apa 7 title page literature review

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APA Format Quick Guide

Additional Navigation

Note to students using Grammarly: See this resource on Grammarly’s Place in the Writing Process

APA-7 delineates two versions: the student version and the professional version. Formatting elements except the title page, running head, and abstract are the same across both versions. At Liberty University, all undergraduate must use the student version and all graduate and doctoral students must use the professional version. Sample papers and templates in each version are linked below.

Have a formatting question?

Online students.

See a list of all services available to  online students at  www.liberty.edu/onlinewritingcenter

Residential Students

See a list of all services available to  residential  students at  www.liberty.edu/writing

Undergraduate Students

• Will follow APA-7’s “Student Version”
• Simplified title page
• No running head
• No abstract

Detailed sample APA-7 paper with visual aids, indexed by topic for Undergraduate Students APA-7 template for Undergraduate Students

Graduate & Doctoral Students

• Will follow APA-7’s “Professional Version”
• Expanded title page
• Running head required (same on all pages)
• Abstract required (unless specified in instructions)

Detailed sample APA-7 paper with visual aids, indexed by topic for Graduate/Doctoral Students APA-7 template for Graduate/Doctoral Students

Helpful Resources

• Comprehensive APA-7 Reference List (PDF)
• APA-7 References to Legal Materials – Bluebook (PDF)
• Sample Annotated Bibliography for  Undergraduate  Students (PDF)
• Sample Annotated Bibliography for  Graduate/Doctoral  Students
• Choosing Appropriate Resources for Academic Papers (PDF)
• Citing Artificial Intelligence (AI) when permitted to use (PDF)
• Use active voice, rather than  passive voice (PDF) .
• Be specific and concise.
• Avoid poetic or figurative language; scientific writing is the most appropriate for APA.
• Use past or present perfect tense (e.g., researchers have shown) for a literature review and description, and past tense when referring to results and experiments previously conducted.
• Title case = all significant words, usually those with 4+ letters, must be capitalized. Title case is used for titles of works mentioned in the body of your paper, and for the names of journals in your reference list.  All five heading levels also use title case.
• Sentence case = only the first letter of the first word, proper nouns, and the word following a colon, if any, should begin with capital letters. Sentence case is used for all resource titles in the reference list (i.e., book or article titles, webpages, etc.).
• Use quotation marks around the titles of shorter works (i.e., articles or poems) and italics for the names of larger words (i.e., books or plays) mentioned in the body of your paper.
• APA-7 allows a wide array of fonts and sizes but Liberty University prefers all course assignments to be completed in  12-point Times New Romans or 11-point Calibri font .
• APA papers use headings to separate paper sections and establish a hierarchy of information. Short papers (usually five pages or less in the body of the paper) may not have any headings unless required, but longer papers benefit from the organizational aspects of headings.
• Always begin with Level 1 headings and apply the appropriate heading and subheading levels from there. Do not simply progress from Level 1 to Level 2 to Level 3.
• For each heading, include at least two subsection headings or none at all. This follows the same principle as an outline: Section one would be divided into sections A and B or more; A cannot stand alone.
• As such, heading levels align with outline levels: Capital Roman letters in an outline become Level 1 headings, Capital Arabic letters become Level 2 headings, etc.
• Please note that some of the sample papers published by APA to demonstrate proper APA-7 format (including the “professional” version on pp. 50-60 of the APA-7 manual) depict the “Conclusion” section with a Level-2 heading. This is limited to empirical papers that are being submitted for publication in scholarly journals, as those conclusions pertain to the “Discussion” sections in such papers and are not conclusions of the overall papers themselves. Conclusions in academic papers at Liberty University will be Level 1 headings (including dissertations and theses, which are divided by chapters, unlike journal article manuscripts).
• A paper may only have Level 1 headings if it is not divided into smaller subsections — or the content under some Level 1 headings may include two or more Level 2 headings (and some content under Level 2 headings may include two or more Level 3 headings).
• Level 1 : centered, boldface, in title case, with the content beginning on the line below
• Level 2 : left-aligned, boldface, in title case, with the content beginning on the line below
• Level 3 : left-aligned, boldface, italicized, in title case, with the content beginning on the line below
• Level 4 : indented, boldface, in title case with a period, then one space, and begin your content on the same line
• Level 5 : indented, boldface, italicized, in title case with a period, then one space, and begin your content on the same line
• An in-text citation is used whenever another author’s work is directly quoted or paraphrased.
• Citations for paraphrases use an author/date format: (Author, Publication Year), e.g. (Smith, 2007).
• The citation for a direct quote should also include the page number: (Author, Year, p. #). If no page number is available (as in the case of an online webpage), list the paragraph: (Author, Year, para. 11). APA-7 expands this to including descriptive location details to get your reader to that content in longer non-paginated electronic resources such as e-books.  In such cases, provide a heading or section name. If the heading or section name is brief (generally four words or less) include the full name, without quotation marks (i.e., Owen, 2020,  Attachment Disorders section, para. 8).  If the heading or section name is too long (generally, more than four words), use an abbreviation of the heading or section, encapsulated in quotation marks. For example, for a section named “Peace and Power in Modern Day Relationships,” the citation would be (Owen, 2020, “Peace and Power” section, para. 3).
• You can move information from the in-text citations to other parts of the sentence that the quote is part of as long as all required elements are present: e.g. Smith (2007) says, “arrows are sharp” (p. 8). However, the date follows the author’s/authors’ name(s), unless APA’s exception applies for subsequent citations of the same resource in a paragraph in which the first such citation was narrative in-text (not parenthetical; discussed further in Liberty University OWC’s sample APA papers).
• The page number   follows a direct quote, even if these elements are split within your sentence. For example, Smith and Harlow (2011) elaborated on this by suggesting that “paper planes can float” (p. 8).  Owen (2017) posited that “foxes can fly” (p. 17) in her dream analysis.
• Any quotation longer than 39 words should be made into a freestanding “block” of text, with  no quotation marks (see Liberty University OWC’s sample APA papers due to formatting limitations of this webpage ).
• The entire left margin of block quotes should be indented one-half inch as a whole “block” (with no extra indent on the first line).
• The parenthetical citation with the page number on block quotes follows the quote and period, with no additional punctuation after it (unlike shorter quotes, where the parenthetical citation falls within the sentence itself with the period following it).

Special Rule Regarding Repeat Cit ations

• APA-7 allows writers to cite their source only once per paragraph,  provided   the reader can discern where the other sentence(s) derived from. This requires specific structuring. For example: Owen (2020) claimed that “foxes can fly” (p. 17). She detailed their nocturnal habits. Her research gave critical insight into this population.
• In each of the second and third sentences above, the sentences were structured in such a way that the content clearly refers back to Owen’s work. In the case of Bible verses, it is easy for the reader to understand that subsequent citations of those came from whichever Bible version was cited earlier in that paragraph. For any subsequent verses cited in a paragraph that already has a full Bible citation, you can just use the verse itself. In each new paragraph (or if you change versions in the same paragraph), you will need to include the full citation.
• For example: God calls each of us to witness to others to “make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel” ( New American Standard Bible , 1971/1995, Ephesians 6:19-20). Mark 13:10 and Matthew 28:19 command us to preach to all nations and make disciples… There is no need to add the Bible version in that second sentence because the reader knows both of those verses refer to the same version of the Bible cited in the previous sentence.
• The rules for Bible citations have changed completely; you must now cite the Bible version in the body of the paper and include it in your reference list. Please see the appropriate sample APA-7 paper for your level of study for a detailed discussion of this .
• Note that APA-7 specifies to cite Bibles in “book formats” (p. 302) that are “treated as having no author.” Below are some examples of the hard copy references versus online references of some common versions. The citations are the same for both, as they contain the version name and the year(s) of publication. If you are using a different version, you will format it by following the examples given below (be sure to include a hanging indent, which this webpage cannot feature).
• Scripture should be cited from one of the mainstream Bible versions (see list of some below). Study Bibles are generally NOT considered scholarly, as the notes within can be quite biased depending on the author of those notes, and thus Study Bibles should only be used sparingly by Divinity students as to exegetical projects.
• When including a verse, place it in the locator position after the year (in place of the page number). For example, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” ( New American Standard Bible , 1971/1995, John 3:16). You can also introduce it in the text of the sentence itself: John 3:16 proclaims that “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” ( New American Standard Bible , 1971/1995).

