How to cite in APA
- APA is selected. Choose the source type: website, book, journal article, newspaper article or online video.
- Fill in the authors (one per line), title, publication details, date and URL or DOI.
- Copy the formatted reference with italics into Word or Google Docs, use the in-text citation shown underneath, and add references to your list, which is sorted alphabetically.
About APA 7th edition
APA style, from the American Psychological Association, is used across psychology, education, nursing, business and the social sciences. The 7th edition (2020) simplified several rules: publisher locations are no longer needed for books, up to 20 authors are listed, and URLs are given without "Retrieved from". In-text citations look like (Smith & Khan, 2024) for two authors and (Smith et al., 2024) for three or more. A typical reference list entry for a web page looks like: Smith, J., & Khan, A. (2024, May 14). How bees choose which flowers to visit. Science Today. https://www.example.org/bees-flowers
APA uses sentence case for titles of articles and web pages (only the first word, the word after a colon and proper nouns are capitalised), italicises book, report and web page titles, and uses initials for first names. Include a DOI for journal articles whenever one exists. Always check the result against your institution's style guide, especially for unusual sources. References are generated in your browser and your list is saved on this device only.
FAQ
How do I cite a website in APA 7?
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page in italics. Site Name. URL. If there is no author, start with the title.
What does et al. mean in APA?
For three or more authors, in-text citations use the first author plus "et al.", such as (Patel et al., 2023).
Does APA 7 need an access date?
Only for pages designed to change over time. Most web pages do not need one.