Mistakes Checklist
Common APA Journal Article Citation Mistakes
Published studies report citation/reference error rates between 25-54%. Use this page to catch the most frequent formatting failures before submission.
Top mistakes to avoid
- ⚠Not italicizing the volume number
- ⚠Italicizing the issue number
- ⚠Using title case for article titles
- ⚠Omitting the DOI when available
Wrong vs correct examples
Volume number not italicized
Wrong
Grady, J. S., et al. (2019). Emotions in storybooks. *Psychology of Popular Media Culture*, 8(3), 207-217.
Correct
Grady, J. S., et al. (2019). Emotions in storybooks. *Psychology of Popular Media Culture*, *8*(3), 207-217.
In APA 7, the journal name AND the volume number must be italicized. The issue number in parentheses is not italicized.
Article title in title case
Wrong
Grady, J. S., et al. (2019). Emotions in Storybooks: A Comparison of Ethnic Groups. *Psychology of Popular Media Culture*, *8*(3), 207-217.
Correct
Grady, J. S., et al. (2019). Emotions in storybooks: A comparison of ethnic groups. *Psychology of Popular Media Culture*, *8*(3), 207-217.
Article titles use sentence case in APA — capitalize only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon. Journal names use title case.
Missing DOI when available
Wrong
Grady, J. S., et al. (2019). Emotions in storybooks. *Psychology of Popular Media Culture*, *8*(3), 207-217.
Correct
Grady, J. S., et al. (2019). Emotions in storybooks. *Psychology of Popular Media Culture*, *8*(3), 207-217. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000185
Always include the DOI as a full URL when available. Most journal articles have DOIs — check CrossRef or the publisher page.
Fix checklist
- ✓Include DOI as a URL (https://doi.org/...)
- ✓Italicize journal name AND volume number
- ✓Use sentence case for article titles
- ✓Do not italicize issue number (in parentheses)
Frequently asked questions
How do I cite a journal article with no DOI?
If accessed online, include the journal homepage URL. For print-only with no online presence, end after page numbers.
How do I use et al. in APA?
For 3+ authors, use first author et al. for all in-text citations: (Grady et al., 2019).
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