Liberty University Class Lectures

Since the purpose and function of APA references is to ensure the reader has sufficient information to be able to locate the original source if necessary, include course details and credit Liberty University when referencing class lectures and PowerPoint presentations since the URL does not provide sufficient locator details itself. Italicize the name of the lecture itself. If the course has multiple lectures per week, you can include the week and lecture numbers; otherwise omit those elements.

If you have a direct URL, use that (see the Peters reference below); otherwise use the URL to Liberty University’s Canvas homepage (the reference on the left below). If the date is provided (see the Peters reference below), use that; otherwise use the year and semester that you took the course in (the reference on the left below):

When no presenter is named in the video itself, name Liberty University in the author’s position : Liberty University. (2021, Spring). BIOL 102: Human biology. Week one, lecture two:  Name of class lecture . https://canvas.liberty.edu

When a presenter is provided, name that person in the author’s position and include Liberty University in the publisher’s position after the name of the lecture:  Peters, C. (2012). COUN 506, Week one, lecture two:  Defining integration: Key concepts . Liberty University. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/definingintegration-keyconcepts/id427907777?i=1000092371727

 References

• Center the word “ References ” (in bold font but without quotation marks) on the top line of a new page following your conclusion.  This term is also now regarded as a Level 1 heading.  If you have only one resource to cite in the entire paper, APA authorizes the use of singular “ Reference .”
• Use hanging indents (the first line of each entry should be left-justified, with lines two+ indented ½” from the left margin).
• Alphabetize all entries by the first word in each (usually the first author’s last name for each).
• Note that you must include a comma after the author’s name that precedes the ampersand in the reference list, even when there are only two authors.  This does not apply to citations in the body of the paper.
• There should only be one space after periods in the reference list entries, just as in the body of the paper.
• If a work has more than 20 authors, list the first 19 followed by an ellipsis (…).  Include the last author’s name immediately after the ellipsis as the final author mentioned.   Do not include an ampersand (&) in references with 20 or more authors .
• Note that APA-7 allows writers to superscript the suffixes of ordinal numbers, as long as the writer is consistent throughout (see section 6.35 of the APA-7 manual).  The examples included in the resources in this Quick Guide include superscripted suffixes for all book edition numbers, in accordance with APA-7’s option to do so.
• Do include reference entries for classical works including the Bible.
• Do not include reference entries for personal communication.
• Do not include a period after a URL or DOI.
• Note that the issue number of a journal article should be connected/attached to the volume number — e.g.,  12 (8).  The volume number should be italicized, but the attached parentheses and issue number should not.
• Check  Google Scholar or Crossref  for DOIs of all articles published since 2007, if one is not readily denoted on the article itself.
• Format all DOI entries in URL format (https://doi.org/xx.xxxxxxx).
• Omit the publisher city and state in most cases (exception: conferences and symposiums).
• Only include the access date for online content that is likely to change (such as wikis).

• See the links at the top of this page for expansive reference entry examples.

Discussion Board Posts

The formatting in a discussion board post should be the same as that for a paper except that you will not have a title page or pagination, and the reference list will fall immediately under the body of the text (not on a separate page). A basic template is provided at the link below, with the background formatting elements already programmed in (e.g., line-spacing, font, and hanging indent as applicable). I recommend that students use the template and save their file in case of a glitch when uploading, then click Control-A to select all and Control-C to copy all, then go to Canvas and click Control-V to paste. Some of your formatting may not transfer properly to Canvas, but professors should be aware of the inherent formatting issues within Canvas when copying and pasting content.

Discussion Board template  (basic)

Video Tutorials

There are a number of video tutorials available in the  Online Writing Center channel

• Top 10 APA Errors and Highlights of OWC APA Resources
• Using the APA Template (short)
• Using the APA Template (long)
• Using the Sample APA Paper to Master APA Format
• Using the Comprehensive APA-7 Reference Examples
• Populating the Table of Contents
• Plagiarism series – Video #1 of 4: Introduction: How often can students quote other sources?
• Plagiarism series – Video #2 of 4: How and when to cite your sources
• Plagiarism series – Video #3 of 4: The three kinds of plagiarism
• Plagiarism series – Video #4 of 4: Proactive and foolproof steps to avoid plagiarism

Material on this page and related links adapted from the Seventh Edition of the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association .

APA Citation Guide (7th edition) CGS

• Advertisments
• Books & e-Books
• Book Reviews
• Class Notes, Class Lectures and Presentations
• Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
• Generative AI
• Government Documents
• Images, Charts, Graphs, Maps & Tables
• Journal Articles
• Magazine Articles
• Newspaper Articles
• Personal Communication (Interviews, Emails)
• Social Media
• Videos & DVDs
• When Creating Digital Assignments
• When Information Is Missing
• Works Cited in Another Source
• Paraphrasing
• Reference List & Sample Writing
• Annotated Bibliography

Book Review From Library Database (No Title)

Author of Review's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Publication). [Review of the book  Title of Book: Subtitle if Any , by Book Author's First Initial. Second Initial if Given Last Name].  Name of Journal ,  Volume Number (Issue Number), first page number-last page number. https://doi.org/DOI-number  (if given)

For more information on how to cite Book Reviews in APA 7, refer to pages 334-335 of the Publication Manual of the APA located at the circulation desk.

Book Review from a Website (with Title)

Author of Review's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Publication). Title of Review. [Review of the book  Title of Book: Subtitle if Any , by Book Author's First Initial. Second Initial if Given Last Name].  Title of Website , URL

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APA 7th Edition

• In-Text Citations
• Books/Book Chapters
• Social Media/Apps/Websites
• Video/TV/Podcasts
• Presentations/Dissertations
• Data/Unpublished Works
• Visual Works
• Legal Materials
• Biz Databases

This guide will provide information on how to cite your sources in-text and in your reference list using APA style & formatting. Click the tabs for an example of each. 

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

Examples of Reference Lists & In-text Citations

Additional resources:.

• Sample APA Papers from APA Style Download the Word Document and use the template for your APA papers.
• Sample Student Paper using APA from OWL Includes notes to explain the details. From APA Style. Use this sample paper as a guide for headings, in-text citations, references, & more.

The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) APA Guide

• No Date : if there isn't a date, the reference starts with the author. 

Lucas, T. (n.d.). Mother nature revolts.  U.S. News & World

Report.   https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2020-04-17/why-you-still-havent-gotten-your-coronavirus-stimulus-check

The in-text citation will look like this:

According to Lucas,  ... (n.d.).

It is hypothesized that Coronavirus was the planet's way of making a point (Lucas, n.d.).

• No Author : if there isn't an author, the reference starts with the title. 

Mother nature revolts. (2020, March 29). U.S. News & World

"Mother nature revolts" ... (2020).

It is hypothesized that Coronavirus was the planet's way of making a point ("Mother nature revolts", 2020).

• Exact quotes:  page numbers (or paragraph numbers) must be included for exact quotes: 

It was hypothesized that, "Coronavirus was the planet's way of making a point" (Lucas, 2017, p. 5.).

