APA 7th Edition

Use APA as a writing system

APA Style is a system for communicating scholarly work clearly and consistently. It addresses paper organisation, language, citations, references, tables, figures, statistics, and the information needed to understand research.

Your lecture emphasises uniformity and readability. Consistent presentation helps readers recognise the function of each part: a heading introduces a section, a citation identifies an intellectual source, and a reference supplies the information needed to find that source.

The seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association appeared with a 2020 publication date. It includes guidance for student papers as well as professional manuscripts. The official APA Style website provides explanations, examples, and subsequent clarifications.

Keep two responsibilities connected

Attribution explains which ideas, findings, words, or materials come from other people. Reporting explains what you did and what the evidence supports. A well-formatted paper needs both: the argument should be traceable, and the account of the study should be sufficiently clear to assess.

Different kinds of articles organise their evidence differently. Quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, theoretical, methodological, review, and replication papers can all use APA Style. The relevant Journal Article Reporting Standards help identify what particular research reports should disclose.

Set up the paper

A clear paper layout begins with consistent document settings. Student and professional papers share most text-formatting principles while using different title-page and header arrangements.

On a small screen, swipe the table horizontally.

Choose a legible font

APA’s current font guidance includes 12-point Aptos, 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, and 10-point Computer Modern. Use a consistent, readable choice and follow any specified submission requirement.

Text within figure images uses a sans serif font between 8 and 14 points. Computer code can use a monospaced font, whose characters occupy equal widths. Footnotes can retain the word processor’s default footnote settings.

Set up the title page and header

Place the paper title three to four lines below the top of the title page, centred, bold, and in title case. Leave one double-spaced blank line before the author names. Place the remaining title-page information on successive double-spaced lines.

A student paper normally has a page number as its header. A professional manuscript also has a left-aligned running head: a short version of the title in capitals, no more than 50 characters including spaces and punctuation. Use the running head itself throughout, without adding the label “Running head:”.

The professional author note provides relevant author information, including ORCID iDs, changes of affiliation, disclosures or acknowledgements, and contact details where applicable. Follow the journal’s arrangements for anonymous review and separately supplied author information.

Prepare an abstract when required

An abstract briefly summarises the paper’s question, approach, findings, and implications as appropriate to the article. APA’s general guide uses a limit of 250 words; the assignment or journal may specify another limit.

Place it on a new page under the centred, bold label Abstract. The paragraph begins flush left. Keywords follow when required, with the indented, italic label Keywords: and the terms on the same line. Begin the main text on a new page.

Organise headings and language

Headings reveal the structure of an argument. Clear sentences and precise descriptions then help readers follow what each section contributes.

On the first page of the main text, repeat the paper title in bold and centred form. Begin the introductory paragraphs beneath it. Use heading levels to show the hierarchy of the sections that follow.

On a small screen, swipe the table horizontally.

Use levels consecutively to represent the structure. A short paper may need only Level 1 headings. APA manuscript headings are unnumbered; use their formatting to show hierarchy. See APA’s heading guide for examples.

Write with identifiable actors and actions

“We interviewed 18 reporters” identifies the action and the researchers’ role directly. “An investigation was undertaken into the conduct of interviews” makes the reader reconstruct the same information. Choose wording that states what happened and keeps concepts consistent.

Describe people accurately and respectfully

Use relevant, specific descriptions and the terms people or communities use for themselves. Report the age range when it matters, distinguish concepts such as sex and gender where relevant, and use singular they appropriately. Consider how identities and social circumstances intersect.

The lecture’s discussion of bias is developed in APA’s bias-free language guidance. Read a draft for descriptions that unnecessarily label people, overgeneralise a group, or obscure differences important to the study.

Build in-text citations

APA uses author–date citations. A citation can place the author in the sentence or give the author and year together in parentheses. Choose the form that fits the emphasis and flow of the paragraph.

For two authors, use and in the narrative and an ampersand (&) inside parentheses. For three or more authors, use the first author’s surname followed by et al. from the first citation, subject to the exceptions needed to distinguish otherwise identical citations.

On a small screen, swipe the table horizontally.

Introduce a group abbreviation once if it will be useful, then use it consistently. Write the full group name in the reference list. The two first-use forms above are alternatives.

Put the citation beside the relevant claim

For an ordinary sentence with a parenthetical citation, the final period follows the citation. When several sentences develop one source’s contribution, make the continuing attribution clear. Introduce another source where the discussion changes.

When several works support the same point, place them in alphabetical order within one set of parentheses, separated by semicolons: (Entman, 1993; Sandberg & Alvesson, 2011). This example demonstrates ordering; choose works because they support the claim being made.

Paraphrase and quote

A paraphrase expresses a source’s meaning through your own wording and sentence structure. A direct quotation reproduces the source’s words. Both need attribution; quotations also need a locator.

Paraphrase through understanding

Read the passage, identify its point, and draft an account suited to your argument. Then compare your account with the original for accuracy and independence of wording. Cite the source even when every sentence is your own.

For a paraphrase, author and year are normally sufficient. A page or other locator can help readers find a specific argument in a long work. Keep the scope of the paraphrase clear when moving between your interpretation and the source’s position.

