How to Cite Sources in APA Format Step by Step (7th Edition, 2026)
Knowing how to cite sources in APA format step by step is a non-negotiable skill for every student writing a thesis, dissertation, or academic paper. APA 7th edition is now the standard citation format across psychology, education, social sciences, business, and increasingly STEM fields. Get it right and your thesis reads as professional and credible. Get it wrong and you risk not just lost marks but potential accusations of academic dishonesty — even when errors are unintentional.
This guide walks you through every element of APA 7th edition citation in 2026 — from basic in-text citations to the reference list, covering the source types you are most likely to encounter in your thesis. By the end, you will be able to format any source correctly without looking it up each time.
What Is APA Format and Who Uses It?
APA stands for the American Psychological Association, which has published its Publication Manual since 1929. The 7th edition, published in 2019, is the current standard and introduced several important changes from the 6th edition — including the removal of the publisher location for books, the change from “Retrieved from” to DOI-only for journal articles, and expanded guidance for digital and social media sources.
APA format is required by universities across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and internationally for papers in psychology, education, social sciences, business, nursing, and increasingly across STEM disciplines. If your thesis requires APA and you have not confirmed which edition applies — verify with your supervisor in 2026, as most institutions have now adopted the 7th edition.
For APA guidelines explained in other languages, see the German APA 7 complete guide, or the Spanish guide to APA 7th edition norms.
Step 1: Understand the Author-Date System
APA uses the author-date citation system. Every in-text citation includes the author’s last name and the publication year. This pair — (Author, Year) — tells the reader which source in your reference list you are referring to.
This system has two forms:
| Citation Type | When to Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Parenthetical | Author not named in the sentence | Students showed improved outcomes (Smith, 2023). |
| Narrative | Author named as part of the sentence | Smith (2023) found that students showed improved outcomes. |
Both forms are correct. Alternate between them to vary your sentence structure and avoid repetitive prose. Most academic writers use narrative citations when introducing a study for the first time and parenthetical citations when referring back to it.
Step 2: Format In-Text Citations Correctly
The format of your in-text citation depends on how many authors the source has and whether you are quoting directly or paraphrasing.
Number of Authors
| Authors | First and Every Citation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 author | (Author, Year) | (Smith, 2023) |
| 2 authors | (Author & Author, Year) | (Smith & Jones, 2023) |
| 3+ authors | (First Author et al., Year) | (Smith et al., 2023) |
| Group/organisation | Full name first time, abbreviation after | First: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2022) / After: (WHO, 2022) |
Direct Quotes vs Paraphrasing
- Paraphrasing (putting ideas in your own words): include author and year — (Smith, 2023)
- Direct quotes (reproducing exact words): include author, year, and page number — (Smith, 2023, p. 45)
- For quotes from sources without page numbers (websites, e-books): use paragraph number — (Smith, 2023, para. 3)
- Long quotes (40 words or more) are formatted as block quotes: indented 0.5 inches, no quotation marks, citation after the closing punctuation
Step 3: Handle Special In-Text Cases
No Author
If a source has no author, use the first few words of the title in the citation: (“Writing Resources,” 2023) for an article, or Writing Resources (2023) for a book or report.
No Date
If a source has no date (common with websites), use “n.d.” in place of the year: (Smith, n.d.).
Multiple Sources in One Citation
When citing multiple sources to support the same point, list them alphabetically within the same parentheses, separated by semicolons: (Brown, 2022; Jones, 2021; Smith, 2023).
Same Author, Same Year
If you cite two sources by the same author from the same year, add letters to distinguish them: (Smith, 2023a) and (Smith, 2023b). The same letters must appear in the reference list.
Secondary Sources
Only cite a source you have personally read. If you want to reference a work you found cited in another paper, use “as cited in”: (Brown, 2019, as cited in Smith, 2023). Only Smith (2023) appears in your reference list. Use secondary citations sparingly.
Step 4: Build Your Reference List
Every in-text citation must have a corresponding entry in your reference list, and every reference list entry must have a corresponding in-text citation. Mismatches are a common source of lost marks.
The APA reference list follows these rules:
- Title the page “References” — centred and bold
- List entries in alphabetical order by the first author’s last name
- Apply a hanging indent: first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches
- Double-space the entire list (no extra space between entries)
- Each entry follows the four-component structure: Author. (Year). Title. Source.
Step 5: Cite Journal Articles
Journal articles are the most common source type in academic theses. The APA 7 format is:
Example:
Key rules for journal articles:
- Italicise the journal name and volume number — but not the issue number
- Use the DOI when available — as a hyperlink in the format https://doi.org/xxxxx
- Only include a URL if no DOI is available
- Do not include “Retrieved from” before a DOI or URL (this changed from APA 6)
- Include all author names up to 20; for 21 or more, list the first 19, ellipsis, then the final author
Step 6: Cite Books and Chapters
Entire Book
Example:
Note: In APA 7, you no longer include the publisher’s city and country. This is a key change from APA 6.