It was  hypothesized that, "Coronavirus w as the planet's way of making a point" (Lucas, 2017,  para . 5.).

• ​ ​ DOI = Digital Object Identifier.   If an item has a DOI, it must be included in the reference.  Not all articles and e-books will have a DOI.
• The research ... (Gonzalez & Perez., 2020).
• According to Perez, .... (2020).

If there are 2 authors, include both of them every time in the in-text citations.

• The research ... (Gonzalez et al., 2020).
• According to Gonzalez et al. .... (2020).
• Up to 20 Authors : names and initials for all 20 authors must be provided in the reference list. It will look like this:

The in-text citation will look like this: 

According to Smith et al. ... (2020). 

The research .... (Smith, et al., 2020).

• 21+ Authors : for sources with more than 20 authors, the first 19 are included in the reference list followed by an ellipses and the final author. It looks like this:

• Citing Multiple Works :  when referring to multiple works in-text, place the citations in alphabetical order, separating them with semicolons.

(Edwards, 2012; Flygare et al., 2019; Steba, 2015).

• Citing Multiple Works by the same author(s) in the same year:  when multiple references have identical author (or authors) and publication year, include a lowercase letter after the year. The year–letter combination is used in both the in-text citation and the reference list entry. Use only the year with a letter in the in-text citation, even if the reference list entry contains a more specific date.

Smith, J. & Ortiz, P. (2019a, February). Judge Judy and her impact on society.  Journal of Social Science, 15 (2), 16-25.

http://journsocscience.com

Smith, J. & Ortiz, P. (2019b, March). Judge Judy impacts social justice.  Journal of Social Science, 15 (2), 16-25.

Smith and Ortiz found ... (2019a).

...  (Smith & Ortiz, 2019b).

• Citing a Source within a Source :

Arpan, L. M., & Raney, A. A. (2003). An experimental investigation of news source and the hostile media effect. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 80 (2), 265-281.

(Gunther, 1992, as cited in Arpan & Raney, 2003);

The in-text citation gives credit to the source used. This is the same one included in the reference list.

• Citing Personal Communication (for example via email or messenger):

Because readers cannot retrieve the communication, it is not included in the reference list.   The communication is cited in the text of the paper only.  

S. Fernandez (personal communication, April 15, 2020) ...

... (S. Fernandez, personal communication, April 15, 2020). 

• Organizational Authors with Common Acronyms

If an organization or government entity is commonly known by it's acronym, it can be used in-text but the full name should be spelled out in the reference list.  

The first in-text citation will look like this: 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS, 2020), described ... 

... (The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], 2020).

In-text citations that follow can use the acronym:

According to CMS ... (2020).

... (CMS, 2020).

The reference list will always include the spelled out organization (and not the acronym):

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Servic e s. (2020).  ...

If you use Artificial Intelligence generated text such as ChatGPT, it needs to be cited.

However, before you get help from ai, check your syllabus and/or ask your professor whether it is allowed , example to model:.

When prompted “Why is toxic positivity a problem in the workplace,” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “toxic positivity can be harmful as it can lead to a dismissive attitude towards the concerns or struggles of employees” (OpenAI, 2023).

OpenAI. (2023).  ChatGPT  (Mar 23 version). [Large language model].  https://chat.openai.com/chat

• APA Style: How to cite ChatGPT We, the APA Style team, are not robots. We can all pass a CAPTCHA test, and we know our roles in a Turing test. And, like so many nonrobot human beings this year, we’ve spent a fair amount of time reading, learning, and thinking about issues related to large language models, artificial intelligence (AI), AI-generated text, and specifically ChatGPT. We’ve also been gathering opinions and feedback about the use and citation of ChatGPT. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and shared ideas, opinions, research, and feedback.

In-Text Citation Basics:

• APA uses author-date citation system
• Informs the reader where the information came from
• Refers the reader to the source information

• Use sparingly
• Page numbers (or paragraph numbers) must be included for exact quotes
• Only include relevant material
• Block quotes = 40+ words, no quotation marks, indented

Neu (2015) stated that “healthcare is a right” (p. 6).

In 2017, Smith argued that “healthcare is a privilege” (para. 3) and therefore should not be free.

The notion that healthcare is a right has been debated by many authors (Neu, 2105, p. 6; Smith, 2017, para. 3).

Blockquote:

Avoid Plagiarism

Indicate info. from various sources

Easily identify sources

Adds credibility to your writing

Expands breadth/depth of your writing

Acknowledge the sources that you have borrowed from

• The reference list starts on a new page with the word References , centered and bold

Double-spaced

Your reference list must match your in-text citations and vice versa

Alphabetical list by author’s last name

Use a hanging indent for every line after the first

For titles of books, articles, & websites in reference lists, capitalize only:

• the first word
• the first word after a colon
• proper nouns

In-Text Citation Examples:

General Reference Form :

Author Last Name(s), First Initial, Middle Initial. (Date). Title of article. Title of Source, volume number (issue number), page

numbers. DOI or URL.  

Reference Examples: 

Articles with a doi (digital object identifier):.

McConkey, S.M., & Christiansen, S.J. (2020). Language learning in Miami: A cross-linguistic model of diverse Spanish

dialects. Psychological Review , 128 (8), 25-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rev0000126

Articles without a DOI:

Andersen, J. (2020, March 30). Miami and Coronavirus. New York Times . C1

Pearsong, S., Padron, M., & Ortiz, J. (2020, January 1). What the New Year has in store for the U.S. The New

Yorker.  https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-homemade-insight-of-fetch-the-bolt-cutters

Article with an article number or eLocator

​ Smith, T. C., Castillo, M. J., Jackson, G. L., Simpson, B. B., Lantry, R. S., O'Reilly, S. T., Rosenberg, F., Lee, L. H., Cox,

G.,  Harris, H. L., Kass, P., Gonzalez, W. L., Hughes, W., Carter, D., Campbell, C., Baker, A. B., Flores, T., Gray, W. E., 

Green, G., ... Nelson, T. P. (2020).  Miami and Coronavirus. PLOS ONE, 14 (1), Article

e0209899.  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209899  

Reference Examples:

TIP: In the 7th edition, publisher location is no longer required when citing books.

Authored book with a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Example:

Nadler, J.T. & Voyles, E. C. (2020).  Stereotypes: The incidence and impacts of bias.  ABC-CLIO.

http://dx.doi.org/10.3389 /fpsyg.2015.0004

Authored book without a DOI (print or ebook) Example:

Johnson, D.W. (2020). The customer revolution in healthcare: Delivering kinder, smarter, affordable care for all. McGraw-Hill.

Edited book without a DOI Example:

Hacker Hughes, J. (Ed). (2017). Military veteran psychological health and social care: Contemporary approaches. Routledge.

Chapter in an edited book with a DOI Example:

Stone, C. (2020). Stereotypes of veterans. In J. T. Nadler & Voyles, E. C. (Eds.), Stereotypes: The incidence and impacts of

bias . (pp. 213-225). ABC-CLIO. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389 /fpsyg.2015.0004.

Chapter in an edited book without a DOI Example:

Weinstock, R., Leong, G. B., & Silva, J. A. (2003). Defining forensic psychiatry: Roles and responsibilities. In R. Rosner (Ed.),

Principles and practice of forensic psychiatr y (2nd ed., pp. 7-13). CRC Press.

Website Examples:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, January 23). People at high risk of developing flu-related complications.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/high_risk.htm

Martin Lillie, C. M. (2016, December 29). Be kind to yourself: How self-compassion can improve your resiliency. Mayo Clinic.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/health-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/self-compassion-can-improve-your-resiliency/art-20267193

Boddy, J., Neumann, T., Jennings, S., Morron, V., Alderson, P., Rees, R., & Gibson, W. (n.d.). Ethics principles. The

Research Ethics Guidebook: A Resource for Social Scientists. http://www.ethicsguidebook.ac.uk/EthicsPrinciples

.... (Boddy, et al., n.d.).

... ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).

Body et al. ...  (n.d.) ...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ... (2018).

Tweet Example:

Obama, M. [@MichelleObama] (2020, April 18). Thank you to all the essential workers who are getting up every day and

risking their lives on our behalf. @LauraWBush and I were honored to show our support for their heroic efforts during

tonight's @GlblCtzn’s One World: #TogetherAtHome Special. [video attached] Tweet. Twitter

https://twitter.com/MichelleObama/status/1251695525017137159

.... (Obama, 2020).

Obama (2020) ...

Twitter Profile Example:

Bush, Laura. [@laurawbush]. (n.d.). Tweets . [Twitter profile] Twitter. Retrieved from April 18, 2020 from

https://twitter.com/laurawbush.

.... (Bush, n.d.).

Bush (n.d.) ...  

Facebook Page Example:

Coronavirus (Covid-19) Information Center. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved April 18, 2020, from

https://www.facebook.com/coronavirus_info/

.... ( Coronavirus  ( Covid-19 ) Information Center, n.d. ).

Coronavirus  ( Covid-19 ) Information Center (n.d.) ...

Facebook Post Example:

National institute of mental health. (2018, november 28). suicide affects all ages, genders, races, and ethnicities. check out, these 5 action steps for helping someone in emotional pain [infographic]. facebook. http://bit.ly/321qstq.

.... ( National Institute of Mental Health, 2018 ).

The National Institute of Mental Health ...   (2018) ...

Instagram Video or Photo Example: APA Style [@officialapastyle]. (2018, December 5). Welcome to the official Instagram for #APAStyle! We’re here to help you

With your apa style questions [instagram photograph]. retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/bq-a-dvblih/.

.... (APA Style, 2018).

APA Style ...  (2018) ...

Instagram Profile: Star Wars [@starwars]. (n.d.). Posts [Instagram profile]. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from

Https://www.instagram.com/starwars/.

.... (Star Wars, n.d.).

Star Wars ...  (n.d.) ...

Instagram Highlight: APA Style [@officialapastyle]. (n.d.). FAQs [Instagram highlight]. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from

Https://www.instagram.com/s/aglnagxpz2h0oje3otc2odkwntk5mtc5mty1/.

.... (APA Style, n.d.).

APA Style ...  (n.d.) ...

Blog Post Example:

APA Style. (2020, March 19). What’s new in the seventh edition  Publication  Manual.  APA Style.

https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/ whats-new-7e

.... (APA Style, 2020).

The APA Style (2020) ...

Mobile App Examples:

Actual app:.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/epocrates/id281935788?mt=8  

Entry in the App:

Epocrates. (2019). Interaction check: Aspirin + sertraline. In Epocrates medical references (version 18.12) [Mobile app]. App

Store. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/epocrates/id281935788?mt=8

.... (Epocrates, 2019).

Epocrates ... (2019). 

YouTube Example:

Cutts, S. (2017, November 24). Happiness [Video]. YouTube. ​ https:youtube.com/24455202929

.... (Cutts, 2017).

Cutts (2017) ...

Ted Talk Example:

Kowalski, C. (2017, November). The critical role librarians play in the

opioid  crisis  https ://www.ted.com/talks/chera_kowalski_the_critical_role_librarians_play_in_the_opioid_crisis

.... (Kowalski, 2017).

Kowalski (2017) ...

Film or Video Example:

Forman, M. (Director). (1975). One flew over the cuckoo’s nest [Film]. United Artists.

.... (Forman, 1975).

Forman (1975) ...

TV Example:

Wolf, D. (1999-present). Law & Order: Special Victims Unit  [TV Series].  Wolf Entertainment Productions; NBC.

.... (Wolf , 1999-present ).

Wolf (1999-present) ...

Podcast Example:

Poor, N., Woods, E. & Williams, A. (2016-present). Ear Hustle [Audio podcast]. PRX.   https://www.earhustlesq.com/

.... (Poor et al., 2016-present).

Poor et al. (2016-present) ...

Report Examples:

National Cancer Institute. (2018). Facing forward: Life after cancer treatment (NIH Publication No. 18-2424). U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/life-after-treatment.pdf

Blackwell, D. L., Lucas, J. W., & Clarke, T. C. (2014). Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: National Health Interview

Survey, 2012. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_260.pdf

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (2017). Agency financial report: Fiscal year 2017.

https://www.sec.gov/files/sec-2017-agency-financial-report.pdf

.... ( National Cancer Institute , 2018).

... (Blackwell, et al., 2014).

... ( U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2017).

National Cancer Institute (2018) ...

Blackwell, et al. (2014) ...

According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (2017), ...

Presentation Example:

O'Reilly, P., Edwards, C., & Hamil, S. K. (2020, April 1-3).  How to cite properly in APA.  [Paper presentation]. Florida Library Association 100th Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, United States.

*Replace [Paper presentation] with [Conference presentation] or [Poster presentation] as needed. 

.... (O'Reilly, et al., 2020).

O'Reilly et al. (2020) ...

Dissertation Examples:

Unpublished:

Hodges, L. (2018). Instructional design perceptions and practices of faculty [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Florida

International University.

Sanderson, K. R. (2012). Time orientation in organizations: Polychronicity and multitasking (Publication No. 3554209)

[Doctoral dissertation Florida International University]. Proquest Dissertations & Theses.

.... (Hodges, 2018).

Sanderson (2012) ...

Unpublished Manuscript Example:

Yen, J., Chen, Y., Rigotti, A., & Deckard C. (2016). Linking good customer services to increased sales: An observational study

[Unpublished manuscript]. College of Business, Florida International University.

Include the department and institution where the work was published if possible. 

....  (Yen et al., 2016).

Yen, et al. (2016) ...

Data Set Examples:

Published Data:

Pew Research Center (2018).  Core Trend Survey  [Data set]. 

https ://www.pewresearch.org/internet/dataset/core-trends - survey/

Unpublished Unnamed Raw Data Set :

Baer,  R. A. (2015). [Unpublished raw data on the correlations between the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the

Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills]. University of Kentucky.

.... (Pew Research Center, 2018).

Baer (2015) ...

Infographic Example:

Florida Library Association. (2020, February). Federal funds in Florida  [Infographic]. https://www.flalib.org/advocacy ​

.... (Florida Library Association [FLA], 2020).

Florida Library Association [FLA] (2020) ...

Map Example:

Florida International University GIS Center. (2015). BIKE – Bicycle Knowledge Explorer (Palm Beach)  [Map].

https://maps.fiu.edu/gis/research/projects/255/bike-%E2%80%93-bicycle-knowledge-explorer-palm-beach

.... ( Florida International  University  GIS Center , 2015).

Florida International  University  GIS Center  (2015) ...

Photograph Example:

McCurry, S. (1985). Afghan girl [Photograph]. National Geographic.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/national-geographic-magazine-50-years-of-covers/#/ngm-1985-jun-714.jpg

.... (McCurry, 1985).

McCurry (1985) ...

PowerPoint or Lecture Notes Example:

Cana, E., & Vasilev, J. (2019, May 22). [Lecture notes on resource allocation]. Department of Management Control and

Information Systems, University of Chile. https://uchilefau.academia.edu/ElseZCanan

.... (Mack & Spake, 2018).

Cana and Vasiley (2019) ...

Museum Example:

Wood, G. (1930). American gothic [Painting]. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States. https://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/6565

.... (Wood, 1930).

Wood (1930) ...

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• APA Style 7th edition
• APA headings and subheadings

APA Headings and Subheadings | With Sample Paper

Published on November 7, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on October 24, 2022.

