how to cite an essay in apa 7th edition

• MJC Library & Learning Center
• Research Guides

Format Your Paper & Cite Your Sources

• APA Style, 7th Edition
• Citing Sources
• Avoid Plagiarism
• MLA Style (8th/9th ed.)

APA Tutorial

Formatting your paper, headings organize your paper (2.27), video tutorials, reference list format (9.43).

• Elements of a Reference

Reference Examples (Chapter 10)

Dois and urls (9.34-9.36), in-text citations.

• In-Text Citations Format
• In-Text Citations for Specific Source Types

NoodleTools

• Chicago Style
• Harvard Style
• Other Styles
• Annotated Bibliographies
• How to Create an Attribution

What is APA Style?

APA style was created by social and behavioral scientists to standardize scientific writing. APA style is most often used in:

• psychology,
• social sciences (sociology, business), and

If you're taking courses in any of these areas, be prepared to use APA style.

For in-depth guidance on using this citation style, refer to Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th ed. We have several copies available at the MJC Library at the call number  BF 76.7 .P83 2020 .

APA Style, 7th ed.

In October 2019, the American Psychological Association made radical changes its style, especially with regard to the format and citation rules for students writing academic papers. Use this guide to learn how to format and cite your papers using APA Style, 7th edition.

You can start by viewing the  video tutorial .

For help on all aspects of formatting your paper in APA Style, see   The Essentials  page on the APA Style website.

• sans serif fonts such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, or
• serif fonts such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern (the default font for LaTeX)
• There are exceptions for the  title page ,  tables ,  figures ,  footnotes , and  displayed equations .
• Margins :  Use 1-in. margins on every side of the page.
• Align the text of an APA Style  paper to the left margin . Leave the right margin uneven, or “ragged.”
• Do not use full justification for student papers.
• Do not insert hyphens (manual breaks) in words at the end of line. However, it is acceptable if your word-processing program automatically inserts breaks in long hyperlinks (such as in a DOI or URL in a reference list entry).
• Indent the first line of each paragraph of text 0.5 in . from the left margin. Use the tab key or the automatic paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program to achieve the indentation (the default setting is likely already 0.5 in.). Do not use the space bar to create indentation. 
• There are exceptions for the  title page ,  section labels ,  abstract ,  block quotations ,  headings ,  tables and figures ,  reference list , and  appendices .

Paper Elements

Student papers generally include, at a minimum: 

• Title Page (2.3)
• Text (2.11)
• References  (2.12)

Student papers may include additional elements such as tables and figures depending on the assignment. So, please check with your teacher!

Student papers generally  DO NOT  include the following unless your teacher specifically requests it:

• Running head
• Author note

For complete information on the  order of pages , see the APA Style website.

Number your pages consecutively starting with page 1. Each section begins on a new page. Put the pages in the following order:

• Page 1: Title page
• Page 2: Abstract (if your teacher requires an abstract)
• Page 3: Text 
• References begin on a new page after the last page of text
• Footnotes begin on a new page after the references (if your teacher requires footnotes)
• Tables begin each on a new page after the footnotes (if your teacher requires tables) 
• Figures begin on a new page after the tables (if your teacher requires figures)
• Appendices begin on a new page after the tables and/or figures (if your teacher requires appendices)

Sample Papers With Built-In Instructions

To see what your paper should look like, check out these sample papers with built-in instructions.

APA Style uses five (5) levels of headings to help you organize your paper and allow your audience to identify its key points easily. Levels of headings establish the hierarchy of your sections just like you did in your paper outline.

APA tells us to use "only the number of headings necessary to differentiate distinct section in your paper." Therefore, the number of heading levels you create depends on the length and complexity of your paper.

See the chart below for instructions on formatting your headings:

Use Word to Format Your Paper:

Use Google Docs to Format Your Paper:

Placement:  The reference list  appears at the end of the paper, on its own page(s). If your research paper ends on page 8, your References begin on page 9.

Heading:  Place the section label References  in bold at the top of the page, centered.

Arrangement:  Alphabetize entries by author's last name. If source has no named author, alphabetize by the title, ignoring A, An, or The. (9.44-9.48)

Spacing:  Like the rest of the APA paper, the reference list is double-spaced throughout. Be sure NOT to add extra spaces between citations.

Indentation:  To make citations easier to scan, add a  hanging indent  of 0.5 in. to any citation that runs more than one line. Use the paragraph-formatting function of your word processing program to create your hanging indent.  

See Sample References Page (from APA Sample Student Paper):

Elements of Reference List Entries: (Chapter 9)

References generally have four elements, each of which has a corresponding question for you to answer:

• Author:   Who is responsible for this work? (9.7-9.12)
• Date:   When was this work published? (9.13-9.17)
• Title:   What is this work called? (9.18-9.22)
• Source:   Where can I retrieve this work? (9.23-9.37)

By using these four elements and answering these four questions, you should be able to create a citation for any type of source.

For complete information on all of these elements, checkout the APA Style website.

This infographic shows the first page of a journal article. The locations of the reference elements are highlighted with different colors and callouts, and the same colors are used in the reference list entry to show how the entry corresponds to the source.

To create your references, you'll simple look for these elements in your source and put them together in your reference list entry.

American Psychological Association.  Example of where to find reference information for a journal article  [Infographic]. APA Style Center. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/basic-principles

Below you'll find two printable handouts showing APA citation examples. The first is an abbreviated list created by MJC Librarians. The second, which is more comprehensive, is from the APA Style website. Feel free to print these for your convenience or use the links to reference examples below:

• APA Citation Examples Created by MJC Librarians for you.
• Common References Examples (APA Handout) Printable handout from the American Psychological Association.
• APA Style Quick Reference Guide See how to format three typical types of references.
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Edited Book Chapter
• Webpage on a Website

Classroom or Intranet Sources

• Classroom Course Pack Materials
• How to Cite ChatGPT
• Dictionary Entry
• Government Report
• Legal References (Laws & Cases)
• TED Talk References
• Religious Works
• Open Educational Resources (OER)
• Archival Documents and Collections

You can view the entire Reference Examples website below and view a helpful guide to finding useful APA style topics easily:

• APA Style: Reference Examples
• Navigating the not-so-hidden treasures of the APA Style website
• Missing Reference Information

Sometimes you won't be able to find all the elements required for your reference. In that case, see the  instructions in Table 9.1 of the APA style manual in section 9.4 or the APA Style website below:

• Direct Quotation of Material Without Page Numbers

The DOI or URL is the final component of a reference list entry. Because so much scholarship is available and/or retrieved online, most reference list entries end with either a DOI or a URL.

• A  DOI  is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies content and provides a persistent link to its location on the internet. DOIs can be found in database records and the reference lists of published works.
• A  URL  specifies the location of digital information on the internet and can be found in the address bar of your internet browser. URLs in references should link directly to the cited work when possible.

When to Include DOIs and URLs:

• Include a DOI for all works that have a DOI, regardless of whether you used the online version or the print version.
• If an online work has both a DOI and a URL, include only the DOI.
• For works without DOIs from websites (not including academic research databases), provide a URL in the reference (as long as the URL will work for readers).
• For works without DOIs from most academic research databases, do not include a URL or database information in the reference because these works are widely available. The reference should be the same as the reference for a print version of the work.
• For works from databases that publish original, proprietary material available only in that database (such as the UpToDate database) or for works of limited circulation in databases (such as monographs in the ERIC database), include the name of the database or archive and the URL of the work. If the URL requires a login or is session-specific (meaning it will not resolve for readers), provide the URL of the database or archive home page or login page instead of the URL for the work. (See APA Section 9.30 for more information). 
• If the URL is no longer working or no longer provides readers access to the content you intend to cite, try to find an archived version using the Internet Archive , then use the archived URL. If there is no archived URL, do not use that resource.

Format of DOIs and URLs:

Your DOI should look like this: 

https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040251

Follow these guidelines from the APA Style website.

APA Style uses the  author–date citation system , in which a brief in-text citation points your reader to the full reference list entry at the end of your paper. The in-text citation appears within the body of the paper and briefly identifies the cited work by its author and date of publication. This method enables your reader to locate the corresponding entry in the alphabetical reference list at the end of your paper.

Each work you cite  must  appear in the reference list, and each work in the reference list must be cited in the text (or in a table, figure, footnote, or appendix) except for the following (See APA, 8.4):

• Personal communications (8.9)
• General mentions of entire websites, whole periodicals (8.22), and common software and apps (10.10) in the text do not require a citation or reference list entry.
• The source of an epigraph does not usually appear in the reference list (8.35)
• Quotations from your research participants do not need citations or reference list entries (8.36)
• References included in a statistical meta-analysis, which are marked with an asterisk in the reference list, may be cited in the text (or not) at the author’s discretion. This exception is relevant only to authors who are conducting a meta-analysis (9.52).

Formatting Your In-Text Citations

Parenthetical and Narrative Citations: ( See APA Section  8.11)

In APA style you use the author-date citation system for citing references within your paper. You incorporate these references using either a  parenthetical   or a  narrative  style.

Parenthetical Citations

• In parenthetical citations, the author name and publication date appear in parentheses, separated by a comma. (Jones, 2018)
• A parenthetical citation can appear within or at the end of a sentence.
• When the parenthetical citation is at the end of the sentence, put the period or other end punctuation after the closing parenthesis.
• If there is no author, use the first few words of the reference list entry, usually the "Title" of the source: ("Autism," 2008) See APA 8.14
• When quoting, always provide the author, year, and specific page citation or paragraph number for nonpaginated materials in the text (Santa Barbara, 2010, p. 243).  See APA 8.13
• For most citations, the parenthetical reference is placed BEFORE the punctuation: Magnesium can be effective in treating PMS (Haggerty, 2012).

Narrative Citations 

In narrative citations, the author name or title of your source appears within your text and the publication date appears in parentheses immediately after the author name. 

• Santa Barbara (2010) noted a decline in the approval of disciplinary spanking of 26 percentage points from 1968 to 1994.

In-Text Citation Checklist

• In-Text Citation Checklist Use this useful checklist from the American Psychological Association to ensure that you've created your in-text citations correctly.

In-Text Citations for Specific Types of Sources

Quotations from Research Participants

Personal Communications

Secondary Sources  

Use NoodleTools to Cite Your Sources  

NoodleTools can help you create your references and your in-text citations.

• NoodleTools Express No sign in required . When you need one or two quick citations in MLA, APA, or Chicago style, simply generate them in NoodleTools Express then copy and paste what you need into your document. Note: Citations are not saved and cannot be exported to a word processor using NoodleTools Express.
• NoodleTools (Login Full Database) This link opens in a new window Create and organize your research notes, share and collaborate on research projects, compose and error check citations, and complete your list of works cited in MLA, APA, or Chicago style using the full version of NoodleTools. You'll need to Create a Personal ID and password the first time you use NoodleTools.

See How to Use NoodleTools Express to Create a Citation in APA Format

Additional NoodleTools Help

• NoodleTools Help Desk Look up questions and answers on the NoodleTools Web site
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• Next: Chicago Style >>
• Last Updated: Apr 18, 2024 12:04 PM
• URL: https://libguides.mjc.edu/citeyoursources

Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and CC BY-NC 4.0 Licenses .

APA Citation Style 7th Edition: Welcome

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• No Author, No Date etc.
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What is APA?

APA style was created by the American Psychological Association. It is a set of rules for publications, including research papers.

In APA, you must "cite" sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places:

• In the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text citation.
• In the Reference list at the end of your paper where you give more complete information for the source.

Acknowledgement

What's new in the 7th edition of apa.

Below is a summary of the major changes in the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual.

Essay Format:

• Font - While you still can use Times New Roman 12, you are free to use other fonts. Calibri 11, Arial 11, Lucida Sans 10, and Georgia 11 are all acceptable.
• Headers - No running headers are required for student papers.
• Tables and Figures - There is a standardized format for both tables and figures.

Style, Grammar, Usage:

• Singular "they" required in two situations: when used by a known person as their personal pronoun or when the gender of a singular person is not known.
• Use only one space after a sentence-ending period.

