APA JOURNAL CITATION GENERATOR

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH APA JOURNAL CITATION

• Matthew McHaffie (Ph.D.)
• Published on 04/17/2021
• Updated on07/04/2024

This page will help you identify the essential elements that go into citing journal articles in APA style. It will provide you with examples of citations based on the different types of article that you may encounter in your studies. This guide has been compiled by experts who have extensive knowledge of how to construct an APA reference for journals; it follows the seventh edition of the APA Publication Manual. 

When putting together your reference list, your citation is comprised of the following core elements: 

• Author and date
• Title of article
• Publication information (title of publication, volume and issue number, page range)
• DOI
• In-text citations

WHY USE AN APA JOURNAL CITATION GENERATOR

One of the primary benefits of using an APA journal citation generator is the accuracy it offers. Manually formatting citations can be tedious and error-prone, particularly for those who are not well-versed in the intricacies of APA style. An automated citation generator mitigates this risk by consistently applying the correct format to each citation. This includes the proper arrangement of authors’ names, the correct usage of punctuation, and the appropriate formatting of publication details.

Consistency is crucial in academic writing. A paper with inconsistent citation styles can appear unprofessional and may detract from the credibility of the work. A citation generator ensures that all references adhere to the same formatting standards, enhancing the overall presentation of the research.

SAVING TIME AND REDUCING WORKLOAD

The process of manually citing sources is time-consuming, especially when dealing with a large number of references. For students and researchers who are often under time constraints, an APA journal citation generator is a valuable tool. It automates the citation process, allowing users to focus more on the content of their work rather than the minutiae of formatting. This can lead to increased productivity and the ability to allocate more time to analysis, writing, and critical thinking.

FACILITATING LEARNING AND FAMILIARITY

For those new to APA style, a citation generator serves as an educational tool. By inputting the necessary information and seeing the generated citation, users can learn the correct format and become more familiar with APA guidelines. Over time, this can lead to a better understanding of the style and the ability to manually create citations with greater confidence and accuracy.

REDUCING PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism, whether intentional or accidental, is a serious offense in academia. Proper citation is a key factor in avoiding plagiarism by giving appropriate credit to original sources. An APA journal citation generator helps ensure that all sources are correctly cited, thus reducing the risk of unintentional plagiarism. This is particularly important for students who may not fully understand the nuances of citation and could inadvertently fail to properly attribute their sources.

LET’S START WITH THE BASICS OF APA CITATION FOR JOURNAL ARTICLES

A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW

The layout when citing articles in APA style is as follows:

• Author Surname, Initial(s)., Subsequent Author(s) Surname(s), Initial(s)., & Final Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year). Title of Article. Title of Journal, Vol(Issue), page range. 

Here’s an example:

• Chan, T. C. Y., Cho, J. A., & Novati, D. C. (2012). Quantifying the contribution of NHL player types to team performance. Interfaces, 42(2), 131–145.

When you need to produce an in-text citation—for example, when you directly quote from or paraphrase a source—the form is as follows: 

• Parenthetical: (Chan et al., 2012) 
• Narrative: Chan et al. (2012) 

For a more in-depth look at APA in-text citations, please refer to our discussion here.

FINDING AND CITING YOUR ARTICLES ONLINE

You will often find scholarly articles online. The main difference between print and online articles is that for the latter, you need to provide a “digital object identifier,” or DOI. 

Let’s take an example: 

• Hegedüs, R., Åkesson, S., Wehner, R., & Horváth, G. (2007). Could Vikings have navigated under foggy and cloudy conditions by skylight polarization? On the atmospheric optical prerequisites of polarimetric Viking navigation under foggy and cloudy skies. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 463(2080), 1081–1095. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2007.1811

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH DOIs?

The general rule is that if an article has a DOI, you should supply it in your reference list. This means that even if you used a print copy, you should check to see if that article also has a DOI. If so, include it with the entry in your reference list.

The DOI should start with https://doi.org/, followed by the specific numbers relevant to your article. You can leave the DOI as an active hyperlink. Note also that you do not include a period at the end of the DOI. Because DOIs can be lengthy, you should copy and paste them, instead of typing them manually. Finally, DOIs should only appear in your reference list entries; your in-text citations do not need to provide the DOI.

SOME SPECIAL DATABASES YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

For certain databases you do need to supply a DOI or a URL, but this applies to specific situations.

One such database is the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. When citing from this, the format is the same as for other types of article, with one exception: you replace the title of the journal with the name of the database. Here’s an example:

• Allaouat, S., Reddy, V. K., Räsänen, K., Khan, S., & Lumens, M. E. G. L. (2020). Education interventions for preventing lead poisoning in workers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org//10.1002/14651858.CD013097.pub2

Another database that you may encounter is the UpToDate database. There are two key differences to keep in mind when citing from this database:

• You need to provide a retrieval date (i.e., the date you accessed the article). 
• You need to supply a URL, as opposed to a DOI.

Again, let’s take an example.

