APA Style 7th Edition

 

1 Author

Example 1

Reference Citation	Parsons, S. (2009). Sontag’s lament: Emotions, ethics, and photography. Photography and Culture, 2(3), 289-302. https://doi.org/10.2752/175145109X12532077132356
Narrative Citation	Parsons (2009) critiqued the work of Diane Arbus, highlighting the artist's ability to link her photography with the emotion and ethics in consumerism-driven world.
Parenthetical Citation	Diane Arbus was able to infuse emotion and ethics into her photography and artistically emphasize these ideas even in a consumerism-driven society (Parsons, 2009).

Example 2

Reference Citation	Beyoncé. (2020). Black parade [Song]. Park; Columbia.
Narrative Citation	In a 2020 surprise release, Beyoncé celebrated Black activism and culture in the Grammy-award winning song "Black Parade."
Parenthetical Citation	The song "Black Parade" celebrates Black activism and culture (Beyoncé, 2020).

Example 3

Reference Citation	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, August 12). Wear a mask to protect yourself and others. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/masks.html
Narrative Citation	According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021), wearing a protective and well-fitting mask assists individuals in protecting themselves from COVID-19.
Parenthetical Citation	The U.S. government set forth mask recommendations to assist individuals in protecting themselves from COVID-19 infection (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021).

2 Authors

Example 4

Reference Citation	Lady Gaga, & Cooper, B. (2018). Shallow [Song]. On A star is born. Interscope.
Narrative Citation	The lyrics of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's (2018) song "Shallow" demonstrate a desire to deepen the relationship between their characters.
Parenthetical Citation	The lyrics of "Shallow" demonstrate a desire to deepen the relationship between two individuals in a romantic relationship (Lady Gaga & Cooper, 2018).

Example 5

Reference Citation	Segel, J. E., & Winkelman, T. N. A. (2021). Persistence and pervasiveness: Early wave opioid overdose death rates associated with subsequent overdose death rates. Public Health Reports, 136(2), 212-218. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354920969171
Narrative Citation	In a 2021 study conducted by Segel and Winkelman data confirmed that states with higher numbers of opioid overdoses resulting in death had correspondingly high numbers of non-opioid (cocaine, sedatives, stimulants, and methamphetamine) overdoses resulting in death.
Parenthetical Citation	Research data confirmed that states with higher numbers of opioid overdoses resulting in death had correspondingly high numbers of non-opioid (cocaine, sedatives, stimulants, and methamphetamine) overdoses resulting in death (Segel & Winkelman, 2021).

Example 6

Reference Citation	Development Services Group & Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2015). Promoting protective factors for in-risk families and youth: A guide for practitioners. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/in_risk.pdf
Narrative Citation	A report from Development Services Group and the Child Welfare Information Gateway (2015) concluded that one-time interventions for at risk families and youth are insufficient for long-term positive health and education outcomes.
Parenthetical Citation	One-time interventions for at risk families and youth are insufficient for long-term positive health and education outcomes (Development Services Group & Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2015).

3 to 20 Authors

Example 7

Reference Citation	Lewis, J., Aydin, A., & Powell, N. (2013). March: Book one [Graphic novel]. Top Shelf Productions.
Narrative Citation	In 2013 graphic novel "March: Book One" Lewis et. al focus on the nonviolence of the Civil Rights march in Selma, Alabama.
Parenthetical Citation	The graphic novel "March: Book One" focuses on the nonviolence method of protest during the Civil Rights march in Selma, Alabama (Lewis et al., 2013).

Example 8

Reference Citation	Bjorklund, B., Forte, F., & Kustusch, L. (Artists). (2016). On the periphery [Art exhibition]. Abend Gallery, Denver, CO, United States.
Narrative Citation	In paintings Bjorklund, et al. (2016) each portrayed images of their environments and the people, animals, objects, and spaces of their lives.
Parenthetical Citation	Artists portrayed images of their environments and the people, animals, objects, and spaces of their lives in the art exhibition "On the Periphery" (Bjorklund et al., 2016).

Example 9

Reference Citation	Wamba, S. F., Kala Kamdjoug, J. R., Bawack, R. E., & Keogh, J. G. (2019). Bitcoin, blockchain, and fintech: A systematic review and case studies in the supply chain.  Production Planning & Control, 31(2-3), 115-142. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2019.1631460
Narrative Citation	Wamba et al. (2019) determined that most common benefits attributed to Bitcoin are cost, anonymity/privacy, and disintermediation.
Parenthetical Citation	The most common benefits attributed to Bitcoin are cost, anonymity/privacy, and disintermediation (Wamba et al., 2019).

