APA 7
APA 7th Edition is the most commonly used referencing style here at the University of Portsmouth. Below you will find general guidance on how to reference and cite using APA 7th Edition, as well as examples for the specific sources you are likely to use in your assignments.
Your department or lecturer may prefer you to reference sources differently from the guidance given here. Always follow the requirements of your department or lecturer.
External visitors are welcome to use this guide, but note that your institution's requirements may differ from those suggested here.
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Print journal article with a single author
Reference
Author, Initials. (Year of Publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume number(Issue number), start and end page numbers.
Pitts, M. (2008). The henge builders. Archaeology, 61(1), 48-55.
In-text Citation
For information about the use of page numbers within in-text citations, please see our guidance here.
It can be argued that... (Pitts, 2008).
Pitts (2008, p. 50) stated that...
For examples of print journal articles with multiple authors please click 'more' below.
more
For all articles with up to twenty authors, include all of their names in the reference and use an ampersand (&) before the final author's name.
Print journal article with two authors
Reference
Author, Initials., & Author, Initials. (Year of Publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume number(Issue number), start and end page numbers.
Shang-Su, W., & Chong, A. (2018). Developmental railpolitics: The political economy of China’s high-speed rail projects in Thailand and Indonesia. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 40(3), 503-526.
In-text Citation
For sources with two authors, you should use both authors' surnames in each citation. If the citation is inside brackets, use an ampersand (&) between the names. If they are in the text of your work, use 'and' between them.
For information about the use of page numbers within in-text citations, please see our guidance here.
It can be argued that... (Shang-Su & Chong, 2018).
Shang-Su and Chong (2018, p. 505) have argued that...
Print journal article with three to twenty authors
Author, Initials., Author, Initials., & Author, Initials. (Year of Publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume number(Issue number), start and end page numbers.
Kiernan, R.C., Beresford, T. P., O'Cuinn, G., & Jordan, K. N. (2000). Autolysis of lactobacilli during Cheddar cheese ripening. Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research, 39(1), 95-106.
In-text Citation
For sources with three or more authors, you only need to state the name of the first author, followed by 'et al.'
'et al.' is plural, meaning "and others".
For information about the use of page numbers within in-text citations, please see our guidance here.
Studies have shown that... (Kiernan et al., 2000).
Kieran et al. (2018, p. 100) demonstrate that...
Print journal article with twenty-one authors or more
Reference
For an article with 21 or more authors, include the first 19 authors' names, insert an ellipsis (but no ampersand), and then add the final author's name.
Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., Author, Initials., . . . Author, Initials. (Year of Publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume number(Issue number), start and end page numbers.
Nath, A. P., Ritchie, S. C., Grinberg, N. F., Tang, H. H., Huang, Q. Q., Teo, S. M., Ahola-Olli, A. V., Würtz, P., Havulinna, A. S., Santalahti, K., Pitkänen, N., Lehtimäki, T., Kähönen, M., Lyytikäinen, L. P., Raitoharju, E., Seppälä, I., Sarin, A. P., Ripatti, S., Palotie, A., . . . Inouye, M. (2019). Multivariate genome-wide association analysis of a cytokine network reveals variants with widespread immune, haematological, and cardiometabolic pleiotropy. American Journal of Human Genetics, 105(6), 1076-1090.
In-text Citation
For information about the use of page numbers within in-text citations, please see our guidance here.
Results of a study suggest... (Nath et al., 2019).
A study by Nath et al. (2019, p. 1080) resulted in...