Journal articles are the backbone of academic writing. Whether you're working on a research paper, a literature review, or a thesis, odds are most of your references will be journal articles. The good news is that APA's format for journal articles is logical and consistent — once you know the template, you can cite any article you'll ever encounter.
Let's walk through the standard format first, then tackle every variation you're likely to need.
The Standard Format
Every journal article citation follows this structure:
Author. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, volume(issue), page range. DOI
Here's a complete example:
Garcia, M. L., & Lee, J. (2021). Spaced retrieval practice in higher education: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(4), 718–735. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000612
What to notice:
- Authors' names are inverted (last name first), separated by commas, with & before the last author.
- The article title is in sentence case and is not italicized — it's part of a larger work (the journal).
- The journal title is in title case and italicized.
- The volume number is italicized. The issue number is in parentheses and not italicized.
- The page range uses an en dash (–), not a hyphen (-).
- The DOI is formatted as a full URL with no period after it.
Article With a DOI
This is the most common case today. Most journal articles published in the last two decades have a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) — a permanent link that always resolves to the article, regardless of which database you found it in.
Always include the DOI when one is available, even if you accessed the article in print. Format it as a full URL:
Reference list:
Patel, R., & Nguyen, T. (2023). The role of executive function in second language acquisition: A longitudinal study. Applied Linguistics, 44(2), 312–340. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amac042
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Patel & Nguyen, 2023)
Narrative:Patel and Nguyen (2023) found that…
How to Find the DOI
If you're not sure whether your article has a DOI:
- Check the first page of the article — DOIs are often printed near the copyright notice.
- Look at the database record — most library databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, JSTOR) display the DOI prominently.
- Search Crossref.org — paste the article title into the search bar and it will return the DOI if one exists.
Format tip:Always use the
https://doi.org/prefix, not the olderdoi:format. So writehttps://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000255, notdoi: 10.1037/amp0000255.
Article Without a DOI (Print Only)
Some older articles — especially those published before the mid-2000s — don't have a DOI. If the article is print-only with no DOI, just end the reference after the page range:
Reference list:
Bower, G. H. (1981). Mood and memory. American Psychologist, 36(2), 129–148.
In-text citations:
(Bower, 1981)
Don't write "No DOI available" or "Retrieved from [library database URL]." If there's no DOI and you accessed the article in print or through a database, just end the reference after the page numbers.
What If You Found a Print-Only Article Through a Database?
Same rule — don't include the database URL. Just cite it as a print article. The only exception is if the article is from a database that most readers wouldn't be able to access easily and the work is rare or obscure.
Online-Only Journal Article
Some journals are published exclusively online and may not have traditional volume, issue, or page numbers. Use the DOI and include whatever identifying information the journal provides:
Reference list:
Yamada, K. (2024). Mindfulness-based interventions for workplace burnout: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1234567. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1234567
In-text citations:
(Yamada, 2024)
If the article doesn't have page numbers, use the article number (if available) preceded by "Article."
Article With an Article Number Instead of Page Range
Increasingly common in open-access journals — the article has a volume and possibly an issue, but uses an article number instead of a page range:
Reference list:
Chen, W., & Park, S. (2023). Bilingual advantages in cognitive flexibility: Evidence from task-switching paradigms. PLOS ONE, 18(5), Article e0284567. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284567
In-text citations:
(Chen & Park, 2023)
Write "Article" followed by the article number in the page-range position. Some journals use "e" prefixes (like PLOS ONE) — include whatever format the journal uses.
Advance Online Publication
Sometimes you need to cite an article that has been published online but hasn't yet been assigned to a specific volume or issue. These are often labeled "advance online publication" or "online first":
Reference list:
Rivera, A. M. (2025). Digital literacy and academic achievement in first-generation college students. Journal of College Student Development. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2025.0042
In-text citations:
(Rivera, 2025)
Use the year from the online publication. Write "Advance online publication" in place of the volume, issue, and page numbers. Once the article is assigned to an issue, update your reference to include the full publication details.