Citation Style:

• Developed the 'Four Elements of a Reference" (Author, Date, Title, Source) to help writers to create references for source types not explicitly examined in the APA Manual.
• Three or more authors can be abbreviated to First author, et al. on the first citation.
• Up to 20 authors are spelled out in the References List.
• Publisher location is not required for books
• Ebook platform, format, or device is not required for eBooks.  
• Library database names are generally not required
• No "doi:" prefix, simply include the doi.
• All hyperlinks retain the https://
• Links can be "live" in blue with underline or black without underlining

Commonly Used Terms

Citing : The process of acknowledging the sources of your information and ideas.

DOI (doi) : Some electronic content, such as online journal articles, is assigned a unique number called a Digital Object Identifier (DOI or doi). Items can be tracked down online using their doi.

In-Text Citation : A brief note at the point where information is used from a source to indicate where the information came from. An in-text citation should always match more detailed information that is available in the Reference List.

Paraphrasing : Taking information that you have read and putting it into your own words.

Plagiarism : Taking, using, and passing off as your own, the ideas or words of another.

Quoting : The copying of words of text originally published elsewhere. Direct quotations generally appear in quotation marks and end with a citation.

Reference : Details about one cited source.

Reference List : Contains details on ALL the sources cited in a text or essay, and supports your research and/or premise.

Retrieval Date : Used for websites where content is likely to change over time (e.g. Wikis), the retrieval date refers to the date you last visited the website.

• Next: How Do I Cite? >>
• Last Updated: Apr 8, 2024 4:30 PM
• URL: https://libguides.msubillings.edu/apa7

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• APA Referencing (7th Ed.) Quick Guide | In-text Citations & References

APA Referencing (7th Ed.) Quick Guide | In-text Citations & References

Published on 18 January 2021 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on 17 January 2024.

This citation guide outlines the most important citation guidelines from the 7th edition APA Publication Manual (2020). Scribbr also offers free guides for the older APA 6th edition , MLA Style , and Chicago Style .

Generate accurate APA citations with Scribbr

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text.

Be assured that you'll submit flawless writing. Upload your document to correct all your mistakes.

Table of contents

Apa in-text citations, apa references, formatting the apa reference page, free lecture slides.

In-text citations are brief references in the running text that direct readers to the reference entry at the end of the paper. You include them every time you quote or paraphrase someone else’s ideas or words.

An APA in-text citation consists of the author’s last name and the year of publication (also known as the author-date system). If you’re citing a specific part of a source, you should also include a locator such as a page number or timestamp. For example: (Smith, 2020, p. 170) .

Parenthetical vs. narrative citation

The in-text citation can take two forms: parenthetical and narrative. Both types are generated automatically when citing a source with Scribbr’s APA Citation Generator.

• Parenthetical citation: According to new research … (Smith, 2020) .
• Narrative citation: Smith (2020) notes that …

Multiple authors and corporate authors

The in-text citation changes slightly when a source has multiple authors or an organization as an author. Pay attention to punctuation and the use of the ampersand (&) symbol.

Missing information

When the author, publication date or locator is unknown, take the steps outlined below.

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APA references generally include information about the author , publication date , title , and source . Depending on the type of source, you may have to include extra information that helps your reader locate the source.

Reference examples

Citing a source starts with choosing the correct reference format. Use Scribbr’s Citation Example Generator to learn more about the format for the most common source types. Pay close attention to punctuation, capitalization, and italicization.

Generate APA citations for free

It is not uncommon for certain information to be unknown or missing, especially with sources found online. In these cases, the reference is slightly adjusted.

On the first line of the page, write the section label “References” (in bold and centred). On the second line, start listing your references in alphabetical order .

Apply these formatting guidelines to the APA reference page:

• Double spacing (within and between references)
• Hanging indent of ½ inch
• Legible font (e.g. Times New Roman 12 or Arial 11)
• Page number in the top-right header

Which sources to include

On the reference page, you only include sources that you have cited in the text (with an in-text citation ). You should not include references to personal communications that your reader can’t access (e.g. emails, phone conversations or private online material).

Are you a teacher or professor looking to introduce your students to APA Style? Download our free introductory lecture slides, available for Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Open Google Slides Download PowerPoint

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

Cite this scribbr article.

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Streefkerk, R. (2024, January 17). APA Referencing (7th Ed.) Quick Guide | In-text Citations & References. Scribbr. Retrieved 22 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/referencing/apa-style/

Is this article helpful?

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Citing Sources: APA, MLA & Chicago Styles

Apa 7 handouts and additional sources, apa 7 manual in print, apa 7 paper format, why citations, quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing, in-text citations: 2 types, in-text citation format, reference list: basic principles, reference list: basic format, author format, dois and how to find them, print books, edited book as a whole, part of an edited book (chapters/essays/articles), dictionaries/encyclopedias (including wikipedia), journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles, news webpage (online news sources), social media, audiovisual materials, personal communications (including interviews), dissertations and theses, government reports, legal sources, creating flawless citations.

• PREVIOUS APA Style (6th Edition)
• MLA Style, 9th edition (work in progress)
• MLA Style (8th edition)
• Citing Legal Materials (Bluebook)
• Chicago Style
• Citation Tools in Databases and on the Web
• Avoiding Plagiarism

APA 7 HANDOUTS:   If your professor requests APA 6th edition, please click here for our  APA Style 6th edition .   For further assistance, contact a  John Jay librarian  or the  John Jay Writing Center .

APA 7 Reference List: Common Sources   (click for handout)

APA 7 Reference List: Social Media and Audiovisual Materials (click for handout)

APA 7 In-Text Citations   (click for handout)

Additional sources:  

APA Style Blog   and  APA Twitter Feed  (American Psychological Association)

APA 7th Style  (Excelsior College Online Writing Lab)

APA 7th Style Referencing Guide , AUT Library (Auckland University of Technology):

APA Style (7th ed.) , Albert S. Cook Library (Towson University):

APA Style (7th ed.) , OWL (Online Writing Lab at Purdue University) 

Many databases now create a citation for you.  Watch our video,  How to Use Citation Tools in Databases  and read the screen carefully in each database to locate the citation tool.  ALWAYS check the database citation for errors by checking it against our Library citation guides--learn how by watching our video  Creating Flawless Citations .

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition)  

APA 7 is the CURRENT version of APA style.   Print copies are available in our Library both on reserve (3 hour loan) and at the Reference Desk (2nd floor) under the call number  BF76.7 .P83 2020  

APA 7 has two paper formats--student and professional.  This guide presents how to format student papers . *

APA format dictates the style of your title page, headings and References list. Consult the APA Style Blog for how to format tables, figures and abstract if requested by your professor. Requirements for how many and what kind of sources, sections and number of pages, etc. are determined by your professor.

View  SAMPLE STUDENT PAPERS  from the APA Style Blog:

Sample Paper ( DOCX ,  38KB  )

Sample Paper with explanation (PDF, 2MB)

ORDER OF ARRANGEMENT:

• abstract (if requested)

TITLE PAGE :

APA r equires a title page.  Students should follow the student format  unless otherwise requested by their professor. (Find additional s tudent title page example from the APA Style Blog .)

(Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association p. 32)

Title : c entered, bold print, 3-4 lines from top of page.  ​ Capitalize major words.

Author's name : centered and 2 d oubled space lines under title.

Author's affiliation : centered and 1 double spaced line under author's name. Include d epartment and institution separated by comma.

Course number and name (separated by a colon) centered and 1 double spaced line under author's affiliation, as they are written on course material.

Instructor name : centered on 1 d ouble spaced line under course information, as it is written on course material. ​

Assignment due date : centered on separate line under instructor's name.  

PAGINATION:

Title page is page number  1 . 

Set HEADER to add page numbers  in sequence in the top right hand corner of each page.   HEADER IS PAGE NUMBER ONLY.  

LINE SPACING:

Double-space all parts of an APA Style paper--abstract, text, block quotations, table and figure (numbers, titles, and notes) and reference list. See  APA Style Blog for line spacing exceptions .

Running title headers are NOT required for student papers.     HEADER IS PAGE NUMBER ONLY .

S hort student papers may not require any headings . 

Headings outline different sections in your paper.  Make headings concise and descriptive.  There are 5 heading levels (see APA Style Blog information on headings  for more details) . Use only when necessary to differentiate distinct parts of your paper. 

Your first paragraph is understood to be the introduction--the heading “Introduction” is not needed.  Do not use numbers or letters in your headings. Double space headings with no added blank lines above or below.

Use title case for all headings--most words are capitalized (e.g., Beyond the Melting Pot).

( Format of Headings , APA Style) 

• *  Consult the  APA Style Blog for specifics on an APA  professional paper  with examples: Professional Paper (DOCX, 96KB)  and  Annotated Professional Paper (PDF, 3MB)

When using outside sources or others’ ideas to strengthen an argument in your paper, you must give the author(s) credit to avoid any charges of plagiarism (see John Jay College’s policy on Academic Integrity ).

APA (American Psychological Association) is one style of formatting citations for outside sources for your Reference  list (list of your sources at the end of your paper) and  in-text citations (references,  within the body of your paper, to a source you have listed on your Reference list).

This guide provides citation examples to the most common sources.  Use the tabs on the left for help with formatting your paper, citing different types of source and creating in-text citations.

If you need more guidance, contact your instructor, a Lloyd Sealy librarian  or  the John Jay Writing Center .

Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing are three ways to incorporate outside sources into your paper. See   In-Text Citations: 2 Ways for options in the placement of your in-text citations and the   In-Text Citation Format   box  for proper formatting.

Quoting is reproducing text verbatim  (exactly as written) from another source.  You must include an in-text citation  to direct quotes that gives credit to the author/source AND  refers the reader to  you r References page so they may find that source and the quote you've included.

(a) Short Quotations  fewer than 40 words :  Incorporate the quote into the narrative of your text by using quotation marks. Place the in-text citation in parentheses after the author's name or at the end of the quote:

According to Geppert (2019, p. 116) , "it is imperative that development economists extend their research beyond purely economic factors and focus their attention on creating more inclusive, and hence more accurate, measures of development  and national well-being." 

In ancient Egypt, black pigment “was the best-known form of makeup…used by people of all classes” ("Egyptian Body Decorations," 2013, p. 39).

(b) Long Quotations   more than 40 words : Separate the quote by creating a double-spaced indented block  without quotation marks . Indent 5 spaces from the left margin. Place the in-text citation in parentheses after the author's name or at the end of the quote:

According to Geppert:

Although this analysis has revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between a variety of economic, political and social factors and happiness, it is important to note it is almost impossible to make a clear distinction between economic, political and social variables (2019, p. 116).

Jewelry was a form of body decoration ("Egyptian Body Decorations," 2013, p. 39):

Another way that Egyptians ornamented themselves was through the use of jewelry. The best-known pieces of jewelry were the highly decorated collars and pectorals (jewelry that was hung over the chest by a chain around the neck) that both men and women wore on their upper chests, under and around their necks.

Paraphrasing and Summarizing

Paraphrasing is using your own words to present someone else's idea(s). Summarizing is stating the essence of another's idea(s). You need an in-text citation each time you paraphrase or summarize another's idea.  The citation refers  the reader to that  source on your References list  and may include the specific page, chapter, section, etc. of the source being discussed. Use quotation marks for original words or phrases that come directly from the author or source:

According to Zapf & Jung (2006), “criminal responsibility” can be evaluated by referring to information from the defendant’s interview, and forensic test results (p.340).

Clifford Geertz (1973) is well known for discussing ethnography as “thick description.”

When incorporating external sources in the body of your paper you must include   in-text citations  that gives credit to those sources. In-text citations refer the reader to the  source's listing on your References list .   It, therefore, helps to complete your References page listing all your sources first.

There are two ways to incorporate your in-text citations: 

Parenthetical  Citations: Using parentheses ( within or at the end of a sentence) with  author(s) or title, publication year, and part quoted, summarized or paraphrased  without naming that work in your sentence:

Among ancient Egyptians, "kohl, a black pigment, was the best-known form of makeup" ("Egyptian Body Decorations," 2013, p. 39). 