Headings and subheadings provide structure to a document. They signal what each section is about and allow for easy navigation of the document.

APA headings have five possible levels. Each heading level is formatted differently.

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Table of contents

Additional guidelines for apa headings, how many heading levels should you use, when to use which apa heading level, section labels vs headings, sample paper with apa headings, using heading styles in word or google docs.

As well as the heading styles, there are some other guidelines to keep in mind:

• Double-space all text, including the headings.
• Use the same font for headings and body text (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt.).
• Don’t label headings with numbers or letters.
• Don’t add extra “enters” above or below headings.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Depending on the length and complexity of your paper, you may not use all five heading levels. In fact, shorter student papers may have no headings at all.

It’s also perfectly fine for some sections in your paper to go as deep as five levels, where others use only heading level 1.

Heading level 1 is used for main sections like “ Methods ”, “ Results ”, and “ Discussion ”. There is no “ Introduction ” heading at the beginning of your paper because the first paragraphs are understood to be introductory.

Heading level 2 is used for subsections under level 1. For example, under “Methods” (level 1) you may have subsections for “Sampling Method” and “Data Analysis” (level 2). This continues all the way down to heading level 5.

Always use at least two subheadings or none at all. If there is just one subheading, the top-level heading is sufficient.

In addition to regular headings, APA works with “section labels” for specific parts of the paper. They’re similar to headings but are formatted differently. Section labels are placed on a separate line at the top of a new page in bold and centered.

Use section labels for the following sections in an APA formatted paper :

• Author note
• Paper title
• Reference page

Instead of formatting every heading individually, you can use the “Styles” feature in Word or Google Docs. This allows you to save the styling and apply it with just a click.

The first time you use APA Style, you need to update the default heading styles to reflect the APA heading guidelines. Click here for the instructions for Microsoft Word and Google Docs .

An added benefit of using the “Styles” feature is that you can automatically generate a table of contents .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Streefkerk, R. (2022, October 24). APA Headings and Subheadings | With Sample Paper. Scribbr. Retrieved August 29, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/apa-headings/

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• Research Guides
• Citing Your Sources

Citing Your Sources: APA (7th)

• Citing Basics
• Writing & Citing
• Chicago: Author-Date (17th)
• Chicago: Notes (17th)
• Citation Tools

About APA Style

Developed by the American Psychological Association, this style is most widely used for research papers in psychology and social sciences.

Citing a source in this style consists of two parts:

• An in-text citation
• A reference list entry

See How to Format In-Text Citations ,  How to Format the Reference List , and the Examples  in the left navigation for details.

How to Format In-Text Citations

For more detailed information see Chapter 8 of the  Publication Manual .

An in-text citation provides your reader with two pieces of information:

• The last name(s) of the author(s)  from the corresponding reference list entry
• The date  of the cited information

Standard Formatting of the In-Text Citation

Myrick (2015) examined the guilty pleasures of watching Internet cats.

Viewing online cats could help to regulate emotions, much like pet therapy in real life (Myrick, 2015).

• 2 authors: cite both names every time.
• 3 or more authors: include the name of the first author only and "et al." (even for the first instance). If shortening the authors leads to multiple references with the same author-date form, use as many subsequent names as needed to make it unique.

(Hinsch & Sheldon, 2013) ... Hinsch and Sheldon (2013) found....

(Nabi et al., 2006) ..... Nabi et al. (2006) demonstrated ....

(J. Moher, 2012 )

(M. Moher & Feigenson, 2013)

Children with bipolar disorder are treated in similar ways as adults (National Institute of Mental Health, 2015).

Polls show that black workers approve of labors unions more than white workers ("Black Workers Matter," 2016).

• No Date : use n.d. in place of the date.

When to Include Page Numbers

For more detailed information see Publication Manual sections 8.23-8.36.

When paraphrasing , APA style does not require page numbers in the in-text citation. However, authors are encouraged to include page numbers if it will help the reader locate the relevant information in longer texts. Consult with your professor regarding the need for page numbers for paraphrased information.

For direct quotations , the author, year and page number must be included. The page number can be given in parentheses at the end of the exact quotation or incorporated into the in-text citation.

Newman (1994) concluded "sibling conflict is so common that its occurrence is taken for granted" (p. 123).

Such findings have prompted one researcher to conclude, “Sibling conflict is so common that its occurrence is taken for granted” (Newman, 1994, p. 123).

For direct quotations from sources without page numbers , there are several possible approaches:

• provide a heading or section name
• give an abbreviated heading or section name, using quotation marks to indicate it has been abbreviated
• provide a paragraph number (manually count the paragraphs if not they are not numbered)
• provide a heading or section name in combination with a paragraph number

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020, Watch for Symptoms section)

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020, "What is the Difference" section)

(Smith, 2016, para. 1)

(Lee 2015, Discussion section, para. 4)

How to Format the Reference List

For more detailed information see Chapter 9 of the  Publication Manual .

The reference list provides the full details on the sources you used in the research for your paper.

Each entry should include the following reference components:

See the examples in the left navigation for the required elements for each type of source. Continue reading below for details on formatting each reference component and ordering the reference list.

Formatting of Reference Components

For more information see: Publication Manual , 9.7-9.12.

• Invert the names of all authors (the last name followed by initials).
• Keep author names in the order they appear on the document.
• Put commas between the names, even when there are only two authors.

Dillard, J. P., & Shen, L. Guastello, D., Braun, S., Gutierrez, J., Johnston, K., & Olbinski, B.

• For multiple authors include all names for two to 20 authors. For 21 or more, give the first 19 names, follow by an ellipsis and the final author's name (do not include an ampersand).

National Institute of Mental Health.

Black workers matter.

For more information see: Publication Manual , 9.13-9.16.

(2016, January). (2016, March 7). (2016, Summer).

• End the component with a period.

For more information see: Publication Manual , 9.18-9.22.

• Capitalize the first word of the title, subtitle, and any proper nouns.
• Do not enclose in quotation marks or italicize.

Factors influencing infants’ ability to update object representations in memory.

• Capitalize the first word of title, subtitle, and any proper nouns.
• Italicize the title.

The media equation: How people treat computers, television, and new media like real people and places.

For more information see: Publication Manual , 9.23-9.42.

See the examples linked in the left navigation.

Formatting and Ordering the Reference List

For more information see: Publication Manual , 9.43-9.52.

General Guidelines

• Start a new page for the reference list.
• Center the word "References" in bold at the top of the page.
• Double space the entries.
• Use the hanging indent feature of your word processor to indent the second and subsequent lines of the entries.

Brown, L. (2016). Brownfield, G. (2015). Browning, R. (2013).

Order of Works with the Same First Author

Brown, L. (n.d.) Brown, L. (2013). Brown, L. (2016).

Oliver, M. B. (2003). Oliver, M. B., Ash, E., & Woolley, J. K. (2013). Oliver, M. B., Ash, E, Woolley, J. K., Shade, D. D., & Kim, K. (2014).

Feigenson, L., & Carey, S. (2003). Feigenson, L., & Carey, S. (2005).

Bartsch, A. (2012a). As time .... Bartsch, A. (2012b) Emotional gratification...

Order of Works by Authors with Same Last Name

Alphabetize by first initial.

Moher, J. (2012). Moher, M., & Feigenson, L. (2013).

Order of Works by Group Authors

Alphabetize by the first significant word; do not abbreviate name.

Moher, J. (2012). National Institute of Mental Health. (2015). Oliver, M. B. (2003).

Order of Works with No Author

Alphabetize by the first significant word in the title. For numbers, alphabetize as though they were written out.

