apa7-refs

name: apa7-refs description: Format reference lists in APA 7th edition style. Use when drafting or revising reference sections, or when formatting in-text citations. license: MIT

Skill: apa7-refs

#style-core

Reference List: General Rules

1. Hanging indent: All references use a hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5"). In (pandoc) markdown, use the custom style "References" after the References section header:

# References

::: {.custom-style="References"}

[...references go here...]

:::

2. Alphabetical order: Sort by first author's last name, then initials. Use letter-by-letter for names without dates. Multiple works by the same author: order by year (earliest first).
3. Italicization: Only italicize titles of standalone works (books, journals, websites). Do NOT italicize article titles, chapter titles, or DOIs.
4. Sentence case for article titles: Capitalize only the first word, proper nouns, and words after colons. Journal names use title case and are always italicized.
5. Author name format: Last name, Initials with periods. Use comma between last name and initials. Separate multiple authors with commas (not &).
6. Year: Place immediately after last author name in parentheses.
7. DOI format: Always use https://doi.org/... — never "Retrieved from" URLs for DOIs. No period after DOI.
8. URL format: Only for works without a DOI. Do not include access dates unless the source is a wiki or archival document with no publication date.

Reference Types

Journal Article

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx

• Italicize: Periodical title (journal name) and volume number
• Do NOT italicize: Article title, issue number, page numbers, DOI
• Include issue number only if the journal does not use continuous pagination
• Example:

  Smith, J. A., & Jones, B. C. (2023). Cognitive effects of sleep deprivation. Journal of Sleep Research, 42(3), 215–230. https://doi.org/10.1234/jsr.2023.0421
  

Book

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (Edition ed.). Publisher.

• Italicize: Title of work
• Include "(X ed.)" only for editions other than the first
• Example:

  Brown, L. S. (2018). Critical thinking in psychology (3rd ed.). Wiley.
  

Chapter in an Edited Volume

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

• Italicize: Book title only
• Do NOT italicize: Chapter title
• Example:

  Garcia, M. E. (2019). Statistical power in ANOVA designs. In R. S. Kaplan & S. P. Ellis (Eds.), Handbook of research methods (pp. 145–178). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1234/hrp.2019.0012
  

Preprint / Open Access Server

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of preprint. Name of Server. https://doi.org/xxxxx

• For PsyArXiv, OSF preprints, and similar servers
• Include the server name
• Example:

  Nguyen, T. H., & Patel, R. S. (2024, March 15). Replication failures in social priming studies. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.1234/psyarxiv.abcde
  

Dissertation / Thesis

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation/ thesis [Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis, University Name].

• Italicize: Title
• Include the institution and bracketed descriptor
• Example:

  Kim, S. J. (2021). Neural correlates of decision-making under uncertainty [Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University]. ProQuest Information and Learning.
  

Web Page

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. https://url

• Include date only if available
• Use "Retrieved from" only if no author or date
• Example:

  American Psychological Association. (2023, January 15). Guidelines for psychological practice. https://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines
  

Conference Proceedings

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of paper. In Proceedings of the Conference Name (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Software / Data / Model

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of software/data/model (Version X.X) [Description]. Site. https://doi.org/xxxxx

• Include version number in parentheses after title
• Example:

  R Core Team. (2023). R: A language and environment for statistical computing (Version 4.3.1) [Computer software]. R Foundation. https://www.R-project.org/
  

Authored Edited Volume (Full Book as Editor)

Editor, A. A., & Editor, B. B. (Eds.). (Year). Title of edited volume. Publisher.

In-Text Citations

Narrative citation

Smith (2023) argued that...

Parenthetical citation

(Smith, 2023)

Multiple authors

• 2 authors: Always cite both names
• 3+ authors: Use first author et al. on first citation, then just first author et al. on subsequent citations (APA 7 changed this from "always use et al." for 3+)

Multiple works in one citation

(Smith, 2020; Jones, 2022; Brown & White, 2021)

Order alphabetically, then by year within author.

Secondary sources

Use sparingly. Format: "as cited in Original Author, Year". Only list the source you actually read in the reference list.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Italicizing article titles — Only journal names and volume numbers are italicized
2. Using "Retrieved from" with DOIs — DOIs always take the form https://doi.org/... with no "Retrieved from"
3. Missing issue numbers — Include issue number unless the journal uses continuous pagination throughout the volume
4. Wrong capitalization — Article titles use sentence case; journal names use title case
5. Author name formatting — Use Smith, J. A. not Smith J.A. or Smith JA
6. Missing "X ed." for reprints — Only include edition if it is not the original
7. DOI formatting — Always include DOI if available; no period after DOI URL
8. Inconsistent author lists — Match exact author names as they appear on the source, including middle initials

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