• Author : follow Author Format  in box below
• Shorten long titles
• Use title case *  
• Use italics if the title is italicized on your References list OR q uotation marks if not italicized
• Publication YEAR only
• Usually page number(s)--s ee APA 7 Manual for citing a paragraph (para.), major heading (Introduction), entire chapter, figure or table as well as sources with no pagination
• Use timestamp f or video/audio sources
• Use slide number for PowerPoint sources

Narrative Citations:   Some examples: 

Smith (2015) surveyed this phenomenon.

A famous survey of this phenomenon (Smith, 2015) showed that...

In 2015, Smith demonstrated that...

"White rats are the best subjects for this test," said Smith (2015, pp. 50-51).

Smith went on to explain, "Hamsters make better pets than lab rats" (2015, p.51).

(from  APA Style (7th Edition , Albert S. Cook Library, Towson University)

* TITLE CASE:  Beyond the Melting Pot .  (m ost words are capitalized)

    SENTENCE CASE:  Beyond the melting pot.  (only f irst word is capitalized with the exception of proper nouns) 

Formating In-text Citations

See the Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing:  Incorporating External Source s  box in this guide for how to properly incorporate outside sources within the body of your paper. See the In-Text Citations: 2 Types  box in this guide for detailed information.  For information and examples of how to cite parts of a source ot her than page numbers , see the APA Style Blog:   https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles/parts-source

APA 7 Basic Rules

Follow author  Reference List: Author Format  in this guide for author(s) name--lastname, initial(s). 

Capitalize group author (s) such as an organization, association, corporation, government agency, etc. as a proper name.

Use title of the work when there is no author.  Make sure to check the About section of websites for group author if you do not see named individual(s).

When citing an edited work as a whole , format editor name(s) same as author(s)--lastname, initial(s).  See  Edited Book as a Whole  in this guide.

When citing part of an edited work (essay/article/chapter) the author of the part is listed first.  Editor(s) of the work as a whole is named as initial(s). lastname.  Include page number(s) for part you are citing.  See  Part of an Edited Book  in this guide.

Include those separately credited (translators/introduction or foreword authors) with name and role in parentheses after the title as follows: (with A. A. Author, Trans.).

Include edition information (revised/update/number) after title of work. 

List publisher name only ; do not include place of publication.

If author and publisher are the same, omit the publisher.

DOIs and URLs (for PRINT and ELECTRONIC sources)

Include DOI (digital objective identifier) as a hyperlink if available (p: https://doi.org/xxxxxxx. See  DOIs and How to Find Them in this guide for more information.

Include URL   only if link is stable and material is freely accessible to everyone.

Do NOT include database name or database URL. 

Avoid punctuation after the DOI or URL to avoid corrupting the link.

If URL is neither stable nor freely accessible to everyone, treat as print source even if you read it online.

WEBSITES:  

• If you mention a website in your paper without quoting or paraphrasing , simply provide the website name and URL in parentheses--not necessary to list it in your References page. 

Use Webpage format ONLY when no other format applies ---follow other formats in this guide if your source is an  eBook ; online  Dictionary/Encyclopedia ; online  Journal ,  Magazine  or  Newspaper  article; article from an  Online News Source ;  Social Media  page/post;  Audiovisual  item, or online government report.

Follow Newspaper Article  format ONLY for online articles published from a newspaper website  associated with a daily or weekly newspaper .

Follow  News Webpage (Online News Sources) format for articles from ONLINE NEWS SOURCES such as CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, Reuters or HuffPost, that are  NOT associated with a daily or weekly newspaper .

* List sources on separate page at end of your paper with title,  References  (centered in bold)

* List sources alphabetically by author (last name or group author) or title when there is no author (ignore initial articles like "A," "An," or "The")

* Double space throughout

* Follow examples for how to cite different types of sources using the format tabs on the left in this guide

* Use sentence case * --capitalize ONLY first word of title AND subtitle (word after a colon : or dash -), all other title words are lower case except for proper nouns

* Format entires with a hanging indent

*   SENTENCE CASE: Beyond the melting pot.  (only first word is capitalized with the exception of proper nouns) 

   TITLE CASE: Beyond the Melting Pot.  (most words are capitalized)

Format author(s) name(s) as last name, first initial. middle initial. (if provided):

Single author: 

Schutt, R. K.  

2 authors: List both authors, separated by a comma and an ampersand (&) instead of “and:”  

Bachman, R., & Schutt, R. K.                    

3 to 20 authors: List each author up to 19 authors, separated by a comma, adding an ampersand (&) before the last author’s name:  

Kan, K. J., Beijsterveldt, C., Bartels, M., & Boomsma, D.

More than 20 authors:  List first 19 authors, separated by a comma.  Use an ellipsis (...) in the place of all additional authors,  ending   with  the final author's name directly after the ellipsis (no ampersand):

Juárez, U., Riyaziyyat, E., Wang, C., Zhang, I., Li, P., Yang, R., Kumar, B., Xu, A., Martinez, R., McIntosh, V., Ibáñez, L. M., Mäkinen, G., Virtanen, E., . . . Kovács, A. *

*Source provided by the APA Style website 

Scholarship is becoming more available online often with an assigned DOI or  "digital object identifier." A DOI is a  unique alphanumeric string and  persistent link to a permanent location on the internet. 

APA recommends ending each citation with a DOI if available.   DOIs remains fixed over a publication's lifetime where URLs may change over time.  

Not every publication has a DOI but many databases do include them. You may also find DOIs online by viewing the publication's webpage o r searching here:  https://doi.crossref.org/simpleTextQuery    

DOIs may look like any of the following formats ( “xxxxx” refers to the DOI number) : 

https://doi.org/ xxxxx

http:/dx.doi.org/xxxxx 

doi:xxxxx or DOI: xxxxx

Whatever version you find, APA recommends using this format :

https://doi.org/xxxxx

 See Reference List: Basic Principles , Reference List: Basic Format and Reference List: Author Format for additional information.

  Author, A. A. (Year).  Title of book: Subtitle of book . Publisher. DOI  (if available) 

  Single Author

Saunders, G. (2000).  Pastoralia : Stories.   Riverhead  Books.

  Two Authors *

Anaya , R., &  Márquez , A. (1984).  Cuentos  Chicanos: A short story anthology  (Rev. ed.).   University of New Mexico Press.

  Group Author ( include DOI if available for print books)

American Psychiatric Association. (2013).  Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental   disorders  (5 th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 **

   Additional Named Authors and Reprint

Weber, M. (with  Giddons , A.). (1992).  The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism   (T. Parsons, Trans.).  Routledge . (Original work published 1930).

 * see  Reference List: Author Format  in this guide for 3 to 20 authors, and 21 or more authors

 **  Omit publisher name when same as author

See  Reference List: Basic Principles ,  Reference List: Basic Format  and  Reference List: Author Format  for additional information.

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle of book. Publisher. DOI  (if available)   or URL  (if stable and freely accessible)

  eBook with DOI

Thomas, H., & Ahmed, J. (Eds.). (2004).  Cultural bodies: Ethnography and theory . Blackwell Publishing.  https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470775837

  eBook with URL (stable and freely accessible)

Haffner-Ginger, B. (2012).  California Mexican-Spanish cook book: Selected Mexican and Spanish recipes . Citizen Print Shop.  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39586

   eBook without DOI or URL (treat as print book)

Menendez, D., & Marcella, A. J. (2008).  Cyber forensics: A field manual for collecting, examining, and preserving evidence of computer crimes  (2nd ed.). Auerbach Publications.

Saunders, G. (2000).  Pastoralia: Stories.  Riverhead Books.

 See  Reference List: Basic Principles ,  Reference List: Basic Format  and  Reference List: Author Format  for additional information.  

  Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (Year).  Title of book: Subtitle of book.  Publisher. DOI (if available)   or URL   (if stable and freely accessible)

 Two Editors (without DOI or stable and freely accessible URL)

Bowers, J. M., & Tick, J. (Eds.). (1986).  Women making music: The Western art tradition,   1150-1950.  University of Illinois Press.

 Three to 20 Editors *

Cullen, F., Agnew, R., & Wilcox, P. (Eds.). (2018).  Criminological theory: Past to   present: Essential readings  (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.

 Edited eBook with DOI

Thomas, H., & Ahmed, J. (Eds.). (2004).  Cultural bodies:   Ethnography and theory . Blackwell Publishing.  https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470775837

 Edited eBook with URL (stable and freely accessible)

Kroop, S., Mikroyannidis, A., & Wolpers, M. (Eds.). (2015).  Responsive open learning   environments: Outcomes   of research from the ROLE project . SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-319-02399-1

* see Reference List: Author Format in this guide for 21 or more authors

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of part: Subtitle of part. In Editor Name (Ed.),  Title of book: Subtitle of book  (pp. pages). Publisher. DOI (if available) or URL   (if stable and freely accessible)

Part in Edited work (within specific edition)

Anderson, E. (2018). The code of the street. In F. Cullen, R. Agnew, & P. Wilcox (Eds.),  Criminological theory: Past to present--Essential readings  (6th ed., pp. 93-104). Oxford University Press.

Part in Edited work with DOI

Ali, S. (2004). Reading radicalized bodies. In H. Thomas & J. Ahmed (Eds.),  Cultural bodies: Ethnography and theory  (pp. 76-97). Blackwell Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470775837

Part in Edited work with URL (stable and freely accessible)

Nussbaumer, A., Dahn, I., Kroop, S., Mikroyannidis, A., & Albert, D. (2015). Supporting self-regulated learning. In S. Kroop, A. Mikroyannidis & M. Wolpers (Eds.), Responsive open learning environments: Outcomes of research from the ROLE project (pp. 17 48). SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-02399-1_2

*Compare these entries with their Edited Book as a Whole counterpart above.*

PRINT, DATABASE or without DOI/URL (stable and freely accessible) :

Author, A. A. (Date). Title of entry. In  Title of book: Subtitle of book  (Edition, Vol., p. page or pp. pages). Publisher (if not au thor). 

Named Author   (with volume number)

Collins, E. F. (2012). Tattooing and piercing. In M. Juergensmeyer & W. C. Roof (Eds.),  Encyclopedia of global religion  (Vol. 2, pp. 1265-1267). SAGE Reference.  

Publisher as Author (omit publisher name, with edition)

Merriam-Webster. (1997). Goat. In  Merriam Webster’s collegiate dictionary  (10th ed., pp. 499-500). 

Individually Titled Volume

St. George, J., & Canavan, F. P. (2005). Crisis Intervention. In L. E. Sullivan & M. S. Rosen (Eds.),  Encyclopedia of law enforcement: Vol. 1. State and local  (pp. 122-125). SAGE Reference.

ONLINE Exact date:

Author, A. A. (Date). Title of entry. In  Title of book or Website name (Edition, Vol.). Publisher (if not author) . DOI (if available)   OR URL   (if stable and freely accessible)

ONLINE NO DATE:

Author, A. A. (n.d.). Title of entry. In  Title of book or Website name (Edition, Vol.) . Publisher (if not author) . Retrieved date, from URL   (if stable and freely accessible) *

Named Author (with date and edition)

Speaks, J. (2019). Theories of meaning. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The  Stanford encyclopedia of   philosophy  (Winter 2019 ed).  Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2019/entries/meaning/

Publisher as Author (omit publisher name, no date)

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Phobic avoidance. In  APA dictionary of psychology . Retrieved January 18, 2020, from  https://dictionary.apa.org/phobic-avoidance * ​

Title Entry (no author, no date)

Force majeure. (n.d.). In  Thesaurus.com.  Retrieved April 9, 2020, from https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/force%20majeure?s=t *

Wikipedia Title Entry for Archived Page **

Folk music. (2020, February 16). In  Wikipedia .  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_music

* If there is no date, use n.d. for “no date” and add “Retrieved” followed by your date of access before the URL.

** Use a permanent (archived) page with date and URL whenever possible. For Wikipedia, click "View History” for archived pages.

