APA 7th Edition Quick Guide

In-text Citations

Use the author’s last name followed by the year of publication.
For two authors, use both names every time you cite them.
For three or more, use the first author’s last name and et al. after that.
For text sources use a page number or describe the location; for video or audio sources use a time stamp to locate the quote.
For parenthetical citations with more than one source listed, use semicolons between each source: (Casas, 2018; Hinle et al., 2015; Aziz & Schmidt, 2018)

For a quote provide a page number or describe the location.

Chau (2017) said, “APA style is great” (p. 123).
The article said “APA style is precise” (Akinbola, 2016, pp. 123-124).
Keltan et. al (2009) said, “APA style is marvelous” (Style section 1, para. 2).
The video said, “APA style is used in nursing” (Nurses Association [NA], 2019, 2:12).

If a direct quote is more than 40 words, it is called a block quote, modeled here:

Place it on a new line, do not use quotation marks, and indent it. The citation comes after the period of a block quote ... [it should look] like this. (APA, 2020, pp. 272- 273)

NOTE: Each ellipsis in the quote here means something was left out, and the square brackets mean the words inside are not the exact ones from the source.

A paraphrase does not need a page or location although you may want to provide one if it will be useful to the reader or the paraphrase is long.

Chau and Morales (2017) praised APA style.
The scholarly article praises APA style (Chau & Morales, 2017).

Indirect citation is something cited in your source you want to refer to directly in your essay but have not read yourself. Use “as cited in” and only create a reference entry for the source you read. For example:

Abe Lincoln may or may not have said, “Whatever you are, be a good one” (Turner, 1981, as cited in Statton & Gomez, 2013).

For interviews, un-recorded class lectures, talks, or anything which cannot be retrieved by a reader: in your text, make the context clear, provide the initials, last name, and a full date.

The teacher said use APA in class (B. Chau, personal communication, May 4, 2020).
E. M. Parad said APA 7th edition is great (personal communication, May 8, 2019).

To mention a website in general: if you want to only refer to a site and not specific information on it, do not create a reference entry. Use the name of the site in a sentence and include the URL in parentheses. For example:

A website like Tips & Tools from the UNC Writing Center (https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/) can be useful for drafting.

References

Use a separate page at the end of the paper titled References, centered in bold text on the first line.
List sources alphabetically by author’s last name.
Double space the page.
If an entry takes more than one line, any additional lines for the citation are indented one half inch (a hanging indent).

Formatting a Hanging Indent

To format a hanging indent, in Word, highlight the entry, then select hanging for the first line from the Paragraph tab’s special indentation settings.

Author. (Year of Publication). Title [Type of source, if needed]. Source of the work.
DOI or URL if available

A web address (URL) or document object identifier (DOI) comes after the period if it is an electronic source. APA strongly prefers using the DOI.
List the first 20 authors for multi-authored works, place & in front of the last author’s name. For more than 21 authors, include the first 19 authors’ names, insert an ellipsis, like this: . . . & the final author’s name.
If there are multiple sources with the same author and date, add lowercase letters to the date, like this: Chau, B. (2021a) … Chau, B. (2021b).
If there is no date use (n.d.).
If needed, use short descriptions in square brackets after the title and before the period to identify the type of source. Capitalize the first word of the description, like this: Title of work [Audio recording]. Brackets can also be used to supply missing or useful information identifying a source for the reader.
If a work with no date is designed to change over time without available archived copies, such as an organization’s homepage, then provide a retrieval date.

Journal Article

Author’s Last Name, Initial(s). (Year of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), Pages. https://doi.org/DOI

Note: Provide the URL only if it will open directly to the source and there is no DOI.

Deng, L., & Deng, Q. (2018). The basic roles of indoor plants in human health and comfort. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 25(36), 36087–36101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3554-1

Oke, A. E., Aghimien, D., & Adedoyin, A. (2018). SWOT analysis of indigenous and foreign contractors in a developing economy. The International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 35(6), 1289-1304. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-11-2016-0210

Web Page with date / with no date

Wasson, D. (2012). Galba. Ancient History Encyclopedia. https://www.ancient.eu/Galba/

Endangered Languages Project. (n.d.). Lakota. First Peoples' Cultural Council. Retrieved May 5, 2021 from http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/2052

Book or Ebook, Edited Book Chapter

Include a DOI or URL if there is one, if not, leave it out.

Oates, J. C., & Atwan, R. (Eds). (2000). The best American essays of the century. Houghton Mifflin.

Latola, K., & Savela, H. (2017). The interconnected Arctic — UArctic congress 2016. Springer Open. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57532-2

Simpson, N. (2017). The exclusion of people with disabilities from the food justice movement. In S. J. Ray & J. Sibarra (Eds.). Disability studies and the environmental humanities: Toward an eco-crip theory. (pp. 403-421). University of Nebraska Press.

