How to Format APA Citations
Master APA 7th edition citation formatting with our comprehensive guide
APA Citation Basics
APA (American Psychological Association) citations follow a specific format that includes the author's last name, publication year, and other details depending on the source type.
Basic In-Text Citation Format:
(Author, Year) or Author (Year)
Basic Reference List Format:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work. Publisher.
Common Citation Examples
Journal Article:
Smith, J. A. (2023). Research methods in psychology. Journal of Psychology, 45(2), 123-145.
Book:
Johnson, M. B. (2022). Academic writing guide. Academic Press.
Website:
Brown, L. (2023, March 15). Writing tips for students. Education Today. https://example.com/article
APA Citation Rules
- Use hanging indent for reference list entries
- Alphabetize references by author's last name
- Use title case for journal names
- Include DOI or URL when available
- Use "&" in parenthetical citations, "and" in narrative citations
Automatic APA Citation Formatting
Formatting citations manually can be time-consuming and error-prone. QuickAPA automatically formats your entire document including citations, references, and bibliography according to APA 7 guidelines.