APA 7th edition is the standard referencing style for psychology, education, nursing and many social-science courses at UK universities. Like Harvard, it is an author-date system, but its formatting rules differ in important details that markers notice and reward. This complete guide explains exactly how to use APA 7th, with in-text and reference-list examples for the sources you will cite most, the key rules that catch students out, and how APA differs from Harvard.
What Is APA 7th Referencing?
APA (American Psychological Association) 7th edition is an author-date referencing style with two linked parts: brief in-text citations (author and year) wherever you use a source, and a full reference list at the end. It is the required style on many UK psychology, education, nursing and social-science courses, so check your handbook to confirm which edition and variant your department uses.
APA In-Text Citations
Cite the author and year: (Smith, 2023). For a direct quotation, add the page: (Smith, 2023, p. 14). The key rules are:
✓ One author: (Smith, 2023).
✓ Two authors: use an ampersand inside brackets: (Smith & Jones, 2022), or and in a sentence.
✓ Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2021).
✓ No author: use the title.
✓ No date: (Smith, n.d.).
Every in-text citation needs a matching reference, and every reference must be cited in the text.
APA Reference List Examples
Book: Smith, J. (2023). Academic writing (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Chapter in an edited book: Jones, A. (2021). Research ethics. In B. Brown (Ed.), Doing research (pp. 33–48). Sage.
Journal article: Patel, R. (2022). Critical thinking in nursing. Nurse Education Today, 110, 1–9. https://doi.org/xxxx
Website: NHS. (2024). Health A to Z. NHS. https://www.nhs.uk
Report: World Health Organization. (2023). Antimicrobial resistance. WHO.
Key APA 7th Rules
Use sentence case for the titles of articles, books and chapters — capitalise only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns. Italicise book and journal titles. Title your list References, list entries alphabetically with a hanging indent, and include DOIs as full URLs (https://doi.org/…) where available. These small rules are exactly where marks are won or lost.
Quoting and Paraphrasing in APA
Paraphrase wherever possible — restate the idea in your own words and cite it. Use direct quotations sparingly, in quotation marks with a page number, for short quotes; longer quotations of 40 words or more are formatted as an indented block without quotation marks.
APA vs Harvard and Vancouver
APA and Harvard are both author-date styles and look similar, but they differ in punctuation, capitalisation and formatting — for example APA uses an ampersand and sentence case. Vancouver, by contrast, is a numeric style used in medicine and many sciences. Never mix styles: choose the one your department requires and apply it consistently. See our Harvard referencing guide for comparison.
Tools to Make Referencing Easier
Use a reference manager such as Zotero or Mendeley set to APA 7th, and always check the output against your university's guide. Keep a running reference list as you write rather than leaving it to the end.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
✓ Mixing APA with Harvard formatting.
✓ Title case instead of sentence case.
✓ Missing DOIs for journal articles.
✓ In-text citations that do not match the reference list.
✓ Inconsistent punctuation and missing hanging indents.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is APA 7th referencing?
An author-date style (7th edition) using in-text citations (Author, Year) and a reference list, common in psychology, education, nursing and the social sciences.
How do you cite a book in APA 7th?
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work in italics (edition). Publisher.
How do you do an APA in-text citation?
Give the author and year in brackets, for example (Smith, 2023), adding a page number for direct quotes: (Smith, 2023, p. 14).
How is APA different from Harvard?
Both are author-date styles, but punctuation, capitalisation and reference-list formatting differ; follow whichever your department requires.
Does APA 7th use a DOI?
Yes — include the DOI as a URL (https://doi.org/…) for journal articles where one is available.
How do you cite three or more authors in APA 7th?
Use the first author followed by et al. in text, for example (Smith et al., 2022), while listing up to 20 authors in the reference list.
What is sentence case in APA?
Capitalising only the first word of a title and subtitle and any proper nouns, used for article, book and chapter titles in APA.
How do you cite a website in APA 7th?
Author or organisation. (Year). Title in italics. Site name. URL
How do you reference a source with no date in APA?
Use (n.d.) in place of the year, in both the in-text citation and the reference list.
What does an APA reference list look like?
An alphabetical list with a hanging indent, titled References, giving full details of every source cited.
Related Study Guides
Harvard Referencing Guide • How to Avoid Plagiarism • How to Write an Essay • How to Write a Literature Review
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