Blog, Comment, and News Webpage

APA 7th edition treats blog titles like periodical titles.

Fischer, A. G. (2020, September 17). Black women, police violence, and gentrification. Process: A blog for American history. http://www.processhistory.org/fischer-black-women/

American Psychological Association. (2021, March 8). “I found it online”: Citing online works in APA Style. APA Style. http://apastyle.apa.org/blog/citing-online-works

Bill L. Ann (2021, May 17). Thank you so much for this find it was a great find. I appreciate you! [Comment on the post “I found it online”]. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/citing-online-works#disqus_thread

Blocker, A. (2021, June 8). State trends in environmental justice legislation. Waste360.https://www.waste360.com/legislation-regulation/state-trends-environmental-justice-legislation

Government Report and Company Report

Minnesota Environmental Quality Board. (2020). 2020 State water plan: Water and climate. (Minnesota State Publication No. 20-0899). Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. https://www.leg.mn.gov/docs/2020/mandated/200899.pdf

3M: Financial and strategic analysis review. (2021, August). Global Markets Direct SWOT Reports (Reference code: GDIGM758FSA). https://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/FastFetch/SWOTPDF/69580_GDIGM758FSA

Data Set

Wirt J.G., Ingels, S.J., Glennie E., & Lauff E. (2012). Trends among young adults over three decades, 1974-2006. U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES 2012-345) [Data set]. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012345.pdf

Film, Video, and Podcast Episode

Paulson, J. (Director). (2018). Mister Rogers: It’s you I like: A retrospective of Mister Rogers’ neighborhood [Documentary]. PBS. https://metrostate.kanopy.com/video/mister-rogers-its-you-i

GreenBiz. (2021, February 19). All we can save: Why we must learn from Indigenous wisdom [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzANHhX1ozA

Meraji, S. M. (Host). (2020, May 20). COVID Diaries: Jessica and Sean apply for a loan [Audio podcast episode]. In CodeSwitch. NPR. https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch

Social Media

Use the first 20 elements (words [link], [image], [gif] etc.) as the title for comments and untitled social media posts.

APA Style [@Madeupname]. (2019, May 2). A twitter post on help for students and researchers with their writing process [Smile emoji]. More details @APA Style table [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitterlinktotweet

Baldus, B. (2021, June). Metro State alumni, we would like to learn more about your experience at Metro State and your thoughts about the future. [Post]. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2176842/

Course Materials

If citing after the course is done or if the audience does not have access to the course, do not create a reference but rather cite as a personal communication.

DeJonghe, J. (2020, May 19). Books, literacy, and reading [PowerPoint slides]. Metropolitan State University D2L Brightspace. https://d2l.coursesiteonlyifallcanaccess

Dictionary, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Style. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved May 9, 2020, from https://www.dictionaryImadeup

Sommer, R. (2004). Personal space. In C. D. Spielberger (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 15-17). Elsevier. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2898400229/GVRL?u=mnamsu&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=2d1129f0

Alternative medicine. (2021, May 5). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicine

APA 7th Edition Student Paper Format

For sample papers and detailed guidance, see the Publication Manual or go to the APA Style website.
Spacing: Double space throughout.
Font choices: Use only one font. Choose from: 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 12-point Times New Roman, among others.
Order of sections: Title page, Abstract (if required), Body of paper, References, Endnotes, Tables, Figures, Appendices.
Page numbers: Start at 1 with the title page, choose the top right position. Student papers do not use a running header.

Title Page

Separate page, place the title about 3 or 4 lines from the top, centered, double-spaced:

APA Style 7th Edition Uses a Centered, Bold Title

Noam D. Plume

Metro State University

WRIT 111: APA Style for All

Dr. Ben Chau

October 1, 2023

Table and Figure Samples

Table Example

Provide a numbered heading and title above and a note below.

Table 1

Formatting for APA Title and Headings
Title on page 2	APA Style 7th Edition Uses a Centered, Bold Title
Level 1	Centered Bold Level One Heading
Level 2	Flush Left, Bold Level Two Heading
Level 3	Flush Left, Bold, Italic Level Three Heading
Level 4	Indented, Bold Level Four Heading. Begin paragraph text on the same line
Level 5	Indented, Bold, Italic Level Five Heading. Begin paragraph text on the same line

Note. Use the note to describe content as needed. Any sources for tables or figures should both be credited in the note and have an entry in the references list. Adapted from “Format for the Five Levels of Heading in APA Style” by APA, The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7th edition, p. 48. Copyright 2020 by the American Psychological Association.

Figure Example

Any kind of visual display that is not a table is considered a figure. Provide a numbered heading and title above and a note below.

Figure 1

The Americas

a line drawing of the Earth's Western Hemisphere — *Note.* The Americas are connected but often referred to as North America and South America. From Morales, M. (2023), *The Planet Book*.