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article: Subtitle of article.  Title of Journal ,   Vol. Number (Issue Number), Pages. DOI (if available) or URL   (if stable and freely accessible)

Print Article, Article from Database without DOI or Online without (stable or freely accessible)  URL

Lawson, N. (2016). It’s a man’s prison: How the traditional incarceration model fails female  offenders in Kansas.  Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy, 25 (2), 273–288.

Article with DOI (print or electronic)

Abraham, M., Bahr, S., &  Trappmann , M. (2019, June 25). Gender differences in willingness to   move for  interregional  job offers.  Demographic Research, 40 , 1537-1602. https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.53

Article with URL  (no DOI and only stable and freely accessible URL)

Geppert , K. (2019). Does money buy happiness? A cross-country look at the relationship   between income and happiness.  Issues in Political Economy, 28 (2), 102–121.  https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ Does-money-buy-happiness-A-cross-country- look-at-Geppert / d1e15e62f5d4457c769d96ae5c0a11bc473ef464

Article with 3 to 20 authors (with DOI)

Philips, L., Allen, R., Bull, R.,  Hering , A . ,  Kliegel ,  M., &  Channon , S. (2015). Older adults have   difficulty in decoding sarcasm.  Developmental Psychology, 51 (12), 1840-1852. https://doi.org/10.1037 / dev0000063

Article with 21 or more authors (with DOI)

Pegion , K.,  Kirtman , B. P., Becker, E., Collins, D. C.,  LaJoie , E.,  Burgman , R., Bell, R.,   DelSole , R., Min, D., Zhu, Y., Li, W.,  Sinsky , E.,  Guan , H.,  Gottschalck , J.,  Metzger , E. J.,   Barton, N. P.,  Achuthavarier , D.,  Marshak , J.,  Koster , R., . . .  Kim, H. (2019). The   subseasonal   experiment  ( SubX ): A multimodel subseasonal  prediction experiment.   Bulletin of the  American Meteorological Society, 100 (10), 2043-2061.   https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0270.1 *

Article, Online Advance Publication

Standaert, W., Vlerick, S. M., & Cox, A. B. (2021). Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually? Business Horizons . Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.047        

Article in Press

Pachur, T., & Scheibehenne, B. (in press). Unpacking buyer-seller differences in valuation from experience: A cognitive modeling approach. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review . **

* source provided by Owl Purdue Online Writing Lab

**  source from APA 7 Publication Manual, p. 318

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Article title.  Magazine Title ,   Vol. Number (Issue Number), Pages. URL  (if stable and freely accessible) 

Article in Print, from Database or without DOI or URL  (stable and freely accessible)

Shell, E. R. (2019). Obesity on the brain. Scientific American, 321 (4), 38–45.

Online Article without Page Number(s) *   (with stable and freely accessible URL)

Gregory, S. (2020, March 26). ‘Without empathy, nothing works.’ Chef Jose Andres wants to   feed   the world through the pandemic.  Time, 195 (12).  https://time.com/5810564/without- empathy-nothing-works-chef-jose-andres-wants-to-feed-the-world-through-the- pandemic/

Online Article without Volume and Issue Number * (with stable and freely accessible URL)

Austen, B. (2018, June 21). Peace officers.  New Republic .   https://newrepublic.com/article/148854/peace-officers

  * When missing volume, issue and/or page number(s) simply omit that piece of information. 

IMPORTANT:  ONLY articles published in print newspapers or from a newspaper website  associated with a daily or weekly newspaper . Follow News Webpage   format in this guide for articles from ONLINE NEWS SOURCES such as CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, Reuters or HuffPost, that is, news websites  NOT associated with a daily or weekly newspaper .

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Article title.  Newspaper Title , section/page(s) .   URL  (if stable and freely accessible)

Article in Print, from Database OR no DOI or URL  (stable and freely accessible)

Johnson, C. Y. (2019, October 20). 'Use it or lose it'? Study links excessive brain activity to   shortened life.  The Washington Post , A3.

Printz , L. (2012, September 30). Ready to plug in? Knowledge is power: Plenty to ponder if you plan to own electric car.  Chicago Tribune. *

Article with URL (stable and freely accessible)

Hilts, P. J. (1999, February 16). In forecasting their emotions, most people flunk out.  The New York Times , F2. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/16/science/in-forecasting-their-emotions-most-people-flunk-out.html

Article with No Author from Database or without URL (stable and freely accessible)

Voice of the people: Close Rikers, rethink mental health [Editorial]. (2019, February 18).   New York Daily News,  20.

* If section and/or page number(s) information is missing, omit that piece of information

IMPORTANT: ONLY online news websites such as BBC, MSNBC, Salon or HuffPost  not associated with a published newspaper . Use the Newspaper Articles  format in this guide for websites that are online versions of daily or weekly newspapers. 

See  R eference List: Basic Principles ,  Reference List: Basic Format  and  Reference List: Author Format  for additional information.  

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day).  News article title.  News Website Name. URL  (if stable and accessible)

Named Author

Heilweil , R. (2020, April 8).  6 things to know about  telehealth : Due to  Covid-19 , video chats   with doctors are becoming mainstream. Here’s how it all works . Vox.   https://www.vox.com/ recode /2020/4/8/21212432/telemedicine-how-to-video-chat- doctors

Oliver, T. (2020, April 5).   Why overcoming racism is essential for humanity’s survival . BBC.   https://www.bbc.com/fu ture/article/20200403-how-to-overcome-racism-and-tribalism

No Author (Publisher/Organization as Author—omit Website Name)

BBC. (2016, May 17).  How much of your body is your own?   http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/the-making-of-me-and-you

Group Author (Publisher/Organization as Author different from Website Name)

The Associated Press. (2016, February 22).  Judge bans enforcement of Biden’s 100-day deportation pause. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/judge-bans-enforcement-biden-s-100-day-deportation-pause-n1258707

IMPORTANT:  Use ONLY when no other format applies ---follow other formats in this guide if your source is an  eBook ; online  Dictionary/Encyclopedia ; online  Journal ,  Magazine   or  Newspaper   article; article from an  Online News Source ;   Social Media  page/post;  Audiovisual   item, or online government report.

Read “About Us” section for author and website information---it may be a person, institution, association, organization, government agency, etc.  When no author is listed for the specific page you are viewing, list the organization/institution/government agency/association in the "About Us" section as the author.

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day).  Webpage title: Webpage subtitle . Website Name. URL 

Named Author(s)

Brown, M., & Mendis, N. (2018, July 25).  The separation of immigrant families: Historical   anecdotes.  Center for Migration Studies.  http://cmsny.org/ from-the-cms-archive- separation-of-families /

Group Author with Date (omit Website Name if same as Author)

Bloomberg. (2020, April 7).  SBA computers crash in fresh blow to companies seeking   virus aid .  https://www.americanbanker.com/articles/sba-computers-crash-in-fresh-blow-to-companies-seeking-virus-aid  

Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases. (2019, June 13).  Food safety:   A changing landscape in a global world . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/features/worldfoodsafetyday.html

Group Author without Date (omit Website Name if same as Author, use n.d. for no date, add “Retrieved” date ONLY for webpages that may change over time)

Amnesty International. (n.d.).  Cuba . Retrieved April 13, 2020, from https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/americas/cuba/

  U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.).  U.S. and world population clock . U.S. Department of Commerce.   Retrieved January 9, 2020, from  https://www.census.gov/popclock/ *

*source provided by the APA Style website

ONLY for  content  o riginally published   on a social media site . For sources you find through a particular social media post such as an article or video, make sure to  cite that original source directly.

There are two formats for social media:

1. PROFILE, PAGE OR ACCOUNT: (“n.d.” for date with “Retrieved” and date of access because social media pages change over time).

Author, A. A. or Group Name. (n.d.).  Profile/Account/Page Title  [Description]. Title of Platform. Retrieved   date, from URL

American Library Association. (n.d.).  Home  [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved April 14,   2020, from https://www.facebook.com/ AmericanLibraryAssociation/

John Jay College Library. (n.d.) .  Photos  [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved April 16, 2020, from https://www.facebook.com/pg/johnjaylibrary/photos/?ref=page_internal

Twitter:   

Brooklyn Museum [@brooklynmuseum]. (n.d.).  Tweets  [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved   April 24, 2020, from  https://twitter.com/brooklynmuseum 

Lloyd Sealy Library [@JohnJayLibrary]. (n.d.). Likes [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved April 16, 2020, from https://twitter.com/JohnJayLibrary/likes

Food Network [@foodnetwork]. (n.d.).  Posts  [Instagram profile]. Instagram. Retrieved   April 16, 2020, from https://www.instagram.com/foodnetwork/?hl=en

National Geographic [@natgeo]. (n.d.).  IGTV  [Instagram profile]. Instagram.   Retrieved December 8, 2019, from https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/channel/ *

    Witherspoon, R. [@officialreesetiktok]. (n.d.).  vsco mom  [TikTok profile]. TikTok. Retrieved January 12, 2020, from  https://vm.tiktok.com/xS3B86 *

2. Post or published CONTENT (title is first 20 words of text; include hashtags, links and emojis, counting them as one word; provide name or description or emoji ( https://unicode.org/emoji/charts/emoji-list.html ) in square brackets (e.g. [winking face]) if unable to include actual emoji)

Author, A. A. or Group Name. (Date).  Content exactly as written up to first 20 words  [Description][Post type]. Title of Platform. URL

John Jay College Library. (2020, April 2).  Did you know that #johnjaylibrary # digitalcollections   has a collection of images from 1940-1945 of #mugshots #rapsheets & #criminalinvestigation #documents?  [Images attached] [Facebook post]. Facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/pg/johnjaylibrary/posts/?ref=page_internal 

Official Jackson Browne. (2020, February 9)  Photo from “A Human Touch” video, with   @lesliemendelson. The song was written by Leslie, Steven McEwan and   @jackson.browne.official for the  [Image attached] [Photograph]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJacksonBrowne/photos/a.1015022333865708 /101 57241626597087/?type=3&theater

Tweet:   

New York Times Arts [@nytimesarts]. (2019, February 1).  Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s Blue   House in Mexico City travels to the United States for the first time. Unearthed  [Thumbnail   with link attached] [Tweet]. Twitter.  https://twitter.com/nytimesarts/ status/1091546540215283712

NPR's Latino USA [@LatinoUSA]. (2019, February 11).  A first-of-its-kind exhibit opened at the   Brooklyn Museum gives fans of iconic artist Frida Kahlo a chance.  [Thumbnail with link   attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/LatinoUSA/ status/1095087584609517568

BBC [@bbc]. (2020, January 12).  Skywatchers have been treated to the first full moon of   2020-known as a “wolf moon”-at the same time as a  [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7OkWqbBwcf/ ** 

The New York Public Library [@nypl]. (2020, January 4).  Happy #NationalTriviaDay! Patience   and Fortitude are the beloved lions located outside of our 42nd Street location. These   timeless lions have  [Photograph]. Instagram.  https://www.instagram.com/p/B66XsTilYZG/

 Washington Post [@washingtonpost]. (2019, December 3).  News is all around us #frozen #newsroom #newspaper  [Video]. Tik Tok. https://vm.tiktok.com/x2sKUu *

*source provided by the  APA Style  website

**source provided by  Purdue Owl Writing Lab

APA distinguishes between works that stand alone works  (television series, music album, YouTube video, etc.) and works that are part of a whole (episode in a series, song from a music album or cd, etc.). 

It is not necessary to indicate how or where you listened to or viewed source.