Quote a short passage

For fewer than 40 words, place the quoted words within quotation marks and supply the author, year, and page number or another appropriate locator.

Format a block quotation

For 40 words or more, begin a new line, indent the entire passage 0.5 inch from the left, double-space it, and present it without enclosing quotation marks. A parenthetical citation follows the passage’s final punctuation, with no additional period after the citation.

Choose a useful locator

Use p. 18 for one page and pp. 18–19 for a range. For an unpaginated work, use a paragraph number, a section heading, or both. For quoted speech in a video, give the timestamp at which the passage begins.

Construct reference entries

A reference entry generally answers four questions: who created the work, when it appeared, what it is called, and where it can be retrieved. Identify those elements before adjusting punctuation and italics.

Preserve the authorship record

Write individual authors as surname followed by initials, retaining their published order, spelling, and name forms. For a work with two to 20 authors, list all names, with an ampersand before the final author.

For 21 or more authors, list the first 19, then an ellipsis, then the final author. This format uses no ampersand before the final name. A group author’s full name appears in the author position.

Distinguish sentence case and title case

Article, book, chapter, report, and webpage titles in references normally use sentence case: capitalise the first word of the title, the first word after a colon or dash introducing a subtitle, and proper nouns. Journal titles retain title case.

Italicise titles of standalone works such as books and reports. For a journal article, italicise the journal title and volume number, while the article title and issue number remain in regular type. Edition information follows a book title in nonitalic parentheses.

Set up the list

Start a new page headed References, centred and bold. Alphabetise entries by the first author’s surname or the first element when there is no personal author. Double-space the entries and apply a 0.5-inch hanging indent, with no extra paragraph spacing.

Works with the same authors in the same order are generally arranged chronologically. When authorship and publication dates match, use the reference-ordering rules to assign year suffixes such as 2024a and 2024b, then retain those letters in the citations.

Choose a reference format

The type and publication status of a work determine its reference pattern. Begin with the source itself and choose the closest official example. An item encountered online may be a journal article, book chapter, report, or another identifiable work.

The expandable examples below combine reusable patterns with real references. Fields such as [URL] and “Author, A. A.” are placeholders. Include a DOI or URL according to the rules in Section 9.

Extend the pattern carefully

APA’s reference-example index also covers conference presentations, dissertations, preprints, datasets, films, apps, and social media. Identify the version and source category before selecting its pattern. A conference presentation and a published proceedings article require different records.

Handle special citation cases

Some sources require an adjusted citation because information is missing, authorship is ambiguous, or the material cannot be retrieved by readers. Identify the situation before choosing the format.

Missing author or date

When no author is identified, move the title into the author position in the reference. In the text, use a title or a shortened title in title case. Italicise it if the work’s title is italicised in the reference; use quotation marks for an article or chapter title.

When no date is available, use n.d.: (Author, n.d.). Use “Anonymous” as the author only when the work explicitly credits Anonymous. APA’s missing-information table explains further combinations.

Works that would have identical short citations

Use year letters consistently for works with matching authors and dates. Give enough surnames to distinguish different works that would otherwise reduce to the same et al. citation. Initials may be needed to distinguish first authors who share a surname.

A source encountered through another source

Read and cite the original work when possible. If it is unavailable and you rely on an author’s account of it, identify that relationship in the text: (Original Author, 1990, as cited in Author Read, 2024). Put the work you actually read in the reference list. See APA’s secondary-source guidance.

Personal communications

A private email, unrecorded conversation, or other communication that readers cannot recover is cited in the text only: (A. A. Surname, personal communication, Month Day, Year). Give a specific date and use the format where a retrievable source is unavailable.

A publicly archived lecture or published interview instead has a retrievable source to reference. Official guidance explains these distinctions.

Quotations from your research participants

Identify participant material as part of your own research and use appropriate pseudonyms or codes consistent with consent and confidentiality arrangements. Apply the short- or block-quotation format according to length. These quotations form research data rather than reference-list entries or personal-communication citations. See APA’s participant-quotation guidance.

Format DOIs and online sources

A DOI identifies a work and provides a persistent link. A URL identifies an online location. Choose the appropriate identifier for the work and check that it leads to the source you actually used.

Use a DOI when one is available

Present it as a live link beginning https://doi.org/. Include it for a work that has one, even when you read a print copy. When both a DOI and an ordinary URL are available, use the DOI.

Leave a DOI or URL at the end of the reference without a final period. Normal hyperlink formatting is acceptable. Keep the identifier intact when copying or allowing a word processor to wrap a long line.

Choose online retrieval information by source type

For a journal article without a DOI obtained from a standard academic database, the reference generally ends with the page range or article number. For an article on a journal website without a DOI, include its applicable URL. Databases containing original or limited-circulation material have additional rules.

APA’s DOI and URL guidance explains these choices. A downloaded PDF retains its publication type: inspect the document for the article, chapter, report, or other source it represents.

Use dates that describe the content

For a dated webpage or post, record the available publication date or meaningful update date for that content. Use n.d. when a date is genuinely unavailable. A site-wide copyright notice alone does not establish the page’s publication date.