Special Issue or Editorial
For an article published as part of a special issue, a guest editorial, or an introduction to a special section, cite it like a standard article but include the special issue title if it's relevant:
Guest Editorial
Reference list:
Thompson, L. (2022). The future of remote work research [Editorial]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(6), 891–894. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001023
Article in a Special Issue
Reference list:
Nakamura, H. (2023). Cultural adaptation of cognitive behavioral therapy in East Asia. In S. Kim (Ed.), Globalizing evidence-based therapy [Special issue]. Clinical Psychology Review, 99, 102–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2023.102238
In-text citations (both):
(Thompson, 2022) or (Nakamura, 2023)
Retracted Article
If you need to reference an article that has been retracted (due to errors, fraud, or other issues), include the retraction notice:
Reference list:
Okonkwo, J. L. (2019). Correlational evidence for social media addiction in adolescents. Journal of Behavioral Health, 8(3), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/example (Retracted)
If you're citing the retraction notice itself:
Okonkwo, J. L. (2020). Retraction notice to "Correlational evidence for social media addiction in adolescents." Journal of Behavioral Health, 9(1), 112. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/retraction-example
In-text citations:
(Okonkwo, 2019, retracted)
Always check whether an article has been retracted before you cite it. Databases like PubMed and Crossref mark retracted articles prominently.
Multiple Authors
Journal articles frequently have multiple authors. Here's how the reference list entry changes:
Two Authors
Patel, R., & Nguyen, T. (2023). Title of article. Journal Title, 14(2), 50–75. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/example
In-text: (Patel & Nguyen, 2023)
Three to Twenty Authors
List all authors in the reference:
Carter, A. B., Diaz, M., Fernandez, L. R., & Zhou, H. (2022). Title of article. Journal Title, 30(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/example
In-text: (Carter et al., 2022) — use "et al." from the first citation.
Twenty-One or More Authors
List the first 19 authors, then an ellipsis (…), then the last author:
Williams, T. A., Adams, R. J., Baker, C. D., Clark, E. F., Davis, G. H., Evans, I. J., Foster, K. L., Garcia, M. N., Harris, O. P., Irving, Q. R., Jones, S. T., Kelly, U. V., Lewis, W. X., Mitchell, Y. Z., Nelson, A. B., Owen, C. D., Price, E. F., Quinn, G. H., Robinson, I. J., … Zhang, K. L. (2023). Title of article. Journal Title, 50(4), 200–250. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/example
In-text: (Williams et al., 2023)
For more on navigating multi-author citations, see APA Citation With Multiple Authors.
Quick-Reference Table
| Scenario | Key Difference | Example Format |
|---|---|---|
| Standard article with DOI | Include DOI as full URL | …pages. https://doi.org/10.xxxx |
| Article without DOI | End after page range | …pages. |
| Online-only article | Article number instead of pages | …15, Article 1234567. DOI |
| Advance online publication | No volume/issue/pages yet | …Journal Title. Advance online publication. DOI |
| Editorial | Add [Editorial] after title | …research [Editorial]. Journal Title… |
| Retracted article | Add (Retracted) at end | …DOI (Retracted) |
| Article number (no pages) | Use "Article" + number | …18(5), Article e0284567. DOI |
Common Mistakes
These are the errors we see most often with journal article citations:
- Italicizing the article title. The article title is not italicized — only the journal title is. The article is part of a larger work, so it stays plain.
- Using title case for the article title. The article title uses sentence case in the reference list. Only capitalize the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon.
- Forgetting to italicize the volume number. The volume number is italicized along with the journal title. The issue number (in parentheses) is not.
- Using a hyphen instead of an en dash for page ranges. It should be 718–735 (en dash), not 718-735 (hyphen). In Word, type Ctrl+minus on the numeric keypad, or use the special character menu.
- Putting a period after the DOI. Never put a period after a DOI or URL. It could be mistaken as part of the link.
- Using the old
doi:format. Writehttps://doi.org/10.xxxx, notdoi: 10.xxxx. The 7th edition switched to the URL format. - Including the database name. Don't write "Retrieved from JSTOR" or "PsycINFO." Just include the DOI. If there's no DOI, end after the page range.
- Omitting the DOI when one exists. Always include a DOI when available, even for articles you read in print.
What's Next
Now that you know how to cite journal articles, you might want to explore:
- How to Cite a Book in APA Format — the other essential source type for academic writing
- How to Cite a Website in APA Format — for web-based sources that aren't journal articles
- APA Reference List — the complete guide to building and formatting your reference list
If you're juggling dozens of journal references, Archivero can automatically generate and organize your APA citations — just save articles to your library and copy the formatted references when you're ready.