AUTHOR: Creator(s) except YouTube (and other streaming videos platforms) where uploader (account holder) is named author.  Sources may have multiple authors and/or author roles.  Some common author categories for audiovisual works:

Film (Director) Television Series (Executive Producer) Television Episode (Writer and/or Director) YouTube or other Streaming Video (Uploader) TED Talk (Speaker if from TED website/Uploader if from YouTube) Podcast (Host) Webinar (Speaker/Instructor) Music Album or Song (Recording Artist or Composer) Artwork (Photographer, Painter, Illustrator, etc.) Conference/Presentation (Presenter) PowerPoint (Creator)

DATE: may be range (e.g. 2001-2003 or 2017-present)

DESCRIPTION:   add a description of the source's format in brackets 

PUBLISHER:   production company, record label, museum, university department, etc. Sources may have multiple production companies (separate by semicolon)

URL:   ONLY  if so urce is online, stable and freely accessible to everyone

FILM/MOVIE:

Director, A. A. (Director). (Date).  Title of film  [Film]. Production Company/Companies.

Dahl, R. (Writer), & Stuart, M. (Director). (1971).  Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory [Film]. Wolper Pictures; The Quaker Oats Company.

Fleming, V. (Director). (1939).  Gone with the wind  [Film]. Selznick International Pictures; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.*

YouTube or STREAMING VIDEO:

Uploader/Account Holder, U. U. (Date of publication).  Title of video  [Video]. Website host.  URL  (if available, stable and freely accessible)

Caged Bird Songs. (2014, September 23).  Still I rise by Maya Angelou (official lyric video) [Video ].  YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UFMB4i1AJo&feature=emb_title

Chance The Rapper. (2019, July 26).  All day long  [Video] .  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V846b5ETp-c

John Jay College. (2019, October 1).  Get to know the Prisoner Reentry Institute with Ann Jacob s  [Video]. YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=-3RD1n8j-gw

Producer, A.A. (Producer(s)/Executive Producer(s)). (Date range).  Title of series [TV series]. Production Company; Companies. 

Gorden, H., & Gansa, A. (Executive Producers). (2011-2020).  Homeland  [TV series]. Fox 21; Fox Television Studios.

Serling, R. (Executive Producer). (1959–1964).  The twilight zone  [TV series]. Cayuga Productions; CBS Productions.*

TV EPISODE:

Writer, A.A. (Writer), & Director, A.A. (Director). (Original Air Date). Title of episode (Season No., Episode No.) [TV series episode]. In A.A. Producer (Executive Producer),  Title of TV series . Production Company; Companies. 

Serling, R., Bixby, J., (Writers), & Sheldon, J. (Director). (1961, November 3). It's a good life (Season 3, Episode 8) [TV series episode]. In R. Serling (Executive Producer), The twilight zone . Cayuga Productions; CBS Productions.

Stiehm, M. (Writer), & Cuesta, M. (Director). (2011, November 13). The weekend (Season 1, Episode 7) [TV series episode]. In H. Gorden & A. Gansa (Executive Producers), Homeland . Fox 21; Fox Television Studios.

TED TALK: Author is speaker when video is  directly from TED website . Author is uploader/account holder if  video is from YouTube --add  speakers' name in the tile of the talk.

Speaker, A. A. (Year, Month Day).  Title of talk  [Video]. TED Conferences. URL

Uploader, U. U. (Year, Month Day).  Speaker: Title of talk  [Video]. YouTube. URL

Foss, A. (2016, February).  A prosecutor’s vision for a better justice system  [Video]. TED Conferences.    https://www.ted.com/talks/ adam_foss_a_prosecutor_s_vision_for_a_better_justice_system

TEDx Talks. (2018, May 23).  Michiel Vandeweert: Life's short, make the most of it  [Video]. YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZvLeMbJ_U

PODCAST:  Format differs for a podcast episode or episode within a series  AND  podcast series .

Host, H. H. (Host). (Date).  Title of podcast episode  [Audio podcast episode]. Production company. URL  (if accessed online)

Host, H. H. (Host). (Date). Title of podcast episode (Episode number if available) [Audio podcast episode]. In  Title of podcast series.  Production Company. URL  (if accessed online)

Vedantam, S., Penman, M., & Boyle, T. (2020, February 17). Liar, liar, liar [Audio podcast episode]. In  Hidden brain . NPR.  https://www.npr.org/2020/02/13/805808486/ liar-liar-liar 

Host, H. H. (Host). (Date range).  Title of podcast series  [Audio podcast series]. Production company. URL  (if accessed online)

Vedantam, S. (2015-present).  Hidden brain . [Audio podcast series]. NPR.  https://www.npr.org/podcasts/ 510308/hidden-brain 

WEBINAR (archived and available online) :

Author, A. A. (Date).  Title of webinar  [Webinar]. Producer. URL

American Psychological Association. (2019, October 24).  What’s new in APA style—Inside the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the APA. [Webinar]. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/tutorials-webinars

ARTWORK (Painting, photograph, illustration, infographic, etc.) : Format differs for artwork associated with a museum or gallery (part of a whole) and art that stands on its own, not associated with a museum or gallery. Do not use database name or database URL.

Artist, A. A. (Date).  Title of work  [Medium]. Museum Name, Museum Location. URL  (if viewed online, stable and freely accessible) 

Klimt, G. (1907).  Adele Bloch-Bauer I  [Painting]. Neue Gallery, New York, NY, United States.  https://www.neuegalerie.org/content/adele-bloch-bauer-i

Mitchell, T. (2019).  Untitled [Group hula hoop]  [Photograph]. International Center of Photography, New York, NY, United States.  https://www.icp.org/exhibitions/ tyler-mitchell-i-can-make-you-feel-good

Artist, A. A. (Date).  Title of work  [Medium]. Source. URL  (if viewed online, stable and freely accessible) 

Day, B. (2014, August 20).  Don't shoot . [Political cartoon]. Cale Cartoons. http://caglecartoons.com/sku/152568/

The Sentencing Project. (2001).  Lifetime likelihood of imprisonment for U.S. residents born in 2001 [Infographic]. https://www.sentencingproject.org/ wpcontent/uploads/2015/10/lifetime-likelihood-of-imprisonment-by-race.png

MUSIC:  Format differs between the whole (e.g. album or musical score) and piece of the whole.

Artist, A. A. (year).  Title of whole   [Description]. Recording Label.

The Beatles. (1968).  The white album  [Album]. Apple. 

Haydn, F. J. (2001).  The creation  [Musical score]. Dover Publications. (Original work published 1798).*

Artist, A. A. (year). Title of song [Song]. On  Title of whole . Recording Label.

​The Beatles. (1968). Blackbird [Song]. On  The white album.  Apple.

Los Angeles Percussion Quartet. (2017). Fear release [Song]. On  Beyond.  Sono Luminus.

POWERPOINT or GOOGLE SLIDES/CLASS LECTURE NOTES:

Author, A. A. (Date).  Title of slides or lecture  [Description]. Source or Platform. URL  (use login page for sources requiring a login)

Mack, R., & Spake, G. (2018). Citing open source images and formatting references for presentations [PowerPoint slides]. Canvas@FNU. https://fnu.onelogin.com/login *

McNeel, R. (n.d.)  New hope for fading memories: Alzheimer's disease  

         [PowerPoint slide]​. BioEd Online.  http://www.bioedonline.org/slides/hot-topics/ new-hope-for-fading- memories-alzheimers-disease /

According to APA, personal communication is defined as those conversations or statements that are not published and, therefore, cannot be retrieved or accessed by others.  They are “nonrecoverable” pieces of information.

Examples include:

• Text Messages
• Online Conversations
• Personal Interviews (not published)*
• Telephone Conversations
• Live Speeches
• Unrecorded Lectures

Because these sources cannot be retrieved, they are not listed in your References page .  Instances of personal communication such as interviews should, however, be followed by an in-text citation — citation within the body of your paper.  Follow the format below and include the following information within parentheses: **

(Author’s first initial. Author’s last name, personal communication, Date as exact as possible)

Narrative citation: E.-M. Paradis (personal communication, August 8, 2019)

Parenthetical citation: (T. Nguyen, personal communication, February 24, 2020)

*Instances of personal communication retrieved from published sources will require a citation in your References list.  Follow the specific reference format for that published source as a whole.  For example, if you are mentioning or including the text of an interview or email found in a magazine article add a citation for that magazine article in your References list in addition to an APA in-text citation in the body of your paper. 

** examples from the APA Style Blog

These sources may be  published or unpublished.   Unpublished most likely in print at author’s institution. Published sources generally found in databases ( ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global ,  EBSCO Open Dissertations ,  PQDT Open ) , institutional repositories or archives, and/or personal websites. Some descriptions: “Doctoral dissertation,” “Master’s thesis,” "Unpublished dissertation," "Unpublished master's thesis" and “ Undergraduate honors thesis.”  

Unpublished:

Author, A. A. (Date).  Title of dissertation/thesis: Subtitle of dissertation/thesis [Unpublished doctoral dissertation/master's thesis]. Institution Name.

Harris, L. (2014).  Instructional leadership perceptions and practices of elementary school leaders  [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Virginia.*

Author, A. A. (Date).  Title of dissertation/thesis: Subtitle of dissertation/thesis (Publication No. xxxxxx) [Description, Institution Name]. Source. URL   (if stable and freely accessible)

Dajani, D. (2017).  Tattoos and criminal behavior: An examination of the relationship between body art and crime  (Publication No. 10285487). [Master’s thesis, City University of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

Zambrano-Vazquez, L. (2016).  The interaction of state and trait worry on response monitoring   in those with worry and obsessive-compulsive symptoms  [Doctoral dissertation,   University of Arizona]. UA Campus Repositor y.   https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/620615 **

Zhou, X. (2018).  Leggings are the new denim: An investigation of consumer activewear experience  (Publication No. 10840578) [Doctoral dissertation, Temple University]. PQDT Open. https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/pubnum/10840578.html

* source from APA Style Blog

** source from  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th edition.

Author may be an individual(s) or government agency/department.   U se the most specific agency listed on the source as author and parent agency as publisher. Omit publisher name if same as author.

Author, A. A. (Date).  Title of report: Subtitle of report  (Report No. if available). Publisher Name. URL  (if stable and freely available to all)

Named Individual Author

Rantala, R. R. (2004, March 1).  Cybercrime against businesses: Pilot test results, 2001 computer security survey  (NCJ 200639). Bureau of Justice Statistics. http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=770

Agency Author (o mit publisher name if same as author)

National Cancer Institute. (2019).  Taking time: Support for people with cancer  (NIH Publication No. 18-2059). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health.  https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/takingtime.pdf *  

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (2019).  Health of older adults in New York City .   https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/episrv/2019-older-adult-health.pdf

APA recommends consulting  The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation   (legal citation standard) or  Cornell University's Legal Information Institution's Basic Legal Citation :  https://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/​

Find print copies of The Bluebook  in the Lloyd Sealy Library at the 2nd floor Reference Desk (KF245 .B58). Consult  The Bluebook for abbreviations and symbols.   Arrange citations alphabetically by the first significant word or abbreviation.   URLs are not required-- add when useful, if stable and freely accessible, after the date.  

See the Citing Legal Materials tab in this guide for more detailed information.   Consult  In-text Citations: 2 Types  in this guide for the difference between parenthetical and narrative citations.

The abbreviation chart below and most of the following citation examples come from The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th edition. Consult Chapter 11 (Legal References) for more information.

Court Decisions:  

U.S. Supreme Court    (published in the  United States Reports --abbreviate as “U.S.”)

Reference page:   Name v. Name, Volume U.S. Page (Year). 

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). 

Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S___(2015). *

*include three underscores for page number for cases after 2012 published without page numbers

Parenthetical citation:   ( Name v. Name , Year)

( Brown v. Board of Education , 1954)

( Obergefell  v. Hodges , 2015)

Narrative citation:   Name v. Name  (Year)

Brown v. Board of Education  (1954)

  Obergefell  v. Hodges  (2015)

  U.S. Circuit Court ( published in the  Federal Reporter --abbreviate as "F.2d" or "F.3d.")

Reference page :  Name v. Name, Volume F. [or F.2d, F.3d] Page (Court Year). 

Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 951 F.2d 1128 (9th Cir. 1991). 

Parenthetical citation :  ( Name v. Name , Year)

( Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , 1991)

Narrative citation:  Name v. Name  (Year)

           Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  (1991)  

U.S. District Court (published in the  Federal Supplements --abbreviate as "F. Supp.")

