APA 7 Format Guide: Citations, References & Examples

APA refers to the style developed by the American Psychological Association. The seventh edition of the Publication Manual is commonly called APA 7. It provides conventions for writing, citing sources, presenting research, and formatting academic papers.

APA is not just a way to list sources at the end of an essay. It also uses author-date citations in the text so readers can connect a claim to the corresponding entry in the References list. Citation requirements can vary by source type, so use a current APA 7 guide when a source does not fit a basic example.

For a typical student paper, use one-inch margins, double-space the text, and choose a readable font permitted by APA guidance and your instructor. Commonly accepted options include 11-point Arial, 11-point Calibri, or 12-point Times New Roman. Keep the font consistent unless a specific element has a separate rule.

Use a page number in the upper-right corner. A student title page generally includes the paper title, student's name, institutional affiliation, course number and name, instructor's name, and assignment due date. Center and double-space these elements according to the student-paper format guidance.

Student papers generally do not need a running head unless the instructor requests one. Do not add a separate title page, abstract, or other element just because you have seen it in a professional journal article. Follow the actual assignment instructions.

APA uses the author's surname and year of publication in most in-text citations. There are two common ways to present a citation: a parenthetical citation places author and year in parentheses, while a narrative citation includes the author's name in the sentence and places the year in parentheses.

For one author, a parenthetical citation can look like (Garcia, 2022), while a narrative citation can look like Garcia (2022). These are fictional examples that demonstrate the format. Check the source itself for the correct author and year.

For two authors, use an ampersand between surnames inside parentheses, such as (Garcia & Lee, 2022). In a narrative citation, use the word "and", such as Garcia and Lee (2022). For a source with three or more authors, APA normally uses the first author's surname followed by "et al." and the year from the first citation, unless that shortening would create ambiguity.

When you paraphrase an author's idea, include the author and year. Use your own wording and sentence structure, but still cite the source because the underlying idea came from someone else's work. Replacing a few words with synonyms is not enough to make copied writing an appropriate paraphrase.

For a direct quotation, include a locator in addition to the author and year, usually a page number for a paginated source. For a source without page numbers, use an appropriate locator such as a paragraph number or section heading when available. Do not invent page numbers for a webpage that does not have them.

Citations help readers find and evaluate the source. They do not replace quotation marks around exact wording or the need to represent a source's meaning accurately.

Start the References list on a new page when required by the paper format. Put the heading "References" centered and bold at the top. Double-space entries and use a hanging indent so the first line starts at the left margin while following lines are indented. Arrange entries alphabetically by the first author's surname or by the appropriate title when no author is listed.

Every source cited in the text should have a corresponding reference-list entry, except for citation categories APA treats differently, such as personal communications. The reverse check is also useful: each reference should support something actually cited or discussed in the paper, unless your instructor asks for a broader bibliography.

Format details depend on the type of source. Books, journal articles, webpages, reports, videos, and other resources use different elements. Do not use the same citation template for every item.

The patterns below use placeholders rather than pretending to cite real publications. Replace each placeholder with details from the source you actually consulted. The exact punctuation, italics, author information, publication date, page range, and DOI or URL depend on the source.

For a journal article, include the author, year, article title, journal title, volume and issue when available, page range or article number, and DOI when one is provided. For a book, include the author, year, title, and publisher. For a webpage, include the author or organization, date when available, page title, site name when it is not the same as the author, and URL.

First check the page carefully to see whether an individual author or organization is responsible for the content and whether a publication or update date is available. Do not assume a copyright year in a website footer is the publication date of the specific page.

If no individual author is credited, the title may move into the author position under APA rules. If no date is available, APA uses an appropriate no-date abbreviation. The correct treatment depends on what information the webpage provides, so verify the specific source type before finalizing the entry.

A retrieval date is not needed for every webpage. It is generally relevant when the content is designed to change over time and is not archived, rather than for every stable article or report.

Many formatting errors happen when a student copies a reference from a search result without checking the original source. Others happen when a paper uses a mix of APA and MLA rules. Use a final review to check both the paper format and the citation details.

Is APA 7 the same as APA 6? No. The seventh edition updated several rules and examples. Use the edition required by your course, and avoid relying on an older guide for a detail that may have changed.

Does every APA student paper need a running head? Usually not. Follow instructor instructions if a running head is specifically requested.

Do I cite paraphrased information? Yes. Paraphrasing changes the wording, not the need to acknowledge the source of the idea.

Do all webpages need a retrieval date? No. Retrieval dates are used in particular cases, especially when content is designed to change over time and is not archived.

Can a citation generator be trusted without checking? No. It can save time, but it may misread author names, dates, page titles, journal details, or source types. Compare the result with the source and a reliable APA 7 guide.

What if my professor gives different instructions? Ask for clarification if needed and follow the assignment-specific instructions for your class.

Use this checklist as a final quality check, not as a replacement for the rules in your course. If your assignment has a rubric or sample paper, compare your work against it before submitting.