APA 7th Edition Citation Guide for Class of 2026 🎓📚

Writing a paper? APA style is a way to give credit to the authors whose ideas you use and avoid plagiarismstlcc.edu. In APA 7th edition, you cite sources in text using the author–date method (last name and year) and list full details in a References page at the end. APA is used in many fields (especially social sciences), so learning it now will boost your grades and keep your work honeststlcc.edu. Think of citations as a cool way to show your research skills! A downloadable APA 7th edition quick-reference (cheat sheet) is available online for easy review.

In-Text Citations (Author–Date) ✍️

• Basic format: Every time you use an idea or quote from a source, include the author’s last name and year in parentheses, e.g. (Smith, 2022). This points readers to the full referencestlcc.edu.

• Quotes vs. paraphrase: For a direct quote, add the page or paragraph number: e.g. (Smith, 2022, p. 45). For paraphrasing, page numbers are optional but helpfulstlcc.edustlcc.edu.

• Two authors: Use “&” between names: e.g. (Lopez & Kim, 2020). (In running text, you can write “Lopez and Kim (2020) found…”)stlcc.edu.

• 3 or more authors: List the first author followed by et al.: e.g. (Chen et al., 2019). (Only list all names if you have two.)stlcc.edu.

• No author: Use a short title (in quotes) in place of author. For example, a web page titled Parents and Their Children with no author might be cited as ("Parents and Their Children," 2007, p. 2)stlcc.edu.

• No date: Use “(n.d.)” for no date. e.g. (Jones, n.d.). If a webpage has no date, include a retrieval date instead.

• Multiple works: If you cite two sources in the same parentheses, separate them with a semicolon: e.g. (Smith, 2020; Wang, 2018).

In-text Example: If Nina says “social media affects wellbeing” in her 2021 study, you could write: According to Kaur (2021), social media has some impact on teen life satisfaction. Or: Recent research confirms that social media affects teen life satisfaction (Kaur, 2021).

Tip: Always cite every claim that isn’t common knowledge. Without in-text citations, you risk plagiarismstlcc.edu. (Running low on time? Use a citation generator, but double-check against reliable guides.)

Building Your Reference List 📖

At the end of your paper, include a “References” page with full details for each source cited. Use these rules:

• Alphabetize by author’s last name (A → Z)scribbr.com. If no author, alphabetize by title (ignoring “A,” “An,” “The”)scribbr.com.

• Double-space all entries and use a hanging indent: the first line is flush left, and following lines are indented 0.5 inches.

• List only sources you cited: Don’t include personal emails, general websites you didn’t cite, or common knowledgescribbr.com.

• Titles in sentence case: Capitalize only the first word of a title/subtitle and proper nouns. Italicize book and journal titles.

• Include DOIs/URLs: For articles and online docs, add a DOI or the URL. In APA 7th, use the DOI URL form (e.g. https://doi.org/...) and do not write “Retrieved from:”cliffsnotes.comscribbr.com. (APA 7th dropped the “doi:” label and the default “Retrieved” wordingcliffsnotes.comscribbr.com.)

Quick Tips: List up to 20 authors in fullscribbr.com. If there are more than 20, list the first 19, then “…”, then the final authorscribbr.com. Always include edition, volume, or page info if provided (e.g. 2nd ed., Vol. 3, pp. 45–50).

Below is what an APA “References” page looks like – clean, double-spaced, and alphabetized.

Examples of Reference Entries 📚💻🎥

(Use these as models; replace with your source info.)

• Book: LastName, F. M. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle if any. Publisher.
  Example: Smith, J. A. (2020). Exploring Psychology. Research Books.

• Journal Article: LastName, F. M., & LastName, F. M. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxx
  Example: Hawi, N. S., & Samaha, M. (2016). Relations among social media addiction, self-esteem, and life satisfaction in university students. Social Science Computer Review, 35(5), 576–586. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439316660340 scribbr.com

• Webpage/Website:

  • With author: LastName, F. M. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Website Name. URLscribbr.com.
    Example: Slat, B. (2019, April 10). Whales likely impacted by Great Pacific garbage patch. The Ocean Cleanup. https://www.theoceancleanup.com/updates/whales-likely-impacted-by-great-pacific-garbage-patch/ scribbr.com

  • No author: Title of page. (Year, Month Day). Website Name. URLscribbr.com.
    Example: The countdown: A prophecy, crowds, and a TikTok takedown. (2020, October 19). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54596667 scribbr.com

  • No date: LastName, F. M. (n.d.). Title of page. Website Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL (if content may change)scribbr.com.

• Video (YouTube): LastName, F. M. [ScreenName]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URLscribbr.com.
  Example: Stevens, M. [Vsauce]. (2017, August 14). The napkin ring problem [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J51ncHP_BrY scribbr.com.

  • If the uploader is an organization or if no real name is given, just use the channel name as author. For instance: University of Oxford. (2019, December 15). Could we run the UK on carbon-free energy? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/-EoVRpy4J_U scribbr.com.

(Other formats like images, podcasts, etc. follow similar patterns with [Type] in brackets.)

Free Resources & Tips ✔️

• APA Cheat Sheet: For a handy reference, download an APA 7th Quick Guide (PDF) online (for example, the University of North Carolina’s APA Reference Guide). Keep it printed for easy study.

• Purdue OWL: The Purdue Online Writing Lab has an excellent APA Formatting & Style Guide with examples and tips (search for “Purdue OWL APA” online).

• APA Style Website: The official APA Style site offers guidelines and FAQs. (For example, their quick answers cover how to cite common sources.)

• Citation Tools: Tools like Scribbr’s APA Generator or ZoteroBib can help format citations, but always double-check the output against official rules.

• Practice Makes Perfect: Write a dummy citation or two in your notes using these formats. The more you practice, the more natural it will feel – soon you’ll be citing like a pro!

Key Reminders for Class of 2026 🎉

• Always start with the author’s last name and the year in your in-text citationstlcc.edu.

• Use sentence case for source titles in references and italicize book/journal names.

• Make sure your References page is alphabetical and double-spacedscribbr.com.

• Check every citation for accuracy (correct spelling, punctuation, and URL/DOI) – small details matter!

By following these fun, easy steps, APA citations will become a breeze. Happy writing and citing!

Sources: APA citation rules and examples from Purdue OWL and APA Style guidelinesstlcc.educliffsnotes.comscribbr.comscribbr.comscribbr.comscribbr.com (7th edition). These trusted guides show the latest official formats.