Reference page: Name v. Name, Volume F. Supp. Page (Court Year). 

Burriola v. Greater Toledo YMCA, 133 F. Supp. 2d 1034 (N.D. Ohio 2001). 

( Burriola v. Greater Toledo YMCA , 2001)

Burriola v. Greater Toledo YMCA  (2001)  

State Court Decisions (find state reporter abbreviations in  The Bluebook )

Reference page: Name v. Name, Volume Reporter Page (Court Year).

Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, 17 Cal.3d 425, 131 Cal. Rptr. 14, 551 P.2d 334 (1976). 

Parenthetical citat ion: ( Name v. Name , Year)

( Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California , 1976)

Narrative citation:  Name v. Name  (Year)

Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California  (1976)

Federal and State Statutes (l aws or acts passed by a federal or state legislative body):    Federal statutes are officially published in the  United States Code  (U.S.C.).  There are official and unofficial (commercial and/or electronic versions) publications of both federal and state codes.   The Bluebook  recommends citing official codes whenever possible--c onsult  The Bluebook T able 1 for preferred state code publications .  If citing unofficial/commercial codes, include the publisher in the parenthesis before the date (see the Equal Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities example below).  Statutes are divided into sections called titles.  Begin with the popular name of the act, if available and commonly used.  Begin with the title number and abbreviation of the code source if a popular name is neither available nor commonly used.  URLs are not necessary but may be added if helpful and freely available to all.

State statutes citations generally follow federal statute citations. For  NYS statutes,  see specific information at the bottom of this section.

Statutes Codified in Single Section/Range of Sections: Not necessary to include public law number .

Reference page:   Name of Act, Title#/Source § Section Number (Year). URL  (if freely accessible)

Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 (2015). 

Equal Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities, 42 U.S.C.A. § 12101 et seq. (West, 2005).

42 U.S.C. § 12101 (2006).

Parenthetical citation: (Name of Act, Year) 

(Every Student Succeeds Act, 2015) 

(Equal Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities, 2005)

Narrative citation: Name of Act (Year)

Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)

Equal Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities (2005)

Statutes not Codified/Codified in Scattered Sections:   Add public law number to Reference page citation

Reference page :

Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pub. L. No. 88-352, 78 Stat. 241 (1964).   

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, Pub. L. No. 111-2, 123 Stat. 5 (2009). 

Florida Mental Health Act, Fla. Stat. § 394 (1971 & rev. 2009).

Parenthetical citation : 

(Civil Rights Act, 1964)

(Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, 2009)  

(Florida Mental Health Act, 1971/2009) 

Narrative citation : 

Civil Rights Act (1964)

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (2009)

Florida Mental Health Act (1971/2009)

*NYS statutes*:   There are two official annotated codifications of New York State laws:   McKinney's Consolidated Laws of New York Annotated and the New York Consolidated Laws Service .  A free unannotated electronic version of New York Consolidated Laws Service  is available on the New York Senate website:  https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/all    

Cornell's Legal Information Institute, following The Bluebook guidance, calls for including the publisher and/or brand of any commercial compilation in parenthesis before the date.  Click here for Cornell's Legal Information Institute examples:   https://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/3-300#3-320_New_York  or consult  Cynthia Pittson's 2017 Basic Bluebooking in Legal Documents .

Bills and Resolutions:  Includes bills and resolutions not yet passed through both houses of Congress AND enacted bills and resolutions that have not yet been signed into law.  Precede bill or resolution number by “H.R.” for House of Representatives or “S.” for Senate to indicate where the bill/resolution originated. Enacted resolutions are reported in the  Congressional Record , abbreviated as “Cong. Rec.” 

Unenacted federal bill/resolution:   (not yet passed in both houses)

Unenacted bill: Title [if relevant], H.R. or S. bill number, xxx Cong. (Year).  Unenacted resolution: Title [if relevant], H.R. or S. Res. resolution number, xxx Cong. (Year).

Reference page:   Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act, H.R. 1100, 113th Cong. (2013). 

Parenthetical citation:   (Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act, 2013) 

Narrative citation:   Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act (2013) 

Enacted federal resolution:  (passed in both houses but not signed into law)

Senate: S. Res. xxx, xxx Cong., Volume Cong. Rec. Page (Year) (enacted).  House of Representatives: H.R. Res. xxx, xxx Cong., Volume Cong. Rec. Page (Year) (enacted). 

Reference page :  S. Res. 438, 114th Cong., 162 Cong. Rec. 2394 (2016) (enacted). 

Parenthetical citation :  (S. Resolution 438, 2016)  

Narrative citation:   Senate Resolution 438 (2016) 

Federal Regulations: Rules and regulations; and executive orders.  Include the URL of regulation if available online.

Federal Regulation (Codified): (published in the  Code of Federal Regulations , abbreviated as "C.F.R.”) 

Title or Number, Volume C.F.R. § xxx (Year). 

Reference page : 

Protection of Human Subjects, 45 C.F.R. § 46 (2009). https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/sites/default/files/ohrp/policy/ohrpregulations.pdf

Parenthetical citation:   (Protection of Human Subjects, 2009) 

Narrative citation:   Protection of Human Subjects (2009) 

  Federal Regulation (Not Codified) :  (published in the  Federal Register , abbreviated as "F.R.")

Title or Number, Volume F.R. Page (proposed Month Day, Year) (to be codified at Volume C.F.R. § xxx). 

Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees, 81 F.R. 32391 (proposed May 23, 2016) (to be codified at 29 C.F.R. § 541).

Parenthetical citation :  (Defining and Delimiting, 2016) 

Narrative citation :  Defining and Delimiting (2016) 

Executive Orders:

Executive order:  Exec. Order No. xxxxx, 3 C.F.R. Page (Year). 

Reference page:  Exec. Order No. 13,676, 3 C.F.R. 294 (2014). 

Parenthetical citation:   (Exec. Order No. 13,676, 2014) 

Narrative citation:   Executive Order No. 13,676 (2014)

Constitution:   You do not need a citation in your Reference page if you are merely mentioning a federal or state constitution: "The U.S. Constitution has 26 amendments." or "The Massachusetts Constitution was ratified in 1780."   You need a citation when discussing specific articles or amendments.  The U.S. Constitution is abbreviated as “U.S. Const.”  Consult Cornell’s Legal Information Institute for state abbreviations when citing state constitutions: https://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/4-500

U.S. Constitution article and amendment numbers are Roman numerals. State constitution article numbers are Roman numerals, amendment numbers are Arabic numerals. It is not necessary to include a date  unless an amendment has been repealed  (see below). URLs are not necessary.

U.S. Constitution : U.S. Const. art. xxx, § x. 

Reference page:   U.S. Const. art. I, § 3.  

Parenthetical citation:   (U.S. Const. art. I, § 3)  Narrative citation:   Article I, Section 3, of the U.S. Constitution   

State constitution: State Const. art. xxx, § x.

Reference page:   S.C. Const. art. XI, § 3. 

Parenthetical citation:   (S.C. Const. art. IX, § 3)  Narrative citation:   Article IX, Section 3, of the South Carolina Constitution 

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: U.S. Const. amend. xxx. 

Reference page:   U.S. Const. amend. XIX.  Parenthetical citation :  (U.S. Const. amend. XIX)  Narrative citation :  Amendment XIX to the U.S. Constitution 

Repealed amendment to the U.S. Constitution: U.S. Const. amend. xxx (repealed year).

Reference page:   U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933).  Parenthetical citation :  (U.S. Const. amend. XVIII, repealed 1933)  Narrative citation :  Amendment XVIII to the U.S. Constitution was appealed in 1933

Include the title as it appears on the document.  Add subcommittee and/or committee names, separating multiple names by a comma. Indicate number of the Congress, the year in parentheses, and “testimony of” with name of the person who gave the testimony in separate parentheses. If the testimony is online, include a URL. 

Federal testimony: 

Title of testimony , xxx Cong. (Year) (testimony of Testifier Name).

References page : Federal real property reform: How cutting red tape and better management could

achieve billions in savings, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ,

114th Cong. (2016) (testimony of Norman Dong). 

Parenthetical citation: ( Federal Real Property Reform , 2016)  Narrative citation: Federal Real Property Reform (2016) 

Full federal hearing:  

Title of hearing , xxx Cong. (Year).

Reference page: Strengthening the federal student loan program for borrowers: Hearing before the U.S.

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions , 113th Cong. (2014). 

Parenthetical citation: ( Strengthening the Federal Student Loan Program , 2014)  Narrative citation: Strengthening the Federal Student Loan Program (2014) 

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APA 7th Edition Citation Guide

Order of elements: apa student essays, title page and header, table of contents, body and section headings, references page, video tutorial: formatting essays.

• Paraphrase and Summary
• Bibliographic Citations
• Sources with Multiple Authors
• Sources with No Author, Date, Title or Page Numbers
• Journal Articles
• Magazine and Newspaper Articles
• Reference Articles, Encyclopedia and Dictionary Entries
• Books and eBooks
• Conference Proceedings and Presentations
• Dissertations and Theses
• Films, Video and Audio
• Government Documents, Non-Profit and Corporate Reports
• Images and Advertisements
• Personal Communications (E-mails, Interviews, and etc.)
• Religious Texts
• Social Media
• Statutes, Legal Documents and the Constitution
• Avoiding Plagiarism

Sara Carman , Librarian

Call: 320-629-5169

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Call: 320-629-5145

24/7 Chat help is available!

APA formatted student essays typically contain the following elements in the order listed:

Note : Individual instructors may not require that you include all of these elements.  If you are unsure of which elements to include in your essay, read your assignment's guidelines or ask your instructor. 

VIDEO CONTENTS 

0:00 Introduction 

1:20 General Formatting and Paper Set-Up 

3:23 Title Page 

7:11 Writing the Main Text 

9:08 Section Headings 

12:42 End Matter: References, Footnotes, Tables, Figures, Appendices 

15:56 Closing Thoughts

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APA In-Text Citations and Sample Essay 7th Edition

This handout focuses on how to format in-text citations in APA.

Proper citation of sources is a two-part process . You must first cite each source in the body of your essay; these citations within the essay are called in-text citations . You MUST cite all quoted, paraphrased, or summarized words, ideas, and facts from sources. Without in-text citations, you are technically in danger of plagiarism, even if you have listed your sources at the end of the essay.

In-text citations point the reader to the sources’ information on the references page. The in-text citation typically includes the author's last name and the year of publication. If you use a direct quote, the page number is also provided.

More information can be found on p. 253 of the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Citation Rules

Direct quotation with the author named in the text.

Heinze and Lu (2017) stated, “The NFL shifted its responses to institutional change around concussions significantly as the field itself evolved” (p. 509).

Note: The year of publication is listed in parenthesis after the names of the authors, and the page number is listed in parenthesis at the end of the quote.

Direct Quotation without the Author Named in the Text

As the NFL developed as an organization, it “shifted its responses to institutional change around concussions significantly” (Heinze & Lu, 2017, p. 509).

Note: At the end of the quote, the names of the authors, year of publication, and page number are listed in parenthesis.

Paraphrase with 1-2 Authors

As the NFL developed as an organization, its reactions toward concussions also transformed (Heinze & Lu, 2017).

Note: For paraphrases, page numbers are encouraged but not required.

Paraphrase with 3 or More Authors

To work toward solving the issue of violence in prisons begins with determining aspects that might connect with prisoners' violent conduct (Thomson et al., 2019).

Direct Quotation without an Author

The findings were astonishing "in a recent study of parent and adult child relationships" ("Parents and Their Children," 2007, p. 2).

Note: Since the author of the text is not stated, a shortened version of the title is used instead.

Secondary Sources

When using secondary sources, use the phrase "as cited in" and cite the secondary source on the References page.

In 1936, Keynes said, “governments should run deficits when the economy is slow to avoid unemployment” (as cited in Richardson, 2008, p. 257).

Long (Block) Quotations

When using direct quotations of 40 or more words, indent five spaces from the left margin without using quotation marks. The final period should come before the parenthetical citation.

