APA 7 Citation Guide for Students (With Examples)
APA 7 is the standard for psychology, education, and most social sciences. The rules changed in several small but important ways from APA 6 — most notably how you cite three or more authors and the format for DOIs.
In-text citations
One author: (Smith, 2023). Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2023). Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2023) — always et al., even the first time you cite. Direct quotes need a page number: (Smith, 2023, p. 42).
Journal article
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), Pages. https://doi.org/xxx
Book
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (Edition). Publisher.
Book chapter
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.
Website
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of the page. Site Name. URL — no 'Retrieved from', no period after URL.
AI-generated text (ChatGPT, Claude)
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (Nov 5 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com — cite the developer as author, the tool as title, and the version as the date.
FAQ
Where does the period go with a DOI?
Nowhere — no period after the DOI or URL.
How do I cite an ebook?
Same as a print book. Do not add 'e-book' unless the publisher uses it in the title.
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