Chapter in an Edited Book
Step 7: Cite Websites and Online Sources
Example:
For websites, use the page’s specific URL (not the homepage). If no author is listed, start with the page title. If no date, use (n.d.).
If you need help managing dozens of references simultaneously, tools like Tesify Auto Bibliography automatically formats citations in APA 7, Harvard, Vancouver, and 40+ other styles as you write. This is particularly valuable when you have 80+ sources in a thesis literature review. For a comprehensive overview of how APA standards are applied in Portuguese academic institutions, see the Portuguese APA guide.
Reference List Formatting Rules
| Element | Rule |
|---|---|
| Page heading | “References” — centred, bold, on a new page |
| Order | Alphabetical by first author’s last name |
| Indentation | Hanging indent: first line flush left, remaining lines indented 0.5 inches |
| Spacing | Double-spaced throughout; no extra line between entries |
| DOI format | https://doi.org/xxxxx — formatted as hyperlink (blue, underlined in APA 7) |
| Title capitalisation | Sentence case for article and chapter titles; title case for journal and book names |
| Italics | Italicise journal names, book titles, and volume numbers |
Most Common APA Errors to Avoid
- Including publisher location for books. APA 7 removed the requirement for city and country — do not include it.
- Using “Retrieved from” before DOIs. APA 7 eliminated this — write the DOI URL directly.
- Listing all authors when there are 3 or more in-text. APA 7 uses “et al.” from the first citation for 3+ authors.
- Mismatched in-text and reference list entries. Every in-text citation needs a reference list entry; every reference list entry needs an in-text citation.
- Incorrect title capitalisation. Article and chapter titles use sentence case (only first word and proper nouns capitalised). Journal and book names use title case.
- Missing page numbers in direct quotes. Every direct quotation requires a page number (or paragraph number for pageless sources).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you cite sources in APA format step by step?
To cite in APA format step by step: (1) use the author-date method in-text — (Author, Year) for parenthetical or Author (Year) for narrative; (2) add page numbers for direct quotes — (Author, Year, p. X); (3) use “et al.” for 3 or more authors; (4) build your reference list in alphabetical order using the four components: Author. (Year). Title. Source.; (5) apply a hanging indent and double-space the reference list. Every in-text citation must match a reference list entry.
What is the difference between APA 6 and APA 7?
The main changes from APA 6 to APA 7 are: (1) publisher location (city, country) is no longer included for books; (2) “et al.” is used from the first citation for sources with 3 or more authors (not 6+); (3) “Retrieved from” is removed before DOIs and URLs; (4) up to 20 authors can be listed in the reference list before using ellipsis (was 6); (5) expanded guidance for digital, social media, and AI-generated sources. Most institutions have moved to APA 7; confirm with your supervisor.
How do you cite a website in APA 7th edition?
To cite a website in APA 7: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. Website Name. URL. Example: World Health Organization. (2024, March 1). Global mental health report 2024. WHO. https://www.who.int/publications/mental-health-2024. If no author, start with the title. If no date, use (n.d.). Use the specific page URL, not the website homepage.
Do I need page numbers in APA in-text citations?
You must include page numbers in APA in-text citations when quoting directly: (Smith, 2023, p. 45). For paraphrasing, page numbers are technically optional but recommended when they help the reader locate the information. For sources without page numbers (most websites and e-books), use paragraph numbers — (Smith, 2023, para. 3) — or section headings instead.
How do you format APA references for a journal article?
APA 7 journal article format: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article in sentence case. Journal Name in Title Case, Volume(Issue), First Page–Last Page. https://doi.org/xxxxx. Italicise the journal name and volume number. Include the DOI as a hyperlink. Do not write “Retrieved from” before the DOI. Example: Jones, M. T. (2024). Thesis completion rates in STEM disciplines. Higher Education Research, 18(2), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/xxxxxx
What does et al. mean in APA and when do you use it?
Et al. is Latin for “and others.” In APA 7, you use et al. for all sources with 3 or more authors — from the very first in-text citation. Write only the first author’s name followed by et al. and the year: (Smith et al., 2023). In the reference list, list all authors up to 20. For 21 or more, list the first 19, then an ellipsis (…), then the final author’s name.
How do you cite a book chapter in APA format?
APA 7 edited book chapter format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. XX–XX). Publisher. Example: Brown, T. (2023). AI and academic writing. In J. Smith (Ed.), Technology in higher education (pp. 78–102). Routledge. Note: For a chapter with a DOI, add it at the end. For print-only books, no URL is needed.
Can I use an AI tool to generate APA citations?
Yes, AI citation tools can generate correctly formatted APA references — but always verify the output manually. AI tools sometimes hallucinate details (incorrect volume numbers, wrong page ranges, fabricated DOIs). Use citation management software or a tool like Tesify Auto Bibliography to generate APA 7 citations reliably, then cross-check each entry against the original source before including it in your thesis.
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Tesify Auto Bibliography generates APA 7th edition citations for journals, books, websites, and 40+ other source types as you write — saving hours of manual referencing work without sacrificing accuracy.
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