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APA Style Citations

Visit this guide to find examples of APA style citations for your reference list and information about in-text citations.

Academic journal articles 

One of the most common citations most students will need to create are those for academic journal articles. Publishing conventions for academic articles make the elements needed fairly consistent across different types of journals. 

 

Volume/Issue number

Volume numbers should be in italics, followed by the issue number that is not in italics. 

Example for volume number 4 and issue number 14:   

4(14)

URL/DOI 

A DOI is used to identify a digital item. Most academic articles you access online will include a DOI. Information related to an online article may change over time, but the DOI will not change.

The APA 7th edition recommends that all DOIs be formatted as links.

For example, if the DOI in the article information you find looks like this: 10.1016/j.jesp.2012.04.010

Articles retrieved from a database do not add database information or the URL within the reference.

The words "Retrieved from" or "Accessed from" are not necessary within the citation for an academic article, unless specifically requested by your instructor. 

A period does not follow the DOI or URL as it may interfere with the link.

Learn more about the use of DOIs and URLs on the APA Style website

Academic journal article

In-text:

(Ashrafian, 2015, p. 1949)

Reference list:

Ashrafian, H. (2015). Catherine of Aragon (1485–1536): The red malar rash of familial SLE in a Tudor red rose queen. Rheumatology International, 35(11), 1949-1950. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-015-3289-y

Academic journal articles with multiple authors

In-Text:

(Pimenta et al., 2019, p. 1236)

Reference list: 

Pimenta, F. C., Montrezol, F. T., Dourado, V. Z., da Silva, L. F. M., Borba, G. A., de Oliveira Vieira, W., & Medeiros, A. (2019). High-intensity interval exercise promotes post-exercise hypotension of greater magnitude compared to moderate-intensity continuous exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(5), 1235-1243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04114-9

Advanced online publication of a journal article

In text:

(Zhang, 2012, p. 2)

Reference list:

Zhang, M. (2012). Translational control in plasmodium and toxoplasma parasites. Eukaryotic cell. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1128/EC.00296-12