Two authors
(Smith et al., 2023)   // Three or more authors

Special Cases

Multiple works by same author:

(Smith, 2022, 2023)

Same author, same year:

(Smith, 2023a, 2023b)

Secondary sources:

(Original Author, year, as cited in Secondary Author, year)

No author:

("Article Title," 2023)

No date:

(Smith, n.d.)

References Page

General Format

• Title: "References" (centered, bold)
• Order: Alphabetical by author's last name
• Spacing: Double-spaced
• Indent: Hanging indent (0.5 inch)

Book

Print book:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher.

Example:

Smith, J. K. (2023). Understanding psychology. Academic Press.

Edited book:

Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (Year). Title of book. Publisher.

Chapter in edited book:

Author, A. A. (Year). Chapter title. In E. E. Editor (Ed.),
  Book title (pp. xxx-xxx). Publisher.

Journal Article

Print journal:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article.
  Journal Name, volume(issue), pages.

Example:

Smith, J. K., & Jones, M. L. (2023). The effects of social media
  on adolescent development. Journal of Psychology, 45(3), 234-256.

With DOI:

Smith, J. K. (2023). Article title. Journal Name, 45(3), 234-256.
  https://doi.org/10.1234/example

Online journal (no DOI):

Smith, J. K. (2023). Article title. Journal Name, 45(3), 234-256.
  https://www.journalwebsite.com

Website

Webpage with author and date:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Website Name.
  URL

Example:

Smith, J. (2023, January 15). How to cite sources. Citation Guide.
  https://www.example.com/how-to-cite

No author:

Title of page. (Year, Month Day). Website Name. URL

No date:

Author, A. A. (n.d.). Title of page. Website Name. URL

Other Sources

Report:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of report (Report No. xxx). Publisher.
  URL

Dissertation:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation [Doctoral dissertation,
  University Name]. Database Name. URL

Conference presentation:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of presentation
  [Conference presentation]. Conference Name, Location. URL

YouTube video:

Author/Channel. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube.
  URL

Social media:

Author [@username]. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words of post
  [Platform]. URL

Formatting Guidelines

Title Page

Student Paper:

• Paper title (bold, centered, title case)
• Your name
• Department, Institution
• Course number and name
• Instructor name
• Due date
• Page number (top right)

Professional Paper:

• Paper title
• Author name(s)
• Affiliations
• Author note
• Running head

Abstract (if required)

• New page after title page
• "Abstract" centered, bold
• 150-250 words
• No indent, single paragraph
• Keywords: (indented, italicized) keyword1, keyword2, keyword3

Main Body

• Font: 12-pt Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri
• Spacing: Double-spaced throughout
• Margins: 1 inch all sides
• Alignment: Left-aligned (not justified)
• Indent: 0.5 inch for first line of each paragraph
• Page numbers: Top right corner

Headings

APA uses 5 levels of headings:

Level 1: Centered, Bold, Title Case

Level 2: Left-Aligned, Bold, Title Case

Level 3: Left-Aligned, Bold Italic, Title Case

Level 4: Indented, Bold, Title Case, Ending with Period.

Level 5: Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case, Ending with Period.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Incorrect Author Format

❌ Wrong: (John Smith, 2023) ✅ Correct: (Smith, 2023)

2. Missing Commas

❌ Wrong: (Smith & Jones 2023) ✅ Correct: (Smith & Jones, 2023)

3. Using "and" Instead of "&"

❌ Wrong: (Smith and Jones, 2023) ✅ Correct: (Smith & Jones, 2023)

4. Italics vs. Quotation Marks

• Italicize: Book titles, journal titles, movie titles
• Use quotes: Article titles, chapter titles, episode titles

5. URL Formatting

❌ Wrong: Retrieved from https://www.example.com ✅ Correct: https://www.example.com

(Don't use "Retrieved from" unless the content may change over time)

6. Missing DOI

Always include DOI when available: ✅ https://doi.org/10.1234/example

Examples by Source Type

Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success.
  Little, Brown and Company.

Levitt, S. D., & Dubner, S. J. (2005). Freakonomics:
  A rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything.
  William Morrow.

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher.
  https://doi.org/xxxxx

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (3rd ed.). Publisher.

Using MoreMind for APA Style

When you select APA style in MoreMind:

1. ✅ All in-text citations formatted correctly
2. ✅ References page auto-generated
3. ✅ Proper alphabetical ordering
4. ✅ Hanging indents applied
5. ✅ DOIs included when available
6. ✅ Consistent formatting throughout

Additional Resources

• APA Style Official Website
• Purdue OWL APA Guide
• APA Citation Generator Tool
• Sample APA Paper

Need help with APA citations? Use our Citation Generator Tool or contact support.