How to Cite a Research Paper in APA
Updated August 2026
Citing a research paper in APA comes down to one template and a handful of rules. Below: the exact 7th edition format, a real example produced by our citation engine, and the in-text form — or paste your source into the generator and copy the finished citation.
The APA format
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article in sentence case. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx
APA (7th edition) formats a research paper reference as shown above. A real example, generated by our citation engine:
Rasch, B., & Born, J. (2013). About sleep's role in memory. Physiological Reviews, 93(2), 681-766. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00032.2012
In-text(Rasch & Born, 2013)
Finding the pieces
Or skip the hunt: Find the DOI on the paper's first page and paste it into the generator's DOI tab, and every field is filled from the source's own record — then select APA on the result.
- Which kind it is — journal article (journal + volume), conference paper (proceedings), preprint (arXiv/bioRxiv), or thesis
- The DOI — first page or landing page; preprints have them too
- The version — preprint, accepted manuscript, or published version of record
- Page range or article number — from the journal listing
APA's formatting rules at work
- Authors are inverted with initials: Alvarez, M.
- Titles use sentence case — only the first word, proper nouns, and the word after a colon are capitalized
- The date comes right after the author, in parentheses
- DOIs are formatted as full links: https://doi.org/10.xxxx
Research Paper-specific pitfalls
- Cite the version you read — pagination and content differ between preprint and published versions
- Conference papers cite the proceedings as the container with the page range
- Theses name the institution: [Doctoral dissertation, University Name] in APA
In-text citations in APA
APA cites in the text with author and date: (Alvarez, 2024) for a paraphrase, with a page or paragraph locator for quotes — (Alvarez, 2024, p. 12) or (Alvarez, 2024, para. 3). Three or more authors shorten to et al. from the first citation: (Harris et al., 2020).
No author? A short version of the title stands in, in quotes: ("First Words of Title," 2024). No date? Use (Author, n.d.).
Building the References
Every in-text citation pairs with a full entry on the References page, alphabetized by author. Add each citation to your bibliography as you generate it, and the Bibliography Builder assembles and exports the finished page to Word with the title, ordering, and indentation APA requires.
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Go Premium — $5/monthFrequently asked questions
- What's the basic APA format for a research paper?
- Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article in sentence case. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx — see the worked example above, generated by the same engine that powers the free citation tool.
- Can I cite the preprint if the journal version exists?
- Best practice is to read and cite the published version of record. If you genuinely used the preprint, cite the preprint — accuracy about what you read beats prestige.
- How do I cite a research paper in APA in-text?
- Author and year: (Alvarez, 2024), adding a page or paragraph locator for direct quotes.
- Can I get this citation in other styles too?
- Yes — every result in the generator renders APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and IEEE simultaneously. Generate once, switch styles with one click.