Referencing journals in APA
This page outlines the correct format for journal articles in an APA reference list:
- Journal article
- Online journal article and journal articles with DOIs
- Magazine or newspaper article
- Journal article with an article number
- APA Style Guide
New to referencing? See the introduction to referencing.
Create customised interactive examples of APA references and in-text citations with this online tool.
Journal article
Order: Author(s). Year of publication (in brackets). Article title (not in italics). Journal name (in italics), volume number (in italics), issue number, and the page number range of the article.
Castles, F. G., Curtin, J. C., & Vowles, J. (2006). Public policy in Australia and New Zealand: The new global context. Australian Journal of Political Science, 41(2), 131–143.
- The name of the journal goes in italics, but the name of the article does not.
- The name of the journal has an upper-case letter for all words except trivial ones (‘of’, ‘in’, etc.).
- The volume number is in italics. The issue number follows it, in brackets but not in italics. The issue number is only included if each issue begins on page 1.
- The page number range includes the first and last page of the full article, not just the pages you used.
- Note: APA uses serial commas. This means with a list of three or more items, commas are used between each item, not just the first two items. This applies to the reference list, all in-text citations, and text. E.g., one, two, and three.
- Include DOIs for all journals where a DOI is available even if you didn't access the source online.
- Something missing? More than one author? See referencing elements for answers to common issues.
Online journal articles and journal articles with DOIs
Some journals use a DOI (digital object identifier) to uniquely identify the article. If it is available, the DOI should be included (rather than a URL).
Include DOIs for all journals where a DOI is available even if you didn't access the source online.
Order: Author(s). Year of publication (in brackets). Article title (not in italics). Journal name (in italics), volume number (in italics), issue number, page number range of the article (if available). DOI
Gelkopf, M., Ryan, P., Cotton, S., & Berger, R. (2008). The impact of “training the trainers” for helping tsunami-survivor children on Sri Lankan disaster volunteer workers. International Journal of Stress Management, 15(2), 117–135. https://doi.org/10.1037/1072-5245.15.2.117
See DOI for details.
Some journal articles will not have a DOI. If it is unavailable, a URL should be used instead of a DOI.
Order: Author(s). Year of publication (in brackets). Article title (not in italics). Journal name (in italics), volume number (in italics), issue number, page number range of the article (if available). URL or journal home page
Baxter, S. (2009). Learning through experience: The impact of direct experience on children's brand awareness. Marketing Bulletin, 20. http://marketing-bulletin.massey.ac.nz/V20/MB_V20_A2_Baxter.pdf
Hsing, Y., Baraya, A., & Budden, M. (2005). Macroeconomic policies and economic growth: The case of Costa Rica. Journal of Applied Business Research, 21(2), 105–112. http://journals.cluteonline.com/index.php/JABR/
Note: Do not place a full stop at the end of the URL or DOI as this may affect the functionality of the link.
Some journal articles do not have page numbers. If there is an article number rather than a page range, put the article number in the place of the page range, precede by the word “Article.”
Jerrentrup, A., Mueller, T., Glowalla, U., Herder, M., Henrichs, N., Neubauer, A., & Schaefer, J. R. (2018). Teaching medicine with the help of “Dr. House.” PLoS ONE, 13(3), Article e0193972. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193972
The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently.
See 6th vs. 7th for details.
Magazine or newspaper article
Magazine articles and newspaper articles follow the same format as journal articles, with a few alterations. See the section on referencing other material for details.
Journal article with an article number
Sometimes articles have an article number instead of a page range. If so, use the word ‘Article’ after the journal details, then give the number:
Ji, Y., Kumar, K., & Waru, T. (2012). Biopathways accessible through sonar. PLoS One, 2(1), Article e0457835. https://doi.org/10.1468/journal.pone.0457835
APA Style Guide
The APA Style Guide website also has information about how to reference journal articles.
References and further reading
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). [Massey Library link]
Disclaimer
These pages are provided as a guide to proper referencing. Your course, department, school, or institute may prescribe specific conventions, and their recommendations supersede these instructions. If you have questions not covered here, check in the style guide listed above, ask your course coordinator, or ask at Academic Q+A.