21+ Authors

Example 10

Reference Citation	Kotagiri, P., Mescia, F., Hanson, A. L., Turner, L., Bergamaschi, L., Peñalver, A., Richoz, N., Moore, S. D., Ortmann, B. M., Dunmore, B. J., Morgan, M. D., Tuong, Z. K., Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease-National Institute of Health Research COVID BioResource Collaboration, Göttgens, B., Toshner, M., Hess, C., Maxwell, P. H., Clatworthy, M. R., Nathan, J. A., …Smith, K. G. C. (2022). The impact of hypoxia on B cells in COVID-19. EBioMedicine, 77, Article 103878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.103878
Narrative Citation	Kotagiri et al. (2022) established that severe cases of COVID-19 show significant B cell abnormalities and the researchers hypothesize that these changes are due to hypoxia experienced by the patients.
Parenthetical Citation	Severe cases of COVID-19 show significant B cell abnormalities that are hypothesized to be changes that are due to hypoxia experienced by patients (Kotagiri et al, 2022).

Example 11

Reference Citation	Grudniewicz, A., Moher, D., Cobey, K. D., Bryson, G. L., Cukier, S., Allen, K., Ardern, C., Balcom, L., Barros, T., Berger, M., Buitrago Ciro, J., Cugusi, L., Donaldson, M. R., Egger, M., Graham, I. D., Hodgkinson, M., Khan, K. M., Mabizela, M., Manca, A.,…Lalu, M. M. (2019, December 11). Predatory journals: No definition, no defence. Nature, 576, 210-212. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03759-y
Narrative Citation	Due to the lack of consensus in academia on the definition of predatory journals, in 2019 Grudniewicz et al. established a set of defined set of characteristics that distinguish predatory journals from non-predatory journals.
Parenthetical Citation	Due to the lack of consensus in academia on the definition of predatory journals, 43 experts from 10 nations established a set of defined set of characteristics that distinguish predatory journals from non-predatory journals (Grudniewicz, 2019).

Example 12

Reference Citation	Aaniiih Nakoda College, Alamo Colleges District – San Antonio College, Albertus Magnus College, Allegheny College, Amherst College, Antillean Adventist University, Antioch University, Aquinas College, Arizona State University, Ashland Community & Technical College, Assumption College, Augustana College, Aultman College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Austin College, Avila University, Azusa Pacific University, Barclay College, Barnard College, Barry University, … Yale University. (2019, September 19). [Letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer concerning Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students]. https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Institutional-DACA-Letter-to-Congress.pdf
Narrative Citation	On September 19, 2019 Aaniiih Nakoda College et al. (2019) urged Congress to enact protections for Dreamer students in an open letter.
Parenthetical Citation	Members of the American Council on Education urged Congress to enact protections for Dreamer students in an open letter (Aaiiih Nakoda College et al., 2019).

Works with No Listed Author

Example 13

Reference Citation	Russia's roulette: A war in Ukraine would have terrible consequences, especially for Russia. (2022, January 29). Economist, 442(9281), 9.
Parenthetical Citation	In the event that Russian President Vladimir Putin invades Ukraine, the resulting political destabilization may increase the probability of China invading Taiwan ("Russia's Roulette," 2022).

Example 14

Reference Citation	O: A presidential novel. (2011). Simon & Schuster.
Narrative Citation	Political campaign machinations and manipulation of the press are centerpieces of O: A Presidential Novel (2011).

Example 15

Reference Citation	Voting rights, gay adoption and abortion on the docket: Brnovich v. DNC, Fulton v. Philadelphia, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and others. (2021, September). Supreme Court Debates, 24(6), 4-7.
Parenthetical Citation	From October 2020 to October 2021 the Supreme Court will be hearing arguments that have the potential to impact the everyday lives of citizens with cases including abortion, athletics, capital punishment, elections, the First Amendment, gun control, health care, immigration, religion, and more ("Voting Rights," 2021).

Anonymous Works

Example 16

Reference Citation	Anonymous. (2017). A woman in Berlin: Eight weeks in the conquered city - a diary. Picador. (Original work published 1959)
Parenthetical Citation	The book A Woman in Berlin depicts daily life and interactions between civilians and an occupying army in post-World War II Germany (Anonymous, 2017).