Black workers matter. (2016, March 7) Moher, J. (2012). Oliver, M. B. (2003). The 100 Best Black Movies of the 21st Century. (n.d.).

How do I deal with ___?

Text citation:

Reference List:

National Institute of Mental Health. (2015). Bipolar disorder in children and teens [Brochure]. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder-in-children-and-teens/qf-15-6380_152267.pdf

Black workers matter. (2016, March 7). The Nation, 302 (10), 16, 18.

No publication date

Use the abbreviation n.d.

American Psychological Association (n.d.) explains that the symptoms of acute stress are often short-term, such as upset stomach.

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Stress: The different kinds of stress. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-kinds.aspx

Dates for online sources

Do not use the copyright date found in the footer of the website. Use the "last updated" date on the page you are citing. If there no indication of when the page was published/updated, use n.d. (no date).

If you are citing a source that is designed to change or is continually updated and does not provide access to archived versions, use n.d. and include the retrieval date before the URL.

Missing citation elements for websites

see APA's  Missing Reference Information

Can't find an example reference in the Publication Manual

If there is no example of the type of source you want to cite, create a citation using the four basic elements:

• author: Who is responsible for this work?
• date: When was this work published?
• title: What is this work called?
• source: Where can I retrieve this work?

For more information, see APA's Elements of Reference List Entries .

Using a source quoted in a secondary source

( Publication Manual , 8.6)

It is best to use the original source, but if you cannot obtain it or it is in a language you don't read, you may cite it secondarily by including the secondary source in the reference list and mentioning the original work in the text.

Goldman and Goldman's 1988 study (as cited in Linebarger, 2001) found ....

Linebarger, D. L. (2001). Learning to read from television: The effects of using captions and narration. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93 (2), 288-298. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.93.2.288

Examples: Books, Chapters

For more information see: Publication Manual , 9.29 and 10.2.

Author, A. A. (Year).  Title of work . Publisher Name. DOI or URL

• Write the publisher name as shown on the work on the copyright page. Do not include designations of business structure (e.g., Inc., Ltd., etc.).
• If the work is published by an imprint or division, use that name as the publisher.
• If author and publisher are the same, omit the publisher name from the reference.
• If there are multiple publishers listed, include all of them, separated by semicolons
• Include the DOI at the end of the citation, even if you used the print.

Engle, S. (2015).  The hungry mind: The origins of curiosity in childhood . Harvard University Press.

Subrahmanyam, K., & Šmahel, D. (2011). Digital youth: The role of media in development . Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6278-2

Edited Book

For more information see:  Publication Manual , 9.29 and 10.2, examples 23-26.

Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (Year). Title of work . Publisher Name. DOI or URL

If the book has a DOI, include it at the end of the citation, even if you used the print.

Cheng, J. T., Tracy, J. L., & Anderson, C. (Eds.). (2014).  The psychology of social status . Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0867-7

Chapter in Book

For more information see:  Publication Manual , 9.28 and 10.3.

• If the work has multiple editions or volumes, include them as listed above; if not, skip those elements.
• Include DOI or URL, if available.

Hane, A. A., & Fox, N. A. (2016). Studying the biology of human attachment. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications  (3rd edition, pp. 223–241). Guilford Press.

Entry in a Reference Book

For more information see: Publication Manual , 9.28 and 10.3.

• If there is no author, start the reference with the title of the entry.
• Include edition, volume, and DOI or URL, if applicable.

Kornell, N. (2013). Discrimination learning: Training methods. In H. Pashler (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the mind (pp. 250–252). Sage Reference. 

Examples: Articles

Journal article.

For more information see: Publication Manual , chapter 9.25, 9.30, and 10.1.

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article.  Journal Title,   vv (ii), pp.–pp. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxxxxx

• The vv is the volume number, ii is the issue number, and pp is the pages.
• Reproduce the journal title as shown on the work; do not abbreviate it.
• Italicize the journal number. Put the issue number immediately after the volume without a space and enclosed in parentheses.
• For articles with article numbers instead of page numbers, replace the page numbers with the word "Article" and the number.
• If retrieved from a library database, do not include its name or article URL.
• If a DOI is not listed, search metadata at  Crossref . If you don't find one, skip it.

Zaki, S.R. & Kleinschmidt, D. (2014).  Procedural memory effects in categorization: evidence for multiple systems or task complexity?  Memory and Cognition , 42 (3), 508–524. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-013-0375-9

Starr, L. R., Stroud, C. B., Shaw, Z. A., & Vrshek-Schallhorn, S. (2020). Stress sensitization to depression following childhood adversity: Moderation by HPA axis and serotonergic multilocus profile scores. Development and Psychopathology . Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579420000474

Shook, N. J., Fitzgerald, H. N., Boggs, S. T., Ford, C. G., Hopkins, P. D., & Silva, N. M. (2020). Sexism, racism, and nationalism: Factors associated with the 2016 US presidential election results? PLOS ONE , 15 (3), Article e0229432.

Magazine Article

For more information see:  Publication Manual , 9.25, 9.30, and 10.1, example 15.

Author, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of article.  Magazine Title,   vv (ii), pp.–pp. DOI or URL.

• If there is no volume and issue, follow the magazine title with a period and include the URL.

Epley, N., Savitsky, K., & Kachelski, R. A. (1999, Sept./Oct.). What every skeptic should know about subliminal persuasion. Skeptical Inquirer , 23 (5), 40–45, 58.

Weir, K. (2016, December). Policing in black & white. Monitor on Psychology , 47 (11). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/12/cover-policing

Newspaper Article

For more information see: Publication Manual , 9.25, 9.30, and 10.1, example 16.

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article.  Newspaper Title,  pp. xx. URL

• For newspapers, include "p." or "pp." before the page numbers.
• If the article appears on discontinuous pages, give all page numbers, separated by a comma.
• If retrieved online, include the URL.

Engel, S., & Sandstrom, M. (2010, July 22). There's only one way to stop a bully [Op-ed]. The New York Times , A23.

Carey, B. (2014, September 4). Why flunking exams is actually a good thing. The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/magazine/why-flunking-exams-is-actually-a-good-thing.html

Examples: Web, Blogs, Social Media

For more information see: Publication Manual , 10.16, 9.13, 9.15, 9.16.

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page . Site Name. URL

• Use the webpage format only if there is no other reference type category that fits the work (e.g., journal article, online newspaper, blog, etc.)
• Include the retrieval date if the page is designed to change over time and is not archived, following this format: Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://xxx.xxx.xxx
• If the author and site name are the same, omit the site name.

Black, M., & Lee, T. (n.d.). Geography of poverty: A journey through forgotten America . MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.com/interactives/geography-of-poverty/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.).  CDC COVID data tracker . Retrieved September 8, 2020 from https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/

For more information see:  Publication Manual , 10.1, example 17 and 9.8.

Author, A. A. [username]. (Year, Month Day). Title. Blog Title . URL

• If the author's username and real name are known, provide the real name, followed by the username in square brackets. Otherwise, use the username (without brackets).

Clark, C. (2016, May 19). Cyber psychology part I - why the best memes go viral. BrainBlogger . http://brainblogger.com/2016/05/19/internet-psychology-part-i-why-the-best-memes-go-viral/

Social Media

For more information see: Publication Manual , 10.15 and 9.8.

Author, A. A. [@username]. (Year, Month Day). Title . [Type of content]. Social Media Site Name. URL

• The title is the first 20 words of a posting. If there are no words, provide a short description in brackets.

Obama, B. [@POTUS44]. (2015, June 26).  Today is a big step in our march toward equality. Gay and lesbian couples now have the right to marry [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/614435467120001024

Examples: Data Sets and Reports

For more information see: Publication Manual , 10.9.

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of data set   (Version x.x) [Type of material]. Publisher Name. DOI or URL

If the author is the same as the publisher, omit the publisher name.

