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APA journal article citation
The APA 7th edition format for a journal article, a finished example, and a generator below that fills it in for you.
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx
Watson, J. D., & Crick, F. H. C. (1953). Molecular structure of nucleic acids: A structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid. Nature, 171(4356), 737–738. https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0
Parenthetical: (Watson & Crick, 1953)
Narrative: Watson and Crick (1953)
Watch out: Italicise the journal name and the volume number, not the issue. Write the DOI as a full https://doi.org link.
Your citation types itself here as you fill in the form — or auto-fill it above.
Formatting runs in your browser. Auto-fill uses Crossref (DOI), Open Library and Google Books (ISBN) and the page’s own metadata (URL). Always check against the source.
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Tips for citing a journal article
- Always use the DOI when there is one, written as https://doi.org/… — it replaces the database URL.
- APA italicises the journal name and the volume number, but not the issue: Nature, 171(4356).
- Use an en dash (–) in page ranges. The generator converts hyphens for you.
- APA 7 lists up to 20 authors in the reference list; MLA switches to “et al.” at three or more.
See this source in all four styles side by side: how to cite a journal article. For the rest of the paper, read the APA format guide.
APA journal article citation questions
What is the APA format for a journal article?
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx
What do students most often get wrong?
Italicise the journal name and the volume number, not the issue. Write the DOI as a full https://doi.org link.
Where is the DOI?
Usually on the first page of the article PDF, near the top or bottom, or in the database record. It starts with 10. followed by a slash.
Do I include the database name (JSTOR, EBSCO)?
Not in APA 7 or Harvard. MLA 9 lets you add the database as a second container when there is no DOI. Chicago prefers the DOI, then a stable URL.
What about an article with no volume or issue?
Leave them out. Some online-only journals use an article number instead of pages; put it where the page range would go.