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APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition)

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In-Text Citations

Resources on using in-text citations in APA style

Reference List

Resources on writing an APA style reference list, including citation formats

Other APA Resources

• Directories
• What are citations and why should I use them?
• When should I use a citation?
• Why are there so many citation styles?

Which citation style should I use?

• Chicago Notes Style
• Chicago Author-Date Style
• AMA Style (medicine)
• Bluebook (law)
• Additional Citation Styles
• Built-in Citation Tools
• Quick Citation Generators
• Citation Management Software
• Start Your Research
• Research Guides
• University of Washington Libraries
• Library Guides
• UW Libraries
• Citing Sources

Citing Sources: Which citation style should I use?

The citation style you choose will largely be dictated by the discipline in which you're writing. For many assignments your instructor will suggest or require a certain style. If you're not sure which one to use, it's always best to check with your instructor or, if you are submitting a manuscript, the publisher to see if they require a certain style. In many cases, you may not be required to use any particular style as long as you pick one and use it consistently. If you have some flexibility, use the guide below to help you decide.

Disciplinary Citation Styles

• Social Sciences
• Sciences & Medicine
• Engineering

When in doubt, try: Chicago Notes

• Architecture & Landscape Architecture → try Chicago Notes or Chicago Author-Date
• Art → try Chicago Notes
• Art History → use  Chicago Notes
• Dance → try Chicago Notes or MLA
• Drama → try Chicago Notes or MLA
• Ethnomusicology → try Chicago Notes
• Music → try Chicago Notes
• Music History → use  Chicago Notes
• Urban Design & Planning → try Chicago Notes or Chicago Author-Date

When in doubt, try: MLA

• Cinema Studies → try MLA
• Classics → try Chicago Notes
• English → use  MLA
• History → use   Chicago Notes
• Linguistics → try MLA
• Languages → try MLA
• Literatures → use  MLA
• Philosophy → try MLA
• Religion → try Chicago Notes

When in doubt, try: APA or Chicago Notes

• Anthropology → try Chicago Author-Date
• Business → try APA (see also Citing Business Information from Foster Library)
• Communication → try APA
• Criminology & Criminal Justice → try Chicago Author-Date
• Economics → try APA
• Education → try APA
• Geography → try APA
• Government & Law (for non-law students) → try Chicago Notes
• History → try Chicago Notes
• Informatics → try APA
• Law (for law students) → use Bluebook
• Library & Information Science → try APA
• Museology → try Chicago Notes
• Political Science → try Chicago Notes
• Psychology → use  APA
• Social Work → try APA
• Sociology → use  ASA or Chicago Author-Date

When in doubt, try: CSE Name-Year or CSE Citation-Sequence

• Aquatic & Fisheries Sciences → try CSE Name-Year or APA
• Astronomy → try AIP or CSE Citation-Sequence
• Biology & Life Sciences → try CSE Name-Year or APA
• Chemistry → try ACS
• Earth & Space Sciences → try CSE Name-Year or APA
• Environmental Sciences → try CSE Name-Year or APA
• Forest Sciences → try CSE Name-Year or APA
• Health Sciences: Public Health, Medicine, & Nursing → use AMA or NLM
• Marine Sciences → try CSE Name-Year or APA
• Mathematics → try AMS or CSE Citation-Sequence
• Oceanography → try CSE Name-Year or APA
• Physics → try AIP or CSE Citation-Sequence
• Psychology  → use  APA

When in doubt, try: CSE Name-Year or IEEE

• Aeronautics and Astronautics → try CSE Citation-Sequence
• Bioengineering → try AMA or NLM
• Chemical Engineering → try ACS
• Civil and Environmental Engineering → try CSE Name-Year
• Computational Linguistics → try CSE Citation-Sequence
• Computer Science & Engineering → try IEEE
• Electrical and Computer Engineering → try IEEE
• Engineering (general) → try IEEE or CSE Name-Year
• Human Centered Design & Engineering → try IEEE
• Human-Computer Interaction + Design → try IEEE
• Industrial and Systems Engineering → try CSE Name-Yea r
• Mechanical Engineering → try Chicago Notes or Chicago Author-Date

See also: Additional Citation Styles , for styles used by specific engineering associations.

Pro Tip: Citation Tools Save Time & Stress!

If you’re enrolled in classes that each require a different citation style, it can get confusing really fast! The tools on the Quick Citation Generators section can help you format citations quickly in many different styles.

• << Previous: Why are there so many citation styles?
• Next: Citation Style Guides >>
• Last Updated: May 1, 2024 12:48 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/citations

APA Overview

APA citation style is most frequently used in the social and behavioral sciences, e.g. psychology, linguistics, education, as well as nursing and business.

The first style rules were published in 1929. The American Psychological Association has produced 7 editions of the Publication Manual in the ensuing 80+ years.