Schmidt, W. (2013). Mathematics teaching in the 21st century [Data file and codebook]. ICPSR. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR34430.v1

For more information see: Publication Manual , 10.4

Author, A. A. (Year, Month day). Title of report (Report No. xxx). Publisher Name. DOI or URL.

Gray, L., & Taie, S. (2015, April). Public school teacher attrition and mobility in the first five years: Results from the first through fifth waves of the 2007-08 beginning teacher longitudinal study: First look (NCES 2015-337). National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2015/2015337.pdf

Examples: Music, Film, TV, Images

For more information see: Publication Manual , 10.13 and pp. 341-342.

Recording Artist, A. A. (Year). Title of song [Song]. On Title of Album . Recording Label.

• For classical works, give the composer as the author and note the recording artist or group in square brackets after the title. Use the publication date of the recording you used, but provide the year of the original composition in parentheses at the end of the reference. The in-text citation includes both dates, for example, Bach (1721/2010).
• If there are multiple recording labels, separate with a semicolon.

Beyoncé. (2016). Sorry [Song]. On Lemonade . Parkwood; Columbia.

For more information see: Publication Manual , 10.12.

Director, D. D. (Director). (Year). Title of film [Film]. Production Studio.

Coogler, R. (Director). (2018). Black panther  [Film]. Marvel Studios; Walt Disney Pictures.

Online Video

For more information see: Publication Manual , 10.12

Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. Streaming Site. URL

Who you put as the author depends on where you viewed the video. If a person or organization that posted the video is needed to find the exact version you viewed, such as on YouTube, use that user account as the author.

Stanford University [Stanford]. (2005, June 12).  Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford commencement address [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

Jobs, S. (2005, June). How to live before you die [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die

Television Series Episode

Writer, W. W. (Writer), & Director, D. D. (Director). (Year, Month Day). Title of episode (Season x, Episode x) [TV episode]. In E. E. Executive Producer (Executive Producer), Title of television series.  Production Company.

Averill, M. (Writer), & Silberlin, B. (Director). (2014, October 27). Chapter three (Season 1, Episode 3) [TV series episode]. In J. Snyder Urman, B. Silverman, G. Pearl, & J. Granier (Executive Producers), Jane the virgin. Poppy Productions; RCTV; Electus; CBS Television Studios; Warner Bros. Television.

For more information see: Publication Manual ,10.14

Artist, A. A. (Year of creation). Title of work [Type of Work]. Museum, Museum Location. URL

• If the image comes from a print source, cite that work (no need to include details about the image; just cite the page number in the in-text citation).
• For infographics, maps, photographs, and PowerPoint slides, replace Museum and Museum Location with the name of the site where the image was retrieved.
• If the work does not have a title, describe it in square brackets.

Lawrence, J. (1940-1941). They also made it very difficult for migrants leaving the South. They often went to railroad stations and arrested the Negroes wholesale, which in turn made them miss their train: The migration series  [Painting]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, United States. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78540

Examples: Unpublished/Archival

Interview/discussion.

For more information see: Publication Manual , 8.8 and 8.8

Personal communication including unpublished interviews and class discussions are cited in the text only because they do not provide recoverable data that readers can access. An example of an in-text citation would be:

(M. S. Mandel, personal communication, May 15, 2020).

Manuscript/Archival Material

For more information see: APA Style , Archival Documents and Collections

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of material . Name of Collection (Call number, Box number, File name or number, etc.). Name of Repository, Location.

If there is no title on the document, include a description of the material in square brackets.

Cook, D. (1973, March).  Black culture-Imamu Baraka . Black Student Union and Afro-American Society Collection (MC218, box 2, folder 56). Williams College Archives and Special Collections, Williamstown, MA, United States.

Crampton, S. (2001, July 10). Interview by C. R. Alberti. [Tape recording]. Oral History Collection. Williams College Archives and Special Collections, Williamstown, MA, United States. 

Tague W. T. (1970, April). [Photograph of Lansing Chapman rink]. Photograph Collection (General) (MC214). Williams College Archives and Special Collections, Williamstown, MA, United States.

Need More Info?

• APA Style Website Official companion to the Publication Manual . The Style and Grammar Guidelines section provides explanations and examples of common questions. The Blog gives guidance on topics not fully covered in the manual.

What Needs to be Cited?

• Exact wording taken from any source, including freely available websites
• Paraphrases of passages
• Summaries of another person's work
• Indebtedness to another person for an idea
• Use of another student's work
• Use of your own previous work

You do not need to cite common knowledge .

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Literature Review: Conducting & Writing

• Sample Literature Reviews
• Steps for Conducting a Lit Review
• Finding "The Literature"
• Organizing/Writing
• APA Style This link opens in a new window
• Chicago: Notes Bibliography This link opens in a new window
• MLA Style This link opens in a new window

Sample Lit Reviews from Communication Arts

Have an exemplary literature review.

• Literature Review Sample 1
• Literature Review Sample 2
• Literature Review Sample 3

Have you written a stellar literature review you care to share for teaching purposes?

Are you an instructor who has received an exemplary literature review and have permission from the student to post?

Please contact Britt McGowan at [email protected] for inclusion in this guide. All disciplines welcome and encouraged.

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Know the CORRECT APA 7th Edition Literature Review Format

Mastering the APA 7th edition literature review format is crucial for academic and research works. This standardized format ensures consistency, clarity, and proper citation, allowing researchers to present their ideas systematically. Adhering to the APA literature review format enhances the credibility of academic work and facilitates the seamless exchange of information within the scholarly community.

Welcome to our guide on how to correctly format your literature review in APA 7th edition style. This blog is here to help you understand the right way to organize and present your ideas in your APA format literature review. It's important to get this format right because it shows your ability to engage with existing research and contribute to academic conversations.

In this blog, we'll break down the literature review format in APA 7th edition, making it easier for everyone, whether you're a student, researcher, or academic. Whether you're new to these guidelines or looking to improve your skills, we've got practical tips and insights to guide you through the process.

We want to make the literature review format less confusing and more accessible. Join us as we explore the steps to help you write a literature review that meets the standards set by the American Psychological Association. Let's make your scholarly writing even better!

Now let us know the correct APA 7th edition literature review format using the official APA manual  which is  highly beneficial for the PhD  researchers.

The American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition provides guidelines for formatting various elements of a literature review.

Below is an outline that you can follow for structuring a literature review in APA format:

The Title Page in an APA 7th edition literature review serves as the introductory section, providing essential details about the document. This page is crucial for identifying the work and its contributors, setting the tone for the reader. Key components include:

Title : Centered, bold, and in title case, the title should succinctly convey the main focus of the literature review in APA 7th edition.

Author(s) : Centered and double-spaced beneath the title, list the author's name(s) in title case in APA style literature review. This information establishes authorship and contributes to academic accountability.

Institutional Affiliation : Centered and double-spaced beneath the author's name(s), include the institutional affiliation. This indicates the academic or organizational association of the author(s), providing context for readers for APA style literature review.

The Abstract in an APA 7th edition literature review is a concise summary that provides a brief overview of the main points, methodology, and findings of the review. This crucial section helps readers quickly grasp the key elements without delving into the full document. Here are the key components

Centered at the top of the page, the word "Abstract" is specified as the heading, distinguishing it from other sections in APA literature review outline.

The abstract itself, limited to 150-250 words, encapsulates the main objectives, methods, results, and conclusions of the literature review. 

It serves as a standalone piece, offering a snapshot of the entire work in APA literature review outline.

Following the abstract, provide 3-5 keywords or phrases that highlight the main themes and concepts covered. 

This aids in searchability and categorization in literature review APA format 7th edition.