At Meramec, an English department policy states:

To honor and protect their own work and that of others, all students must give credit to proprietary sources that are used for course work. It is assumed that any information that is not documented is either common knowledge in that field or the original work of that student. (St. Louis Community College, 2001, p. 1)

Website Citations

If citing a specific web document without a page number, include the name of the author, date, title of the section, and paragraph number in parentheses:

In America, “Two out of five deaths among U.S. teens are the result of a motor vehicle crash” (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2004, Overview section, para. 1).

Here is a print-friendly version of this content.

Learn more about the APA References page by reviewing this handout .

For information on STLCC's academic integrity policy, check out this webpage .

For additional information on APA, check out STLCC's LibGuide on APA .

Sample Essay

A sample APA essay is available at this link .

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APA Style, 7th Edition

• About APA Style
• How-to Resources
• Writing Support

Formatting your paper

• Getting started
• Body of paper
• Reference page

Student papers written in APA Style are made up of three main parts:​

      1. A title page

      2. The body of your paper

      3. A reference page

All parts of your document must be formatted in APA Style. ​To begin,  download the pre-formatted APA 7 Word template , or format your document yourself using the following guidelines:

      1. Title Page: This is like the cover of your project. It should have the title of your paper, your name, and your school information. It's like the first impression when someone looks at your work.

      2. The Body of Your Paper: This is where you put all your information, ideas, and arguments. Think of it as the main content, like the actual stuff you want people to pay attention to.

      3. Reference Page:  You list all the sources you used for your information. It's important to give credit to the people whose ideas you included in your paper.

Now, just like when you're setting up your project display, there are some rules to follow:

     • Margins: Leave some space around the edges of your paper, just like you leave space on your display board. It makes everything look clean and organized. All pages must have 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins. 

     • Font and Spacing:  Text must be in an easy-to-read font such as: Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman, or Georgia, the size must be either 11 or 12, and all text must be double (2.0) spaced.

     • Page Numbers: Number all your pages, including the title page, at the top right corner. It's like putting a number on each section of your display so people can follow along. 

     • Reference Entries: When you list your sources on the reference page, make sure they look neat and organized. The first line is like the title of each source, and the rest of the information is indented a bit, like when you want to show that something is part of a bigger category. Highlight your references and use these keyboard shortcuts: CTRL T (on a PC computer) or COMMAND T (on a MAC computer)

When you follow all these guidelines, your paper will look neat and organized!

The title page provides your instructor with information about the contents of your paper. Use the example below as a guide:

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APA Style (7th Edition) Citation Guide: Films/Videos/TV Shows

• Introduction
• Journal Articles
• Magazine/Newspaper Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Government & Legal Documents
• Biblical Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Films/Videos/TV Shows
• How to Cite: Other
• Additional Help

Table of Contents

Film or Video

Streaming Video From a Website (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)

Streaming video from a subscription media website (netflix, amazon prime, hulu, etc.), streaming video from a library database, television series episode.

Note: All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

This Microsoft support page contains instructions about how to format a hanging indent in a paper.

Who to Credit - Film or Video

The director should be credited as the author of a film. If the director is unknown, someone in a similar role, such as a producer and/or writer, can be credited. To clarify what role the person has in the production, their job title such as Director is put after their name in round brackets if the job title is known.

Who to Credit - Streaming Video from a Website

For videos from websites such as YouTube or Vimeo, credit the person who posted the content. If a real name is provided, use that followed by the person's user name in square brackets. If the real name of the person who posted the content is not known, just use their user name without brackets.

Note : It is not necessary to specify how you watched a film or video (e.g. motion picture, DVD, streaming online). 

In the Body of a Paper

Books, Journals, Reports, Webpages, etc.: When you refer to titles of a “stand-alone work,” as the APA calls them on their APA Style website, such as books, journals, reports, and webpages, you should italicize them. Capitalize words as you would for an article title in a reference, e.g., In the book Crying in H Mart: A memoir , author Michelle Zauner (2021) describes her biracial origin and its impact on her identity.

Article or Chapter: When you refer to the title of a part of a work, such as an article or a chapter, put quotation marks around the title and capitalize it as you would for a journal title in a reference, e.g., In the chapter “Where’s the Wine,” Zauner (2021) describes how she decided to become a musician.

The APA Sample Paper below has more information about formatting your paper.

• APA 7th ed. Sample Paper

Film or Video

When the Director, Producer and/or Writer is known:

Director/Producer/Writer's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if given. (Job Title). (Year film was produced).  Title of film: Subtitle if any  [Film]. Production Company.

Note: For other countries, list the city name and the country.

Hallam, J. (Producer, Writer), & Lam, K. (Producer, Director). (2010).  Staff relations in healthcare: Working as a team  [Film]. Insight Media.

• When you have more than one producer, writer and/or writer to credit, separate the names with a comma and put an ampersand (&) before the last person's last name.
• Serling, R. (Executive Producer). (1959–1964). The twilight zone [TV series]. Cayuga Productions; CBS Productions.

In-Text Paraphrase:

(Producer/Director/Writer's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Hallam & Lam, 2010)

Note: This example has two people to credit, so both last names are given)

In-Text Quote:

(Producer/Director/Writer's Last Name, Year, Timestamp)

Example: (Hallam & Lam, 2010, 2:30)

Note: Because the timestamp serves the same purpose in a video as page numbers, paragraph numbers or section headings, you include it in the in-text citation. Include only the beginning timestamp.

When the Director, Producer and/or Writer is not known:  Start the citation with the film title.

Title of film: Subtitle if any  [Film]. (Year film was produced). Production Company if Known.

Era of viruses  [Film]. (2006). Films for the Humanities and Sciences.

( Title of Film , Year)

Example: ( Era of Viruses , 2006)

Note: Italicize the title of the film and capitalize the words for the in-text citation.

( Title of Film , Year, Timestamp)

Example: ( Era of Viruses , 2006, 40:00)

When the Poster's Name is known: 

Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial. of person who posted the video if known. [User name that posted the video]. (Year video was posted, Month Day).  Title of video  [Video]. Website Name. URL

Note: According to APA, for citing purposes the person who posted the video is credited as the author.

Nye, B. [TheRealBillNye]. (2009, April 8).  Bill Nye the science guy on energy  [Video]. YouTube. http://youtu.be/0ASLLiuejAo

(Creator's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Nye, 2009)

(Creator's Last Name, Year, timestamp)

Example: (Nye, 2009, 0:55)

When the Poster's Name is not known: 

User name that posted the video. (Year video was posted, Month Day).  Title of video  [Video]. Website Name. URL

All Aces Media. (2012, January 19).  Often awesome the series  [Video]. Vimeo. http://vimeo.com/35311255

(User name, Year)

Example: (All Aces Media, 2012)

Example: (All Aces Media, 2012, timestamp)

Producer's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Producer). (Year of Publication).  Title of Video  [Video]. Website Name. URL

Note:  When you have one producer (Producer) is used after the producer's name. If you have more than one producer use (Producers) instead.

Allen, T., et. al. (Producers). (2017). The story of Diana  [Video]. Netflix. http://www.netflix.com

(Producer Last name, Year)

Example: (Allen, et. al., 2017)

(Producer Last name, Year, Timestamp)

Example: (Allen, et. al., 2017, 6:45)

Name of Company/Organization that Provided Content or Creator's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial. if known. (Year video was created, Month Day if known).  Title of video  [Video]. Database Name.

National Film Board of Canada. (2014).  Making movie history: The women  [Video]. NFB Campus. 

(Name of Company/Organization, Year)

Example: (National Film Board of Canada, 2014)

(Name of Company/Organization, Year, Timestamp)

Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if given. (Job Title) if known. (Year the episode was originally aired). Title of episode (Season No., Episode No.) [TV series episode]. In Executive Producer's First Initial. Last Name (Executive producer) if known,  Television series name . Production Company.

Young, R. (Writer, Producer, Director). (2010). Flying cheap (Season 2010, Episode 2) [TV series episode]. In  Frontline . American University School of Communication's Investigative Reporting Workshop.

(Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Young, 2010)

(Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, Year, Timestamp)

Example: (Young, 2010, 15:38)

Television Series Episode Viewed on a Subscription Media Website 

Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if given. (Job Title) if known. (Year the episode was originally aired). Title of episode (Season No., Episode No.) [TV series episode]. In Executive Producer's First Initial. Last Name (Executive producer) if known,  Television series name . Streaming Video Site. URL

Attenborough, D. (Writer). (2001). Ocean world (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In A. Fothergill (Executive producer),  Blue planet: A natural history of the oceans . Netflix. http://www.netflix.com

Example: (Attenborough, 2001)

 (Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, Year, Timestamp)

Example: (Attenborough, 2001, 10:12)

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Referencing style - APA 7th: Images, tables and figures

• Introduction
• Books and book chapters
• Journal and newspaper articles
• Reports, theses and grey literature
• Web sources
• Conference papers
• Images, tables and figures
• Music and audiovisual resources
• Data sets and standards
• Secondary Sources
• Personal Communication
• Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Legal sources
• Example text
• Images and Copyright
• Tables and Figures
• More information

APA examples: Images, tables and figures

All images, figures and tables referred to in the text or reproduced in an essay, assignment or presentation, must be cited and included in your reference list. 

See this guides images, figures and tables tab to view how the attribution of these examples below are treated within the text. 

See  APA Style examples, Clip Art Image and  Artwork References  for general notes and more examples. 

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• Referencing styles and applications

APA 7th Referencing Style Guide

• Figures (graphs and images)
• Referencing & APA style
• In-text citation
• Elements of a reference
• Format & examples of a reference list
• Conferences
• Reports & grey literature

General guidelines

From a book, from an article, from a library database, from a website, citing your own work.

• Theses and dissertations
• Audio works
• Films, TV & video
• Visual works
• Computer software, games & apps
• Lecture notes & Intranet resources
• Legal resources
• Personal communications
• PowerPoint slides
• Social media
• Specific health examples
• Standards & patents
• Websites & webpages
• Footnotes and appendices
• Frequently asked questions

A figure may be a chart, a graph, a photograph, a drawing, or any other illustration or nontextual depiction. Any type of illustration or image other than a table is referred to as a figure.

Figure Components

• Number:  The figure number (e.g., Figure 1 ) appears above the figure in bold (no period finishing).
• Title: The figure title appears one double-spaced line below the figure number in Italic Title Case  (no period finishing).
• Image: The image portion of the figure is the chart, graph, photograph, drawing, or illustration itself.
• Legend: A figure legend, or key, if present, should be positioned within the borders of the figure and explain any symbols used in the figure image.
• Note: A note may appear below the figure to describe contents of the figure that cannot be understood from the figure title, image, and/or legend alone (e.g., definitions of abbreviations, copyright attribution). Not all figures include notes. Notes are flush left, non-italicised. If present they begin with Note. (italicised, period ending). The notes area will include reference information if not an original figure, and copyright information as required.

General rules

• In the text, refer to every figure by its number, no italics, but with a capital "F" for "Figure". For example, "As shown in Figure 1, ..." 
• There are two options for the placement of figures in a paper. The first option is to place all figures on separate pages after the reference list. The second option is to embed each figure within the text.
• If you reproduce or adapt a figure from another source (e.g., an image you found on the internet), you should include a copyright attribution in the figure note, indicating the origin of the reproduced or adapted material, in addition to a reference list entry for the work. Include a permission statement (Reprinted or Adapted with permission) only if you have sought and obtained permission to reproduce or adapt material in your figure. A permission statement is not required for material in the public domain or openly licensed material. For student course work, AUT assignments and internal assessments, a permission statement is also not needed, but copyright attribution is still required.
• Important note for postgraduate students and researchers: If you wish to reproduce or adapt figures that you did not create yourself in your thesis, dissertation, exegesis, or other published work, you must obtain permission from the copyright holder/s, unless the figure is in the public domain (copyright free), or licensed for use with a Creative Commons or other open license. Works under a  Creative Commons licence  should be cited accordingly. See Using works created by others for more information. 

Please check the APA style website for an illustration of the basic figure component & placement of figure in a text.