Example 17

Reference Citation	Anonymous. (2011). The animated skeleton. Valancourt Books. (Original work published 1798)
Parenthetical Citation	An anonymously written novel from the Age of Reason illustrates the dual ideas of the rich being either piteous benefactors or evil villains (Anonymous, 2011).

 

• To document multiple sources giving the same information, one parenthetical citation can include text citations for multiple sources. This can also lend emphasis to certain evidence in your writing.
• Put the text citations in alphabetical order by first author listed, as in the References.
• If one citation has more importance than the others, list that citation first, followed by a semicolon, the words 'see also', and the rest of the citations in alphabetical order by first author listed, as in the References.

Example 21: Multiple Sources Supporting the Same Evidence or Idea

In-Text Citation	Multiple research studies (Di Pietrantonj et al., 2021; Jain et al., 2015; Uno et al., 2015) were unable to replicate Wakefield's findings from the 1998 12-child study published in the Lancet in which the primary author claimed a correlation between the MMR vaccination and autism.
Reference Citations	Di Pietrantonj, C., Rivetti, A., Marchione, P., Debalini, M. G., & Demicheli, V. (2021). Vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.  https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004407.pub5
	Jain, A., Marshall, J., Buikema, A., Bancroft, T., Kelly, J. P., & Newschaffer, C. J. (2015). Autism occurrence by MMR vaccine status among US children with older siblings with and without autism. JAMA, 313(15), 1534-1540. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.3077
	Uno, Y., Uchiyama, T., Kurosawa, M., Aleksic, B., & Ozaki, N. (2015). Early exposure to the combine measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and thimerosal-containing vaccines and risk of autism spectrum disorder. Vaccine, 33(21), 2511-2516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.12.036
	Wakefield, A. J., Murch, S. H., Anthony, A., Linnell, J., Casson, D. M., Malik, M., Berelowitz, M., Dhillon, A. P., Thomson, M. A., Harvey, P., Valentine, A., Davies, S. E., & Walker-Smith, J. A. (1998). Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. [Retracted article]. The Lancet, 351(9103), 637-641. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(97)11096-0

Example 22: One Important Source and Multiple Other Sources Supporting the Same Evidence

In-Text Citation	A positive correlation between social media and political participation is demonstrated in multiple scientific studies (Skoric et al., 2015; see also Boulianne, 2018; Kim & Chen, 2016; Valenzuela, 2014).
Reference Citation	Boulianne, S. (2018). Twenty years of digital media effects on civic and political participation. Communication Research, 47(7), 947-966. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650218808186
	Kim, Y., & Chen, H.-T. (2016). Social media and online political participation: The mediating role of exposure to cross-cutting and like minded perspectives. Telematics and Informatics, 33(2), 320-330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2015.08.008
	Skoric, M. M., Zhu, Q., Goh, D., & Pang, N. (2015). Social media and citizen engagement: A meta-analytic review. New Media & Society, 18(9), 1817-1839. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444815616221
	Valenzuela, S., Arriagada, A., & Scherman, A. (2014). Facebook, Twitter, and youth engagement: A quasi-experimental study of social media use and protest behavior using propensity score matching. International Journal of Communication, 8, 2046-2070. https://bit.ly/3txBg5R

 

Rule #1: Corresponding Reference Citations
For each text citation there must be a corresponding citation in the reference list, and for each reference list citation there must be at least one corresponding text citation. Each corresponding citation must have identical spelling and year.  The purpose of the text citation is to briefly give readers the identity of the information you are citing, and allow them to quickly find full citation information in the References that enables readers to locate the exact piece of literature you used.

The in-text citation must have exact corresponding information to the reference citation.

Example 23

Reference Citation	Ashok, A., & Brown, M. (2021, October 18-22). From OER learner to leader: Creating a professional development pathway for emerging OER champions [Conference session]. Open Education Conference, Virtual Conference on Zoom. https://opened21.sched.com/event/moR3/from-oer-learner-to-leader-creating-a-professional-development-pathway-for-emerging-oer-champions?iframe=no
In-Text Citation	The OER movement and its subsequent benefits to teachers and learners around the globe will only be sustained if the leadership skills and project management skills of early adopters are recognized, supported, and nurtured (Ashok & Brown, 2021).

