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APA 7th edition referencing examples and format guide

APA 7th edition is used at universities worldwide, and many UK courses (especially psychology, nursing, education and business) use it instead of Harvard. This guide covers layout, headings, in-text citations and the reference list. Your module handbook or instructor always takes priority, as some universities make small changes to APA.

By the Best Paper Help team · Updated 7 November 2026

⚡ Key takeaways

Cite author and year in the text, with an "&" between two authors in brackets.
Use et al. for three or more authors from the very first citation.
The reference list is alphabetical, double-spaced, with a hanging indent.
Your module handbook wins if it says something different.

APA 7 or Harvard?

Both are author–date styles, so they look similar, but the small details differ. APA puts the year in brackets in the reference list, uses "&" between authors, and drops the place of publication for books. If your handbook says "APA", don't mix in Harvard habits. For Harvard, see our Harvard referencing examples.

Layout and formatting

UK universities often set their own layout rules (cover sheets, word counts, line spacing). Where your handbook doesn't, APA 7's defaults for student papers are:

Title page: the paper title in bold, your name or student number, your university, the module code and name, your lecturer and the due date. Many UK modules replace this with their own cover sheet, so check first.
Margins: 2.54 cm (1 inch) on every side.
Spacing: double-spaced throughout, with no extra gap between paragraphs.
Indent: 1.27 cm (0.5 inch) at the start of each paragraph.
Fonts: any readable font, such as 11-pt Calibri or Arial, or 12-pt Times New Roman.
Page numbers: top right of every page. No running head is needed for student papers.
Abstract: only if your assignment asks for one.

Headings (levels 1 to 5)

Level 1: centred, bold, title case.
Level 2: flush left, bold, title case.
Level 3: flush left, bold italic, title case.
Level 4: indented, bold, title case, ending with a full stop. Text continues on the same line.
Level 5: indented, bold italic, title case, ending with a full stop. Text continues on the same line.

Most essays only need levels 1 and 2. Dissertations often use levels 1 to 3.

In-text citations

One author: (Ahmed, 2021) or Ahmed (2021) found that…
Two authors: (Ahmed & Clarke, 2021), but use "and" in the sentence: Ahmed and Clarke (2021)
Three or more authors: (Ahmed et al., 2021) from the very first citation
Direct quote: (Ahmed, 2021, p. 45), or pp. 45–46 for more than one page
Organisation as author: (National Health Service, 2023)
Two sources at once: (Clarke, 2019; Ahmed, 2021), in alphabetical order
No date: (Ahmed, n.d.)

Reference list examples

Start the list on a new page titled References (bold, centred). List entries alphabetically by the first author's surname, double-spaced, with a hanging indent. List up to 20 authors in an entry. Titles shown in italics below should be italic in your work.

Journal article

Ahmed, S., & Clarke, J. (2021). Sleep quality and exam performance in UK undergraduates. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45(4), 412–420. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Book

Clarke, J. M. (2019). Research methods for the social sciences (2nd ed.). Sage.

APA 7 doesn't include the place of publication.

Chapter in an edited book

Khan, R. (2020). Motivation and learning. In A. Brown & L. Evans (Eds.), Educational psychology today (pp. 55–78). Routledge.

Web page

National Health Service. (2024, March 12). Insomnia. https://www.nhs.uk/...

APA writes dates as year, month, day. If the author and the website name are the same, leave the site name out.

UK government report

Department for Education. (2023). Title of report. https://www.gov.uk/...

Common APA 7 mistakes

Mixing Harvard and APA, e.g. "and" inside brackets or no year brackets in the reference list.
Writing out three authors' names instead of using et al. straight away.
Including the place of publication for books (that was APA 6).
Writing "Retrieved from" before URLs (also APA 6).
Missing page numbers for direct quotes.
Forgetting the hanging indent or putting the list in citation order.

Want a quick self-check before you submit? Download our free APA 7 checklist.

Test yourself

Quick quiz

Q1. How do you cite a source with three authors in APA 7?

Q2. Which joins two authors inside brackets in APA 7?

Q3. Which book reference is correct APA 7?

Want feedback on your own work? Our Harvard & APA referencing check gives clear, explained feedback on what you've written. Your work always stays your own.

Frequently asked questions

Which UK courses use APA 7?

APA is common in psychology, nursing and health, education, business and some social sciences. Your module handbook says which style to use, and any local changes it makes take priority.

Do I need a running head in APA 7?

Not for student papers. You only need page numbers, unless your module handbook asks for a running head.

When do I use et al. in APA 7?

For sources with three or more authors, use the first author's surname followed by et al. in every citation, including the first.

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