How to Cite Sources in APA Format: Complete Guide

APA (American Psychological Association) style is standard in psychology, education, and social sciences. This guide covers APA 7th edition.

In-Text Citations

Basic Format

(Author, Year)
(Author, Year, p. X) for direct quotes

Single Author

According to Smith (2020), climate change affects...
Climate change affects agriculture (Smith, 2020).

Two Authors

(Smith & Jones, 2020)
Smith and Jones (2020) found...

Three or More Authors

(Smith et al., 2020) from the first citation

No Author

Use the title in italics or quotes:
("Title of Article," 2020)

No Date

(Smith, n.d.)

Direct Quotes

"Exact words from the source" (Smith, 2020, p. 45).

Block Quotes (40+ words)

Indent the entire quote 0.5 inches, no quotation marks.

Reference List Basics

Formatting

• Title: References (centered, bold)


• Double-spaced throughout


• Hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented)


• Alphabetical by author's last name


• DOI when available

Reference Examples by Source Type

Books

Single Author
Smith, J. D. (2020). Title of the book: Subtitle. Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Two Authors
Smith, J. D., & Jones, M. K. (2020). Title of book. Publisher.

Edited Book
Smith, J. D. (Ed.). (2020). Title of edited book. Publisher.

Chapter in Edited Book
Jones, M. K. (2020). Chapter title. In J. D. Smith (Ed.), Title of book (pp. 100-150). Publisher.

Journal Articles

With DOI
Smith, J. D. (2020). Title of article. Journal Name, 45(2), 123-145. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Without DOI (online)
Smith, J. D. (2020). Title of article. Journal Name, 45(2), 123-145. https://www.journalwebsite.com/article

Websites

With Author
Smith, J. D. (2020, January 15). Title of page. Site Name. https://www.website.com/page

Organization as Author
American Psychological Association. (2020). Title of page. https://www.apa.org/page

No Date
Smith, J. D. (n.d.). Title of page. Site Name. https://www.website.com/page

Other Sources

Newspaper Article
Smith, J. D. (2020, January 15). Title of article. Newspaper Name. https://www.newspaper.com/article

YouTube Video
Channel Name. (2020, January 15). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxx

Podcast Episode
Host, A. A. (Host). (2020, January 15). Episode title (No. 50) [Audio podcast episode]. In Podcast Name. Publisher. https://www.podcasturl.com

Social Media
@username. (2020, January 15). Content of post up to 20 words [Type of post]. Platform Name. https://www.platform.com/post

Special Cases

Secondary Sources

If you read about a study in another source:
In-text: (Smith, as cited in Jones, 2020)
Reference: Only cite Jones (the source you actually read)

Multiple Works by Same Author, Same Year

(Smith, 2020a)
(Smith, 2020b)

Group Authors

First citation: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020)
Subsequent: (APA, 2020)

Common APA Mistakes

Reference List

• Incorrect hanging indent


• Missing italics on titles


• Wrong order of elements


• Inconsistent capitalization

In-Text

• Using "&" in narrative citations (should be "and")


• Forgetting page numbers for direct quotes


• Not matching references to citations

Quick Tips

• When in doubt, look up the exact source type in the APA manual


• Use citation generators but always double-check


• Keep a running reference list as you write


• Include DOIs whenever available

Conclusion

APA format becomes second nature with practice. Focus on consistency and attention to detail. Keep the APA manual or Purdue OWL bookmarked for quick reference.