Cyber Tools logo
Back to blog
Research Help
3 min readUpdated Aug 21, 2026

How to Cite a Journal Article in APA 7

Master APA 7 journal citations: author order, italics, DOI format, and common student mistakes — plus a free APA citation generator.

By Cyber Menta Editorial · Cyber Menta

Basic APA 7 journal reference format

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx. Article titles use sentence case; journal names and volume use italics. Include DOI as a URL when available.

Authors, et al., and missing data

List up to 20 authors; for 21+, use first 19, ellipsis, and final author. Use “et al.” in in-text citations for three or more authors from the first citation (APA 7). If no DOI, use journal URL. If no page numbers, omit them for online-only articles with article numbers.

In-text citations

Paraphrase: (Author, Year). Quote: (Author, Year, p. X). Multiple works: order alphabetically, separated by semicolons. Always match in-text citations to the reference list entry.

Use a citation generator wisely

Automate formatting with Cyber Tools APA Citation Generator, then verify italics, capitalization, and DOI against your library database or Crossref. Generators save time; manual review prevents lost marks.

Related free tools

Put this guide into practice with Cyber Tools — developed by Cyber Menta.

APA citation generatorAPA 7 journal articlehow to cite journal APAacademic citationreference list APA