APA style relies on in text citations (author, date) for paraphrased, summarized, or quoted material within a paper. In text citations correspond to sources in the References list at the end of the paper.

APA Style Manual

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• Getting Started
• Reference Sources
• Interdisciplinary Databases
• Journal Collections
• Dissertations & Preprints
• Data & Statistics
• APA Citation Style
• Last Updated: Nov 6, 2024 2:05 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.ucdavis.edu/education

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• Undergraduate Students
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• More Article Sources
• Browse Education Ejournals This link opens in a new window
• Reference Books
• Statistics and Data

Citation Tools

If you are at the beginning of your program and expect to be writing papers and proposals or making presentations, you may want to consider using a citation tool to help with your citations and list of references. We provide information about several different citation management tools on our Citation Tools guide.

• Citation Tools Provides information about choosing and using citation tools such as Mendeley, Zotero, and EndNote.

About APA Style

APA Style is the standard for publications of the American Psychological Association (APA). While originally designed for the field of psychology, the style has been widely adopted by other social and behavioral sciences, e.g., social work, education, sociology.

Note:   The APA Manual underwent revisions in October 2019.  Now in its 7th edition, we recommend that you carefully examine the resources listed below as they may not be updated, or may be in the process of updating.  Pay close attention to the edition of the APA Manual that you are required to follow, as others may not have chosen to adapt to the 7th edition yet.  

Authoritative Source - American Psychological Association

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association . 7th edition

LOCATION : Cabell Reference BF76.7 .P83 2020

• APA Style Blog The official companion to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition run by experts who work with APA Style every day.
• APA Style.org Companion site to the Publication Manual. Select the Learning APA Style link in the green bar to access tutorials and FAQs.
• Introduction to APA Style Legal References From the APA Style Blog. Scroll to Section 2 for links to examples for specific types of legal materials.
• APA style guide to electronic resources Adapted from the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, this comprehensive guide offers up-to-date information on formatting electronic references in APA Style

Online Resources from Others

• APA Formatting and Style Guide From Online Writing Center - OWL at Purdue University. Examples of papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page. Printable version via "Full Resource for Printing" link on the internal toolbar.

Tutorials from LinkedIn Learning (VCU)

• Using American Psychological Association (APA) style Basics of using APA style (3:26 mins)
• General formatting Introduction to formatting your paper (4:45 mins)
• << Previous: Reference Books
• Next: Statistics and Data >>
• Last Updated: Nov 25, 2024 11:53 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.vcu.edu/education

APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources

Apa 7th edition, what is the purpose, quick links.

• In Text Quick View
• Block Quotes
• Books & eBooks
• Thesis/Dissertation
• Audiovisual
• Conference Presentations
• Social Media
• Legal References
• Reports and Gray Literature
• Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
• Additional Resources
• Reference Page

APA Publications in the Library

This guide pertains to the 7th edition of the APA Manual.

This guide is designed to support the citation and reference needs of USC students, staff, and faculty.  The 7th edition of the manual does make distinctions between formatting certain components for academic use over publication.  This guide will distinguish student/academic formatting where applicable. 

This guide is designed as a "quick" reference to common APA citation, reference and formatting criteria.  When in doubt, we encourage users to consult with the APA publication manual or APA website for further clarification as the authority on formatting.

Attribution for guide: Adapted from American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed).  https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

What is the purpose of citations?

Citations help readers locate your sources. They help to continue the scholarly conversation. To learn more about how citations can help you avoid plagiarism, view this interactive tutorial: 

USC Library Lessons: Avoiding Plagiarism through Citations

When considering citations and references for your papers, you can ask yourself, "could someone find this information in the future?"

A client's personal file would not need a citation because your reader cannot go find that information again.  Census statistics would require a citation because your reader could go locate that information again.

APA requires FOUR ELEMENTS of every citation:

• Who- Author of content
• When- Date content was published
• What- Title of content
• Where- Publication information. This can be the website you got it from or the journal or book's publication information.

If any of the elements listed above are unavailable, check out "Missing Reference Information" from APA for more information.

• APA Style Website As part of our Style and Grammar Guidelines, we explain the basics of paper format, grammar, punctuation, in-text citations, references, bias-free language, and more. Much of what you used to find on the sixth edition blog, you can now find on the APA Style website.
• Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper by Robert V. Labaree Last Updated Nov 22, 2024 1306631 views this year
• Owl Purdue 7th Edition Style Guide and Formatting Writing guide from Owl Purdue covering the 7th edition of the APA Manual
• Quick Reference Guide Quick guide on how to identify components to configure a reference for Journal article, book, and chapter from an edited book.
• Annotated Sample Student Paper Sample student paper with formatting annotations.
• Sample student paper
• Annotated Sample Professional Paper Sample professional paper with formatting annotations
• Sample professional paper
• USC Libraries APA Style Quick Guide
• Next: In Text Citations >>
• Last Updated: Oct 25, 2024 9:38 AM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/APA7th