More information & examples from the   APA Style Manual , s. 7.22-7.36,    pp. 225–250

Figure reproduced in your text

Note format - for notes below the figure

In-text citation:

Reference list entry:

Referring to a figure in a book

If you refer to a figure included in a book but do not include it in your text, format the in-text citation and the reference list entry in the usual way, citing the page number where the figure appears.

Note format -  for notes below the figure

Referring to a figure in an article

If you refer to a figure in an article but do not include it in your text, format the in-text citation and the reference list entry in the usual way for an article, citing the page number where the figure appears.

Note format - for notes below the figure

Reference list:

Referring to a figure on a webpage

If you refer to a figure on a webpage and do not include it in your text, format the in-text citation and the reference list entry in the usual way for a webpage,

Not every reference to an artwork needs a reference list entry. For example, if you refer to a famous painting, as below, it would not need a reference.

Finding image details for your figure caption or reference

• clicking on or hovering your mouse over the image
• looking at the bottom of the image
• looking at the URL
• If there is no title, create a short descriptive one yourself and put it in square brackets e.g. [...]
• For more guidance, see Visual works

If it has been formally published reference your work as you would any other published work.

If the work is available on a website reference it as a webpage (see examples in the webpage section ).

Citing your own figures, graphs or images in an assignment:

• Include the title
• Add a note explaining the content. No copyright attribution is required.
• You can, if you wish, add a statement that it is your own work
• You do not need an in-text citation or add it to your reference list
• See example in APA manual p.247, Figure 7.17 Sample photograph

Great Barrier Island 

Note. Photo of Great Barrier Island taken from Orewa at sunrise. Own work.

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Tables and Figures

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resources for the older APA 6 style  can be found at this page  as well as at this page (our old resources covered the material on this page on two separate pages).

The purpose of tables and figures in documents is to enhance your readers' understanding of the information in the document; usually, large amounts of information can be communicated more efficiently in tables or figures. Tables are any graphic that uses a row and column structure to organize information, whereas figures include any illustration or image other than a table.

General guidelines

Visual material such as tables and figures can be used quickly and efficiently to present a large amount of information to an audience, but visuals must be used to assist communication, not to use up space, or disguise marginally significant results behind a screen of complicated statistics. Ask yourself this question first: Is the table or figure necessary? For example, it is better to present simple descriptive statistics in the text, not in a table.

Relation of Tables or Figures and Text

Because tables and figures supplement the text, refer in the text to all tables and figures used and explain what the reader should look for when using the table or figure. Focus only on the important point the reader should draw from them, and leave the details for the reader to examine on their own.

Documentation

If you are using figures, tables and/or data from other sources, be sure to gather all the information you will need to properly document your sources.

Integrity and Independence

Each table and figure must be intelligible without reference to the text, so be sure to include an explanation of every abbreviation (except the standard statistical symbols and abbreviations).

Organization, Consistency, and Coherence

Number all tables sequentially as you refer to them in the text (Table 1, Table 2, etc.), likewise for figures (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.). Abbreviations, terminology, and probability level values must be consistent across tables and figures in the same article. Likewise, formats, titles, and headings must be consistent. Do not repeat the same data in different tables.

Data in a table that would require only two or fewer columns and rows should be presented in the text. More complex data is better presented in tabular format. In order for quantitative data to be presented clearly and efficiently, it must be arranged logically, e.g. data to be compared must be presented next to one another (before/after, young/old, male/female, etc.), and statistical information (means, standard deviations, N values) must be presented in separate parts of the table. If possible, use canonical forms (such as ANOVA, regression, or correlation) to communicate your data effectively.

A generic example of a table with multiple notes formatted in APA 7 style.

Elements of Tables

Number all tables with Arabic numerals sequentially. Do not use suffix letters (e.g. Table 3a, 3b, 3c); instead, combine the related tables. If the manuscript includes an appendix with tables, identify them with capital letters and Arabic numerals (e.g. Table A1, Table B2).

Like the title of the paper itself, each table must have a clear and concise title. Titles should be written in italicized title case below the table number, with a blank line between the number and the title. When appropriate, you may use the title to explain an abbreviation parenthetically.

Comparison of Median Income of Adopted Children (AC) v. Foster Children (FC)

Keep headings clear and brief. The heading should not be much wider than the widest entry in the column. Use of standard abbreviations can aid in achieving that goal. There are several types of headings:

• Stub headings describe the lefthand column, or stub column , which usually lists major independent variables.
• Column headings describe entries below them, applying to just one column.
• Column spanners are headings that describe entries below them, applying to two or more columns which each have their own column heading. Column spanners are often stacked on top of column headings and together are called decked heads .
• Table Spanners cover the entire width of the table, allowing for more divisions or combining tables with identical column headings. They are the only type of heading that may be plural.

All columns must have headings, written in sentence case and using singular language (Item rather than Items) unless referring to a group (Men, Women). Each column’s items should be parallel (i.e., every item in a column labeled “%” should be a percentage and does not require the % symbol, since it’s already indicated in the heading). Subsections within the stub column can be shown by indenting headings rather than creating new columns:

Chemical Bonds

     Ionic

     Covalent

     Metallic

The body is the main part of the table, which includes all the reported information organized in cells (intersections of rows and columns). Entries should be center aligned unless left aligning them would make them easier to read (longer entries, usually). Word entries in the body should use sentence case. Leave cells blank if the element is not applicable or if data were not obtained; use a dash in cells and a general note if it is necessary to explain why cells are blank.   In reporting the data, consistency is key: Numerals should be expressed to a consistent number of decimal places that is determined by the precision of measurement. Never change the unit of measurement or the number of decimal places in the same column.

There are three types of notes for tables: general, specific, and probability notes. All of them must be placed below the table in that order.

General  notes explain, qualify or provide information about the table as a whole. Put explanations of abbreviations, symbols, etc. here.

Example:  Note . The racial categories used by the US Census (African-American, Asian American, Latinos/-as, Native-American, and Pacific Islander) have been collapsed into the category “non-White.” E = excludes respondents who self-identified as “White” and at least one other “non-White” race.

Specific  notes explain, qualify or provide information about a particular column, row, or individual entry. To indicate specific notes, use superscript lowercase letters (e.g.  a ,  b ,  c ), and order the superscripts from left to right, top to bottom. Each table’s first footnote must be the superscript  a .

a  n = 823.  b  One participant in this group was diagnosed with schizophrenia during the survey.

Probability  notes provide the reader with the results of the tests for statistical significance. Asterisks indicate the values for which the null hypothesis is rejected, with the probability ( p value) specified in the probability note. Such notes are required only when relevant to the data in the table. Consistently use the same number of asterisks for a given alpha level throughout your paper.

* p < .05. ** p < .01. *** p < .001

If you need to distinguish between two-tailed and one-tailed tests in the same table, use asterisks for two-tailed p values and an alternate symbol (such as daggers) for one-tailed p values.

* p < .05, two-tailed. ** p < .01, two-tailed. † p <.05, one-tailed. †† p < .01, one-tailed.

Borders 

Tables should only include borders and lines that are needed for clarity (i.e., between elements of a decked head, above column spanners, separating total rows, etc.). Do not use vertical borders, and do not use borders around each cell. Spacing and strict alignment is typically enough to clarify relationships between elements.

Example of a table in the text of an APA 7 paper. Note the lack of vertical borders.

Tables from Other Sources

If using tables from an external source, copy the structure of the original exactly, and cite the source in accordance with  APA style .

Table Checklist

(Taken from the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th ed., Section 7.20)

• Is the table necessary?
• Does it belong in the print and electronic versions of the article, or can it go in an online supplemental file?
• Are all comparable tables presented consistently?
• Are all tables numbered with Arabic numerals in the order they are mentioned in the text? Is the table number bold and left-aligned?
• Are all tables referred to in the text?
• Is the title brief but explanatory? Is it presented in italicized title case and left-aligned?
• Does every column have a column heading? Are column headings centered?
• Are all abbreviations; special use of italics, parentheses, and dashes; and special symbols explained?
• Are the notes organized according to the convention of general, specific, probability?
• Are table borders correctly used (top and bottom of table, beneath column headings, above table spanners)?
• Does the table use correct line spacing (double for the table number, title, and notes; single, one and a half, or double for the body)?
• Are entries in the left column left-aligned beneath the centered stub heading? Are all other column headings and cell entries centered?
• Are confidence intervals reported for all major point estimates?
• Are all probability level values correctly identified, and are asterisks attached to the appropriate table entries? Is a probability level assigned the same number of asterisks in all the tables in the same document?
• If the table or its data are from another source, is the source properly cited? Is permission necessary to reproduce the table?

Figures include all graphical displays of information that are not tables. Common types include graphs, charts, drawings, maps, plots, and photos. Just like tables, figures should supplement the text and should be both understandable on their own and referenced fully in the text. This section details elements of formatting writers must use when including a figure in an APA document, gives an example of a figure formatted in APA style, and includes a checklist for formatting figures.

Preparing Figures

In preparing figures, communication and readability must be the ultimate criteria. Avoid the temptation to use the special effects available in most advanced software packages. While three-dimensional effects, shading, and layered text may look interesting to the author, overuse, inconsistent use, and misuse may distort the data, and distract or even annoy readers. Design properly done is inconspicuous, almost invisible, because it supports communication. Design improperly, or amateurishly, done draws the reader’s attention from the data, and makes him or her question the author’s credibility. Line drawings are usually a good option for readability and simplicity; for photographs, high contrast between background and focal point is important, as well as cropping out extraneous detail to help the reader focus on the important aspects of the photo.

Parts of a Figure

All figures that are part of the main text require a number using Arabic numerals (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.). Numbers are assigned based on the order in which figures appear in the text and are bolded and left aligned.

Under the number, write the title of the figure in italicized title case. The title should be brief, clear, and explanatory, and both the title and number should be double spaced.

The image of the figure is the body, and it is positioned underneath the number and title. The image should be legible in both size and resolution; fonts should be sans serif, consistently sized, and between 8-14 pt. Title case should be used for axis labels and other headings; descriptions within figures should be in sentence case. Shading and color should be limited for clarity; use patterns along with color and check contrast between colors with free online checkers to ensure all users (people with color vision deficiencies or readers printing in grayscale, for instance) can access the content. Gridlines and 3-D effects should be avoided unless they are necessary for clarity or essential content information.

Legends, or keys, explain symbols, styles, patterns, shading, or colors in the image. Words in the legend should be in title case; legends should go within or underneath the image rather than to the side. Not all figures will require a legend.

Notes clarify the content of the figure; like tables, notes can be general, specific, or probability. General notes explain units of measurement, symbols, and abbreviations, or provide citation information. Specific notes identify specific elements using superscripts; probability notes explain statistical significance of certain values.

A generic example of a figure formatted in APA 7 style.

Figure Checklist 

(Taken from the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7 th ed., Section 7.35)

• Is the figure necessary?
• Does the figure belong in the print and electronic versions of the article, or is it supplemental?
• Is the figure simple, clean, and free of extraneous detail?
• Is the figure title descriptive of the content of the figure? Is it written in italic title case and left aligned?
• Are all elements of the figure clearly labeled?
• Are the magnitude, scale, and direction of grid elements clearly labeled?
• Are parallel figures or equally important figures prepared according to the same scale?
• Are the figures numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals? Is the figure number bold and left aligned?
• Has the figure been formatted properly? Is the font sans serif in the image portion of the figure and between sizes 8 and 14?
• Are all abbreviations and special symbols explained?
• If the figure has a legend, does it appear within or below the image? Are the legend’s words written in title case?
• Are the figure notes in general, specific, and probability order? Are they double-spaced, left aligned, and in the same font as the paper?
• Are all figures mentioned in the text?
• Has written permission for print and electronic reuse been obtained? Is proper credit given in the figure caption?
• Have all substantive modifications to photographic images been disclosed?
• Are the figures being submitted in a file format acceptable to the publisher?
• Have the files been produced at a sufficiently high resolution to allow for accurate reproduction?