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APA Citation Guide, 7th edition: Journal Article with 3-20 Authors

Digital Object Identifier (DOI) (pp. 298-300)

the letters doi in a yellow circle

What is a DOI? A DOI (digital object identifier) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the internet. 

NOTE: It is regarded as the most important part of the citation because it will accurately direct users to the specific article.

Think of it as a "digital fingerprint" or an article's DNA!

FYI - Updated rules on using DOI (January 2020):

Correct:  

  • https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114

Incorrect:     

  • http://doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
  • doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
  • doi:http://doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
  • Retrieved from http://doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114

Journal Article with Three to Twenty Authors (p. 317-319, 286, 266)

Helpful Tips:  

DOI: If a journal article has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) listed, you will always include this identifier in your reference.  You will not have to include the URL of the journal's home page or of the database from which you retrieved the article if a DOI is available.

Online Database: If you viewed a journal article in an online databaseand it does not have a DOI, you do not include a url for the article or database (p. 299).

Print: If you viewed a journal article in its print format, be sure to check if it has a DOI listed.  If it does not, your reference to the article would end after you provide the page range of the article.

Date: When possible, include the year, month, and date in references. If the month and date are not available, use the year of publication.

General Format

      In-Text Citation (Paraphrase): 
      (Author Surname et al., Year)
     
      In-Text Citation (Quotation):
      (Author Surname et al., Year, page number)
 
      References:
Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial., Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial., & Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume(issue), page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx OR URL of article if retrieved from a website  
 
Example 1 (In-text citation rule for 3-5 authors)
 
      In-Text Citation (Paraphrase): 
      (Westhues et al., 2001)
 
      In-Text Citation (Quotation):
 
      (Westhues et al., 2001, p. 40)
 
      References:
Westhues, A., Lafrance, J., & Schmidt, G. (2001). A SWOT analysis of social work education in Canada. Social Work Education, 20(1), 35-56. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615470020028364
 
Example 2 
 
      In-Text Citation (Paraphrase): 
      (Dietz et al., 2007)
 
      In-Text Citation (Quotation):
      (Dietz et al., 2007, p. 1518)
 
      References:
Dietz, P. M., Williams, S. B., Callaghan, W. M., Bachman, D. J., Whitlock, E. P., & Hornbrook, M. C. (2007). Clinically identified maternal depression before, during, and after pregnancies ending in live births. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(10), 1515-1520. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.061118936

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