Introduction

The Introduction section in an lit review format is a crucial component that outlines the purpose, scope, and context of the review. This section establishes the groundwork for the reader, guiding them into the main body of the work. Here are key details to include:

Page Header

The word "Introduction" is centered at the top of the page, signaling the beginning of the document which is an APA format literature review example.

Purpose Statement

Clearly articulate the overarching goal of the literature review. 

Define the specific research question or thesis that the review seeks to address for APA 7th literature review.

Scope of the Review

Briefly outline the boundaries of the review by specifying the time frame, geographical focus, or particular themes under consideration which is also an APA format literature review example.

Significance

Explain the relevance and importance of the review in the broader academic context. 

Highlight the gaps or debates within the existing literature that the review aims to address for APA 7th literature review.

Body of the Review

The Body of the Review in an APA literature review is where the analysis and synthesis of relevant literature take place. This section is organized based on themes, concepts, or chronology, presenting a comprehensive overview of existing scholarly works which is an literature review APA 7th edition example. Key elements include:

Employ clear and logical organization, using headings and subheadings to structure the review by themes, concepts, or time periods in literature review APA format 7th edition.

Clearly label each section with informative headings that guide the reader through different aspects of the literature, helping them navigate the review efficiently in literature review APA 7th.

Critically analyze and synthesize the literature, evaluating the methodologies, findings, and contributions of each work. 

Identify patterns, trends, and gaps in the existing research in literature review format APA 7th edition.

Support statements and arguments with proper in-text citations, adhering to the author-date citation style in literature review APA 7th.

The Conclusion section in an APA literature review serves as the endpoint of the scholarly exploration, summarizing key findings and implications. It offers closure to the reader by synthesizing the main points and reflecting on the broader significance of the reviewed literature which is also a literature review APA 7th edition example. Key components include:

Page Header  

• The word "Conclusion" is centered at the top of the page, signifying the culmination of the literature review format APA 7th edition.

Summary  

• Recapitulate the main findings and contributions of the literature review, emphasizing key takeaways and insights.

Implications  

• Discuss the implications of the reviewed literature for the broader field of study. Address how the findings contribute to existing knowledge and potential applications which is also an APA 7th edition literature review outline example.

Gaps and Future Research  

• Identify any gaps or limitations in the current literature and propose avenues for future research. Suggest areas where additional inquiry or exploration is needed.

The References section in an APA edition literature review is a critical component, providing a comprehensive list of all the sources cited in the document. This section follows specific formatting guidelines to ensure accuracy and consistency. Key details include:

"References" is centered at the top of the page, serving as the title for this section.

Alphabetical Order

Sort the items according to the first author's last name in alphabetical order. Use hanging indents for each reference to enhance readability.

Ensure proper formatting for various source types, including books, journal articles, and online resources. 

Italicize book and journal titles, and use appropriate capitalization in APA 7th edition literature review outline example.

Author Information

Include the full names of all authors, initials for first and middle names, and publication dates.

Provide DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or URL for online sources when available.

In-text Citations

In-text Citations in an lit review format are essential for attributing information to its original source within the text. Proper citations lend credibility to the review and facilitate readers in locating the referenced material. Key aspects of in-text citations include:

Use the author-date citation system throughout the literature review.

Include the author's last name and the publication year within parentheses. 

For instance, (Smith, 2019) for a single author, or (Smith, Harris & Johnson, 2019) for two or three authors and (Smith et al., 2019) for more than three authors.

When quoting directly, include the page number after the publication year, separated by a comma (e.g., Smith, 2019, p. 45)

Distinguish between works by the same author and year using letters (e.g., Smith, 2019a; Smith, 2019b).

Final Thoughts

To wrap things up, getting the APA 7th edition literature review format right is super important. It's like a roadmap for your research story. Following these guidelines keeps your work organized and up to par with what the experts expect. No matter if you're new to this or a pro, nailing the APA edition literature review format matters.

So, take the time to check out the APA format literature review, use online guides, visit your university's writing help, and maybe try out formatting tools to know more about the format. Learn from examples in reputable journals too. Why? Because sticking to the correct literature review format doesn't just make you look good – it shows you take your research seriously. Keep at it, follow the rules, and let your literature review shine the right way in that APA 7th edition format!

Thesis india is a platform that provides comprehensive assistance to PhD researchers in their systematic literature review, including APA literature review format. The website offers a range of services, including writing, editing, and proofreading, to help researchers produce high-quality work. The platform’s experts have years of experience in academic writing and are well-versed in the requirements of PhD research.

They can help researchers identify gaps in the existing literature, develop a research question, and create a literature review that is both comprehensive and critical. Additionally, they can assist researchers in preparing a proposal that is well-structured and clearly outlines the research objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes. 

Thesisindia.net’s systematic literature review service embarks on a comprehensive and meticulous journey into the vast realm of research. They leave no valuable stone unturned, employing a variety of robust methods for an exhaustive search. From scouring electronic databases to hand-searching journals and even consulting field experts, their approach ensures that all relevant studies are identified. With their unwavering commitment to precision and thoroughness, you can rest assured that your research endeavors will yield remarkable results.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How to write a literature review paper in APA format?

   - Follow the guidelines outlined in the APA Manual, 7th edition, for structuring and formatting your literature review paper.

2. How long should an APA literature review be?

   - The length of an APA literature review varies, but it generally ranges from 15-30 pages, depending on the scope and requirements of your research.

3. How do you write a literature review in APA 7th edition?

   - Write a literature review in APA 7th edition by carefully following the guidelines for headings, citations, and references provided in the APA Manual.

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Types of APA Papers

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Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style  can be found here .

There are two common types of papers written in fields using APA Style: the literature review and the experimental report. Each has unique requirements concerning the sections that must be included in the paper.

Literature review

A literature review is a critical summary of what the scientific literature says about your specific topic or question. Often student research in APA fields falls into this category. Your professor might ask you to write this kind of paper to demonstrate your familiarity with work in the field pertinent to the research you hope to conduct.

A literature review typically contains the following sections:

• Introduction section
• List of references

Some instructors may also want you to write an abstract for a literature review, so be sure to check with them when given an assignment. Also, the length of a literature review and the required number of sources will vary based on course and instructor preferences.

NOTE: A literature review and an annotated bibliography are not synonymous. If you are asked to write an annotated bibliography, you should consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for the APA Format for Annotated Bibliographies.

Experimental report

In many of the social sciences, you will be asked to design and conduct your own experimental research. If so, you will need to write up your paper using a structure that is more complex than that used for just a literature review. We have a complete resource devoted to writing an experimental report in the field of psychology here .

This structure follows the scientific method, but it also makes your paper easier to follow by providing those familiar cues that help your reader efficiently scan your information for:

• Why the topic is important (covered in your introduction)
• What the problem is (also covered in your introduction)
• What you did to try to solve the problem (covered in your methods section)
• What you found (covered in your results section)
• What you think your findings mean (covered in your discussion section)

Thus an experimental report typically includes the following sections.

• Introduction
• Appendices(if necessary)
• Tables and/or figures (if necessary)

Make sure to check the guidelines for your assignment or any guidelines that have been given to you by an editor of a journal before you submit a manuscript containing the sections listed above.

As with the literature review, the length of this report may vary by course or by journal, but most often it will be determined by the scope of the research conducted.

Other papers

If you are writing a paper that fits neither of these categories, follow the guidelines about General Format , consult your instructor, or look up advice in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association .

When submitting a manuscript to a journal, make sure you follow the guidelines described in the submission policies of that publication, and include as many sections as you think are applicable to presenting your material. Remember to keep your audience in mind as you are making this decision. If certain information is particularly pertinent for conveying your research, then ensure that there is a section of your paper that adequately addresses that information.