Rule #2: Parenthetical or Narrative

In-text citations can be given either in the narrative or parenthetical of a paper. It is your choice when to use parenthetical or narrative in-text citations, but you should always consider which makes sense for the structure of your sentence and what you are trying to express and what makes your work flow. Look at the example below and consider which you think sounds better.

Example 24

Reference Citation	Linson, J., Linson, A., Sheridan, T., Costner, K., & Glasser, D. C. (Executive Producers). (2018-2022). Yellowstone [TV series]. Linson Entertainment; Bosque Ranch Productions; Treehouse Films; 101 Studios; TV Entertainment Studios.
Narrative Citation	The producers of the television program Yellowstone, Linson et al. (2018-2022) glorify the violence of the Old West and bring it into a contemporary setting.
Parenthetical Citation	The first four seasons of the television program Yellowstone glorify the violence of the Old West and bring it into a contemporary setting (Linson et al., 2018-2022).

Rule #3: Author(s) & Year of Publication

Each text citation must include at least two pieces of information:

• author(s) - If a source has no listed author, the title moves into the place of the author in both the reference and the in-text citations.
• year of publication - If a source has no date listed - either copyright date or date of update or other date indicating date of content creation or publication - list the date as n.d. (for no date) in both the reference and the in-text citations.

Example 25

Reference Citation	Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns [@STVASTG]. (2022, February 25). On this day two years ago, 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was pursued, shot, and killed by three white men [Image attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/STVASTG/status/1497171564051140608
Narrative Citation	Two years after the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns (2022) celebrated the conviction of his murders on federal hate crime charges.
Parenthetical Citation	Two years after the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, the conviction of his murders on federal hate crime charges was celebrated on social media (Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns, 2022).

Example 26

Reference Citation	Popova, M., Accurat, & MacNaughton, W. (n.d.). Famous writers' sleep habits and literary productivity [Infographic]. The Marginalian. https://i2.wp.com/www.themarginalian.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/sleepproductivitywriters_1500_1.jpg?ssl=1
Narrative Citation	While Popova et al. (n.d.) correlate authors' waking time habits with their overall productivity as writers, there are many influences on writing production that they do not account for, including average amount of sleep per night.
Parenthetical Citation	Researchers have correlated authors' waking time habits with their overall productivity as writers (Popova et al., n.d.); however, there are many additional influences on writing production that need to be accounted for, including average amount of sleep per night.

Rule #4: Citing a Specific Idea or Concept

If citing an entire work - summarizing the entire idea of book, article, website, or other source - no page number, chapter number, paragraph number, or section header is needed.

If citing a specific idea or concept within a book, article, report, or other source: include the page number(s), chapter number, or section header. To be more precise the paragraph (para.), table, figure, slide number, or time (in the case of audio or visual materials) can be given. It is important to get your reader as closely to the specific place in the source as possible.

(Feinstein, 2022, p. 78) - single page example
(Feinstein, 2022, pp. 42-61) - multiple page example
(Feinstein, 2022, Chapter 5)
(Feinstein, 2022, Methodology)
(Feinstein, 2022, para. 7) - single paragraph example
(Feinstein, 2022, paras. 8-9) - multiple paragraphs example
(Feinstein, 2022, Table 4)
(Feinstein, 2022, Fig. A)
(Feinstein, 2022, Slides 21-22)
(Feinstein, 2022, 00:42:13)

Rule #5 Quoting a Source

When including a quotation from a source in your work, always indicate the specific place the quotation comes from, so that readers can find that quotation again easily. Generally, this will mean including the page number(s) in the text citation; however, when a page number is not available, use other place indications (paragraph, chapter, section, slide, time, etc.). See Rule #4.

Short quotation = 40 words or less

• Incorporate the quote into the text
• Enclose quotation in double quotation marks
• Provide author, date, and page number (or other indication of place)
• If using a narrative citation, place the page number (or other indication of place) after the quote within parentheses

Example 27: Short Quotation 

Reference Citation	Clinton, H. R. (1995, September 5). Remarks for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women [Speech audio recording]. American Rhetoric. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hillaryclintonbeijingspeech.htm
Quotation in Text with Narrative Citation	As Hillary Rodham Clinton concluded her 1995 speech to the Fourth World Conference on Women, she stated that women's rights and men's rights must go forward on an equal playing field by saying, "If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all" (14:28).
Quotation In Text with Parenthetical Citation	First Ladies have a tradition of setting their own policy initiatives and more than one has chosen to highlight the abuse of women and to work for equal rights for women. As one First Lady said, "...let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all" (Clinton, 1995, 14:28).