• Raby, B. A., Kohlmann, W., Hartzfeld, D. (2020). Genetic counseling: Family history interpretation and risk assessment. UpToDate. Retrieved September 4, 2020, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/genetic-counseling-family-history-interpretation-and-risk-assessment

A MENAGERIE OF ARTICLE CITATIONS

A single-authored text 

• Reference list:
  • Haas, H. A. (2011). The wisdom of wizards—and muggles and squibs: Proverb use in the world of Harry Potter. The Journal of American Folklore, 124(492), 29–54. https://doi.org/10.5406/jamerfolk.124.492.0029
• Parenthetical:
  • (Haas, 2011)
• Narrative:
  • Haas (2011)

Two is better than one: Duo-authored texts

• Reference list:
  • Kurrild-Klitgaard, P., & Svendsen, G. T. (2003, December). Rational bandits: Plunder, public goods, and the Vikings. Public Choice, 117(3/4), 255–272.
• Parenthetical:
  • (Kurrild-Klitgaard & Svendsen, 2003)
• Narrative:
  • Kurrild-Klitgaard and Svendsen (2003)

Three’s a crowd: Dealing with three or more authors

The rules governing how to deal with multiple authors for APA citation of journal articles vary depending on the number of authors, and whether you’re making an entry for a reference list or to be used in-text.

• Reference list entry (for up to and including 20 authors, all authors are listed):
  • McCormick, M., Büntgen, U., Cane, M. A., Cook, E. R., Harper, K., Huybers, P., Litt, T., Manning, S. W., Mayewski, P. A., More, A. F. M., Nicolussi, K., & Tegel, W. (2012). Climate change during and after the Roman Empire: Reconstructing the past from scientific and historical evidence. The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 43(2), 169–220. https://doi.org/10.1162/JINH_a_00379
• In-text:
  • Parenthetical: (McCormick et al., 2012) 
  • Narrative: McCormick et al. (2012)
• If you have 21 or more authors, only the first 19 are listed, followed by an ellipsis (…), and then the final author’s name:
  • Castellano, S., Parra, G., Sánchez-Quinto, F. A., Racimo, F., Kuhlwilm, M., Kircher, M., Sawyer, S., Fu, Q., Heinze, A., Nickel, B., Dabney, J., Siebauer, M., White, L., Burbano, H. A., Renaud, G., Stenzel, U., Lalueza-Fox, C., de la Rasilla, M., Rosas, A., … Pääbo, S. (2014). Patterns of coding variation in the complete exomes of three Neandertals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(18), 6666–6671. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1405138111
• In-text:
  • Parenthetical: (Castellano et al., 2014)
  • Narrative: Castellano et al. (2014)

REFERENCE LIST

Allaouat, S., Reddy, V. K., Räsänen, K., Khan, S., & Lumens, M. E. G. L. (2020). Education interventions for preventing lead poisoning in workers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org//10.1002/14651858.CD013097.pub2

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Castellano, S., Parra, G., Sánchez-Quinto, F. A., Racimo, F., Kuhlwilm, M., Kircher, M., Sawyer, S., Fu, Q., Heinze, A., Nickel, B., Dabney, J., Siebauer, M., White, L., Burbano, H. A., Renaud, G., Stenzel, U., Lalueza-Fox, C., de la Rasilla, M., Rosas, A., … Pääbo, S. (2014). Patterns of coding variation in the complete exomes of three Neandertals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(18), 6666–6671. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1405138111

Chan, T. C. Y., Cho, J. A., & Novati, D. C. (2012). Quantifying the contribution of NHL player types to team performance. Interfaces, 42(2), 131–145.

Haas, H. A. (2011). The wisdom of wizards—and muggles and squibs: Proverb use in the world of Harry Potter. The Journal of American Folklore, 124(492), 29–54. https://doi.org/10.5406/jamerfolk.124.492.0029

Hegedüs, R., Åkesson, S., Wehner, R., & Horváth, G. (2007). Could Vikings have navigated under foggy and cloudy conditions by skylight polarization? On the atmospheric optical prerequisites of polarimetric Viking navigation under foggy and cloudy skies. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 463(2080), 1081–1095. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2007.1811

Kurrild-Klitgaard, P., & Svendsen, G. T. (2003, December). Rational bandits: Plunder, public goods, and the Vikings. Public Choice, 117(3/4), 255–272.

McCormick, M., Büntgen, U., Cane, M. A., Cook, E. R., Harper, K., Huybers, P., Litt, T., Manning, S. W., Mayewski, P. A., More, A. F. M., Nicolussi, K., & Tegel, W. (2012). Climate change during and after the Roman Empire: Reconstructing the past from scientific and historical evidence. The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 43(2), 169–220. https://doi.org/10.1162/JINH_a_00379

Raby, B. A., Kohlmann, W., Hartzfeld, D. (2020). Genetic counseling: Family history interpretation and risk assessment. UpToDate. Retrieved September 4, 2020, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/genetic-counseling-family-history-interpretation-and-risk-assessment