APA 7th edition referencing
Psychology, nursing, education, business and the social sciences.
Short answer
What is APA 7 referencing?
APA 7 is an author–date system published by the American Psychological Association. org/ link wherever one exists.
Worked examples
APA 7 for every source type
Each example below is produced by the same engine that powers our free generator.
book
Full guide →Reference list entry
Bolton, G. (2018). Reflective practice: writing and professional development (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
In-text
(Bolton, 2018)
journal article
Full guide →Reference list entry
Thomas, L. & Hill, M. (2024). Belonging and continuation among first-generation undergraduates. Studies in Higher Education, 49(3), 412-428. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2298471
In-text
(Thomas & Hill, 2024)
web page
Full guide →Reference list entry
Agency, Q. A. (2025). Academic integrity charter for uk higher education. QAA. https://www.qaa.ac.uk/academic-integrity
In-text
(Agency, 2025)
book chapter
Full guide →Reference list entry
Moon, J. (2013). Reflection in higher education learning. In Handbook of Reflective Practice (2nd ed.) (pp. 45-62). Routledge.
In-text
(Moon, 2013)
report
Full guide →Reference list entry
Students, O. F. (2025). Student outcomes and teaching excellence. Office for Students. https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/
In-text
(Students, 2025)
Watch out for
APA 7 quirks that cost marks
- Titles of articles and books use sentence case; journal names keep title case.
- Use '&' inside parentheses but 'and' in running text.
- Up to 20 authors are listed in full in the reference list — APA 7 raised this from 7.
- Publisher location was removed in APA 7; do not include it.
- Three or more authors use 'et al.' from the very first in-text citation.
APA 7 — FAQs
What is APA 7 referencing?
APA 7 is an author–date system published by the American Psychological Association. In-text citations give author and year; the reference list is alphabetical and uses sentence case for article and book titles, an ampersand before the final author, and a DOI as a full https://doi.org/ link wherever one exists.
Who uses APA 7?
Psychology, nursing, education, business and the social sciences. It is most common in United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada. Always confirm against your own module handbook, because departments within one university often differ.
Is APA 7 an author–date or numeric system?
APA 7 is an author–date system: in-text citations name the author and year, and the reference list is alphabetical.
Every source type
APA 7 at a glance
One worked example per source type, formatted in APA 7 and produced by the same engine as the citation generator. APA 7 is an author–date style, so the author and year lead every entry.
| Source type | Reference list entry | In-text citation |
|---|---|---|
| book | Bolton, G. (2018). Reflective practice: writing and professional development (5th ed.). SAGE Publications. | (Bolton, 2018) |
| journal article | Thomas, L. & Hill, M. (2024). Belonging and continuation among first-generation undergraduates. Studies in Higher Education, 49(3), 412-428. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2298471 | (Thomas & Hill, 2024) |
| web page | Agency, Q. A. (2025). Academic integrity charter for uk higher education. QAA. https://www.qaa.ac.uk/academic-integrity | (Agency, 2025) |
| book chapter | Moon, J. (2013). Reflection in higher education learning. In Handbook of Reflective Practice (2nd ed.) (pp. 45-62). Routledge. | (Moon, 2013) |
| report | Students, O. F. (2025). Student outcomes and teaching excellence. Office for Students. https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/ | (Students, 2025) |