Multiple Authors - 20 Authors or Less?
List all authors up to and including 20 authors.
Example
Clarke, N., D'Amato, A., Higgs, M., & Ramesh, V. [2018]. Responsible leadership in projects: Insights into ethical decision making. Project Management Institute.
Explanation
List each author's last name first followed by a comma. Then, add the initials for the first and middle names [if there is one]. Add a period after each initial. Separate each author with a comma. Insert an ampersand [&] before the last author.
Parenthetical & Narrative Citations
For one or two authors, list all authors in the reference. For three or more authors, list the first author followed by et al. This includes the first time the source is used in the paper.
Parenthetical Citation Example
[Clarke et al., 2018]
Narrative Citation Example
Clarke et al. [2018] found ......
Multiple Authors - 21 or More Authors?
List the first 19 authors' names, then insert an ellipse, and then add the last author's name.
Example
Gilbert, J. R., Smith, J. D., Johnson, R. S., Anderson, A., Plath, S., Martin, G., Sorenson, K., Jones, R., Adams, T., Rothbaum, Z., Esty, K., Gibbs, M., Taultson, B., Christner, G, Paulson, L., Tolo, K., Jacobson, W. L., Robinson, R. A., Maurer, O., . . . White, N. [2014]. Choosing a title [2nd ed.]. Unnamed Publishing.
Parenthetical Citation Example
[Gilbert et al., 2014]
Narrative Citation Example
Gilbert et al. [2014] ...
More Information
For more information about author format, see Section 9.8 on page 286 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.
Published on November 5, 2020 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on June 17, 2022.
An APA Style citation for a journal article includes the author name[s], publication year, article title, journal name, volume and issue number, page range of the article, and a DOI [if available]. Use the buttons below to explore the format.
Generate accurate APA citations with ScribbrBasic format for an APA journal citation
The article title appears in plain text and sentence case, while the journal name is italicized and in title case [all major words capitalized].
Last name, Initials. [Year]. Article title. Journal Name, Volume[Issue], Page range. DOI or URL |
Mounier-Kuhn, P. [2012]. Computer science in French universities: Early entrants and latecomers. Information & Culture: A Journal of History, 47[4], 414–456. //doi.org/10.7560/IC47402 |
[Mounier-Kuhn, 2012] |
When viewing a journal article online, the required information can usually be found on the access page.
Articles published only in PDF form sometimes provide an e-locator instead of a page range; in this case, include the e-locator in your citation.
Linking to online journal articles
A DOI should always be used where available. Some databases do not list one, but you may still find one by looking for the same article on another database. You don’t need to include the name of the database in your citation.
If no DOI is available and the article was accessed through a database, do not include a URL.
If the article is not from a database, but from another website [e.g. the journal’s own website], you should ideally use a stable URL: this is often provided under a “share” button. Otherwise, copy the URL from your browser’s address bar.
Citing unpublished journal articles
When citing from an article that has not yet been formally published, the format varies depending on whether or not it has already been submitted to a journal. Note that different formats are used for unpublished dissertations and raw data.
Unpublished article
The text of an article which has not yet appeared online or in publication [i.e. which is only available directly from the author] should be cited as an “Unpublished manuscript.” The title is italicized and information about the author’s university is included if available:
Last name, Initials. [Year]. Article title [Unpublished manuscript]. Department Name, University Name. |
Smith, J. M., & Davis, H. [2019]. Language acquisition among autistic children [Unpublished manuscript]. Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame. |
[Smith & Davis, 2019] |
Article submitted for publication
An article that has been submitted to a journal but not yet accepted is cited as a “Manuscript submitted for publication.” The title is italicized, and the name of the journal to which it was submitted is not included:
Last name, Initials. [Year]. Article title [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department Name, University Name. |
Smith, J. M., & Davis, H. [2019]. Language acquisition among autistic children [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame. |
[Smith & Davis, 2019] |
Article in press
An article that has been submitted and accepted for publication in a journal is cited as “in press.” Here, the name of the journal is included, university information is omitted, and “in press” is written in place of the year [both in the reference list and the in-text citation]:
Last name, Initials. [in press]. Article title. Journal Name. |
Smith, J. M., & Davis, H. [in press]. Language acquisition among autistic children. Journal of Developmental Psychology. |
[Smith & Davis, in press] |
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Special issue of a journal
If you want to cite a special issue of a journal rather than a regular article, the name[s] of the editor[s] and the title of the issue appear in place of the author’s name and article title:
Last name, Initials. [Ed. or Eds.]. [Year]. Title of issue [Special issue]. Journal Name, Volume[Issue]. |
Pollak, S. D., Camras, L. A., & Cole, P. M. [Eds.]. [2019]. New perspectives on the development of human emotion [Special issue]. Developmental Psychology, 55[9]. |
[Pollak et al., 2019] |
Note that if you want to cite an individual article from the special issue, it can just be cited in the basic format for journal articles.
Frequently asked questions about APA Style citations
When should I include a DOI or URL in an APA journal citation?
In an APA journal citation, if a DOI [digital object identifier] is available for an article, always include it.
If an article has no DOI, and you accessed it through a database or in print, just omit the DOI.
If an article has no DOI, and you accessed it through a website other than a database [for example, the journal’s own website], include a URL linking to the article.
How do I format a DOI in APA Style?
Include the DOI at the very end of the APA reference entry. If you’re using the 6th edition APA guidelines, the DOI is preceded by the label “doi:”. In the 7th edition, the DOI is preceded by ‘//doi.org/’.
- 6th edition: doi:10.1177/0894439316660340
- 7th edition: //doi.org/10.1177/0894439316660340
APA citation example [7th edition]
Hawi, N. S., & Samaha, M. [2016]. The relations among social media addiction, self-esteem, and life satisfaction in university students. Social Science Computer Review, 35[5], 576–586. //doi.org/10.1177/0894439316660340
You may include up to 20 authors in a reference list entry.
When an article has more than 20 authors, replace the names prior to the final listed author with an ellipsis, but do not omit the final author:
Davis, Y., Smith, J., Caulfield, F., Pullman, H., Carlisle, J., Donahue, S. D., James, F., O’Donnell, K., Singh, J., Johnson, L., Streefkerk, R., McCombes, S., Corrieri, L., Valck, X., Baldwin, F. M., Lorde, J., Wardell, K., Lao, W., Yang, P., . . . O’Brien, T. [2012].
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