Most references need no retrieval date. Include one for unarchived content designed to change over time, where the changing version is what you cite. APA’s reference-list guide develops this rule.

Present displays and statistics

Tables organise information in rows and columns. Figures communicate through charts, diagrams, photographs, or other visual forms. Both should serve the argument and provide enough information to be understood.

Build an APA table

Place the bold table number above an italic title in title case. Give every column a clear heading, use consistent units and precision, and explain necessary abbreviations or qualifications in notes beneath the table.

Use horizontal rules where they clarify the structure, usually at the top and bottom and beneath the column headings. APA tables use no vertical rules or borders around every cell. Table-body spacing may be single, one-and-a-half, or double.

The model separates the number, title, headings, body, and note. Its minimal rules help readers track the rows without enclosing every value. See APA’s table guidance for more complex structures.

Prepare a figure readers can interpret

Use a bold figure number and an italic title above the image. Number figures in the order discussed, separately from tables. Label axes, units, symbols, and groups clearly; place a legend within the figure when needed. Add a note for information the title and image cannot convey.

Use legible text, sufficient contrast, and labels or patterns alongside colour. Refer to the display by number in the text. Tables and figures may be embedded after their first callout or placed on separate pages after references, following submission instructions.

When reproducing or adapting another work’s display, provide the required attribution and reference, and check applicable permission requirements. Official figure guidance explains the components and placement.

Write numbers and statistics consistently

As a general rule, write zero through nine as words and use numerals for 10 and above. Numerals also appear with measurements, ages, dates, scale points, statistics, and numbered parts of a work. A sentence beginning with a number normally spells it out or is recast.

Use a leading zero for a statistic that can exceed 1, such as a standard deviation. Omit it for quantities bounded by 1, such as correlations and probability values. Report exact p values to an appropriate precision; values below .001 appear as p < .001. Consult APA’s Numbers and Statistics Guide for details.

Use tools and audit the paper

Citation tools can store source details, insert citations, and generate a reference list. Their output depends on the information entered, the selected source category, and the style edition applied.

Use the lecture’s Word workflow

Word’s References tools allow you to choose a citation style, add or manage sources, insert a citation, and generate a bibliography. Enter author names in the appropriate name fields, choose the source type, and preserve the title, publication details, and identifier. Microsoft’s citation and bibliography guidance explains the available commands.

Update the generated list after adding or changing sources. When using an integrated reference manager, correct the underlying source record so the correction survives a refresh.

Audit the source before its punctuation

A reference can look convincing while containing the wrong year, an incomplete author list, or a title assigned to the wrong publication. Open the source record and confirm the bibliographic details. Apply the same check to references supplied by search tools, citation generators, or AI systems.

Make a final pass in three directions

1. Text to reference: Match each cited retrievable work to an entry with the correct authors, year, and year letter.
2. Reference to source: Confirm the record, title, publication details, DOI or URL, and the version actually used.
3. Paper to instructions: Check the title page, headings, quotations, tables, figures, and submission requirements.

Then check the small marks: et al., commas, ampersands, italics, issue parentheses, and hanging indents. A consistent workflow makes these final repairs easier.

Watch and practise

Use the lecture as a guided tour of APA’s main components. Pause to configure a document, build a citation, or check a reference against the examples in this chapter.

Dr. USP · Dr. Uma Shankar Pandey presents on APA Style Seventh Edition · 6 November 2020 · 47:44. Open YouTube if the embedded player is unavailable. The following links provide approximate starting points based on the supplied transcript.

Attempt each activity before opening the response

Quick guide and official resources

Use the terms and links below when a drafting decision needs checking. The official examples are especially useful for sources beyond the common patterns introduced here.

Narrative citation

A citation with the author incorporated into the sentence and the year usually in parentheses.

Parenthetical citation

A citation placing author and year together in parentheses.

Paraphrase

An account of a source’s meaning expressed through new wording and structure, with attribution.

Direct quotation

The source’s exact words, presented with quotation formatting and a locator.

Locator

A page, paragraph, section, timestamp, or other marker that identifies the cited passage.

Reference entry

The bibliographic record identifying a cited work and its source.

Hanging indent

A paragraph format in which the first line begins at the margin and subsequent lines are indented.

Sentence case

Capitalisation of the first word, the first word of a subtitle, and proper nouns.

Title case

Capitalisation of major words according to APA’s title-case rules.

DOI

A persistent identifier for a work, presented as a https://doi.org/ link in a reference.

Running head

A short version of the paper title appearing in the page header of a professional manuscript.

Source record

The publication’s own bibliographic information used to verify an entry.

Official guidance to keep open

• APA sample papers and editable templates — compare student and professional arrangements.
• In-text citation guidance — attribution, quotation, locators, and special cases.
• Reference examples — select by source category and publication status.
• APA handouts and checklists — printable aids for paper setup and reference checking.
• Table setup and figure setup — components, notes, and placement.
• Journal Article Reporting Standards — reporting guidance matched to research approaches.

References used in the named examples