Example 28: Long Quotation 
Please note that the spaces between the example text and long quotation should not exist.

Long quotation = 41 words or more

• Separate a long quote by placing the quote in a separate block of text
• Do not use quotation marks with a block quote
• Start a block quote on a new line and indent both left and right margins by 0.5 inches
• Like the rest of the paper, double-space the block quotation

Reference Citation

Lewis, J. (1963, August 28). Speech at the march on Washington [Speech transcript]. Voices of Democracy. https://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/lewis-speech-at-the-march-on-washington-speech-text/

Quotation in Text with Narrative Citation

On August 28, 1963 John Lewis, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, spoke at the March on Washington and his speech has become of one of the most well-known speeches in the Civil Rights movement. The opening of his speech was notable:  We march today for jobs and freedom, but we have nothing to be proud of.  For hundreds and thousands of our brothers are not here.  For they are receiving starvation wages, or no wages at all. While we stand here, there are sharecroppers in the Delta of Mississippi who are out in the fields working for less than three dollars a day, twelve hours a day.  While we stand here there are students in jail on trumped-up charges.  Our brother James Farmer, along with many others, is also in jail. We come here today with a great sense of misgiving (para. 1). Lewis went on to speak of the need to change policy and the need to continue the revolution of rights that began in 1776.

Rule #6 AND versus Ampersand (&)

• Use an ampersand (&) when using a parenthetical citation.
• Use the word 'and' when using and narrative citation and the author(s) appear in the text instead of parentheses.

Example 29

Reference Citation	Wright, L. W., & Cullen, J. M. (2001). Reducing college students' homophobia, erotophobia, and conservatism levels through a human sexuality course. Journal of Sex Education and Therapy, 26(4), 238-333. https://doi.org/10.1080/01614576.2001.11074440
Narrative Citation	A 2001 study conducted by Wright and Cullen demonstrated that homophobia was reduced over a 16-week human sexuality course through educational interventions; the researchers posit that this difference is due to the dispersal of myths and stereotypes.
Parenthetical Citation	Research substantiates that homophobia can be reduced through educational interventions; researchers posit that this difference is due to the dispersal of myths and stereotypes (Wright & Cullen, 2001).

Rule #7 et al.

For any source with three or more authors, only the surname of the first listed author and the abbreviation "et al." will appear in the in-text citation to represent all of the authors, whether there are three authors or 103 authors. The abbreviation "et al." is short for "et alia" which is Latin for "and others."

In the following example, the source (an open letter) has 81 authors, 20 of which will appear in the reference citation (authors 1-19 and the last author), but only one author will appear in the in-text citation along with "et al."

Example 30

Reference Citation	Africa Check, Animal Political-El Sabueso, Aos Fatos, Bolivia Verifica, BOOM, Check Your Fact, Code for Africa-PesaCheck, Colombiacheck, CORRECTV, Cotejo.info, Chequeado, Delfi Lithuania, Demagog Association, Doqruluk Payi, Dubawa, Ecuador Chequea, Ellinika Hoaxes, Fact Crescendo, Fact-Check Ghana, ... 15min. (2022, January 12). An open letter to YouTube's CEO from the world's fact-checkers [Published letter]. Poynter. https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2022/an-open-letter-to-youtubes-ceo-from-the-worlds-fact-checkers/
Narrative Citation	At the beginning of the year Africa Check et al. (2022) sent an open letter to the CEO of YouTube proposing solutions to the disinformation being distributed through the social media giant.
Parenthetical Citation	Two years into the pandemic, 81 factchecking organizations from around the world sent an open letter to the CEO of YouTube proposing solutions to the disinformation being distributed through the social media giant (Africa Check et al., 2022).

 

If citing multiple sources by the same author (or group of authors that are listed in the same order on a number of papers) with the same publication year, arrange the citations in order of title and place lowercase letters directly after the publication year in the citation.

Example

Beall (2016d; see also 2015; 2016c; 2016e; 2017) expounded the threat of predatory publishers in medical literature and the long-term damage such journals may inflict upon the scientific record. He further asserts that predatory journals may cause significant setbacks to scientific advancement (Beall, 2016a), but offers advice and best practices for scholarly authors to follow (Beall, 2016b).

References